Most Popular
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Torrential rainfall forces 1,500 to evacuate, causes widespread damage to homes, roads
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[KH Explains] Can smart chargers ease tensions over EV fires?
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1 in 5 households to have breadwinner over 80 in 30 years
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[Online Predators] Online reviews of sex tourism in Southeast Asia proliferate
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Middle East’s big AI push lures Korean tech firms
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[Herald Review] 'Culinary Class Wars': fresh, creative survival show minus the drama
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Arrival of fall calls for more outdoor festivals
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New Fifty Fifty off to strong start
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Assembly to review disputed appointment of national soccer team coach
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Pikki Pikki dance: Korean cheerleader dance routine takes social media by storm
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Foreign Ministry criticized for belated Egypt travel alert
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is facing public criticism over its decision to belatedly raise the travel alert for the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt after three Koreans were abducted and later freed by armed tribesmen.However, a ministry official said the government had already released travel warnings for the region through the ministry before the kidnapping occurred.The ministry raised their alert from level two to three, advising Korean nationals not to travel there, after two Korean C
Feb. 13, 2012
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Obama ‘negligent’ in embracing S. Korea’s opposition
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― President Barack Obama should step up efforts to reach out to South Korea’s opposition forces, especially amid the possibility of a power shift there in the year of parliamentary and presidential elections, an American expert said Sunday.David Straub, associate director of the Korean Studies Program at Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, said Obama has been “negligent” in trying to broaden support from South Korea’s opposition for
Feb. 13, 2012
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Chung to head ASEAN-Korea Center
Chung Hae-moon, former Korean ambassador to Thailand, has been appointed as Secretary-General of the ASEAN-Korea Center on Thursday, the government said.Established in March 2009 to boost ties between Korea and 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the center held its fourth annual council meeting in Seoul and appointed Chung, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Chung, replacing Cho Young-jai, will take office on March 13, the ministry said.Chung, 60
Feb. 12, 2012
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Kashmir Day marked in Seoul
A Kashmir solidarity event has been attended by the Pakistani ambassador and members of the Pakistani community in Korea. The Friends of Kashmir Association issued a statement saying that the event in Seoul was held to “express solidarity with the people of Kashmir in their valiant struggle against the repressive occupation of India.” But the Indian ambassador to Korea called the event hostile propaganda against India.The Friends of Kashmir Association advocates that the area of Kashmir, on the
Feb. 12, 2012
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Korean students get math medals from Oz
Two Korean high school students have received medals at the Australian Embassy this week for their performance in an international math contest.Lee Da-yeon of Cheongshim International Academy and Ryoo Sang-woo of the Chungbuk Science High School were presented their medals by Australian ambassador Sam Gerovich on Wednesday for their high performance in the challenging competition.The 34th Australian Mathematics Competition, held last August, saw 600,000 students from more than 40 different count
Feb. 12, 2012
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Korea, Denmark look to further Arctic collaboration
Korea and Denmark could collaborate on projects to unlock the Arctic’s full potential, the Danish ambassador to Seoul has said. The Scandinavian country ― along with its autonomous regions of Greenland and the Faroe Islands ― last year published an Arctic Strategy up to 2020.The region is thought to contain 30 percent of the world’s unproven gas reserves and 10 percent of the world’s untapped oil reserves, as well as minerals and rare earth elements. And Denmark’s Ambassador to Korea Peter Lysho
Feb. 12, 2012
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Swiss ‘house’ builds up diplomatic celebrations in Seoul
A little more than 200 Swiss people living here have chosen to make Korea their home, but none have set up house in as unique a way as Swiss artist Gregory Chapuisat. The visiting artist has spent the last few weeks building a “house” from rough-hewn pine planks in the pristine white interior of a gallery in Seoul’s plush Apgujeong. The three-story high instillation is itself housed in the SongEun ArtSpace ― where an exhibition supported by the Swiss Embassy is bringing its country’s young artis
Feb. 12, 2012
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Iran talks nuclear on national day
The Iranian ambassador to Korea defended his country’s right to pursue nuclear power at Iran’s national day celebration in Seoul on Friday. Ambassador Ahmad Masoumifar told diplomats gathered for the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that his country was pursuing “peaceful nuclear technology.”Suspicions have grown that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons technology ― causing the U.S. and European Union to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic. “Despite political and economic
Feb. 12, 2012
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New book is first to bring Korea to Iran
Travelogue explains kimchi, ceremonies and big Korean breakfasts to Iranian peopleAs Korea seeks to slacken trade ties with Iran in line with U.S. sanctions, a Persian author has written a book to bring the countries closer together. Pooneh Nedai has published the first book about Korea in Iran to tell her country folk about the “dynamic dreamland” of Korea that she grew to love by traveling here.The new release titled “Land of the Phoenix” is the first travelogue ever to be written in Persian a
Feb. 12, 2012
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S. Korea, Qatar agree to form top-level cooperation mechanism
DOHA (Yonhap News) -- Leaders of South Korea and Qatar agreed Thursday to form a top-level cooperation mechanism handling all issues of cooperation between the two countries from oil and energy to science and technology, military and security, and green growth, officials said.South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed to the establishment of a “High-level Strategic Cooperation Committee” after Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani suggested the mechanism to expand the scope of bilateral
Feb. 10, 2012
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Swiss ‘house’ builds up diplomatic celebrations in Seoul
A little more than 200 Swiss people living here have chosen to make Korea their home, but none have set up house in as unique a way as Swiss artist Gregory Chapuisat. The visiting artist has spent the last few weeks building a “house” from rough-hewn pine planks in the pristine white interior of a gallery in Seoul’s plush Apgujeong. The three-story high instillation is itself housed in the SongEun ArtSpace -- where an exhibition supported by the Swiss Embassy is bringing its country’s young arti
Feb. 10, 2012
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Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Denmark to attend nuclear security summit
Azerbaijan, Lithuania and Denmark have agreed to take part in a global summit aimed at bolstering international safeguards and preventing nuclear terrorism to be held in March in South Korea, organizers said Thursday. Their inclusion will bring the number of nations participating in the March 26-27 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul to 50. The Seoul summit will be second since U.S. President Barack Obama launched the global gathering in Washington in 2010, with top leaders from 47 nations attendin
Feb. 9, 2012
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South Korea, Saudi Arabia vow to expand cooperation
RIYADH (Yonhap News) ― South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud agreed Wednesday to expand cooperation to health care, defense, Internet technology and all other areas beyond the traditional sector of construction, officials said.“It is necessary to expand cooperation in various sectors between South Korea and Saudi Arabia. In particular, I hope more attention will be paid on projects for the Saudi people,” Lee said during the summit, according to the p
Feb. 9, 2012
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S. Korea, Saudi Arabia agree to boost defense cooperation
South Korea and Saudi Arabia agreed Wednesday to significantly bolster their defense cooperation to elevate relations in non-economic sectors to match those of their prospering business ties, an official said Wednesday.President Lee Myung-bak reached the agreement in talks with Saudi Defense Ministe
Feb. 8, 2012
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S. Korea to tighten audit of overseas diplomatic missions
The foreign ministry plans to tighten its rules of internal audits on overseas diplomatic missions to combat wrongdoings and corruption by diplomats, an official said Wednesday. Under the tougher rules, the ministry will carry out its own audit into all missions at least once every three years, the official said on the condition of anonymity. South Korea has nearly 170 missions abroad.The move follows a stock manipulation scandal in which diplomats were accused of playing a role in inflating the
Feb. 8, 2012
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Saudi oil minister pledges Seoul stable crude supply
RIYADH (Yonhap News) ― Saudi Arabia’s oil minister promised Tuesday to help ensure a stable supply of crude to South Korea, officials said, as Seoul prepares to cut back on imports from Iran in line with U.S. sanctions.Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali al-Naimi made the commitment during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, the presidential office said. Lee arrived in the Saudi capital earlier in the day for a three-day visit.The pledge is expected to help alleviate co
Feb. 8, 2012
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Seoul to propose arbitration panel with Tokyo on wartime sex slaves
South Korea will soon propose forming an arbitration panel with Japan in what would be the latest diplomatic bid to resolve long-standing grievances regarding Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II, a Seoul official said Monday.The subject of former wartime sex slaves, euphemistically called “comfort women,” is one of the most emotional and unresolved issues between South Korea and Japan, which occupied the Korean Peninsula as its colony from 1910 through 1945.South
Feb. 6, 2012
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China seeks to appease S. Korea over illegal fishing
China has taken stronger action against illegal fishing by its fishermen in South Korean waters, details of which were delivered in a letter to the South Korean Embassy in Beijing, a Seoul official said Sunday.The official letter from the Chinese agricultural ministry was sent to the South Korean Embassy on Jan. 18, several weeks after Beijing drew fire for its lukewarm response to the Dec. 12 killing of a South Korean Coast Guard officer by a Chinese fisherman in the West Sea. Chinese fishing b
Feb. 6, 2012
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Efficiency of ‘resource diplomacy’ hit after presidential aides’ books
Since its inauguration in 2008, President Lee Myung-bak’s administration has focused on securing overseas resources pivotal for sustainable growth.However, two books ― written by two close aides to Lee and published last year ― have been overtaken by events suggesting that the current administration’s so-called “resource diplomacy” may have been ineffective and shortsighted.Park Young-june, a protg of the president who until recently served as vice minister of knowledge economy, published a book
Feb. 6, 2012
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Lee calls for closer economic ties, free trade deal with Turkey
ISTANBUL (Yonhap News) ― South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called Saturday for closer economic ties with Turkey befitting the “brotherhood” relationship between the wartime allies, saying a free trade deal would be a good way to lift economic relations.Lee made the remark during a meeting with Turkish and South Korean business CEOs after arriving in the ancient city of Istanbul for a four-day visit focused on bolstering economic cooperation and upgrading the traditional friendship between the
Feb. 6, 2012