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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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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GNP to replace 25% of its lawmakers
Stepping up its reform efforts, the ruling Grand National Party’s emergency leadership council decided Monday to rule out 25 percent of its current lawmakers from general election nominations.The announcement came a day after the main opposition Democratic United Party elected its new leadership and pledged to reclaim power through this year’s political races.“The council shall draw a set of objective standards to judge the lawmakers’ competitiveness in general elections,” said Rep. Hwang Young-
Jan. 16, 2012
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Ex-actor off to strong start in politics
Moon Sung-keun, renowned for his charismatic performances on the silver screen, made an impressive debut on a political stage Monday as one of the new leaders of the main opposition Democratic United Party. The 59-year-old former actor garnered second most votes in the DUP’s leadership vote Sunday, after former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook. Han became the chairwoman of the DUP. Moon and four other runners-up were given seats in the party’s top decision-making Supreme Council. “I thank you all
Jan. 16, 2012
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Diplomat’s relatives accused of insider trading
Bought shares in Cameroon diamond miner before Foreign Ministry’s announcementRelatives of a senior Foreign Ministry official allegedly bought stocks of a Korean firm before the ministry announced in 2010 that it had won a lucrative right to develop a diamond mine in Cameroon, according to news reports.Kim Eun-seok, a senior diplomat in charge of energy and resource diplomacy, led the work to make the press release on the successful bid. The stock price of the firm, C&K Mining, jumped fivefold w
Jan. 16, 2012
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Ruling party to exclude unpopular incumbents from nomination list
The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) plans to grade incumbents based on their legislative activities and approval ratings and replace unpopular representatives with competitive alternatives for the April general elections, officials said Monday. The party's emergency council reached an agreement to
Jan. 16, 2012
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GNP leader says won’t run in general election
Leading ruling party presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye has decided not to run in April’s parliamentary elections to focus more on her presidential bid later this year, a party official said Saturday.“Ms. Park will announce her decision to drop out of the April general elections,” said an official from the ruling Grand National Party. “I can’t say the exact date of the announcement but I expect it to come before the Lunar New Year holiday.”This year’s four-day Lunar New Year holiday falls on Jan
Jan. 15, 2012
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South Korea, U.S. to fine tune Iran sanctions, crude oil buy
Seoul strives to minimize adverse economic impact by securing stable oil supply from Middle EastSouth Korea will have in-depth consultations with the U.S. this week over the scope of its participation in toughened Washington-led sanctions against Iran and how to minimize its impact on the local economy.Robert Einhorn, U.S. special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, will come here on Monday for a three-day visit to explain the sanctions and secure the Asian ally’s support for them. S
Jan. 15, 2012
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SNS emerges as key factor in elections
Young users increasingly influential, making up 37 percent of eligible votersThe following is the third of a series of articles on Korean politics in 2012, when the general and presidential elections are taking place in the same year for the first time since 1992. ― Ed.The estimated number of eligible voters for the upcoming general and presidential elections totals 40 million, according to the National Election Commission. Among them, some 15 million are in their 20s and 30s and most use social
Jan. 15, 2012
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Lee creates post for external strategy and planning aide
President Lee Myung-bak has created the post of external strategy and planning aide at the presidential office to better deal with foreign affairs and trade issues, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday.He promoted Kim Tae-hyo, who served as presidential secretary for external strategies, to the new post, which will report to his senior secretary for foreign affairs and security.“The post is intended to better assist the president in dealing with the changing situation on the Korean Peninsula after the deat
Jan. 15, 2012
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[ANALYSIS] DUP starts quest to retake power
Han Myeong-sook, elected Sunday as chief of the Democratic United Party, has taken the helm of the liberal opposition as it embarks on a mission to retake power from the conservatives. Han and five Supreme Council members, elected during the party’s primary in the evening, will guide the party into two elections this year ― one in April to pick members of the parliament and another to elect a successor to President Lee Myung-bak on Dec. 19. The results of the DUP leadership vote Sunday also poin
Jan. 15, 2012
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Former P.M. Han takes DUP helm
Unified opposition also elects five leadership council members ahead of April general electionsFormer Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook was elected chairperson of the new main opposition Democratic United Party at the party’s first national convention Sunday.At the convention at KINTEX, Ilsan, the leading left-wing party selected its six-member Supreme Council from among nine candidates.Han won 24.5 percent of the total and will lead the party through the general elections in April and possibly the
Jan. 15, 2012
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GNP leader Park Geun-hye decides not to run at general elections
Leading ruling party presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye has decided not to run in April's parliamentary elections to focus more on her presidential bid later this year, a party official said Saturday."Ms. Park will announce her decision to drop out of the April general elections," said an official f
Jan. 15, 2012
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Speaker eludes media, silent on bribery
National Assembly Speaker Rep. Park Hee-tae is under fire from all corners as he keeps silent on bribery allegations.Park has been accused of bribing Grand National Party lawmakers to secure support in the race for party chairmanship in 2008. The allegations, first made by GNP’s Koh Seung-duk, have led to both GNP and opposition lawmakers calling for Park to step down.Since Park left the country, investigators have made significant progress, having secured a list seemingly connected to the bribe
Jan. 13, 2012
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Investigators hone in on Park’s campaign aides
Investigators looking into allegations of bribery in the Grand National Party’s leadership election in 2008 are honing in on bank records of Rep. Park Hee-tae’s campaign aides.According to reports, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office investigating the case has begun tracking bank accounts of those who worked for Park during the campaign, including that of a man identified by the surname Cho. Cho is a former aide to Park, and was in charge of finances during the campaign. In addition,
Jan. 13, 2012
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High court upholds acquittal of ex-P.M.
A Seoul court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that cleared the country’s first-ever female prime minister of bribe-taking charges, the latest of a series of court decisions expected to help her clear barriers to her political aspirations.The Seoul High Court declared Han Myeong-sook, who worked as prime minister between 2006 and 2007 under the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, not guilty of taking a $50,000 bribe from former Korea Express chief executive Kwak Young-wook while in office
Jan. 13, 2012
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Arrest sought for Park’s ex-aide
Prosecutors on Friday asked the court to issue arrest warrant for An Byung-yong, chief of a district-level GNP council, for his suspected involvement in a bribery scheme in the Grand National Party’s leadership election in 2008. National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae won the 2008 race to become the GNP leader. An, who was a member of Park’s campaign team, is suspected of handing 20 million won ($17,400) to five members of district councils with instructions to bribe 30 GNP officials.The investi
Jan. 13, 2012
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Election watchdog allows Internet election campaigns
The national election watchdog decided on Friday to allow candidates to use Twitter and other social networking sites for their election campaigns all year round.Under the current South Korean law, candidates are banned from distributing promotional publications and other materials for 180 days prio
Jan. 13, 2012
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Bribery probe fuels GNP mudsling
Pro-Lee figures turn against Rep. Park; DUP low-key over scandalWhile the prosecution stepped up its investigation on vote-buying allegations, members of the ruling Grand National Party became engaged in a battle attempting to pass responsibility off to others.Leading figures of the main opposition Democratic United Party, on the other hand, largely remained low-key over suspicions that the liberal camp also indulged in the custom of offering bribes during internal elections.Rep. Park Hee-tae, p
Jan. 12, 2012
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Ahn gearing up to carry out donation pledge
SEATTLE (Yonhap News) ― Ahn Cheol-soo, a South Korean entrepreneur who is a potential presidential candidate, said Wednesday that he will soon launch a charity organization to keep good on his pledge to donate hundreds of million dollars.“It seems like (the plan) is being outlined. The timing (of a related announcement) will be as early as at the end of this month or next month,” he told reporters after meeting Bill Gates, the head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.The 49-year-ol
Jan. 12, 2012
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Park initiates new centrist political party
Park Se-il, former lawmaker of the ruling Grand National Party and president of non-profit think tank Hansun Foundation, initiated a new political party aiming to include both conservatives and moderate liberals.The preparatory committee for the party, provisionally named People’s Thoughts, was launched Wednesday in Yeouido and pledged to register the party next month, officials said.The list of founding members included prominent figures such as former parliamentary secretary-general Park Kye-d
Jan. 11, 2012
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GNP feuds over ‘conservative’ label
Leadership claims the term has negative connotations for young votersThe ruling Grand National Party, already struggling with vote-buying allegations, is facing internal feuding over whether to eliminate the term “conservatism” from the party platform.Though the party’s emergency leadership council largely agreed the term delivered a negative image to voters, the proposal to remove it triggered backlash from most GNP lawmakers who regard it as a key right-wing value.The council’s subcommittee o
Jan. 11, 2012