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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[Newsmaker] "Sleaze-buster" felled by corruption
Yet another of President Park Geun-hye’s picks for her top deputy bit the dust Monday, as Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo submitted his resignation, succumbing to mounting pressure from his alleged involvement in a recent graft scandal.Lee’s demise came a little more than a month after he vowed all-out government effort against corruption on March 12. Deceased businessman Sung Woan-jong ― who died in an apparent suicide on April 9 amid a corruption probe ― suspected that Lee initiated the investigati
PoliticsApril 21, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Opposition wins Finnish election, ousts P.M.
HELSINKI ― Finland’s opposition Center Party won Sunday’s general election, ousting Prime Minister Alexander Stubb’s left-right coalition after a campaign dominated by the country’s economic woes.Center Party leader Juha Sipila, a 53-year-old IT millionaire and newcomer to politics, is set to become Finland’s next prime minister.“It seems as though the Center has won. Congratulations,” Stubb told Finnish public radio and television YLE after around 70 percent of votes had been counted. Sipila’s
World NewsApril 20, 2015
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[Newsmaker] More work urged amid Greece default worries
WASHINGTON ― Greece was told Saturday to urgently deliver a detailed fiscal and debt plan to official lenders as the IMF-World Bank spring meetings wound up amid escalating worries of a looming default.As Athens’ talks with creditors continued in Paris, both IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi warned in Washington that Greece has not provided enough information about how its economic and reform plans will impact its finances.With Greece seeking th
World BusinessApril 19, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Scandal-hit P.M. talks his way into trouble
Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo fell deeper into his quagmire on Thursday as his choice of words and inconsistent explanations of graft allegations against him led the opposition to escalate calls for his resignation.Lee altered his stance on joining President Park Geun-hye’s campaign trail in 2012 and how well he knew the deceased former Keangnam Enterprises chief Sung Woan-jong.Lee has found himself the main target of the opposition’s ire in the graft scandal sparked by a testimony and a memo left
PoliticsApril 16, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Obama moves to drop Cuba from terror list
WASHINGTON ― President Barack Obama is set to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a landmark step paving the way towards restoring ties frozen for five decades.Obama on Tuesday notified Congress of his “intent to rescind” Cuba’s inclusion on the blacklist, after a lengthy review launched late last year as Washington openly began a rapprochement with its Cold War foe.U.S. lawmakers now have 45 days to oppose the move; otherwise, it will go ahead, removing a key hurdle to re
World NewsApril 15, 2015
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[Newsmaker] P.M. criticized for ties to graft suspect
South Korea’s prime minister reiterated Tuesday his denial he received illegal campaign funds from a recently-deceased businessman during a parliamentary by-election two years ago, vowing to resign if the accusation was true.But the tide appears to be turning against Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo as critics increase their attack against him, citing his record of lying about past wrongdoing. Testimonies that Lee was close to the late Sung Woan-jong also intensified suspicion against the prime minist
PoliticsApril 14, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Sung’s eight
After Sung Woan-jong ― a South Korean businessman who was under investigation for corruption ― was found dead last week in an apparent suicide, a list of politicians who supposedly received money from him has stirred up a dispute within the political circles here.The eight politicians on the list include former and incumbent chiefs of staff for President Park Geun-hye, sitting Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, prominent members of the ruling Saenuri Party, and those who played key roles for Park durin
PoliticsApril 13, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Clinton to focus on economic security
CHICAGO — Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign will center on boosting economic security for the middle class and expanding opportunities for working families, while casting the former senator and secretary of state as a “tenacious fighter” able to get results, two senior advisers said Saturday.They provided the first preview of the message that Clinton planned to convey when she launches her long-anticipated campaign on Sunday with an online video. Until now, the former first lady has
World BusinessApril 12, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Court reviews antiprostitution law
The debate on legalizing prostitution has heated up in South Korea as the Constitutional Court began reviewing the law that criminalizes the sex trade. The court held its first public hearing Thursday.The antiprostitution law was enacted in 2004 to protect human rights, partly prompted by fire that killed 14 sex workers who were locked in a brothel in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, in 2002. The law stipulates that both purchasing and selling of sex carry a penalty of up to one year in prison or
Social AffairsApril 9, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Rand Paul's libertarian crusade
LOUISVILLE ― Instead of an American flag, Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul wears a red penny in his lapel, symbolizing the core of his philosophy: no more runaway debt and total submission to the U.S. Constitution.“We say they’ve taken all our money. We don’t have one red cent more to send them in Washington,” the conservative Kentucky senator said in 2010 shortly after a crushing poll win. Paul’s launch of his presidential candidacy on Tuesday follows that of Texan fellow senator Ted C
World NewsApril 8, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Salvaging ferry to be uphill battle
President Park Geun-hye on Monday said her administration will “actively review” salvaging the Sewol ferry that sank last year, leaving over 300 people dead or missing. It is the first time the South Korean leader has commented about recovering the ill-fated ship, but a myriad of issues, including technical difficulties, significant costs and doubt remain about the daunting task of recovering the vessel. Park’s statement comes with the condition that the government will push ahead with the opera
Social AffairsApril 7, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Putin’s Ukraine gamble brings mixed results
MOSCOW ― A year since the start of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, Vladimir Putin may not have emerged the winner in his showdown with the West but he has not lost either, analysts say.By supporting Ukrainian separatists, they say, he took a huge risk but it largely paid off as it allowed him to punish Kiev’s pro-Western authorities for seeking to turn their back on Russia and stand up to the West.Most importantly for the Kremlin, the annexation of Crimea and support for fellow Russian speakers
World NewsApril 6, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Iran deal leaves major questions unresolved
WASHINGTON ― The framework nuclear deal sealed by world powers and Iran leaves major questions: Could Iran cheat? Possibly. Would the U.S. or anyone else be able to respond in time? In theory, yes. Are they prepared to use military force? Questionable.Would a final deal settle global fears about Iran’s intentions? Almost surely, no.But the surprisingly detailed fact sheet released by the United States after Thursday’s diplomatic breakthrough in Switzerland provides President Barack Obama signifi
World NewsApril 5, 2015
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[Newsmaker] California unveils water cut plan
LOS ANGELES ― California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history Wednesday in order to combat the region’s devastating drought, the worst since records began.Gov. Jerry Brown issued the declaration at a press conference in a parched, brown slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains that would normally be covered by deep snow.“Today, we are standing on dry grass where there should be 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow,” Brown said. “This historic drought demands unprecede
World NewsApril 2, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Buhari boosts democracy in Nigeria
LAGOS ― Muhammadu Buhari, who has claimed victory in Nigeria’s most closely fought presidential election, is not a man who is easily put off.He tried three times previously to become head of state since the return to civilian rule in 1999 ― and failed on each occasion.But the tough retired major general who overthrew elected president Shehu Shagari ― widely seen as inept and corrupt ― in a military coup in 1983, was determined to lead the country again. And to do it the right way this time.Muham
World NewsApril 1, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Air Force to revamp command structure
The South Korean military has decided to reorganize the Air Force’s command structure to enhance efficiency in both peacetime and wartime operations, and better incorporate new weapons systems into its missions, the Air Force said Tuesday.Under the reorganization plan, the Air Force’s Southern and Northern Combat Commands will be refurbished into the Air Combat Command and the Air Mobility & Reconnaissance Command ― a shift from the hitherto geographically arranged command structure to a functio
DefenseMarch 31, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutors widen probe into ex-Lee aide
A former presidential secretary during the Lee Myung-bak administration has been placed under a widening investigation for irregularities, with fresh allegations suggesting he meddled in the designation of his daughter as a professor at his former college.Park Bum-hoon, then-aide for Lee, is suspected of forcing the Education Ministry to give favors to Chung-Ang University’s application for its Seoul-Anseong campus consolidation by abusing his authority as presidential secretary. He was preside
Social AffairsMarch 30, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Saudi troops would face Yemen ‘quagmire’
DUBAI ― Saudi-led airstrikes alone are unlikely to crush Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels but a ground incursion would risk a bloody “quagmire” and escalating tensions with Tehran, experts say.Saudi Arabia pledged to do “whatever it takes” to defend its ally President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after launching aerial raids against the Huthi Shiite fighters and their allies.Despite the kingdom’s formidable firepower, analysts say dropping bombs alone is of limited effectiveness.“History shows that air st
World NewsMarch 29, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Korea deploys new science satellite
YASNY, Russia ― South Korea said Thursday it has successfully sent a new science satellite into space, its radio communication with the country’s ground station indicating that the satellite is operating properly.The Korea Multipurpose Satellite-3A (KOMSAT-3A) was launched at 3:08 a.m. from the Yasny launch base, located some 1,800 kilometers southeast of Moscow.The Korea Multipurpose Satellite-3A lifts off from the Yasny launch base in Russia on Thursday. (Yonhap)A radio communication between t
TechnologyMarch 26, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Navy beset by corruption
The South Korean Navy is faltering under a string of corruption and sexual scandals involving former and current senior officials, triggering public criticism and calls for sweeping reform amid North Korea’s continued maritime threats.The scandals have overshadowed the Navy’s efforts to honor this week the sacrifices of the 46 sailors who were killed in the North’s torpedo attack on the corvette Cheonan five years ago.Former Chief of Naval Operations Hwang Ki-chul (right) attends a farewell cere
DefenseMarch 25, 2015