Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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[Bills in Focus] Bills to detect deepfakes, promote biogas use
Proposed Bill: Whole Amendment to the Act on the Protection and Use of Location Information Proposed by Rep. Hong Suk-joon (People Power Party) ● With the expansion of the mobility market based on location information, location information is being used in various fields to provide customized services to users, but there are high barriers to entry for new companies. This amendment unifies the concept of personal location information and object location information and eases entry regulations by
Jan. 15, 2024
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Ex-heads of rival parties talk possible union against political establishment
The former leaders of two rival parties spoke over coffee Sunday morning on possibly uniting against establishment politics ahead of the April general election to fill the National Assembly. Lee Nak-yon and Lee Jun-seok -- who once led the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party, respectively -- met at a Starbucks near the National Assembly in Yeouido, central Seoul, for a brief chat on their potential political union. Rep. Kim Jong-min, who quit the Democratic Party last week, was
Jan. 14, 2024
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PPP's Han hints at measures to ease college tuition costs
Interim leader of the ruling People Power Party Han Dong-hoon on Sunday called for "groundbreaking" policy measures to help students alleviate the burden of college tuition costs. At a meeting of government representatives, the ruling party and President Yoon Suk Yeol's office, Han asked meeting participants to devise more policies to tackle tuition costs for tertiary education. South Korea's annual average tuition fees are estimated to be the eighth-highest among the 27 memb
Jan. 14, 2024
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Opposition leader unable to attend trial over health concerns after stabbing attack: lawyer
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will not be able to attend hearings in his corruption trial for the time being because he has yet to recover from a stabbing attack, his legal representative said Friday. "It seems it will be hard (for Lee) to attend the trials for now," Lee's lawyer said during a preparatory hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court. "On the face of it, he seemed to have trouble even speaking." Lee is standing trial on breach of trust and other cor
Jan. 12, 2024
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Ruling party recruits scientists, legal experts for April election
The ruling party on Friday announced its recruitment of two scientists and a legal expert as three new candidates to run in the April parliamentary election. Lee Re-na, a professor of biomedical engineering at Ewha Womans University; Kang Chul-ho, Chairman of the Korea Association of Robot Industry and Jun Sang-bum, former judge who served at the Uijeongbu branch of the Seoul District Court were the latest batch of candidates tapped by the People Power Party. “The three new candidates have
Jan. 12, 2024
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[News Focus] Will Yoon veto Halloween disaster probe?
The ball is in President Yoon Suk Yeol's court after the passage of a special bill to give the National Assembly the power to launch a new probe into the Itaewon crowd crush incident in October 2022 that killed 159 people. Opposition lawmakers called for a renewed investigation so that a wider range of decision-makers would face consequences for the failure to put in place measures to deal with overcrowding as people flocked to the nightlife district for Halloween. The presidential office, howev
Jan. 12, 2024
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Spy chief nominee says NIS won’t meddle in politics
Cho Tae-yong, who was nominated by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month for the National Intelligence Service’s top post, said Thursday he would steer clear of meddling in politics if he is confirmed as its director. During the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly, Cho was asked to give his stance on the NIS’ history of getting involved in domestic politics, for which several of its high-level officials had been convicted. “I recognize that there had been such incid
Jan. 11, 2024
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Ex-prime minister quits main opposition to launch new party
Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday officially announced that he is leaving the main opposition party and would launch a new party of his own, saying his mission is to reform the Korean political landscape. “I will walk on the path of serving my country in a new way by leaving the Democratic Party of Korea, where I have served for the past 24 years,” Lee said in a press conference held at the National Assembly in Seoul. “The Democratic Party has transformed into a per
Jan. 11, 2024
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First lady's unique presence a double-edged sword
First lady Kim Keon Hee has arguably been the most active spouse to a South Korean president to date, advocating strongly for the protection of the environment and animal rights, as well as for the global promotion of Korean culture. The 51-year-old had built a successful career as an art exhibition investor and organizer before her husband took office in 2022. Since Yoon took office, she actively engaged with the public, but controversies surrounding her have become the opposition's late
Jan. 10, 2024
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Yoon names new security office deputy, vice foreign minister
President Yoon Suk Yeol tapped his secretary dedicated to economic security as the new deputy of the presidential National Security Office on Wednesday. Wang Yun-jong, secretary for economic security, was promoted to third deputy director of the NSO. Ahn Se-hyun, an international affairs professor at the University of Seoul, will take Wang's post. The 62-year-old Wang and 52-year-old Ahn will both begin in their positions on Thursday, according to Yoon's office. Wang has shaped the direction for
Jan. 10, 2024
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More lawmakers leave Democratic Party of Korea, accusing chief of crony politics
Three lawmakers on Wednesday said they were leaving the Democratic Party of Korea, marking yet another departure of longtime lawmakers from the main opposition that controls a clear majority in the National Assembly. Announcing their decision to leave the Democratic Party they had long been part of, Reps. Lee Won-wook, Kim Jong-min and Cho Eung-cheon cited their disagreements with the party’s chair, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, and the way he is running the party. The lawmakers, prominent members o
Jan. 10, 2024
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Attacker says stabbing was to stop Lee from becoming president
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said Wednesday that the political ideology of the suspect in the stabbing of the main opposition leader led to the knife attack. “The attacker had vented resentment toward the Democratic Party leader and wanted to stop Lee from becoming president and prevent him from securing a majority of seats in the upcoming general election by giving nominations to specific persons,” said Woo Cheol-moon, head of the Busan Police Agency, as he briefed the press
Jan. 10, 2024
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Yoon vows to remove hurdle for housing redevelopment projects
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that his administration would push to ease regulations concerning the redevelopment of apartment buildings aged 30 years or older, by allowing projects to go ahead even if the existing buildings are safe for habitation. Any residential complex built before 1994 may apply for reconstruction. Previously, owners of the apartment units had to get a municipality's approval that the buildings in the complex were dangerous to live in, no matter how old they w
Jan. 10, 2024
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Yoon's approval rating inches up to 35%: Yonhap survey
President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rose slightly from a month ago to 35 percent, a survey commissioned by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV showed Wednesday. The rating rose 2 percentage points from last month, while the negative assessment dipped 1 percentage point to 59 percent, according to the survey conducted by Metrix on 1,000 people aged 18 and older Saturday and Sunday. The survey also showed that 35 percent of the respondents said they would vote for the ruling People Po
Jan. 10, 2024
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Yoon vows not to interfere with arts and culture fields
President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Tuesday that his government will not interfere with anything that the arts and culture industries do, but only work to provide full support for the fields. Yoon made the pledge at a New Year's gathering of South Korean artists and celebrities, noting the achievements of Korean culture and entertainment content, such as K-pop, in recent years. Speaking at the event, Yoon brought up the question he was asked by a reporter about the reason for the popularity of Ko
Jan. 9, 2024
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National Assembly passes dog meat consumption ban
The National Assembly on Tuesday decided to completely root out the practice of butchering dogs for consumption by passing a special bill that punishes such activities. The bill seeks to impose a fine of up to 30 million won ($22,800) or a maximum jail term of three years on dog farmers or butchers who are caught killing dogs for consumption. Those who are caught illegally farming, breeding and distributing dogs will face a maximum prison sentence of two years or a fine of up to 20 million won.
Jan. 9, 2024
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Presidential office introduces 3rd NSO deputy
A legal revision approved by South Korea's Cabinet on Tuesday would allow the presidential National Security Office to create a new deputy director position to be tasked with economic security and technological supremacy in the face of frequent industrial supply chain disruptions. As a result of the reorganization, the newly appointed deputy director of the NSO will be dedicated to stabilizing the supply chain, handling matters related to nuclear power plant exports and minimizing impacts f
Jan. 9, 2024
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Future, current leaders of new political parties jointly call for reform
Four future and current leaders of political parties jointly called for political reform Tuesday, criticising the current two-party dominance. Former Prime Minister and ex-Democratic Party of Korea Lee Nak-yon, Former People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok, New Party Co-Chairman Keum Tae-sup and Hope of Korea Chairman Yang Hyang-ja gathered at Yang’s new book launch event, in a show of solidarity against the current political system. “We have gathered with the shared concern that K
Jan. 9, 2024
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Yoon vows to focus on living standards in 2024
President Yoon Suk Yeol reiterated his policy focus on Tuesday, saying that the new year should be a year to achieve a "recovery of ordinary people's livelihoods," during the first Cabinet meeting of the year he presided. According to Yoon, measures are being undertaken to help ordinary people refinance their mortgages via mobile apps, effective Tuesday, aimed potentially at offering a new term with a lower interest rate. In addition, a greater portion of the vulnerable will recei
Jan. 9, 2024
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Rift within main opposition party widens
An existing fissure within the main opposition party is projected to widen ahead of the April general election, with several current and former heavyweight members parting ways from the party. Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Monday that he would officially announce his departure from the main opposition party through a press conference at the National Assembly scheduled for Thursday. The former premier had hinted on Sunday that the announceme
Jan. 8, 2024