Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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Yoon vows to advance freedom, welfare to uphold spirit of 1980 pro-democracy uprising
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Military steps up security near Dokdo for Lee’s visit
South Korea’s military has stepped up security in the East Sea on Friday, ahead of President Lee Myung-bak’s planned visit to the easternmost islets of Dokdo, military officials said. “The military increased the number of Air Force combat planes and Navy vessels patrolling (near Dokdo),” a senior official said, asking anonymity as he is not allowed to speak about military information to media. “The military reinforced its forces to prepare in case of an emergency.”The Air Force’s main fighters,
Aug. 10, 2012
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Park Geun-hye's approval ratings slip after money-for-nomination scandal
The approval ratings of top presidential contender Park Geun-hye slipped more than two percentage points as her conservative ruling party took a beating over allegations one of its lawmakers bribed her way into parliament, polls showed Friday.Park's rating stood at 36.4 percent in a survey of 1,500 people on Wednesday and Thursday, down from 39 percent during the same period last week, according t
Aug. 10, 2012
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DUP lawmaker under fire for slur against Park GH
Lee Jong-kul, a senior Democratic United Party lawmaker, came under fire for using vulgar language to refer to Saenuri Party presidential contender Rep. Park Geun-hye. Saenuri leader Rep. Hwang Woo-yea said Thursday that his party should consider referring the remarks to the National Assembly’s ethics committee. Women’s rights groups also condemned the remarks as demeaning to women. The gaffe-prone member of the DUP Supreme Council wrote on his Twitter account last Sunday, “That b―― (is trying t
Aug. 9, 2012
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Saenuri to launch in-house bribery probe
The ruling Saenuri Party launched its own investigation committee for the cash-for-nomination scandal on Thursday, as it struggled to prevent the prosecution’s probe from damaging the party’s presidential campaign.The party’s Supreme Council formed the nine-member committee to be headed by lawyer Lee Bong-hee and joined by those recommended by the leadership as well as the presidential primary candidates.The committee was formed as the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office accelerated its investiga
Aug. 9, 2012
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Army officer shoots himself to death
An Army captain deserted his front-line unit and apparently shot and killed himself with a rifle after quarreling with his girlfriend, military police said Thursday.The 33-year-old officer, only identified by his surname Jeong, was found dead in front of the home of his girlfriend, also an Army captain, in Jangseong, 308 kilometers south of Seoul, officials said. The female captain, only identified by her last name Kim, reported to police at around 3:20 a.m., saying she heard a gunshot and found
Aug. 9, 2012
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No pardons set to mark Liberation Day
President Lee Myung-bak has no plan to issue an amnesty marking next week’s Liberation Day, his spokesman said Thursday.South Korean presidents have issued pardons to commemorate important national holidays, such as the Liberation Day celebrating Korea’s 1945 independence from Japanese colonial rule. But critics have claimed the practice hurts the rule of law.“We don’t have any Liberation Day pardon plan this year,”presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha told reporters. “There was no Liberation Day
Aug. 9, 2012
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Ship crash causes oil spill off Incheon
INCEHON (Yonhap News) ― A Chinese cargo vessel crashed into a docking facility in the Incheon harbor on Wednesday, causing an oil spill, the South Korean Coast Guard said. About 600 liters of bunker C fuel oil have spilled into waters off Incheon on the west coast when the 40,000-ton ship struck the docking facility at about 9:20 p.m. and a big hole was torn in the right side, they said on Thursday. The spill has been contained around the port area and no casualties have been reported, they adde
Aug. 9, 2012
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Moon under fire for defending corrupt politician
Moon Jae-in, a lawyer-turned-politician running for the main opposition party’s presidential candidacy, is drawing fire for defending a case of political corruption in 2008 when he worked for a Busan law firm.Moon, a leading candidate of the Democratic United Party (DUP), was part of the defense council for Suh Chung-won, co-chairman of the “Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance.” Suh was convicted and jailed in2009 for receiving 3.21 billion won (US$2.84 million) in exchange for naming two people as propo
Aug. 9, 2012
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China to develop three mines in N.K.
North Korea has recently signed a deal with China to jointly develop three mines in the North, a North Korean investment firm said Thursday, as the cash-strapped country steps up attempts to earn hard currency from overseas.A Beijing unit of North Korea’s Committee of Investment and Joint Venture struck the joint development deal with a Chinese international trading company in Beijing on June 9, according to the unit’s Chinese-language Web site.“The China firm’s president and his parties conduct
Aug. 9, 2012
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Presidential economic aide to double as policy chief
President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday named his senior economic aide to concurrently serve as chief policy secretary in a reshuffle that also affected four other positions at the presidential office, his spokesman said.Senior Economic Secretary Kim Dae-ki was named to double as policy chief, one of the most senior positions at the presidential office, considering his expertise in fiscal policy and excellence in policy coordination, presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha said.Kim, a seasoned economic
Aug. 9, 2012
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New type of online video chat scam
Police on Thursday cautioned against a new type of Internet blackmail on South Korean men interacting with women in video chat rooms.Police said they have recently received a number of reports from men claiming to have been blackmailed and extorted after engaging in sexually explicit acts with young women during anonymous video chats.Police suspect the scam involves a criminal ring based in China hiring mostly North Korean defectors or ethnic Korean residents in China who can speak Korean fluent
Aug. 9, 2012
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Saenuri Party launches probe into money-for-nomination scandal
The ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday launched an internal investigation into allegations that one of its lawmakers bribed her way into parliament as it tries to minimize the fallouts ahead of December's presidential election.The scandal centers on suspicions that Rep. Hyun Young-hee secured a proportional representative seat in April's general elections after paying 300 million won ($265,960) to H
Aug. 9, 2012
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Homes raided in ruling party bribery case
Key figure suspected of offering money to more Saenuri membersProsecutors on Wednesday raided the homes of former Saenuri Party lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan involved in a cash-for-nomination scandal which has overshadowed the ruling party’s presidential primary.The Busan District Prosecutors’ Office was also set to seek detainment of Saenuri Rep. Hyun Young-hee and former Saenuri official Jo Gi-moon, possibly within this week, for allegedly arranging the payoff of Hyun Ki-hwan in March in exchange for
Aug. 8, 2012
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Rep. Hyun faces bribery charges
The prosecutors investigating the alleged cash-for-candidacy in the ruling Saenuri Party have confirmed some suspicions and are preparing to bring charges against Rep. Hyun Young-hee, news reports said Monday.The Busan District Prosecutors Office grilled Rep. Hyun for about 14 hours through Monday and early Tuesday on the allegation that she arranged for the delivery of 300 million won ($265,000) to former Saenuri lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan in exchange for her nomination in the April general election
Aug. 7, 2012
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Saenuri to expel 2 members over bribery scandal
The ruling Saenuri Party on Monday decided to expel the two members being investigated over a cash-for-nomination allegation, quickly moving to distance itself from the burgeoning scandal as the party struggles to redirect focus to the presidential primary race.“In a unanimous decision by the ethics committee, the two will be expelled for reasons that they engaged in actions that were extremely damaging to the party’s development and dignity,” said Rep. Kyung Dae-soo, head of the Saenuri committ
Aug. 6, 2012
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Hong named new Saenuri spokesman
Second-term lawmaker Hong Il-pyo was named the new spokesperson for the ruling Saenuri Party Monday, taking the place of Rep. Kim Young-woo, who stepped down over the weekend.Kim resigned as calls for leadership to take responsibility for the cash-for-nomination allegation grew. A Saenuri Party lawmaker is currently under investigation for allegedly paying a former key member for parliamentary nomination in April.Hong, a former judge at the Incheon District Court, has been known to be reform-for
Aug. 6, 2012
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P.M.’s Office to move to Sejong in Sept.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Monday it will begin moving into the newly built administrative hub in central South Korea in September. Sejong City, some 150 kilometers south of Seoul, came officially into being as a “special autonomous city” last month to be home to 16 central government offices and 20 subsidiary organizations in or near Seoul by 2014. The project, first put forward by former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2002, aims to promote balanced regional development and lessen overpopulati
Aug. 6, 2012
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DUP pushes for higher taxes for conglomerates
The main opposition Democratic United Party said Monday it will seek to raise tax rates for high-income earners and conglomerates to use the proceeds to bolster welfare programs for the working class and the underprivileged.The move came as the party tries to woo voters ahead of December’s presidential election. The proposed changes are designed mainly to roll back tax cuts and benefits that the government of President Lee Myung-bak pursued under his business-friendly policies. The party said it
Aug. 6, 2012
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UPP reformists hint at party exodus
Leader Kang stresses need to put forward alternative to shore up public supportReformists of the Unified Progressive Party on Monday suggested they would create a new party to restore progressive politics and public support sapped by a vote-rigging scandal.In a news conference, UPP leader Kang Ki-kab said the party needs a “developmental dismantlement” and break with undemocratic far-leftist forces. “We cannot restore public support and confidence just by changing the party name or our platforms
Aug. 6, 2012
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Ruling party's presidential contenders withdraw primary boycott
The ruling party's minor presidential contenders will return to their primary race for the December presidential election, withdrawing their boycott launched in reaction to a money-for-nomination scandal engulfing the party, officials said Sunday.The race to select a presidential candidate on the Saenuri Party's ticket has been stymied after three minor contenders -- Yim Tae-hee, Kim Moon-soo and
Aug. 5, 2012