Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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S. Korea to issue travel ban on Haiti amid intensifying gang violence
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Leaders of S. Korea, Angola agree to boost economic, trade cooperation
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Two religious groups permitted to visit N. Korea for exchanges
Two South Korean religious groups were this week given approval for plans to visit North Korea to promote cooperation with their counterparts in the North, Seoul‘s Unification Ministry said Tuesday.The ministry said it approved the visits of the two group whose religions originated locally, one of which follows the Dangun beliefs and the other a Cheondogyo group, to visit Kaesong on Thursday and Friday, respectively.A total of 10 officials from the groups will travel to the North during the sepa
Nov. 6, 2012
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Social protection key to economic growth: UNDP
Globalization spreads growth and risks. Trade and development have lifted many countries out of poverty but also left inequality and disintegration in their wake.To cope with the “growing pains,” countries should pursue a strategy that intrinsically combines growth and social protection in a way tailored to their unique conditions and specific needs, said Anne-Isabelle Degryse-Blateau, director of the United Nations Development Program’s Seoul Policy Center. “Social protection is actually an ess
Nov. 6, 2012
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Race deadlocked as Americans vote
The long, bitterly fought race to The White House reached its end on Tuesday as Americans voted in what looked likely to be one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history. While neither candidate had a decisive edge, the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll of likely voters showed President Barack Obama slightly ahead of Republican rival Mitt Romney, 48 percent to 46 percent.The same poll showed Obama ahead in Ohio, considered one of the most important of the 11 swing states that will d
Nov. 6, 2012
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Seoul-Beijing ties to face new test with Xi Jinping at helm
Following is the second in a series of articles on the future relations between China and two Koreas under next Chinese leader Xi Jinping ― Ed.Despite ever-growing economic interdependence, South Korea and China remain discordant over history, territory, fishing, North Korean defectors and regional security issues.With China ushering in a new leader this week, the two governments are expected to continue to try containing those volatile issues from flaring up, as stable bilateral ties are crucia
Nov. 4, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Bloomberg blinks on NYC marathon
A call to carry on as normal in a time of crisis can be taken as an invocation of hope and strength. Or it can be interpreted as insensitivity to others’ plight. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg learned the latter on Friday when a public outcry forced him to cancel this year’s New York City Marathon in the city still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Just hours earlier, Bloomberg had pledged the world’s biggest marathon would go ahead as planned.The billionaire mayor had argued that holding
Nov. 4, 2012
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ASEAN-Korea Centre brings Southeast Asian photo exhibition
Southeast Asia includes an enormous expanse of cultures, people and traditions across 2 million square miles and some 600 million people from Singapore to the Philippines and Vietnam to Indonesia.Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have brought Seoulites a chance to glean a photographic glimpse into this huge and diverse array of peoples and their religious practices and cuisines from a perspective that is anything but ordinary.It is all possible in an exhibition of 66 photograp
Nov. 4, 2012
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Turkey marks proclamation of modern republic
Turkey celebrated the 89th anniversary of its founding as a modern republic in a reception at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Monday.A score of VIPs from the government and the foreign diplomatic community joined with Turkish expatriates and friends of Turkey to celebrate the proclamation of Turkey as a secular and democratic country, as well as the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Turkey.The Republic of Turkey was officially proclaimed on Oct. 29, 1923.Bahk
Nov. 4, 2012
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Dominican rum, pirate tales make splash in Korea
When one thinks of rum, it is difficult not to invoke the romantic images of the verdant environs of the Dominican Republic and, of course, the swashbuckling adventures of hardscrabble pirates.One might first think of clips from Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” or maybe the well known English pirate of yesteryear Blackbeard (a.k.a. Edward Teach). The most famous ― if one can use such a word when taking about pirates ― in the Caribbean and Latin America, however, was Roberto Cofresi.Cofresi r
Nov. 4, 2012
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Austria celebrates National Day, 120 years of ties
Austria celebrated its National Day and commemorated the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Austria and Korea at Banyan Tree Spa & Resort in Seoul, Monday.VIPs from the government and the foreign diplomatic community, as well as special guest and former Korean Ambassador to Austria Rep. Shim Yoon-joe of the Saenuri Party joined with some 200 guests and friends of Austria to listen to a performance of the Vienna Boys Choir.Austria celebrated its first National
Nov. 4, 2012
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Envoys upgrade negotiating skills
Negotiation is an everyday part of our ordinary lives, from deciding on where to eat out to which movie to see. Negotiation is, however, the bread-and-butter of diplomats; it is what they do. Their careers and ― far more crucially, the national interests of their countries ― depend on their skills as negotiators.About two dozen foreign envoys from nearly as many nations got together on Thursday to hone their negotiating skills at the Institute of Global Management, a Seoul-based consulting firm,
Nov. 4, 2012
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Swing states leave U.S. election up in the air
U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s race to the White House remained too close to call with less than a week to the election, according to opinion polls on Wednesday.Obama leads the national vote 47 percent to 46 percent, but more significant are the numbers in the vital swing states that will decide the election. The most recent Real Clear Politics average of polls in the 11 swing states put Obama ahead of Romney by less than one percentage point with 48.5 percen
Nov. 1, 2012
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Shift in N.K. policy unlikely under China’s new leadership
Following is the first in a series of articles on the future relations between China and two Koreas under next Chinese leader Xi Jinping ― Ed.One week before enthronement, China’s next leaders are expected to maintain their predecessors’ policy toward stability on the Korean Peninsula, experts said. Ahead of the once-in-a-decade power transition in the emerging global powerhouse, the international community is closely watching for any signs of shift in its policy toward Pyongyang. While almost n
Oct. 31, 2012
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Seoul, Tokyo agree on fishing quota in exclusive waters
South Korea and Japan agreed on the amount of fish they can each catch in each other's exclusive economic zones (EEZs) Tuesday, the Seoul government said.Under the agreement reached Tuesday, both sides set next year's fishing quota in each other's EEZ at 60,000 tons, unchanged from the previous year.Seoul, however, secured an additional 40 tons in the amount of cutlass fish it can catch in Japan's EEZ. Such an increase is the first of its kind since 2006, according to the Ministry of Food, Agric
Oct. 30, 2012
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Ban wins Seoul Peace Prize
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday received this year’s Seoul Peace Prize on Monday for his devotion to world peace, the rights of women and children and the fight against climate change. He was granted $200,000 in honorarium at a ceremony in Seoul as the first Korean winner. The country created the biennial award in 1990 to commemorate its hosting of the 1988 Olympic Games here and those contributing to international peace and unity. Previous recipients include Kofi Annan,
Oct. 29, 2012
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Anti-Dokdo stakes in U.S. spark furor
Recent bouts of vandalism in the U.S. aimed at claiming Japan’s sovereignty over the islets of Dokdo in East Sea have prompted an uproar in the Korean community there. A white wooden stake was founded Saturday at the entrance of Seoul’s consulate general in Manhattan in New York, officials said. It reads “Takeshima is Japanese Territory,” referring to Japanese name of the outcrops. A day earlier, a sticker with the same note was discovered near the signboard of the office’s petition room. A simi
Oct. 28, 2012
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Mexican Embassy offers Spanish language courses
Already mastered Korean, or perhaps sick and tired of studying English? You could try your hand at “Espanol” here in Seoul.The Mexican Embassy in Korea is offering Spanish language classes for all proficiency levels. Intermediate and advanced Spanish language learners, as well as beginners, are welcome to join.The classes meet three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and each session lasts about an hour and a half. The basic classes are 10:00-11:20 a.m. and 2:30-3:50 p.m. and intermed
Oct. 28, 2012
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French delegation from Lyon expands robot relations
French Charge d’ Affaires Fabrice Leggeri hosted a delegation of the Greater Lyon Asociation led by deputy mayors of Lyon Jean-Michel Daclin and Karine Dognin-Sauze at the official ambassadorial residence Wednesday.Leggeri said they achieved a lot in expanding the Lyon region’s Korea ties and networks in the high-tech area of robotics, as well as in gastronomy and other cultural fields. Lyon is renowned as a world food hub, but Lyon is also a robot hub for Europe. A chef even accompanied the 16-
Oct. 28, 2012
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Czech films screen in Seoul on heels of BIFF
On the heels of receiving impressive accolades for Czech film “Flower Buds” at the Busan International Film Festival this month, the Czech Embassy here has brought a slew of dramatic and art house-type movies to theaters around Seoul on Monday and through November.The lineup includes an early film by Czech-American film auteur Milos Forman, who is perhaps best known for his direction of the five-time Academy Award winner “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975).BIFF presented Czech film director
Oct. 28, 2012
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Outgoing Bulgarian envoy urges efforts for Korean unification
Outgoing Bulgarian Ambassador to Korea Kossio Kitipov said goodbye to not only his four-year posting here in Korea, but also to his 42-year career with his nation’s Foreign Service during an intimate farewell reception at the Seoul Millennium Hilton Hotel, Wednesday. The 67-year-old career diplomat returns to his home country in November, but Kitipov vowed during a farewell speech to continue his close relationship with Korea as a private and active citizen, especially on the issue of re-unifica
Oct. 28, 2012
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Election won't change U.S. gov't's N.K. policy: envoy
The United States' special envoy for North Korea said there would be no major changes in U.S. policy toward Pyongyang no matter who wins the November presidential election, a report said Saturday.Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, said in a recent forum at Stanford University that since the Reagan administration, the U.S. government has pursued a "dual approach" of using both dialogue and pressure in dealing with North Korea, regardless of whether a Democrat or
Oct. 27, 2012