Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Obama names Korean-American banker for key post
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has nominated Audrey Choi, a Korean-American investment banker, as a member of the Community Development Advisory Board, the White House said Friday.Choi, 44, was the only Korean-American member of Obama's transition team to prepare for his presidency four years ago. Nominating her to the position on the board, which advises on policies regarding the activities of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Obama cited she brings "a depth of experi
Nov. 17, 2012
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Japan, N.K. talk abductions, missiles
ULAN BATOR (AFP) ― Senior Japanese and North Korean diplomats resumed rare “tough” talks Friday, with Tokyo expected to press Pyongyang on its kidnapping of Japanese nationals and its arms programme.Japanese negotiator Shinsuke Sugiyama said the two sides held “serious” talks on Thursday in the Mongolian capital.“Although the consultation itself is not an easy matter, both sides have exchanged views sincerely,” Sugiyama told Japanese reporters Thursday night, after a nearly seven-hour session.“T
Nov. 16, 2012
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Chinese officials to visit Seoul next week
A group of high-level Chinese officials plan to visit South Korea next week to discuss bilateral cooperation and explain policies under the new leadership, diplomats here said Friday. The six-member delegation, led by Chen Baosheng, vice president of the Communist Party’s Central Party School, will arrive here Tuesday, according to the Chinese embassy in Seoul. Other officials include Han Baojiang, director of the school’s Institute for International Strategic Studies, and Zhao Bingbing, an exec
Nov. 16, 2012
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Japan, N.K. open bilateral talks on abductions
TOKYO (AP) ― Japan and North Korea have begun bilateral talks in Mongolia that Tokyo hopes will shed light on a series of decades-old abductions.The talks in Ulan Bator are scheduled to last through Friday. In August, lower-level negotiators from the two countries held their first bilateral talks in four years, but made little progress.Japan wants information on the abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and `80s. Japan believes at least one abductee may still be ali
Nov. 15, 2012
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Jill Kelley, key figure in Petraeus sex scandal, serves as 'honorary consul' of S Korea
Jill Kelley, a Tampa socialite who helped expose CIA Director David Petraeus's career-ending affair, serves as an honorary consul of South Korea, diplomats here confirmed Wednesday."The appointment of Kelley as honorary consul followed normal procedures," said Kim Hee-beom, South Korea's consul general in Atlanta. He emphasized that there was no irregularity in tapping her for the largely symbolic post.Kim's jurisdiction covers Florida, since South Korea has no consulate there. Kelley, 37, is at
Nov. 15, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Tibetan unrest in shadow of leaders’ meeting in Beijing
As the eyes of the world focused on the once-in-a-decade change of power in Beijing last week, a story of bitter protest against Chinese rule played out in the country to considerably less attention.Nine Tibetans set themselves on fire in the span of a week, with the latest case reported to have taken place on Monday. The protestor, a 20-year-old man in a village in the county of Tongren in northwest China’s Qinghai province, later died from his injuries. The deaths, along with rallies for great
Nov. 13, 2012
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S. Korea retains seat on U.N. Human Rights Council
South Korea won another term on the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday.South Korea's re-election reflects its efforts for promoting human rights around the world as a member of the 37-member council, South Korean diplomats here said.The U.N. General Assembly voted to pick South Korea and 17 other nations as members of the Geneva-based council for three-year terms beginning on Jan. 1, 2013.South Korea first became a member of the organization in 2006, when it was created to replace the U.N. Huma
Nov. 13, 2012
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[Newsmaker] BBC struggles with crisis upon crisis
The BBC, one of Britain’s most enduring and well-respected institutions, is in crisis. In a case of controversy following controversy, an episode of the broadcaster’s investigative program “Newsnight” on Nov. 2 wrongly implicated Alistair McAlpine, a Thatcher-era treasury minister of the Conservative Party, in allegations of child sex abuse.This came just a month after revelations that the BBC had canceled a “Newsnight” investigation into abuse allegations against the late Jimmy Savile, one of t
Nov. 12, 2012
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IFANS chief urges improved overseas aid policy, private sector engagement
Korea should streamline its policy process and boost cooperation with the non-governmental sector so that it can follow through with its commitment to overseas development aid despite budget constraints, a leading foreign affairs think tank said.Seoul joined the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee in 2010 to become the first member of the international community to turn from aid recipient to donor. But the country fell slightly short of its target amount of foreign aid last year. Hong Ji-in,
Nov. 12, 2012
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‘China may shun adventurism until 2020’
This is the second in the series of articles on the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China and its implications for the two Koreas and East Asia. ― Ed.China is unlikely to adopt an “adventuristic” foreign policy until around 2020 when the emerging global power is expected to surpass the U.S. as the world’s largest economy, said a renowned China scholar.Incoming Chinese leader Xi Jinping would, instead, prioritize tackling domestic challenges, such as a slowing economy, regional inequality, c
Nov. 12, 2012
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ASEAN-Korea Center trains Thai tourism officials
The ASEAN-Korea Center began on Monday a seven-week Korean language training session in Bangkok for officials from the Thai tourism, lodging and food and beverage industries to help them better accommodate increasing Korean travelers. The event is part of the institute’s Korean language education program launched early this year to improve communication skills of tourism workers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The participants will take basic courses involving reading, listening a
Nov. 12, 2012
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British Embassy welcomes all for charity dinner, raffle
For those asking for something to do this coming weekend that will also benefit a worthy cause, the British Embassy in Korea has the answer.The British Embassy is hosting a charity fundraiser on Nov. 16 for the BBC’s corporate charity “Children in Need” and local charity “Holt Ilsan Welfare Town” at the British chancery’s own Broughton’s Club in Aston Hall, locally known as the “Embassy Bar.”“Children In Need” provides grants to projects in Britain which focus on children and young people who ar
Nov. 11, 2012
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Norway offers travelers ‘detour’ in exhibition
Norway does not occupy much room in the popular imagination of many Koreans, save perhaps images of it as the wintry abode of goblins, trolls and fjords that might inhabit a Nordic fairy tale.The public can get a glimpse of a new view of Norway ― this time as a spectacular vacation destination. The Norwegian Embassy here, along with other Norwegian government offices and the Korea Foundation, brought a touring exhibition called “Detour Asia” that highlights Norway’s breathtaking natural vistas a
Nov. 11, 2012
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Egypt touts safety as part of tourism promotion
With recent headlines around the world concerning Egypt focused on demonstrations against Muhammad-defaming videos and the pro-democracy Arab Spring, one cannot be blamed for forgetting the fact that Egypt is one of the world’s main tourist destinations. Some 10 percent of Egypt’s economy and more than 20 percent of its hard currency flows depend on tourism.The Egyptian Embassy in Korea, with the Egyptian Tourist Authority by its side, assured the Korean tour agencies and travel reporters on Tue
Nov. 11, 2012
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Art fair brings Ibero-America to Korea
A slew of European and Latin American diplomatic missions in Seoul are participating, with organizer Gallery Bellarte, in the Ibero-American Art Fair Seoul 2012 at Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul from Nov. 15 to 19.Gallery Bellarte brought hundreds of artworks by more than 50 artists, including pieces by art world heavyweights Wifredo Lam of Cuba, Oswaldo Guayasamin of Ecuador and Carlos Cruz-Diez and Jesus Rafael Soto of Venezuela.Gallery Bellarte created the Ibero-Am
Nov. 11, 2012
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New Lebanese envoy sees art beyond strategic ties
Korea has a strategically important relationship with Lebanon, by virtue of its 350-strong troop contingent deployed there since 2007 to help oversee a United Nations peacekeeping operation. But that relationship will now likely further expand into areas of art and culture with newly arrived Lebanese Ambassador to Korea Jad El-Hassan. El-Hassan is keenly interested in traditional Korean furniture and art, and he wants to make artistic exchanges an integral part of his posting here.“I would like
Nov. 11, 2012
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S. Korea, Thailand agree to upgrade ties to 'strategic partnership'
BANGKOK (Yonhap News) -- South Korea and Thailand agreed Saturday to launch preliminary talks and a joint study toward a possible free trade deal as their leaders pledged to upgrade relations between the two countries to a "strategic partnership."South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reached the agreement during summit talks in Bangkok, pledging to work closely together to expand bilateral trade volume to US$30 billion by 2016, according to a joint stat
Nov. 10, 2012
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Obama to visit Asia for first overseas trip after re-election
U.S. President Barack Obama has chosen Asia as the destination of his first overseas trip since re-election, according to the White House Thursday.Obama is scheduled to visit Thailand, Burma and Cambodia Nov. 17-20, it said.The trip comes as the Obama administration pushes to rebalance U.S. diplomacy towards Asia."In Thailand, he will meet with Prime Minister Yingluck to mark 180 years of diplomatic relations and reaffirm the strength of our alliance," the White House said in a press release. "I
Nov. 9, 2012
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Korea braces for China slowdown
Following is the last in a series of articles on the future relations between China and two Koreas under next Chinese leader Xi Jinping ― Ed.A rising China has been a boon for the Korean economy as its top export market, a major manufacturing base and rich source of investment, tourism and cheap products, despite the countries’ growing competition in the world markets. Their ever-deepening ties are about to take a fresh turn as the world’s second-largest economy shifts toward domestic consumptio
Nov. 7, 2012
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Obama faces tough foreign policy challenges
This is the first in the series of articles on the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China and its implications on the two Koreas and East Asia. The first installation deals with President Barack Obama’s re-election, his foreign policy agenda and its impact on the region. ― Ed.U.S. President Barack Obama has little time to bask in the euphoria of his re-election as he faces an array of daunting foreign policy challenges including an increasingly assertive China, nuclear-armed North Korea, and
Nov. 7, 2012