Most Popular
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
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‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life
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Questions raised over fair promotion of RM, NewJeans
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Top nuke envoy named vice foreign minister
President Park Geun-hye named Cho Tae-yong, Seoul’s top nuclear envoy, first vice foreign minister in a small-scale reshuffle that affected two other high-level posts, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.Cho, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, was selected due to his ample diplomatic experience, professionalism, negotiation skills and management know-how, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters. Having served in the ministry for some 34 years, Cho wi
Feb. 27, 2014
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Park to meet UAE crown prince for talks on cooperation
South Korean President Park Geun-hye will meet the United Arab Emirates' crown prince of Abu Dhabi Thursday for talks on expanding bilateral cooperation in energy, defense and other areas of mutual interest, her office said.Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who arrived in Seoul Wednesday for a three-day visit, is the highest-ranking Middle Eastern official to visit South Korea since the launch of the Park government last February, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said in a p
Feb. 27, 2014
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Park names top nuclear envoy as vice foreign minister
President Park Geun-hye named South Korea's chief nuclear envoy as the first vice foreign minister Thursday in a minor government reshuffle that also affected two other vice ministerial posts, her spokesman said.Cho Tae-yong, Seoul's top envoy to the six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea, replaces former Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun, who was appointed first deputy chief of the presidential office of national security early this month.Cho, a career diplomat of 34 years, was chosen
Feb. 27, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Fake evidence scandal hits prosecution, NIS
Hamstrung by allegations of evidence fabrication, the prosecutors’ office is facing a major crisis. The developments that threaten to undermine not only the prosecutors’ office but also cast doubt on the integrity of South Korea’s entire legal system began to play out last year when a former Seoul city official was tried on charges of espionage. Although the defendant, Yoo Woo-seong, a North Korean of Chinese descent who came to the South in 2004, was initially acquitted, the prosecution appeale
Feb. 26, 2014
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DP leader, Ahn to discuss nominations
Main opposition Democratic Party leader Rep. Kim Han-gil and independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo will meet Thursday in an attempt to resolve the candidate nomination system for the June 4 local elections. The announcement followed Ahn’s suggestion that he meet with Kim and ruling Saenuri Party leader Rep. Hwang Woo-yea to resolve the controversial issue. Hwang, whose party has chosen to alter the nomination system instead of abolish it, will not attend the meeting. Although abolishing the candidate n
Feb. 26, 2014
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Ranking ruling-party lawmaker to announce bid for Seoul mayor
Chung Mong-joon, a seven-term lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, said Wednesday he will announce his bid for mayor of Seoul next week.Chung, 62, has long been regarded as one of three ruling camp figures with a strong chance of winning the party’s nomination to run for Seoul mayor in the June 4 local elections for mayors, governors, council members and education superintendents.“I will announce my bid on Sunday,” Chung told reporters after a party meeting at the Saenuri headquarters in Seoul.
Feb. 26, 2014
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Japanese far right intensifies push for revision of past apologies
Concerns are rising that Japan may revise the 1993 Kono Statement, its symbolic apology for wartime sex slavery, with top officials showing signs of leaning toward the claims of the extreme right. The statement, issued by then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono and based on the testimonies of 16 victims, acknowledges involvement of Japanese authorities in forcing women into sex slavery and offers “sincere apologies and remorse.” Right-wing politicians and organizations, however, have since denie
Feb. 25, 2014
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DP delegation heads to China over faked evidence claims
Three lawmakers of the Democratic Party went to the South Korean consulate in Shenyang, China on Tuesday as the party increased pressure over the alleged fabrication of evidence in an espionage case. The case against former Seoul city official Yoo Woo-seong, who defected from North Korea in 2004, became a hot political issue after the Chinese Embassy in Seoul claimed new evidence submitted by the prosecution was falsified. Yoo is accused of handing over information regarding around 200 Seoul off
Feb. 25, 2014
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Opposition party slams Park's economic reform plan
The main opposition Democratic Party blasted President Park Geun-hye's economic reform plan Tuesday, saying it fails to address the public's real concerns.Park unveiled the so-called "three-year economic innovation plan" in a nationally televised address marking the first anniversary of her inauguration, vowing to lift the country's potential growth rate to 4 percent, achieve 70 percent employment and lay the foundation for a per capita income of $40,000.The three core strategies behind these go
Feb. 25, 2014
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Park to launch unification preparatory committee
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday she will make a "preparatory committee for unification" with North Korea to map out a blueprint for how best to become one nation with the communist neighbor.The move underscores Park's commitment to inter-Korean unification. In recent months, she has talked about unification many times, saying repeatedly that it will be an economic "bonanza" for South Korea as well as a blessing for neighboring countries too.It also came as relations between the
Feb. 25, 2014
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Park announces ambitious economic reform package
President Park Geun-hye announced a package of ambitious measures Tuesday to boost South Korea's economy and fix various problems hampering its growth, vowing to raise the country's potential growth rate to 4 percent by 2017.In a nationally televised address, Park also pledged to make South Korea's per capita national income rise from around $30,000 to $40,000, while raising the employment rate to 70 percent through a "three-year economic innovation plan" announced Tuesday."There will be no futu
Feb. 25, 2014
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S. Korea unveils 3-year economic innovation plan aimed at raising growth potential
South Korea said Tuesday it will reform the country's overall regulatory system over the next three years to remove excessive red tape and bolster slumping corporate investment.The government will also overhaul public organizations by tackling their worsening debt problems and other "abnormalities," and boost domestic demand in order to reduce the country's heavy dependence on exports, making its economy less susceptible to the ups and downs of the global market.These objectives are part of the
Feb. 25, 2014
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Park’s first year gets mixed marks
President Park Geun-hye enters the second year of her five-year term with mixed evaluations on her state management ― largely positive for external relations and reform efforts, but negative for domestic politics.Over the last year, Park has restored ties with China and strengthened the country’s long-standing alliance with the U.S., while cementing its strategic partnership with Russia.Based on her “principled” approach toward the North, Park has also maintained peninsular security despite mena
Feb. 24, 2014
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[Graphic News] Local election to see increase in voters 50 and older
The upcoming local elections in June are expected to see an increase in the number of electorates aged 50 and over, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said Monday.The provisional number by the government shows that voters in their 50s or older will account for 40.7 percent of the total voters in the election, a 0.7 percent growth from the 2012 presidential election. On the contrary, the voting rates of 20-somethings and 30-somethings are expected to fall by 0.4 percent and 0.6 pe
Feb. 24, 2014
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Parties still at odds over basic pension plan
Saenuri Party floor leader Choi Kyung-hwan and Democratic Party counterpart Jun Byung-hun met Monday to negotiate over the basic pension bill ― only to confirm their differences, fanning concerns over the forthcoming pension program starting from July. While the ruling party insists on paying out a monthly pension of 100,000 won ($90) to 200,000 to the poorest 70 percent of the pensioners by income, the DP calls for distributing 200,000 won to the poorest 80 percent of senior citizens. The discu
Feb. 24, 2014
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Ahn’s party won’t nominate candidates for local elections
Maverick lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo announced Monday his soon-to-be party will not nominate candidates for mayors, county chiefs, ward chiefs and local council members ahead of the June local elections, throwing down the gauntlet to rival political parties.Debate has heated up over whether the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party should nominate candidates for the jobs amid controversy over the pros and cons of the nomination system.Both parties pledged to abolish the system
Feb. 24, 2014
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Park to unveil 3-year economic innovation plan in form of statement
President Park Geun-hye will unveil details of a three-year economic innovation plan outlined during her New Year's press conference with a promise to significantly raise South Korea's growth potential and per capita income within her term.Park will make the unveiling by reading a statement on Tuesday, the first anniversary of her inauguration, before presiding over a joint meeting of top economic policymakers and civilian economic advisers, her spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters.The innova
Feb. 24, 2014
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Korea, U.S. conduct military drills amid family reunions
South Korea and the United States on Monday began their annual military drills as planned in a relatively low-profile manner, as families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War were reunited amid warming inter-Korean ties. The much-anticipated Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises took place despite Pyongyang's repeated calls earlier this month for their cancellation at the threat of scrapping the reunions. The North later agreed to go ahead with the cross-border event, in what was seen as a concess
Feb. 24, 2014
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Public sentiment hamstrings diplomacy in Seoul-Tokyo ties
The deepening anti-Japanese sentiment is posing a major policy challenge to the Park Geun-hye administration under growing pressure from Washington to put aside historical disputes and forge forward-looking relations with Japan.Already inflamed by Tokyo’s lack of contrition for its wartime misdeeds, the public opinion in South Korea worsened further on Saturday as Japan’s Shimane prefecture marked Takeshima Day with a senior Tokyo official joining the annual celebration.Hundreds of South Korean
Feb. 23, 2014
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Saenuri Party seeks to promote fiscal health
The ruling Saenuri Party is pushing for a new system that will require lawmakers to draw up budget proposals when submitting bills, according to local news reports. The “PAYGO” system, short for “pay as you go,” would be part of the Park Geun-hye administration’s efforts to restore the government’s financial health. The current law does not require lawmakers to lay out plans to secure a related budget when sponsoring new bills. If implemented, the system is expected to curb runaway government sp
Feb. 23, 2014