Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Sung Kim sworn in as U.S. ambassador to S. Korea
Sung Kim is scheduled to take up the post as U.S. ambassador to South Korea next week, a diplomatic source here said Thursday after his swearing-in ceremony.Wendy Sherman, under secretary of state for political affairs, officiated at the ceremony at the State Department in lieu of Secretary of State
InternationalNov. 4, 2011
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Seoul seeks 'stable dialogue channel' with Pyongyang: minister
South Korea is trying to establish a "stable dialogue channel" with North Korea, Seoul's top policymaker on the communist neighbor said Thursday, adding the alliance with the U.S. is the cornerstone of the effort.In a round-table meeting with U.S. experts on Korea, Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik als
North KoreaNov. 4, 2011
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U.S. FTA ratification faces delay
The parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is unlikely for another week at least, after rival parties on Thursday failed to move the bill forward for a floor vote. A plenary session, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, was called off by the National Assembly speaker, amid a tense standoff between ruling and opposition lawmakers. “The FTA issue is too tangled up (to be handled today). Other than that, there are just a few agenda for today’s session,” explained an official
PoliticsNov. 3, 2011
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Views differ on the role of civic groups
Some regard Park’s election as threat to civic activism, while others as evolutionThe election of activist Park Won-soon as Seoul mayor has brought civic groups into the political arena, raising both expectations and concerns at the same time.Park, Seoul’s first mayor elected as an independent, is considered a leading figure the history of civil activism in Korea.One of the founding members of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a leading liberal watchdog, he also set up and led
PoliticsNov. 3, 2011
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Universities doctor books to hike tuitions: auditor
Private and public universities in South Korea have engaged in creative accounting practices resulting in excessive hikes in tuition fees, the state audit agency said Thursday.Wrapping up an investigation into 35 randomly chosen universities, including nine public institutions, the Board of Audit and Inspection said the institutions had habitually manipulated their accounting books over the past five years to justify steep rises in tuition expenses.The BAI estimated the creative bookkeeping prod
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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USFK extends off-base curfew
The curfew for U.S. military personnel here will be extended another two months.U.S. Forces Korea Commander General James Thurman chief announced the move Tuesday, citing the need to assess the current operational environment.Thurman said the curfew, originally intended to end at the beginning of this month, would be extended to Jan. 6.The USFK said the move was a temporary measure to ensure the continued mission readiness of the command.“I firmly believe that military discipline is the foundati
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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Court rules against dismissal of cloning scientist from SNU
A Seoul appellate court ruled Thursday that the top national university’s 2006 dismissal of disgraced stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk was illegal, overturning a lower court’s previous decision.Hwang, a former veterinary professor at the Seoul National University, filed a suit against the school chief in November 2006, demanding his dismissal from the school be rescinded. “The dismissal was made in violation of the proportionality principle or beyond (the school’s) discretion,” Seoul High Court
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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Universities come under fire for doctoring accounting books to hike tuitions
Private and public universities in South Korea have engaged in creative accounting practices resulting in excessive hikes in tuition fees, the state audit agency said Thursday.Wrapping up an investigation into 35 randomly chosen universities, including nine public institutions, the Board of Audit an
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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Court rules against dismissal of cloning scientist from SNU
A Seoul appellate court ruled Thursday that the top national university's 2006 dismissal of disgraced stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk was illegal, overturning a lower court's previous decision.Hwang, a former veterinary professor at the Seoul National University (SNU), filed a suit against the sch
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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U.S. lawmakers urge S. Korea to pass FTA
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- While celebrating the recent passage in the U.S. Congress of a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, lawmakers here on Wednesday voiced bipartisan demand for their counterparts in Asia to follow suit.“We’ve all waited enough. I hope it will take into effect as soon as practicable,” Rep. David Camp (R-Michigan), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, told Yonhap News Agency.He was attending a reception to celebrate the passage of the FTA in the U.S. last
Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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Seoul toughens disciplinary actions against diplomats
The foreign ministry has decided to toughen up disciplinary measures against its diplomats overseas who conduct themselves without regard for good manners or moral standards, officials said Thursday. The move came after two senior diplomats were summoned home in the past month for behaving disorderly under the influence of alcohol in two separate incidents: one at a public dinner and one involving allegations of drunk driving. “Diplomats overseas must keep their dignity and prestige no matter wh
Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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USFK extends off-base curfew
The curfew for U.S. military personnel here will be extended another two months, the U.S. Forces Korea chief said Tuesday, citing the need to assess the current operational environment.According to USFK Commander General James Thurman, the curfew, originally intended to last until the beginning of this month, will be extended to Jan. 6.The USFK said the move was a temporary force protection measure to ensure the continued mission readiness of the command.“I firmly believe that military disciplin
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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Korea, EU leaders agree to deepen strategic partnership
President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday agreed with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, to deepen the strategic partnership between Korea and the European Union during their summit talks in Cannes, France.Lee and the EU leaders exchanged views on how to tackle the eurozone fiscal crisis, the G20 summit and bilateral relations. They also assessed in addition to assessing the immediate results of the Korea-EU free trade agreement that ten
Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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Views differ on the rise of civic groups
Some regard Park’s mayoral election as threat to civil activism, while others an evolutionUpon the election of liberal activist Park Won-soon as Seoul mayor, civic groups stepped forward into the political arena out of their conventional role as watchdogs, raising both expectations and concerns at the same time.The Seoul mayor, the first elected as an independent and also as an activist, is dubbed the living witness to the history of civil activism in Korea.One of the founding members of the Pe
PoliticsNov. 3, 2011
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Korean, EU lawmakers launch leaders’ forum
Over 100 lawmakers, and diplomatic and academic dignitaries from Korea and the European Union gathered to discuss how best to raise the effectiveness of their free trade agreement, in Seoul on Thursday.At the first ROK-EU Leaders Forum, topics centered on the FTA were discussed to fully utilize the deal, which has already been in effect for four months.Representing the two sides were Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Kang-rae, president of the ROK-EU Parliamentarian Diplomacy Council of the National
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2011
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Germany investigates Korean arms broker for corruption charges
Former Navy officer denies all allegationsGerman prosecutors are investigating a Korean weapons broker for alleged corruption in a large-scale submarine acquisition deal with a German engine manufacturer, local and German media reported this week.They are looking into the possibility that broker Jeong Eui-seung used some of the commission he received from MTU, a subsidiary of the engine manufacturer Tognum, to bankroll some corrupt lobbying activities, the reports said.The 72-year-old former nav
DefenseNov. 3, 2011
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DP moves to unite left in single party
Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, invited liberal opposition parties and groups on Thursday to form a united party by the end of this year.“Integration is no longer an option but a mission for all those in the liberal camp,” said Sohn in a press conference.“On Oct. 26, we won in the Seoul mayoral by-election but faced defeat in most other constituencies where we failed to cooperate and work as one”He thus suggested a joint meeting of the leaders of the left-win
PoliticsNov. 3, 2011
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U.S. plans to offer $5.7 million for excavation work in N.K.
The U.S. Defense Department plans to offer some $5.7 million to North Korea for a project to search for and excavate the remains of the U.S. war dead in the communist country, Washington-based Radio Free Asia reported on Thursday.Citing an email message from Pentagon’s publicity officer Carie Parker, it said that the money will be used to establish base camps for the work in North Pyongan Province and South Hamgyeong Province and also cover overhead expenses.Parker also said that the amount of m
DefenseNov. 3, 2011
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FTA ratification faces further delay
Parties fail to send bill for plenary session The parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is unlikely for another week at least, after rival parties on Thursday failed to move the bill forward for a floor vote. A plenary session, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, was called off by the National Assembly speaker, amid a tense standoff between ruling and opposition lawmakers. “The FTA issue is so tangled up (to be handled today). Other than that, there are just a few agend
PoliticsNov. 3, 2011
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S. Korea to open 1,300 'thrift gas stations' by 2015
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will set up 1,300 gas stations selling cheaper gasoline and diesel by 2015 as part of an ongoing effort to control inflationary pressure, the government said Thursday.The "thrift gas stations" will receive their fuel from state-run Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC
PoliticsNov. 3, 2011