Most Popular
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No plan to let doctors with foreign licenses practice here anytime soon: PM
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Ador CEO's dismissal to be decided on last day of May
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[Graphic News] Beer the most favored alcoholic drink by Koreans
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Science Ministry expresses regret over Japan’s pressure on Naver
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Haeundae Beach to become sand art museum in late May
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Hostilities get out of hand as YouTuber murders another outside courthouse
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Medical professors set to take day off amid protracted walkouts by junior doctors
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Police officer jumps barefoot into drainage tunnel to save man
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Yoon interacts with public for 1st time since election defeat
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Lee Sun-kyun's posthumuous film to hit theaters in August
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Lee travels to Hawaii for APEC summit
President Lee Myung-bak will travel to Hawaii this weekend to discuss ways to spur the global economy, create jobs and reform regulations with other leaders of major Pacific Rim economies, the presidential office announced Thursday,The summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, set for Sunday, comes as the world economy struggles to stave off the negative impact of the eurozone debt crisis that has battered Greece and shows signs of spreading.Lee, who will leave for Hawaii
Nov. 10, 2011
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Lee revs up push for FTA ratification
President meets minor opposition leader as parliament plenary session called off againPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday stepped up efforts to secure parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, as rival parties struggle to find common ground on a key sticking point in the deal. At the National Assembly, a plenary session was called off with the consent of the Grand National Party and the largest opposition Democratic Party. The two parties have been locked in a standoff o
Nov. 10, 2011
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GNP agrees with Park’s policy reform
A group of Grand National Party lawmakers demanding drastic change in the party and the government toned down its complaints to stand in line with former chairwoman Park Geun-hye. “Policy reforms should come first,” they said during a luncheon on Wednesday. They thus expressed support for Park, who gave positive assessment on Tuesday to the group’s reform efforts.“Reform should above all be about getting in touch with the people,” she told reporters. “The reformative members’ claim is worth list
Nov. 10, 2011
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Ruling party seeks to expand child care subsidies for all families
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is considering expanding state child care subsidies to all households with children under 2 years old to encourage more couples to have children and boost the country's low birthrate, a senior policymaker said Thursday.The proposal cal
Nov. 10, 2011
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South’s groups blast ministry’s N.K. aid monitoring request
Aid groups have criticized the Unification Ministry’s request that they monitor how their aid is being distributed in North Korea, saying it hampers their humanitarian efforts.The ministry has asked the aid groups to gain consent from the North to monitor activities as part of its efforts to enhance “transparency” in the distribution process and prevent the aid being passed to the North’s military.The groups have submitted to the ministry photos or video clips that show their aid has reached the
Nov. 9, 2011
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Hong to visit Cheong Wa Dae for reform talks
The ruling Grand National Party’s chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo seeks to meet with President Lee Myung-bak to suggest reforms to Cheong Wa Dae.“I shall talk directly with the president to discuss measures to innovate the administration,” said Rep. Hong in the party’s key officials’ meeting on Wednesday.“If the government-ruling party consensus is a priority in achieving reforms, that is what I intend to focus on.”Hong also pledged to open ears to all reform plans suggested from within the party an
Nov. 9, 2011
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Breakthrough may be in sight on FTA impasse
DP faces calls from within to compromiseProspects brightened for an end to parliamentary deadlock over the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement Wednesday, after the main opposition Democratic Party faced growing calls from within the party to drop its demand for the deal’s renegotiation. About half of the DP’s 87 lawmakers were reported to be supporting a concession plan, which calls on party leaders to back off from their initial demand that a set of Investor-State Dispute settlement clauses be dele
Nov. 9, 2011
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Education minister says will unveil 5 percent tuition cut plan
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- The government is consulting with an association of university presidents about ways to curb expensive tuition costs and will soon unveil a plan to cut fees by 5 percent on average next year, the education minister said Wednesday. South Korean universities are under public
Nov. 9, 2011
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Park shifts focus from growth to employment
A growing sense of deprivation among people in their 20-40s, which saw them vote en masse for a nonpartisan contender in the Oct. 26 Seoul mayoral by-election, has pushed the presidential front-runner of the conservative ruling party to shift focus on economic policy from growth to employment.“From now on, the employment rate should be the main indicator for economic policies,” said Rep. Park Geun-hye of the Grand National Party at a seminar on ways to build a “Korean-style” welfare model last w
Nov. 8, 2011
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Generational fault line divides Korean society
Voters in their 20-40s, bound by anger and angst, changing political landscapeThey have made it a tacit rule not to argue or even talk about politics for years.Lee, a 36-year-old researcher on information industry, and his father-in-law surnamed Yoo, 60, remain poles apart in their political views. Lee has advocated liberal policies and values pursued by President Roh Moo-hyun while Yoo, a retired printer, has been a staunch supporter of the conservative Grand National Party.“Soon after our mar
Nov. 8, 2011
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GNP to seek new faces for general election
The Grand National Party needs to replace its senior lawmakers with political rookies who can appeal to young voters to win in next April’s general election, the party’s policy think tank said.The Youido Institute analyzed the party’s crushing defeat in last month’s Seoul mayoral by-election and suggested new strategies to win the hearts of voters in their 20s and 30s, according to officials Tuesday.The absentee voting results, which were delivered to the National Election Commission prior to th
Nov. 8, 2011
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Lee meets new Seoul mayor amid tension over trade pact with U.S.
President Lee Myung-bak had his first face-to-face encounter with new Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, a day after Park voiced his opposition to Lee's push to get the free trade agreement with the United States to pass through parliament. (Yonhap News)Park, who was elected
Nov. 8, 2011
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GNP primed to vote on Korea-U.S. FTA bill
The ruling Grand National Party on Monday renewed its resolve to vote on the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement with the key parliamentary plenary session scheduled for Thursday after weeks of political wrangling over the ratification bill.“The Korea-U.S. FTA is a matter of national interest and of paramount importance; we can no longer tolerate the opposition’s approach (to the FTA) out of partisan interests,” GNP spokesman Kim Ki-hyun said in a briefing after the party’s supreme council meeting M
Nov. 7, 2011
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DP for left-wing unity, against new party
Leading figures of the main opposition Democratic Party on Monday once again called for consolidation of the liberal bloc, while stepping up pressure on professor Ahn Cheol-soo to join them and abandon the potential creation of a new political party.“The DP welcomes the integration plan suggested by Innovation and Integration, which basically agreed with our plan to bring liberal groups as one,” said the party chairman Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu in the party’s Supreme Council meeting on Monday.“Through t
Nov. 7, 2011
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U.S. lobbying firm drafted Lee’s speeches
The Korean Embassy in Washington was found to have commissioned a U.S. lobbying firm named West Wing Writers to draft President Lee Myung-bak’s speeches during his visit to Washington last month.According to data disclosed under a U.S. law, the embassy paid about $46,500 (51.8 million won) to the firm to write Lee’s speeches to the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, during the welcoming ceremony at the White House, the state dinner and a luncheon hosted by the U.S. State Department.The
Nov. 7, 2011
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GNP chairman puts off reform plans
Hong faces backlash from members demanding radical changes to ruling partyThe ruling Grand National Party chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo on Monday delayed talks for party reform until after the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement’s ratification.“Efforts to renew the party have now just begun,” said Hong in the party’s Supreme Council meeting.“Once the imminent FTA talks reach a conclusion, we will hold further in-depth discussion to collect a variety of opinions and then confirm our final guidelines.”T
Nov. 7, 2011
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GNP primed to vote on FTA Thursday
The ruling Grand National Party on Monday renewed its resolve to vote on the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement with the key parliamentary plenary session scheduled for Thursday after weeks of political wrangling over the ratification bill.“The Korea-U.S. FTA is a matter of national interest and of paramount importance; we can no longer tolerate the opposition’s approach (to the FTA) out of partisan interests,” GNP spokesman Kim Ki-hyun said in a briefing after the party’s supreme council meeting M
Nov. 7, 2011
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FTA wrangling heats up outside Assembly
The main opposition Democratic Party stepped up its public campaign against the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement over the weekend, as the ruling Grand National Party mulled pushing a final vote at a plenary session Wednesday. “The top priority for us is to inform the general public of what this deal is truly about,” said Rep. Lee Yong-sub, the DP spokesperson. The DP and other liberal parties claim that the deal is biased in favor of the U.S. About 2,000 protesters held a candle-lit vigil in cent
Nov. 6, 2011
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Lee arrives home after Russia, France trip
President Lee Myung-bak returned home Saturday from a trip to Russia and France that included talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on a gas pipeline project and a G20 summit aimed at tackling the eurozone debt problems.In a two-day visit to Russia’s second-largest city of Saint Petersburg, Lee and Medvedev agreed to work closely together on the massive project to build a gas pipeline linking the two countries via North Korea.Lee then attended this year’s G20 summit in the southern French
Nov. 6, 2011
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Controversy over ‘polifessors’ reemerges
Proponents value expertise, while opponents note negligence of teaching and researchLast month’s Seoul mayoral by-election has reignited the long-standing controversy over whether it is desirable for professors to engage in politics. As they exerted sizable influence on the high-profile election using their popularity among relatively young voters, professors have straddled the thin line between politicians and scholars.Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo has been at the center of
Nov. 6, 2011