Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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‘Kim desperately wanted to denuclearize,’ Moon writes in memoirs
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Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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Korea set to finalize medical school expansion plans
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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Kang nominated for speaker
The ruling Saenuri Party on Friday nominated Rep. Kang Chang-hee, a six-term lawmaker close to former party chief and leading presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye, to become speaker of the National Assembly.Rep. Kang beat Rep. Chung Ui-hwa, a five-term representative who served as acting speaker in the previous parliament, by 88-48 in a vote of Saenuri legislators.The party also picked Lee Byung-suk, a four-term lawmaker, as its candidate for vice speaker.“My task is to help the parliament regain
June 1, 2012
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Forum calls for Asia-Pacific cooperation
Prime Minister Kim stresses need for regional security mechanismJEJU ― Prominent politicians on Friday called on Asia and Pacific powers to boost mutual cooperation and understanding as the region emerges as a new center of growth and security for the globe. Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and other former and incumbent leaders of the region made opening addresses at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity. The three-day conference opened Thursday to discuss key challenges looming over Asia
June 1, 2012
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Jeju peace forum to discuss future of Asia, global issues
JEJU ― A three-day international conference on peace, security, environment and other pending global issues kicked off on the southern resort island Thursday.Under the theme “New Trends and the Future of Asia,” the 7th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity has brought together some 2,000 eminent scholars, experts and government officials including about 250 from overseas at Haevichi Hotel & Resort. “The forum will focus on presenting a new vision, a new way of mutual cooperation, and a breakthroug
May 31, 2012
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Lee urges public to turn against populist policies
President Lee Myung-bak called Thursday for greater public awareness of the consequences of costly policies burdening future generations, saying it will help keep politicians from churning out populist policies.Lee made the remark during a meeting with senior economic policymakers and private experts, organized to discuss the eurozone crisis stemming from debt-laden Greece and possible countermeasures, presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha said.“It is important for the people to have the percepti
May 31, 2012
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Auditor discovers accounting errors in state agencies
Government ministries made a series of errors in assessing the value of state-owned assets that bloated their total book value by more than 5 trillion won ($4.2 billion), the state auditor said Thursday.The defense ministry topped the list of agencies with accounting problems, with its failure to deduct depreciation from property values resulting in inflating their value by about 3.2 trillion won more than their total worth, the Board of Audit and Inspection said. The ministry also used incorrec
May 31, 2012
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Parties near consensus on lawmakers’ pensions
The two main political parties appeared likely to agree on overhauling the controversial lawmaker pension system on Thursday.“Providing 1.2 million won ($1,000) each month from the age of 65 even if the (lawmaker’s) post was held for as little as one day is clearly problematic and should be improved,” Rep. Lee Yong-sup of the Democratic United Party said in a radio interview. He added that while the DUP has not decided on an official stance on the matter, the system as it stands is “very unfair”
May 31, 2012
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Presidential hopefuls assembling teams
Advisory groups, campaign teams shape up for Park GH, Moon JILeading presidential hopefuls and the brains are quickening preparations to jump into the race for the Dec. 19 presidential election. Unfazed by daily attacks from the main opposition Democratic United Party, the ruling Saenuri Party’s frontrunner Park Geun-hye has so far been laying low. But her think tanks and support groups have long been preparing for the launch of her presidential campaign, forecast to begin around June.A group of
May 31, 2012
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Ahn again defers decision on presidential bid
Popular software developer and professor Ahn Cheol-soo has once again deferred a decision whether he will run for president, saying he is still thinking about whether he will be able to meet people's expectations as a politician.Ahn's lecture Wednesday at Pusan National University in Busan drew intense media attention due to the possibility of him finally announcing his presidential bid after mont
May 31, 2012
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Kim outruns Lee in DUP leadership race
Kim Han-gill (Yonhap News)Former novelist Kim Han-gill retook the lead in the race to become the next chairman of the opposition Democratic United Party on Wednesday.He ranked No 1. in the regional vote for Gangwon Province with 179 votes, beating frontrunner Lee Hae-chan, who took third with 82. Former party spokesperson Woo Sang-ho came in second with 166.In terms of accumulated votes, Kim outst
May 30, 2012
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DUP rebukes UPP over voting fraud
With the 19th National Assembly opening Wednesday, major parties moved to expel the disputed proportional representatives of the Unified Progressive Party, though they differed on focus and method.The main opposition Democratic United Party joined the ruling Saenuri Party in demanding that Lee Seog-gi and Kim Jae-yeon resign.“The UPP has clearly confirmed the irregularities in its primary process so the parliamentary ethics committee can look into the qualifications of Lee and Kim,” DUP interim
May 30, 2012
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U.S. to waive Korea from Iran sanctions
South Korea is set to secure a waiver from new U.S. financial sanctions against Iran after significantly cutting its imports of Iranian crude oil this year, a senior Seoul official said Wednesday. South Korea has been in talks with the U.S. to be exempted from the U.S.-led financial sanctions to punish Iran for its nuclear ambitions. The U.S. exempted 11 nations, including Japan and some European nations, in March from the sanctions, but South Korea was excluded from the list. “Consultations wit
May 30, 2012
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Strife, scandals mar Assembly’s 1st day
Major parties at loggerheads over committee seats, disputed UPP lawmakersThe 19th National Assembly got off to a rough start Wednesday, overshadowed by scandals, partisan strife and ideological accusations. Business at the parliament with 300 members including 147 first-timers looks to remain on hold for the time being as the ruling and opposition parties still differ over how to dole out standing committees.Politicking has been escalating between the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Dem
May 30, 2012
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Ten UPP party-list candidates withdraw
Ten proportional representation candidates from the embattled Unified Progressive Party renounced their status on Tuesday to help restore public support and pressure defiant hardline lawmakers-elect to step down.The leftist party has been faltering amid allegations of vote-rigging and some leading members’ past pro-North Korea activities.“We cannot deny that although it is an in-house poll, any irregularities in the selection of public office holders is an act of betraying voters,” Na Sun-ja, on
May 29, 2012
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Ideology disturbs new Assembly
19th National Assembly starts Wednesday with allegedly pro-North Korea membersWith the National Assembly opening Wednesday, concerns over security risks posed by the presence of so-called pro-North Korean members remain unresolved.Debate over how to classify pro-North lawmakers and prevent leaks of state secrets through the Assembly’s standing committees is likely to intensify as the two major parties are set to negotiate the formation of the new parliament.On Tuesday, the ruling Saenuri Party
May 29, 2012
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Rhee In-je to lead the new “Forward Unification Party”
The conservative minority Liberty Forward Party changed its name to the Forward Unification Party and elected Rhee In-je as new chairman."I have been tasked to take over the helm of this drifting party,” Rhee said, after being elected in the party’s national convention on Tuesday.The sixth-term lawmaker, who was the party’s emergency leadership council chief, won 934 out of 1,103 votes. The party
May 29, 2012
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Leaders of Korea, Paraguay agree to expand cooperation
The leaders of South Korea and Paraguay discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, development and other areas during their summit in Seoul on Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae said.President Lee Myung-bak and his Paraguayan counterpart Fernando Lugo Mendez also expressed appreciation that ties between the two countries have deepened in various sectors since the two countries established diplomatic relations some five decades ago.Lugo arrived here on Monday for a three-day visit.
May 29, 2012
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Lee lashes out at ‘pro-N.K.’ politicians
President Lee Myung-bak on Monday publicly denounced “pro-North Korea” political forces, as ideological conflict grows ahead of the presidential election.“What North Korea claims is a problem, pro-North Korean forces among us echo that it is a bigger problem,” Lee said on a radio address. He noted leftists backed North Korea’s stance that denied its responsibility for the 1983 bombing in Myanmar which killed 17 Seoul officials and its 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 South K
May 28, 2012
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DUP snubs UPP proposal to ally against prosecutors
The main opposition Democratic United Party rejected the Unified Progressive Party’s proposal to form an alliance to fight what the leftists call a politically motivated investigation. “We believe that the top priority for the UPP is to restore its internal order and regain the people’s trust,” DUP interim chief Park Jie-won said on Sunday.The two parties joined forces in the parliamentary elections in April. But the liberal DUP has been distancing itself from the alliance as the UPP’s image is
May 28, 2012
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DUP rivalry surfaces in leadership race
Lee maintains tight lead against Kim in regional votes ahead of Seoul, Gyeonggi pollsThe tight leadership race of the Democratic United Party between Lee Hae-chan and Kim Han-gil is becoming a flashpoint of factional rivalry ahead of the contest for the party’s presidential nomination.Lee and Kim, purportedly backed by presidential hopefuls Moon Jae-in and Kim Doo-kwan respectively, are neck-and-neck, with Kim beating Lee in hotly contested Daegu and Gyeongsang provinces, while Lee remains in th
May 28, 2012
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Lee criticizes pro-N. Korea groups in S. Korea
President Lee Myung-bak on Monday urged "pro-North Korea" groups in South Korea to wake up to reality and stop blindly accepting nonsense assertions Pyongyang makes, calling their unconditional following of the communist regime "problematic."It was the first time Lee, who has tried to avoid ideological remarks, has openly criticized those sympathetic to North Korea by using the word, "jongbuk," wh
May 28, 2012