Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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Moon expects prime minister to help restore 'normal politics'
President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Tuesday that South Korea's new prime minister, Chung Sye-kyun, will play a role in efforts to normalize the country's politics ridden with polarization and partisan strife.What's more urgent than any other thing is to "restore politics for dialogue, compromise and communication" in the country, Moon told Chung shortly after giving him a letter of appointment at a Cheong Wa Dae ceremony.In that sense, the president said, Chung is the right person to
Jan. 14, 2020
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Expanding inter-Korean projects could help ease int'l sanctions, Moon says
President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Tuesday to expand inter-Korean cooperation, saying it could be conducive to drumming up international support for sanctions relief for the communist neighbor.Speaking at his New Year's press conference, he made it clear that South Korea will not sit idle waiting for Pyongyang-Washington dialogue to bear fruit."If (we) broaden cooperative ties between South and North to the maximum, it would not only facilitate North Korea-US dialogue but also help win
Jan. 14, 2020
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Parliament passes bills on giving police more investigative power
Police will be able to close probes without prosecution approval as the National Assembly passed two bills on granting police more investigative power on Monday.The legislative move is expected to usher in a change in the relationship between the prosecution and police in a country where the prosecution has a monopoly on filing charges.Currently, police are able to initiate probes but not allowed to close them without prosecution approval. Only prosecutors can file indictments in direct control
Jan. 13, 2020
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Govt. announces reorganization to reduce prosecution's direct investigation
The Justice Ministry on Monday unveiled a plan to reorganize the prosecution in line with a reform policy to reduce its investigative authority.Under the plan, the ministry will push to halve the number of units under the anti-corruption department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office from four to two, while also reducing the number of units of the public security department to two from three.The plan also includes scrapping five of public security units at district offices across th
Jan. 13, 2020
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Assembly approves prime minister nominee
The National Assembly on Monday endorsed President Moon Jae-in's pick for new prime minister despite strong resistance from the main opposition party.The legislature passed the confirmation motion for Chung Sye-kyun at a plenary session. The six-term ruling party lawmaker and former speaker was nominated last month. Among the 278 lawmakers present, 164 voted to approve Chung's appointment, while 109 disapproved. One lawmaker abstained, with four votes declared invalid.Most disapproval votes
Jan. 13, 2020
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Presidential office ups pressure on prosecution
The friction between the presidential office and the prosecution is deepening, with both sides accusing the other of wrongdoings in the developments surrounding high-profile investigations. On Monday, the presidential office revealed that it had referred a petition claiming that human rights violations occurred in the investigation into former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk to the National Human Rights Commission. In making the revelation, the presidential office said that the commission said
Jan. 13, 2020
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Lawmaker picked for presidential panel on aging society
A ruling party lawmaker has been appointed as vice head of the presidential advisory group on polices related to falling birth rates and the aging society, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.President Moon Jae-in installed Rep. Seo Hyung-soo of the Democratic Party in the post at the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy. Shortly after taking office, Moon launched the committee to explore mid- to long-term polices to address the social problems.The president serves as the body's
Jan. 13, 2020
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Cheong Wa Dae asks rights panel to review prosecution's probe into Cho Kuk case
Cheong Wa Dae said Monday it has requested a state human rights panel to look into whether prosecutors violated relevant rules in connection with their sweeping probe into suspicions involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family.The move came in response to an online petition submitted to the presidential office amid lingering debates over the prosecution's way of investigating the allegations of crimes related to his children's schooling and a family investment in a private equity fu
Jan. 13, 2020
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Presidential spokesperson expected to run in April election
Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung is leaning towards running in the upcoming general election, a ruling party official said Sunday. "Ko seems to have made up her mind to run in the general election. But it has yet to be decided which electoral constituency she will run in," a key ruling Democratic Party (DP) official said in a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency.The official said Ko will likely wrap up her current position as presidential spokesperson by Thursday, the deadline
Jan. 12, 2020
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[News Focus] Reforming the prosecution, or taming it?
Reforming the “almighty prosecution” was one of President Moon Jae-in’s top priorities, one he was painfully aware could threaten his political fortunes but saw as too important to fail. His campaign so far to overhaul the powerful law enforcement agency has proved as difficult as he must have anticipated. Two justice ministers have been appointed for the task. One bowed out after two weeks on the job and the other, the incumbent, faces an opposition-led parliamentary im
Jan. 12, 2020
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Cheong Wa Dae silent on N. Korea's ridicule of S. Korea's 'mediator' role
The office of President Moon Jae-in issued no immediate formal response Saturday to North Korea's statement mocking his efforts to facilitate nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington.Kim Kye-gwan, formerly the North's top nuclear negotiator, took issue with Cheong Wa Dae's announcement Friday that it conveyed US President Donald Trump's congratulatory birthday message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Returning from a trip to Washington DC, Chung Eui-yong, director of Cheong Wa Dae's nati
Jan. 12, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Rallies held against government, prosecution
Two different groups of citizens took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday, one criticizing the Moon Jae-in administration and the other calling for the resignation of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, in a sign of the continued social conflict over reforming the state prosecution.Members of conservative groups, many holding the national flags of South Korea or the United States, began a rally on a large square in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, at around 2:30 p.m., demanding Moon's resignation.They
Jan. 12, 2020
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Presidential office voices strong regret over prosecution raid
Cheong Wa Dae expressed strong regret Friday over state prosecutors' attempt at what it called a reckless search of the presidential office. Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in the morning sent a team of investigators to Cheong Wa Dae with a search warrant for the office of a unit that handles policies related to support for provincial governments. It was part of an intensive probe into allegations that President Moon's aides had meddled in the 2018 Ulsan mayor e
Jan. 10, 2020
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S. Korea conveys Trump's birthday message for Kim Jong-un
US President Donald Trump has congratulated North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his birthday, South Korea's top presidential security adviser said Friday after returning from his trip to Washington, D.C.Chung Eui-yong, head of Cheong Wa Dae's national security office, had a brief meeting with Trump at the White House during the three-day visit.Trump had some congratulatory words for Kim on the occasion of his Jan. 8 birthday and asked President Moon Jae-in to deliver the message, according to the
Jan. 10, 2020
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Main opposition submits motion to impeach justice minister over reshuffle row
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) submitted a motion to impeach Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Friday over the recent replacement of top prosecutors probing high-profile scandals involving former and incumbent presidential officials. The conservative party said it submitted the proposal signed by 108 of its lawmakers to the National Assembly, with its floor leader calling the reshuffle an attempt to "massacre" the prosecution service. The Ministry of
Jan. 10, 2020
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Prosecution raids presidential office in election-meddling probe
State prosecutors on Friday raided a division at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae as part of its ongoing probe into an election-meddling case involving the incumbent Ulsan mayor, a close presidential confidant.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it launched a raid on a Cheong Wa Dae unit that covers policies on supporting provincial governments in relation to election-meddling allegations in the industrial city 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul.The raid apparently aimed at se
Jan. 10, 2020
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Moon's approval rating rises to 47% after 2020 message: Gallup
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has edged up to 47 percent since his address for the new year, in which he offered inter-Korean dialogue and declared a war against real estate speculation, a Gallup survey showed Friday.In the three-day phone interview of 1,000 adults nationwide that began Tuesday, 47 percent of them supported Moon, up 3 percentage points from the previous figure recorded in the third week of December.The proportion of those who disapprove of his leadership fell 3 percent
Jan. 10, 2020
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Assembly passes eased data regulation, introduces prosecution reform bill
South Korea's parliament on Thursday passed three bills intended to ease regulations on the use of personal information, despite objection from privacy advocates, as the country strives to catch up in the fiercely competitive data economy. The National Assembly approved a total of 198 non-contentious proposals, long pending due to partisan wrangling, including the expansion of pension benefits for vulnerable people, legislation to promote a hydrogen economy and laws to better support youth, smal
Jan. 10, 2020
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PM regrets chief prosecutor's behavior over personnel reorganization
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon expressed regret Thursday over the prosecutor general's failure to comply with due procedure ahead of the announcement the previous day of a personnel reshuffle of senior prosecutors, which affected most of his close aides.On Wednesday, the justice ministry announced the reassignment of 32 senior prosecutors, including those who are close to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and leading probes in high-profile scandals involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and other
Jan. 9, 2020
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Choo’s prosecution reshuffle fuels controversy
Rival parties clashed over the new justice minister’s decision to replace senior prosecutors who have played leading roles in investigations targeting Cheong Wa Dae officials. On Wednesday, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae announced a personnel reshuffle affecting 32 senior posts at the prosecution, mainly targeting those who have focused on scandals involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and presidential aides. Choo took office last week pledging to carry out President Moon Jae-in’s p
Jan. 9, 2020