Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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[Newsmaker] FSS under fire for overpaying employees
The Financial Supervisory Service, Korea’s financial regulator, is facing heat for paying excessively high annual salaries to its employees amid mounting worldwide criticism against overpaid executives in the financial sector.The controversy escalated as the FSS recently posted last year’s average annual salary of its employees. Payrolls of all state-controlled organizations are required to disclose their salaries.The financial regulator’s average annual salary in 2012 ― 92 million won ($81,000)
June 30, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Rudd’s return underlines party problems
Kevin Rudd has taken dramatic revenge against Julia Gillard, regaining the Australian premiership that she took from him almost exactly three years ago to the day.But his return as prime minister may be short-lived, as he takes over just months ahead of a general election that polls suggest his party will lose badly.Rudd had come to power in 2007 in a landslide victory for his Labor Party, and his green agenda was popular. With a hard-working, businesslike manner, “24-7 Kevin” was less popular w
InternationalJune 27, 2013
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[Newsmaker] World’s eyes on Mandela
Nelson Mandela, Africa’s most famous son, is coming to the end of his time on earth. And the world’s media are desperate ― some would say to the point of being disrespectful ― to cover every moment he has left.On Tuesday, the media quoted comments by a member of the Mandela family that were interpreted to mean preparations were underway for the death of the 94-year-old former anti-apartheid revolutionary. Mandela has been in a “critical” state in hospital since Sunday.Given the saint-like status
Foreign AffairsJune 26, 2013
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[Newsmaker] NIS chief stirs the pot
National Intelligence Service chief Nam Jae-joon did not waste a moment when he authorized the disclosure on Monday of the controversial transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit.The spy chief’s decision came just days into a tug-of-war between the rival parties over a parliamentary investigation into the agency’s involvement in last year’s presidential election, and a full disclosure of the transcript containing former President Roh Moo-hyun’s remarks on the Northern Limit Line, the de facto s
PoliticsJune 25, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Park on way to golf milestone
Park In-bee is poised to write a new chapter in South Korean golf history on the LPGA Tour. On Sunday, she defeated fellow South Korean Ryu So-yeon in the first playoff hole at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. It was her fifth LPGA Tour victory of the season. With the victory, the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer tied the record for most wins by a South Korean LPGA professional in a season. Of the 14 tournaments held so far this year, she has taken fi
GolfJune 24, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Clinton hints at first U.S. woman presidency
American media is gushing at the possibility that Hillary Rodham Clinton is gearing up for another run to become the first woman president of the United States in 2016.The former U.S. secretary of state said last week she hoped to see a woman president in her life, though did not name herself specifically.“Hypothetically speaking, I really do hope that we have a woman president in my lifetime,” the Democrat said at a private women’s lecture series in Toronto on Friday, before being interrupted b
PoliticsJune 23, 2013
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[Newsmaker] New Woori chief criticizes his predecessor
Lee Soon-woo, the new chairman of Woori Financial Group, has expressed discontent over the business policies of his predecessor Lee Pal-seung, who was a college classmate of former President Lee Myung-bak.The incumbent chairman, who stepped to the helm last week, was quoted by an online news provider as saying that Woori Financial tackled sale projects for the state-funded group led by financial authorities during the former chief’s term between June 2008 and June 2013.Lee stressed that it is in
June 20, 2013
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[Newsmaker] UNESCO lists war diary, Saemaul archives
“Nanjung Ilgi,” or “War Diary,” by 16th-century naval hero Yi Sun-shin, and archives of Korea’s Saemaul Movement in the 1960s have been listed to the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Wednesday. Their inclusion brings the total number of South Korea’s heritage items on the UNESCO list to 11, the highest for an Asian country. The decision was made during the 11th session of the International Advisory Committee that opened in Gwangju on Tuesday when t
CultureJune 19, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Korea marks second Yeonpyeong skirmish
South Korea marks the 11th anniversary of an inter-Korean naval skirmish this month to pay homage to six soldiers killed while safeguarding the Northern Limit Line, a de facto maritime border.Triggered by two North Korean patrol ships violating the NLL on June 29, 2002, the second Yeonpyeong Battle, named after a frontline island in the West Sea, left six seamen dead and 19 others wounded. South Korea’s warship Chamsuri-357 was sunk during the battle, which followed the first naval clash in the
DefenseJune 18, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Return of ex-minister angers unions
Kim Dae-hwan was one of the most credited scholars among unionists and activists in the 1980s when they fought the dictatorial government and exploitive capitalists. Two decades later, the progressive labor economics expert turned into the trade unions’ public enemy No. 1. While serving as labor minister from 2004-06, he pushed for an ambitious social compromise aiming both to boost growth and protect labor rights. He demanded labor concessions on greater market flexibility and an improved barga
PoliticsJune 17, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Reformist’s win in Iran boosts hopes
The election of Hassan Rowhani as Iran’s new president is raising cautious optimism for a diplomatic solution to the disputes over its suspected nuclear programs and improved ties with the U.S. and the West.During the campaign the 64-year-old moderate cleric pledged to seek “constructive interaction with the world.” “A new opportunity has been created ... for those who truly respect democracy, interaction and free dialogue,” he said in his first speech after his victory was confirmed Friday. He
World NewsJune 16, 2013
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[Newsmaker] The human face to digital scandal
Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who exposed routine mass collection of communications records by the United States government, has resurfaced for the first time since Monday.Speaking to the South China Morning Post, he insisted that he was not in Hong Kong to avoid justice. “I would rather stay and fight the U.S. government in the courts, because I have faith in HK’s rule of law,” he said.He said this, though while effectively in hiding. His whereabouts has not been known since he checked out
Expat LivingJune 13, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Progressive party leader highlights failings
Candid soul-searching by a progressive leader is reverberating around Korea’s political circles more usually criticized for defying public calls for reform. Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, chief of the minor opposition Progressive Justice Party, on Tuesday spoke out about the failings of progressive politics in her address to the parliament. The former union leader dedicated much of her 10-minute address to highlight her and colleagues’ radical views on North Korea and politics that were far removed from r
PoliticsJune 12, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Cook strives to keep Apple innovative
U.S.-based tech giant Apple on Monday revealed its much-anticipated new mobile operating system, hinting that its innovative prowess had not died with its cofounder Steve Jobs.“IOS 7 is the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of iPhone,” the company’s CEO Tim Cook said at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.Throughout the presentation, Cook repeatedly stressed the word “innovation,” as if to state that his company is still capable of producing groundbreaking produ
TechnologyJune 11, 2013
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[Newsmaker] U.N. mulls cost-cutting measures
The United Nations will undergo large-scale restructuring amid international pressure to cut its spending, according to U.N. sources. The unprecedented move is widely interpreted as a sign of problems with its reforms.South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed sources, reported Monday that the organization will eliminate at least 260 jobs. The initial job cut plans only target some 6,600 employees working at the U.N. headquarters in New York. The plan is expected to include the suspension
World NewsJune 10, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Son wins gold at Asian Gymnastics
Gymnast Son Yeon-jae won three gold medals at the Asian Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, becoming the first South Korean to win gold at an international rhythmic gymnastic event.The 19-year-old began her winning streak by clinching the individual all-round final on Friday with 72.066 points in the multi-sport competition combining hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. She outperfomed Rakhmatova Djamila of Uzbekistan with 70.599 points and Deng Senyue of China with 70.250, who t
More SportsJune 9, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Obama taps Rice as national security adviser
United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, who became a target of Republican vitriol over U.S. President Barack Obama’s handling of an attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, is moving into the post of White House National Security Adviser.President Obama announced a major reshuffling of his national security team on Wednesday, ushering out Tom Donilon, a cautious Washington insider, and elevating Rice, a longtime proponent for expanding the U.S. role in protecting human rights and pr
PoliticsJune 6, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Inspection firm targeted in nuclear scandal
At the heart of the nuclear reactors’ shutdown and subsequent electricity shortage was a quality inspection company that neglected its role for the sake of its own interests.Earlier in the week, the prosecution summoned the head of Saehan TEP for allegedly forging the quality certificate papers on substandard signal cables used in the recently suspended nuclear reactors.A senior employee of JS Cable, too, was questioned on charges of supplying faulty parts and exerting pressure on Saehan TEP to
June 5, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Park turns to last resort for PR chief
It was like deja vu on Monday when President Park Geun-hye turned to her long-time troubleshooter Lee Jung-hyun to fix the public relations mess at Cheong Wa Dae. Lee, 56, chief presidential political secretary, was named as her top public affairs aide, replacing Lee Nam-ki, who resigned last month to take responsibility for the sexual assault case involving then-spokesman Yoon Chang-jung.The move was to contain criticism toward the presidential office’s communications team, particularly over th
PoliticsJune 4, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Former NIS chief accused of corruption
Won Sei-hoon, a former spy chief and long-time aide to former President Lee Myung-bak, is likely to face charges for personal corruption as well as his role in intelligence agents’ illegal intervention in politics. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that he received bribes from a private construction firm while he served as chief of the National Intelligence Service. During a raid of the agency, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office seized documents reportedly containing a list o
Social AffairsJune 3, 2013