Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Medical reform committee kicks off despite boycott from doctors
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Defector calls for probe into state foundation info leak
A North Korean defector asked South Korean prosecutors to investigate a government-affiliated organization for its alleged leaking of personal information on defectors like himself, investigators said Sunday. The unnamed leader of a defectors’ group has accused the North Korean Refugees Foundation of handing over personal information on about 4,100 North Korea defectors to a private research institute for about a year from last August, according to Seoul Jongno Police Station. Police are current
North KoreaOct. 30, 2011
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Rival parties on collision course over U.S. FTA
Scuffle likely Monday as parties fail to bridge gap on investor-state disputesRival political parties braced for physical clashes over whether to ratify the free trade agreement with the U.S., signed in 2007 and revised late last year, after failing to narrow differences Sunday on the contentious clauses on investor-state disputes.Floor leaders Hwang Woo-yea of the ruling Grand National Party and Kim Jin-pyo of the main opposition Democratic Party held a closed-door luncheon meeting Sunday in wh
PoliticsOct. 30, 2011
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GNP faces reform calls after defeat
Opposition DP to hold convention by year-end to select new leaderFollowing Na Kyung-won’s loss to liberal civic activist Park Won-soon in last week’s Seoul mayoral race, the ruling Grand National Party faces mounting calls for reform ahead of general and presidential elections next year.Na, the GNP nominee, lost to Park in 41 out of 48 constituencies in the capital, including her own constituency Jung-gu, causing a sense of emergency in the party.Most swing voters below the age of 50 preferred
PoliticsOct. 30, 2011
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Bodies of crashed plane pilots found
The bodies of two pilots of a South Korean cargo plane that crashed into waters off the southern resort island of Jeju were recovered on Sunday nearly three months after the accident took place, Jeju maritime police said.The pilots ― Choi Sang-gi, the 52-year-old captain of the plane, and Lee Jeong-wung, his 43-year-old deputy ― had been unaccounted for after their Boeing 747 cargo plane operated by Asiana Airlines crashed into waters about 107 kilometers west of the island in an accident presum
Social AffairsOct. 30, 2011
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Overseas-based Web sites praising N.K. on sharp rise: police
The number of overseas-based websites glorifying the North Korean regime has been increasing rapidly, a police report here showed Sunday. With their servers based in foreign countries, South Korean authorities have faced difficulties in dealing with the Korean-language websites legally. Police detec
PoliticsOct. 30, 2011
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Court grants divorce to woman suffering from husband's nit-picking
The Seoul Family Court said Saturday it has granted divorce to a housewife and ordered her husband to pay her compensation, finding him responsible for ruining the relationship with his constant belittling comments.The 37-year-old wife, identified only by her surname Park, filed for divorce, claimin
Social AffairsOct. 30, 2011
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S. Korea mulls hiking highway, train fares this year: source
South Korea will likely raise highway and train service fares by the end of this year following years of unchanged rates aimed at curbing inflation, a source said Friday.The finance ministry and the transportation ministry are currently in the last phase of talks to determine when and by how much th
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2011
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Allies to write defense plan on N. Korea
South Korea and the U.S. agreed to establish a joint operational plan to counter North Korean provocations within this year and strengthen bilateral cooperation in dealing with cyberspace threats, the allies’ defense chiefs said Friday.They also decided to craft a “tailored bilateral deterrence strategy” to bolster their capabilities to handle North Korea’s nuclear threats and those from its weapons of mass destruction.These agreements were announced after South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-
DefenseOct. 28, 2011
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Women wise up to defend themselves
Walking home alone after a night out with friends, Anna Desmarais found herself with some unwelcome company. “This guy just grabbed me,” the 34-year-old Korean-American said, recalling the late-night assault that was not the first time she’d been threatened by men in Seoul’s Itaewon area. Luckily, the martial arts gym owner was well-equipped to deal with her attacker. “I just started yelling and I went to lunge at him and he ran away,” she said. “The power dynamic had turned around. I looked lik
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2011
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Does Kakao Talk infringe on rights?
The National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea ruled that Kakao Talk, the county’s most popular messenger app for smartphones, to be in violation of the right to informational self-determination on Friday.According to the state’s human rights watchdog, Kakao Talk violates the law on telecom network and information protection, and the group requested the Korea Communications Commission to investigate and take appropriate measures.Yonsei University graduate student Lee Jung-min, who
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2011
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Police probe liberal podcast hosts
Police are investigating four panelists of an Internet podcast over allegations they spread false information about Na Kyung-won, the Grand National Party’s unsuccessful candidate in Wednesday’s Seoul mayoral by-election. According to the National Police Agency, the investigation was launched after Na’s election camp filed a complaint against the four ― political commentator Kim Yong-min; former Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Bong-ju; magazine reporter Ju Jin-woo; and Kim Eo-jun, head of online
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2011
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Opposition parties again vow to block U.S. FTA bill
Five opposition parties on Friday reiterated their vehement disapproval of the free trade pact with the U.S., saying they would mobilize “all possible means” to block its parliamentary passage.The main opposition Democratic Party also said that the removal of the clauses concerning the Investor-State Dispute Settlement is the “only condition” for its ratification.Calling some of their worries “unfounded,” the ruling Grand National Party urged them to cooperate in ratifying the pact, which has be
PoliticsOct. 28, 2011
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Conservatives mull ways to grab young minds
GNP, Cheong Wa Dae plan targeted pitch for voters under 50The conservative ruling Grand National Party, stung by a sharp fall in support among younger voters, continued agonizing Friday over how to reform itself. The party’s leaders, including chairman Hong Joon-pyo, looked set to stay on and lead the reform measures. “We should take the initiative and push for a complete overhaul of the party,” Rep. Hong told members of the party’s top decision-making Supreme Council on Thursday evening. Some
PoliticsOct. 28, 2011
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Former S. Korean diplomat in Russia under probe over embezzlement
A former senior South Korean diplomat in Russia has been under a probe by prosecutors on suspicion of embezzling tens of millions of won of the government's budget, the Seoul prosecution and the culture ministry said on Friday.Ryu Min, 53, is suspected of pocketing about US$51,714 between 2008 and M
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2011
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Full text of joint communique of ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- The following is the full text of the joint communique issued after the 43rd South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul Friday.1. The 43rd Republic of Korea-United States Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) was held in Seoul on October 28, 2011. ROK Minister o
DefenseOct. 28, 2011
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S. Korea, U.S. agree to prepare joint operational plan against N. Korea
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- Defense chiefs of South Korea and the U.S. on Friday agreed to pursue a joint operational plan to counter potential provocations by North Korea at their annual bilateral security meeting in Seoul.After the 43rd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), South Korean Defense Mini
DefenseOct. 28, 2011
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Lee names KOTRA head as economy minister
Former police chief to head Presidential Security ServicePresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday named the president of a state-funded trade promotion agency as the new knowledge economy minister and a former police chief as head of the presidential security service.Hong Suk-woo, who took the helm of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency in June, was tapped to lead the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Lee’s spokesman Park Jeong-ha said. Hong will succeed Choi Joong-kyung who offered to resign la
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Park’s win heralds political shift
Parties gauge impact of local by-elections, seek remedies to their problemsThe triumph of civic activist Park Won-soon in the Seoul mayoral by-election heralds a major shift in the country’s political landscape as the rival parties strive to revamp to regain public trust.Political experts say the outcome of Wednesday’s showdown clearly reflected widespread public disenchantment with established politicians for following their own interests rather than those of citizens.Each political party is no
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Election commission slams stars for tweeting on election
Social networking services emerged as the new trend in raising turnout during the Oct. 26 by-elections, as SNS users sent short messages encouraging one another to cast their ballots and pick the best candidate.They posted self-portrait shots photographed at polling stations while celebrities joked they would urge their fans and others to cast votes. No doubt, social network services led by Twitter have secured a place as one of the strongest campaign tools among the younger generation, who cann
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Gap remains with N.K.: U.S. official
The United States and North Korea have a long way to go until they find a breakthrough in the standoff over the multilateral nuclear disarmament talks, a visiting senior U.S. official said Thursday. “It would be fair to say that we did make some progress,” Kurt Campbell, assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters. “(But) there were no breakthroughs. There is a substantial amount of work that needs to be done. No decisions have been taken about next steps
Foreign AffairsOct. 27, 2011