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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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Young Korean doctors seek plan B: cosmetic dermatology or overseas
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South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments
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Yoon apologizes over first lady’s Dior bag scandal, but accuses special probe attempt as political maneuvering
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Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
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Coupang earnings hit hard by losses from ailing Farfetch
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[K-pop’s dilemma] Time, profit pressures work against originality
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Man stabs woman and her son amid financial dispute, killing 1
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[News Analysis] Yoon's first 2 years marked by intense confrontations, lack of leadership
President Yoon Suk Yeol spent his first two years in office facing persistent and intense political confrontations, public censure over his unilateral approach to communication, and controversies surrounding his wife that cast a shadow over his policy initiatives and foreign affairs activities. Having been elected to South Korea's most powerful office only six months after entering politics, the 63-year-old former prosecutor has remained unpopular domestically for the past two years, with h
May 9, 2024
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Yoon apologizes over first lady’s Dior bag scandal, but accuses special probe attempt as political maneuvering
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday apologized over the controversy surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee's alleged acceptance of a Dior bag as a gift. In a press conference marking his two years in office, the president said he “offers a deep apology to the South Korean people for causing concern due to my wife’s unwise conduct.” In spy camera footage released last year by a YouTube channel, the first lady was seen being presented with a luxury bag from a man identified as a pas
May 9, 2024
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Yoon apologizes for wife's 'unwise conduct'
President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized Thursday for what he called the "unwise conduct" of first lady Kim Keon Hee, referring to allegations she illegally accepted a luxury bag in 2022. "I apologize for causing concern to the people with the unwise conduct of my wife," he said during a press conference marking the second anniversary of his presidency. He said he would refrain from commenting further, however, given that a prosecution investigation is already under way into the al
May 9, 2024
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Yoon says will create new ministry to tackle low birth rate
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday he will create a new ministry to tackle the country's low birth rate. Yoon made the remark during an address to the nation marking the second anniversary of his presidency. "In order to overcome the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency, we will fully mobilize all of the state's capabilities," he said. The head of the new ministry, tentatively named the "low birth response planning ministry," will double a
May 9, 2024
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S. Korea's fiscal deficit hits record high through March
South Korea's fiscal deficit reached an all-time high in the first three months of 2024 due to rising expenditures aimed at buttressing an economic recovery, the finance ministry said Thursday. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on a stricter term, posted a deficit of 75.3 trillion won ($55.07 billion) in the January-March period, up from the previous year's 54 trillion won, the finance ministry said in its monthly public finance report. This year'
May 9, 2024
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Yoon to hold press conference marking 2nd anniversary of presidency
President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to hold a press conference Thursday to mark the second anniversary of his presidency, the first such session in 21 months. The press conference will be held at the presidential office in two parts -- first, an address on his administration's past achievements and future plans, followed by a question and answer session with reporters. Yoon is expected to field a wide range of questions, including his thoughts on the opposition's push for a special counsel investigat
May 9, 2024
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Yoon calls opposition leader to express concern for health
President Yoon Suk Yeol called opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday to wish him good health before Lee goes on a weeklong vacation for hospital treatment later this week, Lee's main opposition Democratic Party said. Yoon made the call at around 2:40 p.m. and expressed concern for his health, while Lee expressed his gratitude, the Democratic Party said. Lee will take a weeklong leave from Thursday to next Wednesday to get treatment, which he had postponed due to the recent general
May 8, 2024
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DP urges Yoon to accept proposal on cash handouts, special counsel probe over Marine's death
The main opposition Democratic Party demanded Wednesday that President Yoon Suk Yeol agree to its proposal to provide cash handouts to the entire population and a special counsel probe into suspicions over a Marine's death when he holds a press conference this week. Rep. Park Chan-dae made the calls during a meeting of the party's Supreme Council at the National Assembly, a day before Yoon holds the press conference Thursday to mark the second anniversary of his presidency. The press conference
May 8, 2024
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
A high-profile probe zeroing in on first lady Kim Keon Hee is set to begin as the top prosecutor pledged Tuesday to carry out a "speedy and strict" investigation into accusations that she illegally received a luxury Christian Dior bag as a gift from a Korean American pastor in 2022. “The prosecution plans to conduct a speedy and strict investigation (into the allegations against the first lady) based solely on existing evidence and legal principles,” Prosecutor General Lee
May 7, 2024
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Yoon revives civil affairs office as first lady faces investigation
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday named former prosecutor Kim Joo-hyun as the new senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, a position he abolished two years ago to curb accusations that it meddles in probes by the prosecution and the police. The revival of the senior presidential secretary immediately prompted speculation that Yoon's office might use the new senior secretary position to deal with legal issues potentially involving him and his family, given that the position traditionall
May 7, 2024
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DP to propose cash handouts as 1st bill of new National Assembly
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) plans to propose legislation providing cash handouts of 250,000 won ($184) to the entire population as its first bill of the new National Assembly set to open later this month, its new floor leader said Monday. Rep. Park Chan-dae unveiled the plan in a radio interview with local broadcaster MBC after DP leader Lee Jae-myung asked President Yoon Suk Yeol last Monday to accept his election pledge for the cash handouts as a way to help restore the people
May 6, 2024
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Yoon to hold press conference Thursday
President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a press conference Thursday, as he seeks a breakthrough from his stagnant job approval rating and looming political attacks by the opposition parties set to continue to control the new National Assembly that kicks off next month. Yoon's spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung told reporters Monday that Yoon will hold a media conference in the morning as he marks his second anniversary in the presidential office soon. Before the conference, Yoon will lay out his policy instru
May 6, 2024
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Democratic Party angst grows over ‘politically neutral’ Assembly speaker
National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo criticized former Democratic Party of Korea colleagues who said the parliamentary leader does not need to maintain political neutrality. In a radio interview late Sunday, Kim said that the Democratic Party “ought to be ashamed” of its criticisms that he was “not picking a side” as the party pushes for its post-Assembly election agenda. “The speaker of the Assembly remains unaffiliated with any party for a reason. The speaker, wh
May 6, 2024
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Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
Kim Jin-pyo, the speaker of South Korea’s National Assembly, told a meeting with overseas Koreans in Los Angeles that he would try to push laws to permit multiple citizenships, according to the speaker’s office. “Allowing people to hold multiple citizenships has gained considerable consensus in the Assembly as well as the government,” he said during a meeting with members of organizations representing Koreans in the US at the Intercontinental Hotel in LA on Saturday. He s
May 6, 2024
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Yoon invites kids to Children's Day event
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday invited hundreds of children and parents to Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office, to commemorate Children's Day, his office said. Yoon invited around 360 children and their families to the Children's Day event, including those from rural areas and in foster care, as well as children from multicultural families, the presidential office said. "It is always exciting to meet with children," Yoon was quoted as saying by the office. "
May 5, 2024
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Top prosecutor orders speedy investigation into first lady's alleged acceptance of luxury handbag
South Korea's top prosecutor has instructed his staff to create a team dedicated to investigating allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee accepted a luxury handbag in 2022, legal sources said Friday. Prosecutor General Lee One-seok made the call during a regular meeting with Song Kyung-ho, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, on Thursday, according to the sources. First lady Kim has come under fire after a local media outlet released video footage last November that show
May 3, 2024
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Rival parties appoint new leadership to brace for next parliament
The rival parties appointed new leadership roles on Friday, with the main opposition electing its new floor leader, while an ex-deputy minister took the helm of the ruling party, as they brace for the next parliament. The Democratic Party of Korea elected Rep. Park Chan-dae, a current two-term lawmaker reelected for another term in the April 10 parliamentary elections and a close aide of main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, as its new floor leader at an intra-party general meeting held around n
May 3, 2024
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Loyalist to DP leader Lee elected as party's new floor leader
The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday elected a lawmaker closely aligned with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as its new floor leader. Rep. Park Chan-dae, a member of the DP's Supreme Council who was reelected for a third term in the general elections, was named floor leader at a general meeting of party lawmakers, becoming the party's first floor leader under the current 22nd National Assembly. Park was the sole candidate for the post. Announcing his run for the floor l
May 3, 2024
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Yoon's office to set up task force to keep growth momentum
The presidential office will establish a pangovernmental task force dedicated to protecting the country's strategic industries and encourage concerted efforts among government bodies, following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's projection of South Korea's economic growth this year, Thursday. "(South Korea) won't be able to sustain victory in the battlefield of countries pouring efforts on key industries, without removing barriers between ministr
May 2, 2024
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
The opposition-led National Assembly unilaterally passed a special bill on Thursday to open an investigation into suspicions that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration abused its power to disrupt a probe into the death of a young Marine last year. Of the current total 296 members of the single-chamber National Assembly, all 168 who participated in the vote moved in favor of passing the bill, which seeks to launch an investigation into suspicions that the Yoon administration coerced an investig
May 2, 2024