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Seoul blanketed by heaviest Nov. snow, with more expected
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NewJeans to terminate contract with Ador
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Seoul snowfall now third heaviest on record
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NewJeans terminates contract with Ador, embarks on new journey
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Samsung shakes up management, commits to reviving chip business
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Hybe consolidates chairman Bang Si-hyuk’s regime with leadership changes
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Korean Air gets European nod to become Northeast Asia’s largest airline
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Heavy snow of up to 40 cm blankets Seoul for 2nd day
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How $70 funeral wreaths became symbol of protest in S. Korea
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Chaos unfolds as rare November snowstorm grips Korea for 2nd day
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S. Korea, Japan FMs agree to work toward stable ties
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se has agreed with his Japanese counterpart to continue efforts for stable bilateral relations at their meeting in New York, the foreign ministry said Friday.The meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida came on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday in New York time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The closely-watched meeting came as bilateral ties have been strained by an array of thorny issues involving their s
Sept. 26, 2014
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S. Korea, China remain divided in FTA negotiations despite some progress
South Korea and China made some progress in their latest round of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) but remain divided over the thorniest issue of how soon and how much they will open their markets for sensitive industries, the Seoul government said Friday."In the area of products, the two sides somewhat narrowed their difference over China's early elimination of tariffs on manufactured goods and our opening of the market for agricultural products, which have become the mos
Sept. 26, 2014
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Top diplomats of Korea, Japan to meet in New York
President Park Geun-hye (far right) delivers a speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday as North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong (left) and his aides confer. (Yonhap)The foreign ministers of Korea and Japan were to hold talks in New York on Thursday as the two countries seek to restore relations that are at their lowest ebb in decades. Yun Byung-se and Fumio Kishida will meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. They also had consultations last month at the ASEAN Regional Fo
Sept. 25, 2014
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Seoul City accused of forced Asiad ticket purchases
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is under fire after allegations surfaces that employees of some district offices were forced to buy tickets to the Asian Games to help boost sales. Organizers of the event, which kicked off Saturday in Incheon for a 16-day run, have been struggling to counter low ticket sales. Though the spectacular opening ceremony fared relatively well, many other competitions are taking place in empty stadiums.Seoul City reportedly requested its workers to join the cause last
Sept. 25, 2014
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Seoul calls for N.K. to accept dialogue offer
South Korea’s pointman on North Korea renewed Thursday his call for Pyongyang to accept Seoul’s offer to have high-level talks, saying that only face-to-face dialogue can resolve a set of pending inter-Korean issues.Earlier last month, South Korea proposed high-level talks with the North for discussions on various pending issues, including reunions of separated families.Following a month-long silence, North Korea said on Sept. 13 that Seoul activists should first stop all anti-Pyongyang hostile
Sept. 25, 2014
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Ceaseless struggle for justice
The following is the 11th and last in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug. 15. ― Ed.Despite pressing needs and ongoing diplomatic negotiations, prospects for an end to the tragedy of the “comfort women” remain dim in the face of Tokyo’s tenaciously defiant attitude toward wartime history and other hostile political and social circumstances. The two countries have since April
Sept. 24, 2014
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Resolving ‘comfort women’ issue as starting point for end to wartime sexual violence
Seo Hyun-juIn 1941, 15-year-old Kim Bok-dong left her home in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, under pressure from senior village leaders, who had made a sugar-coated proposal about working at a military uniform factory.Her journey ended after five years of tragedy. Kim was first raped by a Japanese army surgeon after arriving in Guangdong province in China via Shimonoseki and Taiwan. After that she was forced into sexual servitude in “comfort stations” run by the Japanese military in such r
Sept. 24, 2014
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Abe skips chance to encounter Park in U.N.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has skipped a U.N. session presided over by South Korean President Park Geun-hye, dashing hopes that the two leaders may meet following Abe's recent offer for a summit. Abe had been expected to attend a climate session on Tuesday, but he did not show up, according to Park's office. Some observers had expected that the two leaders may meet in the U.N. General Assembly. On Friday, Abe proposed to hold a summit with Park in the fall, without elaborating on a
Sept. 24, 2014
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Yun, Kerry discuss N.K. human rights, IS air strikes
The top diplomats of South Korea and the U.S. discussed the dire human rights situation in North Korea, Washington’s military operation against Sunni militants in Syria and other bilateral, regional and global issues in New York, officials said Tuesday. Yun Byung-se and John Kerry met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly immediately before an unprecedented ministerial gathering hosted by the top U.S. diplomat on Pyongyang’s human rights violations. Among other participants were Japanese
Sept. 23, 2014
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Korea, Iran seek ministerial talks at U.N
The foreign ministers of South Korea and Iran are seeking to hold their first bilateral talks in nearly six years in New York this week in apparent efforts to heal ties dampened by Tehran’s suspected military cooperation with Pyongyang and international sanctions, government sources said Monday. The meeting between Yun Byung-se and Mohammad Javad Zarif is likely to take place Friday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where President Park Geun-hye is scheduled to deliver a speech on W
Sept. 22, 2014
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Saudi Arabia celebrates 84th national day
The following is a congratulatory message from Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Korea Ahmad Y. Al Barrak celebrating the kingdom’s 84th National Day on Sept. 23. ― Ed. The national day anniversary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comes at a time when the comprehensive development renaissance, the foundations of which were laid by the kingdom’s founder King Abdulaziz Al Saud, is continuing apace. Building on the intellectual, institutional and management foundations laid by the founding
Sept. 22, 2014
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Korea, Canada to ink free trade agreement soon
OTTAWA (Yonhap) ― South Korea will sign a free trade deal with Canada Monday (early Tuesday, Korean time) following a summit between President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa. Seoul officials said. Park arrived in the Canadian capital Saturday for a three-day state visit on a trip that will also take her to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.The two countries concluded a free trade agreement in March after nearly nine years of tough negotiations, a deal Seoul says c
Sept. 21, 2014
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‘Comfort women’ abuses were crimes against humanity
After spending six years as U.N. human rights chief, Navi Pillay strongly urged Japan to investigate “every allegation of sexual slavery” and “prosecute perpetrators” through a rare statement and then again a media interview last month.Her perspective and interest in the issue of the “comfort women” stand out because they demonstrate the international community’s human rights standards and growing demands for Tokyo’s action.In the Aug. 6 statement, Pillay expressed “profound regret that Japan ha
Sept. 21, 2014
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[Herald Interview] Seeking justice for sex slavery victims
The following is the 10th in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug. 15. ― Ed.In 2007, U.S. lawmaker Mike Honda set a milestone in the issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II by spearheading the adoption of a resolution at the House of Representatives calling for Tokyo’s apology. The resolution played a key role in boosting awareness in the intern
Sept. 21, 2014
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Korean trade ties highlighted on Mexico’s Independence Day
Mexican Ambassador Jose Luis Bernal lauded diplomatic ties between his country and South Korea during a reception celebrating Mexico’s 204th Independence Day in Seoul on Monday.“Our bilateral trade exceeds $15 billion per year. There are more than 1,600 Korean companies in Mexico, the most recent of which is the decision by KIA to establish an automobile production plant which was announced just two weeks ago and which comes to join other big projects of KORES, KEPCO, POSCO, Samsung, LG and many
Sept. 21, 2014
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German envoy lauds preparation as key to fall of Berlin Wall
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the “Peaceful Revolution” that began in the East German cities of Leipzig and Dresden and precipitated the fall of the Berlin Wall, and eventually led to the unification of the country the following year. Commemorating the historic event this year is particularly important for the German Embassy and for the South Korean government. A slew of more than 20 events are planned, including academic seminars, cultural exchanges, visits by VIPs and trade delegatio
Sept. 21, 2014
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EU, Northeast Asian diplomats compare notes on regional security
European diplomats, policymakers and academics and their counterparts from Japan and South Korea hashed out what Northeast Asia should take away from Europe’s nearly 70 years of experience with regional integration and the creation of the EU from out of the ashes of World War II on Thursday and Friday in Seoul.The officials also discussed how regional integration and community-building can ensure peace and security in Northeast Asia, as it has in Europe.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se hosted EU Am
Sept. 21, 2014
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Paraguay eyes Korean investment
South Korean investment in South America has mostly poured into countries such as Chile, Peru and Colombia, three important commercial partners with which East Asia’s third-largest economy also has free trade agreements. But recent changes in Paraguay, a rural, landlocked country that borders Argentina and Brazil, could very well redirect the investment attention of Korea Inc. “My aim here is to start a continuous process of putting Panama on the map for investment,” said Gustavo Leite, Paraguay
Sept. 21, 2014
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Seoul-based group promotes ‘shared histories’ in East Asia
As compared to the success of the European Union in fashioning a European identity, East Asian community building has proved frustratingly elusive for regional organizers.In anticipation of the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC 2015) late next year, advocates for a regional identity for “East Asia” are redoubling their efforts.In one such endeavor, the Seoul-based Asia-Pacific Center of Education for International Understanding led an intercultural dialogue exploring shared histories d
Sept. 21, 2014
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Free press crucial for continued development in Vietnam
Press freedom is crucial for development, said Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Pham Huu Chi during a lecture organized by the Asia Society Korea Center at the ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul on Tuesday.Pham described how his country dramatically decreased the poverty rate and achieved many United Nations Millennium Development Goals in just two decades. But he cautioned that continued development would depend on a free press. Vietnam has long been criticized for having a poor record on press fr
Sept. 21, 2014