Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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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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[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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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
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'1 million' Christians join anti-LGBTQ+ marriage rally
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Rival parties agree to normalize parliament following 3 months of impasse
Rival parties agreed Monday to normalize the operation of the National Assembly following nearly three months of parliamentary impasse over a push to place key reform bills on a fast-track.The move is expected to pave the way for reviewing a 6.7 trillion-won ($5.6 billion) extra budget bill and other legislation on people's livelihoods that have been pending for months amid deepened partisan tensions.The ruling Democratic Party (DP), the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and the minor op
June 24, 2019
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Moon vows efforts to prevent another war in Korea
President Moon Jae-in pointed out Monday that the Korean War has not formally finished and emphasized the need for efforts to prevent another war on the peninsula.He was holding a luncheon meeting at Cheong Wa Dae with 182 South Korean, US and other foreign veterans who took part in the 1950-53 conflict. It's the first time that a South Korean president has invited war veterans to the presidential compound for a group lunch, according to Cheong Wa Dae. It came on the eve of the June 25 anniversa
June 24, 2019
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Trump set for trip to S. Korea this weekend
US President Donald Trump will make a two-day trip to South Korea shortly after attending a Group of 20 summit in Japan, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday.Trump is scheduled to arrive here Saturday and hold summit talks with President Moon Jae-in the following day, according to its spokesperson, Ko Min-jung. "(They plan to) have in-depth discussions on methods for close coordination between the two nations for the establishment of permanent peace through the complete denuclearization of the Ko
June 24, 2019
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Liberty Korea Party chairman in hot seat over comments about son’s job qualifications
Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, on Monday argued that he had not lied about his son’s qualifications after his remarks on the matter during a lecture sparked controversy. “If I had said a score that was higher than the actual score -- that would have been a lie. But I am not sure if the other way round is (a lie),” Hwang told reporters after a meeting at the National Assembly. Last week, Hwang spoke about his son, who landed a job at a c
June 24, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Doubts rise over S. Korea’s willingness to ratify ILO conventions
In the midst of a yearlong standoff between the government, labor and management over South Korea’s ratification of fundamental International Labor Organization conventions, trade unions are increasingly questioning the Moon Jae-in administration’s willingness to approve three of the four pending ones. With the arrest of Kim Myung-hwan, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Friday, the relationship between the government and the unions looks set to worsen in the comi
June 23, 2019
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Cheong Wa Dae positive about letter diplomacy between US, N. Korea
SEOUL -- South Korea's presidential office said Sunday that it expects the exchange of letters between the leaders of North Korea and the United States to be helpful to the overall dialogue process.Cheong Wa Dae said it was aware that President Donald Trump had sent a letter to the North's leader Kim Jong-un."The government assesses the exchange of personal letters between the leaders of the North and the US positively in terms of maintaining the momentum of their dialogue," Cheong Wa
June 23, 2019
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Moon's new chief policy secretary says he will focus on job creation, income growth
The new chief policy secretary of President Moon Jae-in has said he will spare no efforts to create more jobs and improve incomes, as South Korea's economy has shown signs of slowing growth on faltering exports and investment. Kim Sang-jo, former chairman of the Korea Fair Trade Commission who was known for actively campaigning against the wrongdoings of family-run business conglomerates, or chaebol, before taking the public job, was named to the post on Friday."Policy efforts will be focus
June 23, 2019
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Moon to meet with China, Russia leaders at G-20 summit
President Moon Jae-in will hold summits with the leaders of China and Russia on the sidelines of the summit of major Group of 20 countries set for Japan next week, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.Moon will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the fringe of the Group of 20 summit slated for Osaka on June 28-29. Moon will embark on a three-day trip Thursday.He will also hold summits with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indonesi
June 21, 2019
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FTC chief named top policy aide to president
Kim Sang-jo, chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, was on Friday named as the new chief of staff to the president for policy.He will replace Kim Soo-hyun, who has held the post since November last year. “(Kim Sang-jo) has made significant contributions to establishing a fair economy as the administration’s first FTC chairman,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said. Kim Sang-jo has served as FTA chairman since June 2017. He has built a career as an economics scholar
June 21, 2019
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S. Korea open to summit with Japan 'any time,' Cheong Wa Dae says
South Korea's presidential office said Thursday it's willing and ready to hold a summit with Japan regardless of timing in a "two-track" approach to pursue forward-looking bilateral ties separate from history issues.It was responding to growing skepticism about President Moon Jae-in's push for a one-on-one meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G-20 summit to open in Osaka next Friday. "There's nothing decided for now in connection with a Sou
June 20, 2019
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Seoul’s proposal on Japan’s wartime forced labor gets cold shoulder
Japan has outright rejected the South Korean government’s proposal that companies from the two countries create a joint fund to compensate victims of Tokyo’s wartime forced labor.The Japanese government turned down the offer less than an hour after Seoul’s Foreign Ministry announced the proposal Wednesday without prior consultation with the companies. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said the government could not accept it, as it would violate international law.The Jap
June 20, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Liberty Korea Party chairman’s comment favoring lower wages for foreign workers ignites controversy
Main opposition Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday sought to put the brakes on snowballing controversy over his speech targeting foreign laborers here, where he said that they “should not be given the same wage.”“It was meant to optimize the minimum wage standard,” Hwang said, regarding his comments made Wednesday.Hwang said it is “unfair” to ensure foreign workers receive the same level of wage as locals, citing the payment of taxes as jus
June 20, 2019
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[News Focus] Financial regulator still not in list for Sejong relocation
SEJONG -- It has been more than six years since the Ministry of Economy and Finance moved from Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, to Sejong Self-Governing City. Nonetheless, some former functions of the ministry remained in Seoul after it handed over its financial industry policy authority to the Financial Services Commission in 2008, when the former Lee Myung-bak government took office. Since then, the FSC has been in charge of both supervisory policy and financial industry policy. The commissi
June 19, 2019
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Speaker proposes roundtable on economy
As the parliament remains deadlocked over disagreement on an opposition party’s demand to hold a hearing on the economy, National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang has proposed a roundtable instead.At a meeting with floor leaders on Tuesday, Moon suggested that lawmakers and nongovernment experts discuss the country’s economic situation and seek ways to improve it during a roundtable, an attendee of the meeting said Wednesday.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party insists that a parlia
June 19, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutor-general nominee faces rocky hearing
Rival parties are expected to fiercely debate the appointment of Prosecutor-General nominee Yoon Seok-youl at his confirmation hearing.Some of the issues at stake are the alleged involvement of Yoon’s mother-in-law in a fraud case, how he managed to amass a fortune of 6.59 billion won ($5.56 million), and the envisioned reform of the prosecution.Claims by victims of fraud allegedly committed by Yoon’s mother-in-law were made public by an opposition lawmaker last year.“The mothe
June 18, 2019
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Lawmaker indicted in alleged real estate speculation case
Sohn Hye-won, a former lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party, was indicted Tuesday over alleged real estate speculation, prosecutors said.The independent lawmaker faces charges of violating an anti-corruption law and a law banning the purchase of real estate under borrowed name. Sohn has been subject to a probe over allegations that she purchased a score of buildings in an old district of Mokpo, about 410 kilometers south of Seoul between March 2017 and September 2018, using inside information
June 18, 2019
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Partisan tensions weigh on National Assembly over June extra session
Partisan tensions over the normalization of parliament lingered Tuesday as the main opposition party vowed to protest against its rival parties' joint decision to open an extra session for June without its participation.The ruling Democratic Party and three minor parties jointly submitted a request to convene the June session Monday in an effort to handle an extra budget bill and other proposals on people's livelihoods.The June session is scheduled to open Thursday following more than a two-mont
June 18, 2019
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Private kindergartens file constitutional suit against government
Private kindergartens filed a petition with the Constitutional Court last month, challenging an Education Ministry ordinance that requires them to use a state-managed online accounting system.Some 340 chiefs of private kindergartens with over 200 students each filed the petition May 24, accusing the ministry of infringing on their rights and saying the regulation has no basis in law. The signatories represent about 60 percent of all private kindergartens with more than 200 children. On the same
June 17, 2019
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Coarse language costs Liberty Korea Party
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party’s Secretary-General Han Sun-kyo on Monday stepped down from his post, citing health reasons, after stirring controversy for repeatedly using offensive language.Han is one of many Liberty Korea Party lawmakers who have come under fire in recent weeks for incendiary language aimed mostly at the Moon Jae-in administration.“Today I am stepping down from the secretary-general position due to health reasons,” Han said in a text message sent to
June 17, 2019
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Ruling, minor parties press main opposition to decide on parliamentary normalization
The ruling party and a minor party said Monday they will hold respective meetings to decide whether to submit a request to open an extra session for June to put an idle parliament back on track.The move is aimed at pressing the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to join a push to end a two-month parliamentary impasse as rival parties have so far failed to reach a deal to normalize the operation of the National Assembly.The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party said it will convene a meeting of its
June 17, 2019