Most Popular
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
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S. Korea's working-age population to dip nearly 10m by 2044 amid low births
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Doggy patrol team on the move to protect their cities
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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South in discord over North in transition
Experts call for detaching inter-Korean matters from domestic politicsFor Kim Oh-bok, the mother of a marine killed in North Korea’s shelling of a border island last year, Kim Jong-il’s death was the answer to her prayers to God. Since losing her son, she had prayed that the North Korean dictator would die as soon as possible.On Dec. 19 when Pyongyang belatedly announced the death of its leader, the 51-year-old posted a note on her son’s mini-homepage in a symbolic move to let him know of the ne
Dec. 27, 2011
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Scholars, young businessmen join GNP leadership council
Surprise list including 26-year-old venture businessman seen as reformative but showoffRep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Grand National Party officially kicked off the party’s emergency leadership council Tuesday by confirming its members, which included both former senior presidential officials and young venture businessmen.As Park’s list remained confidential until the very last minute, its content came as a surprise to many, including some of her closest aides.Disputes also rose on whether Par
Dec. 27, 2011
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Panel demands U.S. FTA renegotiation
The National Assembly’s foreign affairs committee on Tuesday adopted a resolution demanding a renegotiation of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, especially for the modification, reversing or abolition of the Investor-State Dispute settlement clause.The panel also urged the government to conduct in-depth researches on the U.S. federal and state laws which may come in conflict with the trade deal and make due diplomatic efforts to solve the problem.Though some of the ruling party lawmakers disa
Dec. 27, 2011
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Parliament adopts resolution demanding U.S. FTA renegotiation
South Korean lawmakers on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for renegotiation of a key clause in the free trade agreement with the United States expected to go into effect early next year.In a resolution adopted by the parliamentary trade committee, ruling party and opposition lawmakers urged the
Dec. 27, 2011
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Nine picked for race to lead DUP
Candidates to compete for six seats in national convention on Jan. 15The main opposition Democratic Unified Party on Monday chose nine of the 15 candidates who will run for party leader next month. The list included former Democratic Party floor leader Park Jie-won, former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook and civic group-based candidate Moon Sung-keun.Reps. Park Young-sun, Kim Boo-kyum and Lee Kang-rae of the former DP also joined the list, along with Park Yong-jin, Lee In-young and Lee Hak-young.
Dec. 26, 2011
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Lee to meet conservative minor party heads on North
President Lee Myung-bak will meet with leaders of the conservative minor Liberty Forward Party this week to seek cooperation in handling the aftermath of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death, an aide said MondayThe meeting with LFP leader Sim Dae-pyung and floor leader Kim Nak-sung, set for Tuesday, comes days after Lee held a similar meeting with the ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Unity Party last week.“President Lee will have a tea meeting with LFP chairman S
Dec. 26, 2011
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Governor Kim slams ‘kowtowing’ to N.K. heir
Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo on Monday used bitter words to explain the developments in North Korea after the death of its “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il, and the world’s subsequent response. He said the communist country is putting an untested, 20-something son of a late strongman in power to complete a third-generation dynastic succession, yet the world is acting as if it is a righteous regime change. “North Korea is handing over all power and authority to a 20-something, inexperienced l
Dec. 26, 2011
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DUP sorts out runners for leadership race
Nine elected candidates to compete in national convention on Jan. 15The main opposition Democratic Unified Party held a preliminary race Monday to sort out the final candidates for the party’s leadership race next month.The elected chairperson, along with the decision-making body, is to lead the newly formed party through next year’s general and presidential elections.The race was to select nine from among the 16 candidates -- 11 from the former Democratic Party and five from the former Citizens
Dec. 26, 2011
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Minister-turned-lawmaker seeks left-wing’s rise
This is the third in a series of interviews with first-term lawmakers. ― Ed.Rep. Lee Yong-sub of the newly formed main opposition Democratic Unified Party is a novice member of the current 18th National Assembly.The 60-year-old lawmaker from Gwangju, however, is more recognized for his decades-long career in a variety of government posts, including as public administration minister, land minister and national tax service director.“An administrator’s virtue is cool-headedness and discipline but a
Dec. 25, 2011
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Impounded missiles will be brought here: ministry
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Friday that there will not be any problem in safely transporting to South Korea the 69 secondhand surface-to-air missiles impounded earlier this week by Finnish authorities.Finnish police seized the Patriot missiles and 160 tons of explosives on a British-registered cargo ship at a port in Kotka in southern Finland. The ship, which departed from Emden port in northern Germany on Dec. 13, was to make a stop in South Korea and travel to its final destination of Shangh
Dec. 23, 2011
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Rep. Park Jin of GNP says will not run in April election
Another ruling party lawmaker has decided not to run in the April parliamentary elections to allow a fresh start for the embattled conservatives. Rep. Park Jin, a three-term lawmaker from the key Seoul constituency of Jongno, said Friday that he will not seek a fourth term. “To pull the party out of a crisis, I give up all my vested rights,” the 55-year-old politician said during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul. “I’ll sacrifice myself to bring about real change and reform th
Dec. 23, 2011
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Civil servants released from emergency standby order
South Korea‘s government on Friday lifted an emergency standby order issued for all government officials after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il because of concerns it could dampen domestic demand.Officials at agencies handling foreign affairs, security and policing will continue to remain on an emergency footing, senior presidential press secretary Choe Guem-nak said.The change was decided at a National Security Council meeting President Lee Myung-bak presided over.South Korea put al
Dec. 23, 2011
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Parties to legislate filibuster this year
The National Assembly will likely pass by the end of the year a set of legislative measures aimed at advancing the parliamentary process, including a filibuster and measures to prevent violence on the floor, a ruling party leader said Friday. Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, the GNP’s floor leader, said his party has almost reached an agreement with the main opposition Democratic Unified Party regarding the handling of the measures. “Ruling and opposition lawmakers have almost reached an agreement regarding
Dec. 23, 2011
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U.S., China seen to prioritize stability in N.K.
Experts say there will not be any dramatic change in their policies toward reclusive stateBoth the U.S. and China will continue to prioritize stability and seek the status quo on the Korean Peninsula for the time being following the demise of North Korea’s longtime strongman Kim Jong-il, experts said on Thursday.Any instability in the communist state would further increase uncertainties in security environments in East Asia, which would cause headaches for the two global powers and negatively af
Dec. 22, 2011
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Debate over online condolences
Heated debates have arisen online over whether or not citizens are entitled to pay respects to the deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on social network services.Since Kim’s sudden death was announced this Monday, a number of citizens paid their respects via the Internet, though opposite sentiment was also voiced.The National Police Agency has launched investigations into two online communities commemorating Kim, according to officials Wednesday.“Most of the contents have been deleted, exce
Dec. 22, 2011
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South ponders new approach to N.K.
Steps intended at showing Seoul is not hostile toward Pyongyang, Lee says South Korea is pondering on a new approach to North Korea, as the death of the communist state’s iron-fisted ruler is believed to have opened a new chapter in inter-Korean ties. Relations between the divided Koreas deteriorated to their worst point in years in Kim’s final two years. A total of 50 South Koreans, mostly soldiers, were killed by two military provocations by the North in 2010. South Korean President Lee Myung-
Dec. 22, 2011
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Podcast star politician gets jail term over rumors about Lee
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Chung Bong-ju, former opposition lawmaker and popular podcast host, for spreading false rumors about President Lee Myung-bak during the 2007 presidential election.The ruling makes him ineligible to run for an elected office for the next 10 years. The ex-la
Dec. 22, 2011
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Lee to meet party leaders on developments in N.K.
President Lee Myung-bak is to meet with the leaders of three major political parties Thursday to discuss non-partisan measures on the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, according to officials.“The presidential secretary for political affairs Kim Hyo-jae visited Rep. Won Hye-young and proposed a meeting with the president at 10 a.m. Thursday,” said a spokesperson of the new main opposition Democratic Unified Party.Kim also delivered the same suggestion to the ruling Grand National Party’s
Dec. 21, 2011
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Heir center stage in NK transition
Kim Jong-un issued his first military order before announcement of father’s death: source Two days after North Korea revealed the death of its “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il, the communist state appeared calm and stable in mourning the long-time strongman Wednesday, with the leadership transit
Dec. 21, 2011
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N.K. leadership transition seen moving forward
Jong-un mourns father; China reaffirms continued support Two days after North Korea revealed the death of its “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il, the communist state appeared calm and stable in mourning the long-time strongman Wednesday, with the leadership transition to his third son moving forward. Pyongyang’s state media broadcast Kim Jong-un, dubbed the “Great Successor,” shedding tears before his father’s body which is laid in a glass coffin near that of his grandfather and North Korean founder Kim
Dec. 21, 2011