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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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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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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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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[Newsmaker] Samsung heir one step closer to succession
Samsung’s heir-apparent Lee Jay-yong has taken the next crucial step toward inheriting the Samsung empire. His promotion to vice chairman of Samsung Electronics was widely expected, as the younger Lee has quickly gone through a number of high-ranking posts in recent years, including the position of president. Explaining the move, a Samsung press release said the junior Lee was “recognized for his leadership in building Samsung into one of the world’s most loved brands and creating shareholder va
IndustryDec. 5, 2012
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[Newsmaker] 2 nuke reactors open amid protest, concerns
A belated ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Shin-Gori nuclear power plant units 1 and 2 was held near the site, located in Gijang, Busan, on Tuesday. Despite the completion of unit 1 in February 2011 and unit 2 in July this year, the ceremony had been delayed due to opposition against operations by local citizens and safety concerns raised by a recent controversy over the usage of substandard parts in other nuclear reactors.The two newly built nuclear plants each with a capacity of 1 m
Dec. 4, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Park aide’s death resonates across politics
Lee Choon-sang, a long-time aide to presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, died on the campaign trail Sunday. The demise of the little-known politician seems to resonate across political spectrum amid the presidential election frenzy, creating a solemn moment of self-reflection for many politicians in the country. A vehicle carrying Lee and five other camp staffers hit a pole near Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, while heading for Chuncheon, a nearby city where Park was canvassing.The deceased had be
PoliticsDec. 3, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Sailors freed from 19-month Somali ordeal
Four South Korean sailors who were captured by Somali pirates are returning to their families, ending nearly two miserable years under constant threats and fear of death.They were freed on Saturday after ransom talks between the Singapore-based owner of the MT Gemini and the pirates made a breakthrough. They are expected to arrive in Kenya on Monday on the South Korean navy vessel that operates in Somali waters as part of a multinational anti-piracy campaign. The four will go through a quick med
Social AffairsDec. 2, 2012
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[Newsmaker] LG CEO breaks barriers in school background
LG Electronics appointed, for the first time, a high school graduate CEO. The Seoul-based consumer electronics giant announced on Thursday the promotion of Jo Seong-jin, former executive vice president of the company’s home appliances department, to the position of president. Jo joined the company in its Gold Star days after graduating from Yongsan Technical High School in 1976. He volunteered to work in the washing machine planning department, which was formerly looked down on by employees at t
IndustryNov. 29, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Royce to chair House foreign affairs panel
U.S. Republican Rep. Edward Randall Royce, known for his efforts to address Korean Peninsular issues, was tapped on Tuesday to chair the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.The nomination should be endorsed at the party’s plenary session slated for Wednesday. As the nomination is almost certain in the Republican-controlled House, Royce is to officially take over from Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Jan. 3.“If selected as chairman, I will work against the administration’s most harmful foreign policies
PoliticsNov. 28, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Tongil group shuts biz in N. Korea
Pyeonghwa Motors Corp. has been a symbol of reconciliation between the two Koreas since the Unification Church unveiled its ambitious joint venture with the communist North in 2000. Twelve years later, Tongil Group, the church’s colossal business empire, appears to be retreating from the partnership in favor of more lucrative, less risky sectors like retail and food. Park Sang-kwon, president of the Seoul-based auto company, is seeking to cancel its license for economic cooperation with North Ko
North KoreaNov. 27, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Samsung couple richest in stocks
Samsung owner Lee Kun-hee and his wife Hong Ra-hee topped the lists of Korea’s wealthiest in terms of stock holdings.Lee ranked the richest on the list for men, while Hong was at the top for women. This was the first time the couple nabbed the No. 1 slot for both lists, according to Chaebul.com, a local website providing exclusive business information on conglomerates.As of last Friday, Lee’s stock portfolio was worth a combined 11.14 trillion won ($10.27 billion). The net value of his stocks ha
Nov. 26, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Sarkozy has far to go for comeback
Last week was a good one for former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. After a key ally held onto the leadership of his party on Monday, Sarkozy himself was all but cleared in a political funding scandal three days later. Sarkozy was called to testify on accusations of receiving money from Liliane Bettencourt, France’s richest woman and a principal shareholder of the L’Oreal empire.It was the first time he had been questioned since he lost his presidential immunity in May.In 2010, tapes were rele
InternationalNov. 25, 2012
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[Newsmaker] LDP to further spur Japan rightward shift
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to strengthen the country’s military and revise its peace constitution to introduce collective self-defense, further spurring Japan’s rightward political shift.The leader of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday announced its campaign platform “to recover Japan and rebuild its economy.” The conservative party is expected to win in the Dec. 16 elections, which will put the hawkish Abe in the country’s top political post.The
PoliticsNov. 22, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Dong-A Pharm owner in disgrace over probes
Kang Shin-ho, chairman of the nation’s top pharmaceutical company Dong-A Pharmaceutical, is being hit with a barrage of criticism over scandals that have hit him and his company.The most recent charge against the company is that it sought to create slush funds worth tens of billions won by purchasing gift cards ― a type of prepaid card ― and reselling them for cash. The prosecution is investigating allegations that Dong-A created the funds to offer kickbacks to local hospitals. The pharmaceutica
IndustryNov. 21, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Kim case reveals ugly face of prosecution
Kim Kwang-jun, a senior prosecutor at Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, was arrested Monday on suspicion of corruption in a case that is tainting the reputation of the prosecution. The 51-year-old is accused of a long list of wrongdoings, mostly bribery and influence-peddling. Among them is that he may have received nearly 900 million won ($826,000) from Cho Hee-pal, the mastermind of Korea’s biggest-ever pyramid scheme, and Eugene Group, a mid-sized conglomerate, in exchange for favors. Kim’s mod
Social AffairsNov. 20, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Hamas remains obstacle to Middle East peace
Gaza’s ruling Islamist movement Hamas laid out its conditions for a cease-fire with Israel over the weekend, but Monday failed to see an end to the deadliest hostilities since 2009 as violence continued into its sixth day.The militant organization, defined by the U.S. and EU as a terrorist group, has demanded an end to the blockade of Gaza, as well as a commitment by Israel against any future attacks against it, in return for ceasing rocket attacks on the Jewish state.Intermittent violence betwe
Foreign AffairsNov. 19, 2012
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[Newsmaker] China’s ‘songbird’ flies to new heights
Since China’s Hu Jintao handed over power Thursday to his vice president Xi Jinping, the world may be hearing a new song in the communist country’s austere halls of power ― not from Xi, but from his wife.Peng Liyuan, endearingly nicknamed the “Peony Fairy,” rose to prominence as the sweet soprano at the forefront of the People’s Liberation Army with nationalistic folk songs like “People from our Village” and “On the Plains of Hope.” After enlisting as a regular soldier at age 18, her morale-boos
InternationalNov. 18, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Protesters defy eviction order
Tension is mounting in front of the iconic Deoksu Palace in central Seoul as rag-tag protesters vow to defy a government order to end their months-long decampment or face eviction by police. The Jung-gu district office delivered a notice Wednesday that it would ask police to break up their protest tents and impose fines unless they take them down voluntarily within 15 days.The roadside street beside the Joseon Dynasty palace’s main gate has been a symbolic epicenter for anti-government and labor
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Socialite scandal shows dangers of flirting
The Florida socialite and honorary consul for South Korea whose emails led to the resignation of CIA chief Gen. David Petraeus has found herself at the center of another scandal involving a leading military man.The email investigation has uncovered emails between Kelley and Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. military officer in Afghanistan, which raised suspicions of another affair.Kelley called for an investigation after receiving harassing emails by an anonymous sender. Those emails turned out to b
InternationalNov. 14, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Tibetan unrest in shadow of leaders’ meeting in Beijing
As the eyes of the world focused on the once-in-a-decade change of power in Beijing last week, a story of bitter protest against Chinese rule played out in the country to considerably less attention.Nine Tibetans set themselves on fire in the span of a week, with the latest case reported to have taken place on Monday. The protestor, a 20-year-old man in a village in the county of Tongren in northwest China’s Qinghai province, later died from his injuries. The deaths, along with rallies for great
Foreign AffairsNov. 13, 2012
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[Newsmaker] BBC struggles with crisis upon crisis
The BBC, one of Britain’s most enduring and well-respected institutions, is in crisis. In a case of controversy following controversy, an episode of the broadcaster’s investigative program “Newsnight” on Nov. 2 wrongly implicated Alistair McAlpine, a Thatcher-era treasury minister of the Conservative Party, in allegations of child sex abuse.This came just a month after revelations that the BBC had canceled a “Newsnight” investigation into abuse allegations against the late Jimmy Savile, one of t
Foreign AffairsNov. 12, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Fall of an American ‘hero’
The illustrious career of one of the most widely respected military leaders in modern U.S. history came crashing down over the weekend as David Petraeus abruptly offered his resignation as CIA chief, citing “poor judgment” in engaging in an extramarital affair.The 60-year-old former army commander had been the trusty ground man for two presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, owing to his military reputation for strategy, to lead the 2007 “surge” in Iraq and 2010 operations in Afghanistan. I
InternationalNov. 11, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Puerto Rico votes to become state
Puerto Ricans voted to become a U.S. state Tuesday, but as pundits pick apart the results of the referendum, the actual implications of the vote become more unclear.The inhabitants of the U.S. territory are already U.S. citizens, but statehood would give the island’s 4 million people the right to vote in the presidential election and representation in the Senate and House of Representatives ― something already enjoyed by the 5 million Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland.The switch has been
InternationalNov. 8, 2012