Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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NRA ‘solutions’ straight out of a Stallone movie
After a tragedy like the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., the injection of anything short of seriousness into the subsequent public discourse about guns is touchy. But last week, the National Rifle Association blasted numerous rounds into that particular barrier with NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s mouth.The organization’s hysteric solution to gun violence in America is to put designated sitting ducks ― er, “armed police officers” ― in every American school.
Dec. 27, 2012
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[Park Sang-seek] Five major events of the world
The year 2012 is drawing to its end. Was it a happy or sad year? Will the year 2013 be a happy or sad year? Toward the end of each year major international news media select 10 world news events. The criterion for selection is usually newsworthiness. I have selected five events on the basis of the degree of seriousness and impact on international peace. They are the Arab spring; the Israel-Palestine conflict; the territorial disputes in Northeast Asia and the South China Sea; the leadership chan
Dec. 27, 2012
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Intergenerational fairness in medical expenses
The fiscal conditions of public health insurance programs for corporate employees have worsened, resulting in an increase in insurance premiums. This is attributable to the huge expense in providing medical services for elderly people. The working generation should not have to bear an even heavier burden.Medical expenses for people aged 65 or older are covered by premiums and medical fees paid by elderly people themselves, as well as contributions from public coffers, health insurance societies
Dec. 27, 2012
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Are we any better than the Indian gang-rapists?
The recent public outrage after a gang rape in India has prompted media-shy Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make a television address, in which he vowed to punish the rapists for their “monstrous” crime.Protests in the wake of this horrific assault are currently out of control, prompting the authorities to use tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators. However, it is only because of the public outrage that the government is paying any attention to this issue, which would otherwise be igno
Dec. 27, 2012
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The rumors and facts on Fukushima’s fish
The catastrophe at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant not only affected people directly in Fukushima Prefecture but also harmed the local economy. Sales of products from the prefecture have suffered, and tourist spots have lost business, because of rumors or misinformation about radioactive contamination.To help increase consumers’ understanding of the local situation, Iwaki City on Nov. 16 started providing radiation measurement data on its agricultural and fishery product
Dec. 27, 2012
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[Kor Kian Beng] China to keep N.K. policy intact
Communist Party chief Xi Jinping has surprised many with his actions domestically but few are betting on any drastic changes from him in China’s policy on and support for its ally North Korea.Pyongyang’s latest rocket launch earlier this month has once again exposed Beijing’s lack of leverage over its rogue neighbor, and observers say Xi will opt for the status quo due to various factors such as domestic political pressures.Retired American diplomat Don Keyser said Xi, having just taken over as
Dec. 27, 2012
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[David Ignatius] Are Taliban ready for talks?
WASHINGTON ― In this season of good will, there’s a rare bit of good cheer about the prospects for peace with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The reason seems to be that some Taliban leaders are concluding that they couldn’t win the civil war that might follow U.S. withdrawal of combat troops. The Taliban appear to recognize that their leverage, paradoxically, may decline when most U.S. forces depart at the end of 2014. The situation has changed since the 1990s, when the Taliban took power after a c
Dec. 26, 2012
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Reasons for deferred prosecution of HSBC
HSBC Holdings got caught laundering money for drug cartels. It did business with customers linked to Iran and other nations that were off-limits because of U.S. sanctions. For the third time in a decade, investigators found the London-based bank’s compliance practices were a sham. The company did not dispute the allegations. It agreed to pay a record $1.9 billion to the U.S.Yet under the deal reached with federal prosecutors, HSBC as a firm avoids criminal charges.Is that the right decision? In
Dec. 26, 2012
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[Meghan Daum] Finally, it’s time for action on gun control
The time is now.Those words have been reverberating in the wake of the Dec. 14 shootings in Newtown, Conn. There’s at last a sense that the moment has come for some serious action on gun control.Even some of the most reliable 2nd Amendment hawks are easing up. “The ideologies of my past career are no longer relevant,” Joe Scarborough ― father of young children, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and former conservative congressman ― told his audience in a 10-minute speech, because Newtown “changed ev
Dec. 26, 2012
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[Kim Myong-sik] No seaweed soup for woman delivering a girl
Lee Gil-ya, president of Gacheon University and chairwoman of the Gacheon Medical Foundation, is one of Korea’s greatest women achievers. In celebration of her 80th birthday, she recently published her autobiography in English.“Mother let everyone down. She gave birth to a girl and the guests quietly left the house … I can imagine how morose the family atmosphere was after my birth and how sorry my mother was before her husband and in-laws.“‘Why are you staying in bed as if you’ve done something
Dec. 26, 2012
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Plan to limit Fed’s mandate is folly
Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican, wants the Federal Reserve to be single-minded. In 1977, Congress required the central bank to serve three masters: It is supposed to promote stable prices, maximum employment and moderate long-term interest rates. Brady, who will be chairman of the Joint Economic Committee in the new Congress, wants to eliminate those last two missions. His “Sound Dollar Act” would make the Fed responsible for price stability, period. The congressman believes that
Dec. 26, 2012
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[Lee Jae-min] From labyrinth to floor plan
“Things should be carried out perfectly” appearing in the last line of the document issued by an economic ministry was the sentence that basically determined the outcome of a dispute between Korea and another country about seven years ago. This wording was the translation of the Korean original (reading “Man-jeon-eul-gi-ha-da”). The translation was prepared by the other side and Korea challenged its accuracy. Was the translation correct? Yes and no. Yes, because it is arguably a literal translat
Dec. 25, 2012
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To stop future mass killers, treat mentally ill kids
U.S. President Barack Obama was right when he said after the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre that America had not done enough to keep its children safe. He closed his comments by reading the names of the 20 first-graders killed in the slaughter. Newtown’s story turns up one more child who may have been, in one way, failed by America: The isolated, awkward boy who would become the 20-year-old killer, Adam Lanza. What, precisely, afflicted Lanza is not yet known. His brutal final act, however, sugg
Dec. 25, 2012
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Will 2013 mark the beginning of U.S. decline?
“A modest man,” Winston Churchill supposedly quipped about Clement Attlee, his successor as prime minister, “but then he has so much to be modest about.” We should say the same about economists, particularly their ability to forecast anything in a useful and timely manner. Those predicting an imminent American economic decline have usually been no exception. This time, though, they may be on to something. Prevailing arguments about when the era of U.S. dominance would end, and which country woul
Dec. 25, 2012
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[Kongdan Oh] Outlook for nation’s first female leader
With the election of Ms. Park Geun-hye as president of South Korea, Korea has its first woman leader in over a thousand years. The last woman to govern Korea was Queen Jinsong, who ruled in the ninth century. Ms. Park comes from a famous political family. Her father, President Park Chung-hee, was the architect of Korea’s economic miracle. Something of a dictator, he was assassinated in 1979 by his own intelligence chief in a dispute over how long his 16-year-rule should continue. Ms. Park’s moth
Dec. 25, 2012
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[Kim Seong-kon] Korea lucky to have a woman president
In February 2013, we will have a female president for the first time in our history. Since electing a woman is something that even the United States has not been able to do yet, Koreans are very proud. Only a few years ago, women were reluctant to vote for a female president, thinking that a male president would perform much better in the hostile political arena. In the last presidential election, however, many Korean women reportedly voted for Park Geun-hye and many men did as well. Korean poli
Dec. 25, 2012
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The price of war with Iran
WASHINGTON, DC ― One of the greatest challenges that U.S. President Barack Obama will face in his second term is Iran’s pursuit of advanced nuclear technologies. While a nuclear Iran would damage America’s strategic position in the Middle East, action aimed at forestalling Iran’s nuclear progress also carries serious strategic and economic consequences.Armed with nuclear weapons, Iran would be better able to project influence, intimidate its neighbors, and protect itself. As a result, the United
Dec. 24, 2012
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Declassify the CIA detainee torture report
Americans have known for years both the broad outlines and some of the disgusting details of the George W. Bush administration’s policy of subjecting suspected terrorists to torture, humiliation and imprisonment at “black sites” in foreign countries. But they have been denied a comprehensive accounting of how the United States decided after the 9/11 attacks to travel to what then Vice President Dick Cheney called “the dark side.”That would change if the Senate Intelligence Committee released to
Dec. 24, 2012
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North Korea’s dangerous rocket ambition
North Korea’s first successful rocket launch is a truly dangerous development. Although the North Koreans have previously detonated two nuclear devices, until now they have not demonstrated any ability to deliver them. Weaponizing a missile is hard, but Pyongyang’s close ally Iran has made great advances in miniaturizing warheads. With the combination of North Korea’s nuclear bombs and Iran’s technology, a nuclear-tipped missile could be capable of striking the West Coast of the United States in
Dec. 24, 2012
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NYSE bell tolls for exchange that fell behind
The name on the building will remain and the opening bell will continue to ring every trading day. But an era is about to end, sadly, with the agreement by the New York Stock Exchange to sell itself to IntercontinentalExchange Inc. The contrasts between buyer and seller are stark, and go a long way to explain the deal’s backstory: The NYSE is the world’s largest stock market where the trading floor and colonnaded structure in the heart of Wall Street are symbols of American-style capitalism. ICE
Dec. 24, 2012