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] Deputy P.M. nominee, a man of principles
The coming Park Geun-hye government on Sunday nominated Korea Development Institute president Hyun Oh-seok as deputy prime minister in charge of economic policy.He will be the first deputy prime minister in five years, as the Lee Myung-bak administration scrapped the post in 2008.When Hyun gains the National Assembly’s approval, he will take on the nation’s core economic policies by concurrently serving as deputy prime minister and finance minister.At a news conference following the nomination,
Feb. 17, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Death begets death in Tibet
The cause to “free Tibet” reached a macabre milestone on Wednesday when a Tibetan exile became the 100th person since 2009 to attempt self-immolation in protest against Chinese rule.According to witnesses, the man in his 20s covered himself in petrol before setting himself alight in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.Supporters of the Tibetan independence movement say that China’s intolerance of protest forces Tibetans to resort t
PoliticsFeb. 14, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Yun faces nuke crisis, uncertainties
Foreign Minister nominee Yun Byung-se is the architect of President-elect Park Geun-hye’s policy of reengaging North Korea and is tasked to save it from derailment amid escalating tension following the belligerent neighbor’s new nuclear brinkmanship.The 60-year-old former career diplomat was named the nation’s foreign affairs chief to assist the incoming leader in coping with regional uncertainties such as revived nationalism in Japan and the ever-complicated rivalry between the U.S. and China.H
Foreign AffairsFeb. 13, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Pope steps down after eight fraught years
Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world Monday with his announcement that he would step down from the Roman Catholic Church’s highest office by the end of the month.The church’s 100-plus cardinals, the princes of the Vatican, received the announcement first during a meeting with 85-year-old Benedict at the Vatican early Monday.He said he is stepping down because with his advanced age and diminishing strength, he felt he could not carry on the job.He will be the first pontiff to do so in over 600 yea
PoliticsFeb. 12, 2013
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[Newsmaker] P.M. nominee vetting 2-edged sword for DUP
Former prosecutor Chung Hong-won is center stage in the country’s political arena as interest mounts as to whether President-elect Park Geun-hye’s second prime ministerial nominee will bear up under scrutiny. Kim is a life-long law professional who began his career in 1972. Chung went on to rise to the highest level within the public prosecutors’ office, and in 2004 opened a law firm.In the same year he was appointed a National Election Commission committee member, and from 2008 and 2011 he serv
PoliticsFeb. 11, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Shinsegae chief faces stormy seas in court
Shinsegae Group vice chairman Chung Yong-jin is facing rough seas since taking the helm of the nation’s second-largest retail giant.The prosecution grilled him for 12 hours on Tuesday over allegations that he ordered Shinsegae affiliates to charge their sister bakery firm Shinsegae SVN cheaper commissions to help turn it around.On Thursday, the Seoul Regional Labor Administration raided Shinsegae E-Mart headquarters and several E-Mart stores to search for evidence that the company had spied on i
IndustryFeb. 7, 2013
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[Newsmaker] K-water recognized by Thailand
Despite a growing dispute over alleged flaws of the four-river restoration project here, the nation’s water control and management capability gained recognition overseas as the Korean consortium was selected as a priority negotiation partner for all 10 major water management projects being pushed by the Thai government on Tuesday. Among the bidders, Korea, Japan and China have been in a tight race for the 10 projects worth 12 trillion won ($11 billion), which is intended to advance Thailand’s in
Feb. 6, 2013
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[Newsmaker] From gentle bureaucrat to unlikely crusader?
Well known for his dovish and docile temperament, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan took center stage after going head-to-head with the mighty presidential transition team on Monday over its plan to unhitch trade functions from his agency. The controversy pivots around President-elect Park Geun-hye’s envisioned transfer of the ministry’s trade-related operations to a newly expanded Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which will be renamed the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy. After weeks of appare
Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Cracks found in Lotte’s 123-story building
Lotte Engineering and Construction has yet to promptly address cracks in the 123-story edifice that the company is constructing in its new theme park in Seoul.Up to 11 cracks were discovered in the main pillar of the building -- known as the “mega column,” the main supporting piece of high-rises -- according to its construction supervisor, Hanmi Global.Despite Hanmi Global notifying Lotte about it in October, it has yet to address the problem. Hanmi says while the cracks are not critical as of y
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Allegations fly despite Ssangyong compromise
A compromise has been reached between the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic United Party on the issue of a parliamentary investigation into Ssangyong Motor Co., allowing the extraordinary session of the National Assembly to convene on Monday.Despite the tentative peace between the two main political parties, the issue continues to divide the country’s political arena. Under Thursday’s agreement, the DUP and the Saenuri Party formed a six-member negotiation group that will opera
PoliticsFeb. 3, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Naro launch paves way for economic upgrade
The successful launch on Wednesday of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or the Naro, has brought South Korea, as Education, Science and Technology Minister Lee Joo-ho put it, a “step forward” in advancing its space technology.This was Korea’s latest and third launch of a rocket carrying a science satellite into space.Experts, however, said the mission to see large economic returns in space development was only half-complete, given that the Naro was a “joint-venture” rocket with key engine techno
Jan. 31, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Samsung under fire for clumsy response
Samsung Electronics came under fire for its clumsy response to a toxic gas leak in its semiconductor line, which killed one subcontract worker and injured four others on Monday.The world’s largest technology company was accused of failing to take proper safety measures and even attempting to conceal the incident to minimize damage to its reputation.The plant is located less than 4 kilometers from Dongtan New Town in Hwaseong City and Suwon City, where 1.3 million residents live in both areas. T
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Apple relinquishes its crown
For any reigning monarch, stumbling off the throne is painful. It’s expected to be the same for Apple Inc., the king of electronics and smartphones, which recently forfeited the crown as the world’s most valuable company. ExxonMobil has now taken over that spot as Apple has lost some $247 billion in shareholder wealth compared to its high, which pundits note exceeds the value of IBM, worth $232 billion. Last week, following its earnings announcement -- which disappointed investors despite being
TechnologyJan. 28, 2013
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[Newsmaker] PM-designate mired in familiar territory
Putting aside the concerns over his administrative capacity, President-elect Park Geun-hye’s choice of presidential transition team leader, Kim Yong-joon, as her first prime minister looks to be heading into all-too-familiar territory.Lest her appointee get caught up in the political scrutiny by the opposition bloc, Park emphasized Thursday that her choice was based on Kim’s judicial integrity as a former Constitutional Court chief.But, as admirable as his career has been ― becoming the country’
PoliticsJan. 27, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Lee’s elder brother, ex-aide get jail terms
President Lee Myung-bak was dealt a another blow on Thursday as his elder brother and a former aide were convicted of taking illegal funds from failing saving banks. A lower court sentenced his brother Lee Sang-deuk, 72, a former Saenuri Party lawmaker, to two years in prison and fined him 750 million won ($702,000). He was arrested in 2012 for allegedly receiving hundreds of millions of won from two financial institutions and a business group from 2007 to 2011.The banks were at risk of being sh
PoliticsJan. 24, 2013
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[Newsmaker] CJ suspected of bribing doctors
The police announced on Tuesday that 10 officials at CJ CheilJedang, a chaebol manufacturer of food and medicine, have allegedly given illegal kickbacks worth approximately 4.5 billion won ($4.2 million) to more than 200 doctors over two years from May 2000. The kickbacks were allegedly offered in exchange for prescribing its product and were the form of lending the company credit cards to doctors. Some of the doctors used the company credit cards to purchase furniture and other commodities for
Social AffairsJan. 23, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Dijsselbloem out to spur euro recovery
New Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem may well be the ultimate compromise candidate.Elected to head the group of eurozone finance ministers Monday, the Dutch finance minister has sided with Germany and other northern eurozone states who insist on austerity for countries needing bailouts. He is also a social democrat like the government in France, the EU’s other major power player.But perhaps the key factor driving his acceptability is his novelty ― Dijsselbloem has headed the Dutch finance min
InternationalJan. 22, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Lee accelerates to record-breaking sprint
South Korea’s top speed skater Lee Sang-hwa is getting faster, breaking national and world records in the space of 24 hours.Lee won the Speed Skating World Cup race in Calgary, Canada, on Sunday in 36.80 seconds in the 500 meters, taking 0.14 seconds off the previous record set by Yu Jing of China last January. A day earlier, she broke the national record with 36.99 seconds, becoming the first Korean female to break the 37-second barrier. Her record-breaking performance adds to her sweep of all
More SportsJan. 21, 2013
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[Newsmaker] BAI railed for delay of report on 4 rivers
“The Board of Audit and Inspection should be audited and inspected first,” said a TV talk show commentator on Friday, one day after the state agency unveiled the result of its inquiry of the four-river restoration project.The BAI called President Lee Myung-bak’s pet project of damming and dredging “seriously flawed.” Poor design left dams with feeble base structures that could cost hundreds of billions of won each year in maintenance, and blocked water flow that could deteriorate water quality a
PoliticsJan. 20, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Residents fume at Taean spill ruling
A court’s ruling on the Taean oil spill on Wednesday is likely to rekindle controversy as its assessment of financial damages fell short of expectations. The Seosan Branch of the Daejeon District Court ordered a 734 billion won ($694 million) compensation payout to victims of the country’s worst oil spill in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, after five years of legal disputes.About 128,000 people including residents, fishing and tourism business operators and local government offices sought 4.2
Social AffairsJan. 17, 2013