Most Popular
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Do Korean doctors make too much money?
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Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Is FTC's conglomerate listing a boon or bane for Hybe?
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NewJeans to headline palace show
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Coupang's Kim Bom escapes chaebol chief designation again
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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NK developing unmanned attack aircraft from U.S. drones: source
North Korea is developing unmanned attack aircraft using U.S. target drones purchased from the Middle East, a military source in Seoul said Sunday, indicating the aircraft will likely target the South."North Korea recently bought several U.S. MQM-107D Streakers from a Middle Eastern nation that appe
Feb. 5, 2012
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Parties herald tough process for selecting election candidates
GNP, DUP to apply stricter ethical standards to court disenchanted votersRival parties on Friday set in motion their candidate screening process for general elections slated for April 11 after finishing organizing their respective committees to lead the crucial nomination procedures.The ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party are poised to apply stricter ethical standards to put forth competitive candidates as they step up efforts to appeal to disenchanted vot
Feb. 3, 2012
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Lee taps N.K. scholar as secretary general of his reunification panel
President Lee Myung-bak on Friday tapped Nam Sung-wook, head of the Institute for National Security Strategy, as secretary general of a presidential advisory panel on reunification.The secretary-general at the National Unification Advisory Council is a vice-ministerial post. Nam, 52, is noted for his extensive research and lectures on North Korea. He had served as professor of North Korean studies at Korea University from 2002 to 2008.“Nam is well-versed in North Korean affairs and viewed as hav
Feb. 3, 2012
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Lee on energy-focused tour of Middle East
President Lee Myung-bak embarks on an eight-day tour of Turkey and three oil-rich Middle East countries on Saturday. The trip is a bid to cement ties with the countries amid uncertainties in the global energy market caused by U.S.-led sanctions against Iran.During summit talks with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Lee is expected to discuss issues concerning Iran’s controversial nuclear development and oil embargos on the country.“What the three nations have in co
Feb. 3, 2012
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DUP to ask Obama to halt Korea FTA
Leader Han says she will send a letter to U.S. president to delay FTA implementationThe chief of the main opposition Democratic United Party said Friday that she will write a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, asking him to delay the implementation of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. “We have asked (the Korean government) to stop preparations for the treaty’s implementation, but haven’t received any reply from it,” Han Myeong-sook said during a meeting with party leaders at the National
Feb. 3, 2012
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Brains of addicts are inherently abnormal: study
Drug addicts have inherited abnormalities in some parts of the brain which interfere with impulse control, said a British study published in the United States on Thursday. Previous research has pointed to these differences, but it was unclear if they resulted from the ravages of addiction
Feb. 3, 2012
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Police officer gets pay cut for insulting Lee in text massage
A ranking police officer, who was recently disciplined for his insulting text message to President Lee Myung-bak, was additionally punished with a pay cut on Friday.The disciplinary body of Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency in Changwon, about 400 km southeast of Seoul, imposed a two-month pay reduc
Feb. 3, 2012
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Newly discovered ‘super-earth’ may support life
International astronomers said on Thursday they have found the fourth potentially habitable planet outside our solar system with temperatures that could support water and life about 22 light-years from Earth. Planets orbit around GJ 667Cc. AFPThe team analyzed data from the European Southern Observa
Feb. 3, 2012
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Ministry tightens discipline on diplomats
Foreign Ministry receives lowest grade in anti-corruption commission’s evaluationThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is tightening discipline for overseas diplomats in the wake of a stock-rigging scandal involving its energy envoy.The Foreign Ministry on Thursday said it recently summoned a consul general from Wuhan in central China over opaque accounting practices. The ministry has been internally auditing the case after the diplomat was found to have used the Consulate General’s budget i
Feb. 2, 2012
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Parties conflict over online rumor rules
Korea’s two main parties have drawn up conflicting bills to revise the law against the distribution of false information during election campaigns.The main opposition Democratic United Party seeks to loosen the regulations and to expand freedom of speech. The ruling Saenuri Party ― which changed its name from Grand National Party on Thursday ― is considering a revision bill to reinforce punishment standards.The DUP’s Supreme Council member Rep. Park Young-sun, together with fellow lawmakers, sub
Feb. 2, 2012
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Prosecution disgraced in DUP vote-buying probe
The prosecution’s credibility has been questioned as a suspect in the alleged vote-buying scheme in the Democratic United Party’s leadership election is believed to have been handing out invitations to an event, not cash.On Thursday the prosecutors looking into the alleged vote-buying attempt at a DUP leadership primary on Dec. 26 said that the suspect Kim Gyeong-hyup did not distribute money. Kim is a well-known Bucheon-based labor activist who served as a secretary for social affairs during th
Feb. 2, 2012
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Ruling party picks ‘Saenuri,’ or ‘new world,’ as new name
The ruling Grand National Party adopted a new name on Thursday, as part of efforts to shake off its negative image before general elections in April.The party’s emergency leadership council chose “Saenuri,” Korean for “new world,” said spokesman Rep. Hwang Young-cheul.The name was chosen from among 9,211 suggestions submitted by party members and citizens over the past week.“The new name indicates an aspired new world, in which people may overcome conflicts and unite as one,” Hwang said. The cha
Feb. 2, 2012
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DUP proposes youth employment quota
The main opposition Democratic United Party will seek to make it mandatory for large firms to institute an employment quota for young job seekers, officials said Thursday.Outlining its comprehensive policy for the youth, the DUP’s policy committee and its special committee on “universal welfare” also said that the party will seek to set aside 0.5 percent of corporate taxes each year to support the struggling youth.A package of policies on education, jobs, housing and social welfare for the youth
Feb. 2, 2012
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Seoul to raise subway, bus fares this month
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will raise public transportation fares by 150 won ($ 0.13) later this month to make up for rising deficits from energy costs and transfer fee discounts, officials said Wednesday. A passenger pays subway fare with a transit card in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)
Feb. 2, 2012
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GNP to rename itself 'Senuri Party'
File photo-Rep. Park Geun-hye (Yonhap News)The ruling Grand National Party adopted a new name on Thursday, as part of efforts to shake off its negative image before general elections in April.The party’s emergency leadership council chose “Saenuri,” or “new world” in Korean, said spokesman Rep
Feb. 2, 2012
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Nomination committee member quits over political activity
A member of the nomination review committee for the ruling Grand National Party voluntary quit Thursday, party officials said, after being under fire for her past political activities.The GNP's emergency council on Tuesday announced a list of 11 members of the nomination review committee, composed o
Feb. 1, 2012
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Ruling party to merge with minor conservative party
The ruling Grand National Party announced Wednesday that it plans to merge with the minor Future Hope Alliance in a bid to raise conservatives' chances in the parliamentary elections in April.Rep. Kwon Young-se, the GNP's secretary general, said the two parties reached an agreement to unite and regi
Feb. 1, 2012
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Ko named special affairs minister
President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday tapped Rep. Ko Heung-kil of the Grand National Party as minister for special affairs, a post left vacant since the former minister returned to the ruling party last August.Ko, 67, has served in key GNP posts such as chief policymaker. The third-term lawmaker also chaired the National Assembly’s culture, broadcasting and tourism committee in 2008.Before entering politics in 1997, Ko had worked as a journalist at the JoongAng Ilbo for nearly three decades. “Ko
Feb. 1, 2012
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Lee taps Ko as minister for special affairs
President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday tapped Rep. Ko Heung-kil of the Grand National Party as minister for special affairs, a post left vacant since the former minister returned to the ruling party last August.Ko, 67, has served in key GNP posts such as chief policymaker. The third-term lawmaker also chaired the National Assembly’s culture, broadcasting and tourism committee in 2008.Before entering politics in 1997, Ko had worked as a journalist at the local daily JoongAng Ilbo for nearly three d
Feb. 1, 2012
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Economist to lead DUP nomination panel
The main opposition Democratic United Party appointed Kang Chul-kyu, Woosuk University president and former Fair Trade Commission chairman, to lead the party’s candidate nomination screening committee for the upcoming April general elections.Kang has chaired various organizations, including the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, the Regulatory Reform Committee and an anti-corruption committee, which is the former body of the current Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission.Throughout h
Feb. 1, 2012