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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Assembly to review disputed appointment of national soccer team coach
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New Fifty Fifty off to strong start
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Arrival of fall calls for more outdoor festivals
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Evicted guest burns down inn; 3 killed
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[Herald Interview] US election may unleash growth for Korea: Laffer
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[Herald Review] 'Culinary Class Wars': fresh, creative survival show minus the drama
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Envoy lauds K-pop’s Korea-Singapore female foursome
The Singaporean Embassy in Korea hosted a reception that shone a spot light on the growing exchange in pop culture between the two nations by featuring the hybrid Singaporean-Korean girl group, SKarf. SKarf is the first attempt at a collaboration between a Singaporean entertainment company Alpha Entertainment and Korean K-pop powerbroker JYP Entertainment. Alpha even opened an office here in Seoul to manage the Singaporean-Korean female foursome.“We also have a special appearance of our very own
Nov. 25, 2012
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Game changer in Hamas-Israeli truce ― for Korea
A strategic game changer emerged from Israel’s on-again, off-again conflict with Hamas ― not for Egypt or even Turkey, but for seemingly faraway Korea, and military planners here are paying keen attention, said Israel’s chief diplomatic representative in Seoul.The game changer arose when fighting re-ignited two weeks ago in eight days of cross-border Israeli missile strikes and Hamas rocket attacks, which climaxed in the early morning hours on Thursday with the dramatic announcement of an Egypti
Nov. 25, 2012
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The hidden potential of Europe’s waning diplomatic power
Could Korea learn from diplomatic experience in today’s Europe? After all, whilst the economic risers of this world, in Asia and elsewhere, are beaming with confidence and brainstorming about what they can contribute to the new international order, many foreign ministries in the European Union are now depressing places. Once-high-minded diplomats convinced of seemingly eternal Western superiority are licking their wounds, wondering what is left of Europe’s soft power. European diplomatic service
Nov. 25, 2012
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Seoul blasts Tokyo over reported move to name Dokdo peaks
SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) – Seoul blasted Tokyo Thursday over its reported move to name peaks on South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, saying it would amount to a "serious violation" of its territorial sovereignty.Tokyo has long laid claim to the islets, which lie closer to South Korea in the body of water dividing the Korean Peninsula and Japan, often leading to diplomatic tensions between the neighboring countries.According to Japan's Kyodo News Service, the Japanese government decided earl
Nov. 22, 2012
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Big 3 vague on foreign policy
The three major presidential candidates appear to be committed to similar foreign policy lines centering on peninsular peace, regional harmony and Korea’s greater role in line with its middle power status. Whoever wins the Dec. 19 election will face tough challenges: defrosting inter-Korean relations; adjusting policies to the rivalry between the U.S. and China; managing historical and territorial feuds with Japan; and engaging in multilateral efforts to tackle climate change, development and ot
Nov. 22, 2012
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S. Korean FM warns Japan against ‘shifting to the right’
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan on Thursday warned Japan against "shifting to the right," saying Seoul will maintain its vigilance on any attempts by Tokyo to act more confrontationally in territorial and other issues. "Japan has taken an extremely conservative and offensive approach over territorial and other matters and there are concerns that Japan is shifting to the right," Kim told a forum hosted by the Korea Employers Federation. "Overall, the political situation in Japan is sh
Nov. 22, 2012
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N.K. faces rough ride in ties with Myanmar
While U.S. President Barack Obama builds his legacy in Myanmar, his trip sheds new light on the Southeast Asia country's military relationship with its traditional partner, North Korea.His three-country tour is chiefly designed to boost Washington's strategic "pivot" to the region, reward sweeping political and economic reforms in the once pariah nation and check the growing influence of China, one of its biggest patrons. Obama also used his historic visit to pressure Pyongyang to follow its old
Nov. 20, 2012
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U.S. ambassador 'optimistic' about future alliance with S.Korea
The U.S. ambassador to South Korea voiced optimism Tuesday about the future alliance between the two countries, saying that Seoul-Washington ties will be further bolstered whoever wins the December presidential election here.U.S. President Barack Obama won re-election and South Koreans go to the polls on Dec. 19 to pick their next leader. Some South Koreans are concerned that the current lockstep cooperation between the two countries is unlikely to be sustainable, particularly for the North Kore
Nov. 20, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Hamas remains obstacle to Middle East peace
Gaza’s ruling Islamist movement Hamas laid out its conditions for a cease-fire with Israel over the weekend, but Monday failed to see an end to the deadliest hostilities since 2009 as violence continued into its sixth day.The militant organization, defined by the U.S. and EU as a terrorist group, has demanded an end to the blockade of Gaza, as well as a commitment by Israel against any future attacks against it, in return for ceasing rocket attacks on the Jewish state.Intermittent violence betwe
Nov. 19, 2012
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Kenyan P.M. visits Seoul
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and his Kenyan counterpart Raila Odinga agreed Monday to step up bilateral cooperation in development, business and culture during their talks in Seoul, officials here said. The two leaders also swapped views on the situation in the region and ways to boost collaboration in the international arena, the prime minister’s office said. Odinga arrived here on Sunday for a three-day official visit, following Kim’s trip to Kenyan capital Nairobi in July. He is running for p
Nov. 19, 2012
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Dutch scholarship gives students chance to study in Europe
Dutch Ambassador to Korea Paul Menkveld inaugurated the launch of a $350,000 scholarship program that gives deserving local students a chance to study in Europe.Menkveld, other officials from the Dutch Embassy and the Netherlands Education Support Office in Seoul celebrated the launch of the fourth Orange Tulip Scholarship program in a reception at the Press Center Building in downtown Seoul, Thursday.The program has been sending Korean students to study in the Netherlands since the 2010-2011 ac
Nov. 18, 2012
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Argentina touts new quaffs for local palates
As the barometer drops and the cold fronts swoop in, the red wine flows ― and there is no better time to promote fine wines.Argentine Ambassador to Korea Carlos Alberto Arganaraz hosted a swath of Korea’s wine industry, including local sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine and food critics, hotel representatives and wine importers in swishing, sniffing and swigging fine Argentinean wines.The lucky participants quaffed on a battery of red Malbecs by wineries that, while they are household names in Arge
Nov. 18, 2012
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International bazaar gives tastes, sights and feel of world
Thousands of expatriates and foreign envoys from all over the world, as well as locals with an eye to holiday shopping, converged on the Seoul Museum of History in downtown Seoul on Tuesday.The largest expatriate women’s association in Korea held what may have been its largest annual community bazaar yet. The Seoul International Women’s Association pulled out the stops in preparing this year’s bazaar to celebrate its 50th anniversary as an organization.The 34th annual SIWA and Diplomatic Communi
Nov. 18, 2012
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US pushing 'jobs diplomacy' after costly wars: Clinton
SINGAPORE, (AFP) - The United States will push its economic interests more aggressively to preserve its global leadership after being tied down by two wars in the past decade, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Saturday."We are shaping our foreign policy to account for both the economics of power and the power of economics," she said in a speech in Singapore en route to an Asia-Pacific summit in Cambodia to be attended by President Barack Obama.After a decade attending to "a war in Iraq tha
Nov. 17, 2012
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Obama reiterates US support for Israel
WASHINGTON, (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Friday reiterated US support for Israel's right to defend itself during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the conflict in Gaza."The president reiterated US support for Israel's right to defend itself, and expressed regret over the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives," the White House said in a summary of the conversation.Netanyahu, who initiated the call, expressed his deep appreciation for US investment in the
Nov. 17, 2012
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Malaysia, Egypt call for help to end Gaza violence
KUALA LUMPUR, (AFP) - Malaysia and Egypt have agreed to ask "international power brokers" to help stop escalating violence in the Middle East, the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country said.Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement from his office that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi called him late Friday to discuss the latest Israeli air strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza."Both countries agreed to ask international power brokers to influence Israel to stop its military aggress
Nov. 17, 2012
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Transgender woman 1st to win office in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) -- Adela Hernandez, a biologically male Cuban who has lived as a female since childhood, served two years in prison in the 1980s for ``dangerousness'' after her own family denounced her sexuality.This month she made history by becoming the first known transgender person to hold public office in Cuba, winning election as a delegate to the municipal government of Caibarien in the central province of Villa Clara.In a country where gays were persecuted for decades and sent to grueling wo
Nov. 17, 2012
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Obama names Korean-American banker for key post
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has nominated Audrey Choi, a Korean-American investment banker, as a member of the Community Development Advisory Board, the White House said Friday.Choi, 44, was the only Korean-American member of Obama's transition team to prepare for his presidency four years ago. Nominating her to the position on the board, which advises on policies regarding the activities of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Obama cited she brings "a depth of experi
Nov. 17, 2012
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Japan, N.K. talk abductions, missiles
ULAN BATOR (AFP) ― Senior Japanese and North Korean diplomats resumed rare “tough” talks Friday, with Tokyo expected to press Pyongyang on its kidnapping of Japanese nationals and its arms programme.Japanese negotiator Shinsuke Sugiyama said the two sides held “serious” talks on Thursday in the Mongolian capital.“Although the consultation itself is not an easy matter, both sides have exchanged views sincerely,” Sugiyama told Japanese reporters Thursday night, after a nearly seven-hour session.“T
Nov. 16, 2012
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Chinese officials to visit Seoul next week
A group of high-level Chinese officials plan to visit South Korea next week to discuss bilateral cooperation and explain policies under the new leadership, diplomats here said Friday. The six-member delegation, led by Chen Baosheng, vice president of the Communist Party’s Central Party School, will arrive here Tuesday, according to the Chinese embassy in Seoul. Other officials include Han Baojiang, director of the school’s Institute for International Strategic Studies, and Zhao Bingbing, an exec
Nov. 16, 2012