Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Moon pledges to clean up corruption in housing market
President Moon Jae-in on Monday vowed to root out corruption in the housing market, calling real estate speculation another form of “deep-rooted evil” that has long been prevalent in society. “Eradicating deep-rooted evil and restoring order in the real estate market will become one of the key goals in the remaining time of the administration,” Moon said in a weekly meeting with his key aides at Cheong Wa Dae. “We should keep in mind that this is the most import
March 15, 2021
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Majority of experts say division, conflicts of S. Korean society at serious levels: survey
Nearly 90 percent of experts view the level of social division and conflicts in South Korea as serious, a survey by a parliamentary advisory committee showed Monday. In its survey conducted from March 2-6 on 1,801 experts in social, political or economic affairs who are registered in the National Assembly Library's database, 89 percent of the respondents said social division and conflicts within the country are at serious levels, according to a subunit of the Committee for National Cohesion tha
March 15, 2021
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Moon's approval rating falls to five-week low amid LH land speculation scandal
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped to its lowest in nine weeks, a poll showed Monday, as his administration struggles to calm public outcry over alleged speculative land purchases by officials at the state-owned housing supply enterprise. Public support for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) also dipped, while that for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ascended, with less than a month left before the all-important Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, according to Realmete
March 15, 2021
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Former SMEs minister vows to expand hydrogen mobility in Seoul
Seoul mayoral candidate Park Young-sun says there are three things at the top of her agenda to make the city cleaner and safer if she is elected: Expanding green areas, boosting eco-friendly mobility and tackling the capital’s overflowing waste problem. In December, Seoul set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and going carbon neutral by 2050 in line with the global environmental trends. But the city has a long way to go as it struggles to combat worsening
March 14, 2021
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Ex-prosecutor Yoon surges to tie with Gov. Lee atop monthly opinion poll
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl were tied atop the list of potential candidates for next year's presidential election, a new poll showed Friday. Yoon has soared in opinion surveys since he resigned on March 4 in protest of the ruling Democratic Party (DP)'s push to create a new investigative body that reduces the prosecution's power. Gallup Korea, a pollster, said both Gov. Lee and Yoon garnered 24 percent of support in its latest survey conduc
March 12, 2021
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Govt. identifies 20 LH officials suspected of land speculation
The government has identified seven more public officials suspected of buying land for speculation, bringing the total number to 20, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday, declaring a "war" against real estate crime. Chung said at a press conference that all the 20 people work for the state housing developer, Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), and purchased land mainly in the Gwangmyeong-Siheung area of Gyeonggi Province, which has been designated as the site of a major public h
March 11, 2021
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Ruling party proposes parliamentary probe into all sitting lawmakers over land speculation scandal
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) proposed Thursday a parliamentary probe into all sitting lawmakers over a widening land speculation scandal, to which the main opposition party responded positively. "The justice and order of our society should be re-established by launching an investigation into all of the employees at state-run institutions, high-level government officials as well as lawmakers," Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, acting chairman of the DP, said during a party meeting. The proposal
March 11, 2021
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Over 70 more LH employees suspected of land speculation: lawmaker
An opposition lawmaker claimed Thursday that 74 more employees of the state housing corporation are suspected of having purchased land for speculation, the latest in a series of allegations over a growing corruption scandal. Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the main opposition People Power Party said an investigation revealed that 74 people, whose names matched those of Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) employees, made 64 land transactions in Gwangmyeong and Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, between early 2018 a
March 11, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Moon says land speculation scandal ‘unacceptable’
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday denounced the alleged speculative purchases of land by officials of the state-run housing developer, calling the snowballing insider trading scandal “unacceptable.” “It is unacceptable that officials at public organizations or public servants make speculative land purchases based on related information. This is an act of undermining our society’s integrity and trust,” Moon said before a luncheon meeting with floor leaders o
March 10, 2021
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DP floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon begins interim role as acting party chairman
Stepping into his interim role as the acting chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon pledged Wednesday to lead the party with an acute sense of urgency. "I will be serving in the (new) party seat with the acute determination to spend the two months as if they are two years," Kim said during a meeting of the top party council, which he presided over for the first time as the acting DP chairman. "With about a month to go before the April 7 by-elections (fo
March 10, 2021
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PM calls for close cooperation between police, prosecution in LH probe
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instructed the police and prosecution on Wednesday to work closely together to get to the bottom of a massive land speculation scandal involving public officials. Chung called the police and prosecution chiefs to a meeting, along with the justice and interior ministers, to discuss how they can collaborate to investigate the allegations of speculative land purchases by Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) employees. "More important than anything is organic commun
March 10, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ex-opposition leader Hwang Kyo-ahn signals return to politics
Hwang Kyo-ahn, a former leader of the main opposition party who has been out of the public eye since an election defeat last year, said Wednesday he will rise up against what he calls the Moon Jae-in government's "tyranny," practically declaring his return to politics. "I will be the first to rise up, however meager (my capacity is). I will muster my courage ... to go 'among the people' again to share their indignation against the Moon administration and safeguard the spark of ho
March 10, 2021
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Moon: LH officials' alleged land speculation 'unpardonable' act
President Moon Jae-in will have a luncheon meeting with floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Attending the session to be held at the presidential compound in Seoul are Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, the DP's floor leader, and his party colleagues in charge of strategy and negotiations at the National Assembly. Kim has become the party's acting chief with the resignation of Lee Nak-yon the previous day. It would mark the first time for Moon to hold a
March 10, 2021
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Ruling party chief Lee Nak-yon steps down in bid for presidency
Rep. Lee Nak-yon, chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), stepped down from his post in the party Tuesday, in his bid to run for presidency next year. The five-term lawmaker officially announced his resignation during a press conference in Seoul. Lee's departure comes more than six months after he was elected as the DP chairman in late August and exactly one year before the next presidential election slated for March 9, 2022. The resignation is in compliance with the DP's internal constitu
March 9, 2021
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Moon calls for speedy housing supply despite LH land speculation scandal
President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Tuesday for the government to go ahead with plans to expand the housing supply in spite of alleged speculative land purchases by employees of the state housing corporation, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon called for a two-track approach of looking thoroughly into relevant suspicions and pushing speedily for public-led construction of apartments aimed at stabilizing the housing market, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. "(Public) trust in
March 9, 2021
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Moon urges prosecution-police cooperation in probe of land speculation scandal
President Moon Jae-in called Monday for systemic cooperation between the prosecution service and the police in looking into the current land speculation scandal involving employees at the state housing corporation, Cheong Wa Dae said. "All administrative and investigative power that the country has should be mobilized. We must not let the people down," he was quoted as saying in his closing statement during a session to receive policy briefings from the Ministry of Justice and the Min
March 8, 2021
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PM orders creation of police-led team over LH scandal
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Monday ordered the creation of a police-led investigative team to get to the bottom of a massive land speculation scandal involving public officials. Chung gave the order to Nam Gu-jun, the inaugural chief of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) under the National Police Agency, during a meeting in which Nam briefed the prime minister on the police's own investigation plans regarding the issue. The scandal centers on allegations that more than a dozen emp
March 8, 2021
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Constitutional Court dismisses motion by embattled former judge to veto justice in impeachment trial
The Constitutional Court on Monday rejected a request by retired judge Lim Seong-geun to exclude a particular justice from his impeachment trial. Lim filed the motion that the court should except Justice Lee Suk-tae from the upcoming trial, questioning Lee's capability to render a fair and impartial verdict, given his former legal activities. The eight justices of the court unanimously decided that there were not "objective circumstances" to accept the request. Lim was impeached las
March 8, 2021
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Moon says state prosecutors have yet to gain public trust
President Moon Jae-in called on the state prosecution service Monday to earn public trust, saying the separation of its rights to investigate crimes and indict suspects is necessary to reform the prosecution. The prosecution should be able to assure the public that the exercise of its rights is fair, not arbitrary or selective, he stressed. There has been no improvement, however, in public confidence in the prosecution's impartiality despite efforts by most prosecutors, he added. The presiden
March 8, 2021
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Lawmaker eyes tougher penalties for public officials' land speculation based on inside info
A progressive lawmaker said Monday she will push for a law revision in collaboration with two civic groups to toughen punishment of public officials who use inside information to speculate on land that is under review or chosen for a state housing project. Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, former head of the minor opposition Justice Party, and two civic groups -- People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Lawyers for a Democratic Society -- announced the plan to revise the Special Act on Public Ho
March 8, 2021