Most Popular
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Kia EV9 wins world car of year
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Korea misses out on global bond index boost
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Congressman abruptly resigns over internet contact
WASHINGTON (AP) _ A congressman from New York abruptly resigned his seat Wednesday, quitting, he said, because he regretted actions that have hurt his family and others.The gossip website Gawker reported Wednesday that Rep. Christopher Lee, a married two-term Republican lawmaker, had sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman he met on Craigslist, an online advertising site. Rep. Christopher Lee
Feb. 11, 2011
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N.K. says no need for talks with South
Seoul says high-level meeting possible when North takes responsible stepsThe North Korean military said Thursday that it no longer felt any need to engage in dialogue with its South Korean counterpart, blaming Seoul for Wednesday’s breakup of the inter-Korean working-level military talks.Its statement, in which it called the South the “group of traitors” ― a hostile expression it has refrained fro
Feb. 10, 2011
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Korea all out to contain FMD fallout
Officials hurry to curb contamination from burials, aid meat importsAn investigation into more than 4,000 burial sites for animals slaughtered in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease will scrutinize the burials’ impact on the environment and soil, the ruling Grand National Party and the administration decided Thursday. They also decided to exempt quota tariffs on imported pork and powdered mil
Feb. 10, 2011
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S. Korea, China discuss N.K. nuke program
Chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and China discussed North Korea’s nuclear programs in Beijing on Thursday, a day after Pyongyang dealt a setback in resuming international peace negotiations by walking out on Seoul during their defense talks. Two days of inter-Korean preliminary military talks at a border village ended Wednesday after delegates from Pyongyang abruptly left the room, saying they
Feb. 10, 2011
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Bodies of 8 Somali pirates killed in rescue operation removed from freed ship
(Yonhap News)The bodies of eight Somali pirates killed in last month's commando raid on a South Korean freighter have been removed from the ship, the first step in transporting them to Somalia, an official said Thursday.The bodies were being kept in a refrigerator aboard the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry after the Jan. 21 rescue operation to free the cargo ship and its 21 crew members. Five other pirat
Feb. 10, 2011
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S. Korean fishing vessel meets EU warship after release from Somali pirates
A South Korean fishing vessel released from four months of captivity in Somalia met with a European Union warship in international waters and all crew members were confirmed safe, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The 241-ton trawler Keummi 305 and its 43 crew members were freed Wednesday four months after the vessel was seized by Somali pirates on Oct. 9. The crew consisted of two Koreans, two C
Feb. 10, 2011
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N. Korean military says it won't meet with reluctant S. Korea
North Korea's military said Thursday its side will no longer talk to South Korea as long as Seoul remains reluctant to lower tension, a day after their first defense talks in nearly half a year collapsed despite high anticipation.In a bulletin carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, the North's delegation to the two-day colonel-level talks said its South Korean counterpart "uni
Feb. 10, 2011
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Koreas’ military talks end with no progress
The inter-Korean working-level military talks broke down after no progress Wednesday, as the two sides failed to narrow their differences over the agenda for the possible high-level meeting, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said.The two Koreas also failed to set a date for another round of the talks, they said.The talks were held for the second consecutive day at the inter-Korean bord
Feb. 9, 2011
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S. Korean base in Afghanistan attacked
The base of South Korea’s provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan came under attack from unidentified assailants who fired rocket propelled grenades, but there were no casualties, a Seoul official said Wednesday. The attackers fired five shells, two of which fell within the South Korean base, a Foreign Ministry official said, on the condition of anonymity. “The situation came under control w
Feb. 9, 2011
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Defense minister visits Afghanistan, UAE
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin is on a five-day trip to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, which began Monday with an aim to encourage Korean troops stationed there and enhance defense cooperation with the two countries, officials said Wednesday.It is the first official overseas trip for Kim since he took office last December.On Tuesday, Kim visited the Korean contingent, called the “Ashena
Feb. 9, 2011
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Aspiring military officers to face exams
Beginning next year, all aspiring commissioned and non-commissioned officers will be required to pass examinations, a measure to secure more competent military personnel, an official at the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.The official said that the aspiring officers should go through a comprehensive evaluation process to verify an array of factors including their combat skills, command
Feb. 9, 2011
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North Korea keeping mum about Egypt
Experts say resistance by N.K. military to father-son succession more likely than popular revoltIf there is one thing the ironfisted North Korean regime fears, it’s outside information ― and what that can do to its people. As the world is paying close attention to the antigovernment protests in Egypt, the reclusive North has so far not made any comments regarding the weeks-long situation in the No
Feb. 9, 2011
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Two Koreas fail to narrow differences, agree to hold another talks Wednesday
The two Koreas failed to narrow their differences at their working-level military talks Tuesday and will hold more talks Wednesday at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.The talks, where Col. Moon Sang-gyun and his North Korean counterpart Col. Ri Son-kwon represented each side, were aimed at coordinating details about the venue, date, agenda and level of r
Feb. 8, 2011
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U.S. envoy implies discussing aid to N. Korea
The U.S. and South Korea are working closely together to coordinate policies on “tricky issues,” a visiting U.S. envoy for North Korean human rights said Tuesday, indicating the allies’ ongoing discussions over whether to send food aid to the impoverished state. Special envoy Robert King arrived here Sunday for talks with South Korea’s foreign and unification ministry officials as recent reports s
Feb. 8, 2011
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Envoy to Vietnam named first vice foreign minister
President Lee Myung-bak named South Korea’s ambassador to Vietnam, Park Suk-hwan, the new first vice foreign minister Tuesday in a reshuffle that also replaced four other vice-ministerial posts and three presidential secretaries, a presidential spokesperson said.Park, 56, a career diplomat, entered foreign service in 1979 and has since worked mostly for Asian affairs. His previous overseas posts w
Feb. 8, 2011
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Military seeks to add 2,000 to marines
The South Korean military is seeking to add between 1,200 and 2,000 marine troops to its numbers as part of efforts to better defend five northwestern border islands, multiple government sources said Tuesday.The plan to increase the number of marine troops ― which currently stands at around 27,000 ― could lead to the numbers of Army, Navy and Air Force troops also being readjusted, according to th
Feb. 8, 2011
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Navy plans to deploy ship-to-surface missiles in West Sea
The South Korean military plans to deploy ship-to-surface cruise missiles with a range of more than 500 kilometers this year on 4,500-ton KDX-II class destroyers operating in the West Sea, a military source said Tuesday.The indigenous Cheonryong missile is capable of attacking key strategic ground targets in North Korea, including its military command posts and surface-to-ship missile bases on the
Feb. 8, 2011
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New heads for National Museum, Cultural Heritage Administration
Choe Kwang-shik, the current director-general of the National Museum of Korea, has been designated as the new administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration, replacing Yi Kun-moo, who was removed from the position Tuesday. Choe Kwang-shik, new administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration. (Yonhap News)Choe, who holds a Ph.D. in history from Korea University, had served as the presi
Feb. 8, 2011
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France to return ancient Korean books by May
Some 297 volumes of Korean royal books taken by France during their war in the 19th century will be returned by the Paris government by May, the Seoul government said Monday. One of the Joseon-period royal books set to return from France (Yonhap News)South Korea and France officially forged a pact Monday over the return of centuries-old “Oegyujanggak books” as follow-up to French President Nicolas
Feb. 8, 2011
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Boat carrying 31 N. Koreans towed into South Korea
Thirty-one North Koreans crossed the tense sea border and arrived on a frontline South Korean island at the weekend, but it is unlikely they are defectors, the Seoul government said Monday. The North Koreans, consisting of 11 men and 20 women, arrived on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island on a 5-ton fishing boat on Saturday. Their ship has been towed to a nearby port city for investigation, the South
Feb. 7, 2011