Most Popular
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Ex-Seoul police chief acquitted of negligence in Itaewon crowd crush
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Han Kang says she wants to 'meet readers through writing' in her 1st public speech since winning Nobel Prize
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Men in 50s, 60s account for 54% of 'lonely deaths': report
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First lady cleared of stock manipulation allegations
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NK's gradual unveiling of constitutionalizing ‘2 hostile Koreas’ exposes dilemma: experts
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1 in 7 willing to fight if war breaks out: survey
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[Graphic News] S. Korea rises to 26th in World Talent Ranking
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[Wang Son-taek] Is the risk of another Korean War higher than ever?
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Minors purchased nearly 3,000 homes in South Korea over last five years
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Ruling bloc divided over prosecutors' move to dismiss stock manipulation charges against first lady
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Yoon, ruling party head to hold meeting next week amid first lady controversies
President Yoon Suk Yeol and the ruling party chief plan to meet next week to discuss pressing issues, the presidential office said Friday, with controversies involving first lady Kim Keon Hee likely to top the agenda. Yoon and Han Dong-hoon, head of the People Power Party, will meet at the presidential office Monday, the office said, at a time when Yoon and the ruling party seek to recover from waning approval ratings as Yoon is halfway through his five-year term. The president and Han plan to d
Oct. 18, 2024
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Ruling bloc divided over prosecutors' move to dismiss stock manipulation charges against first lady
South Korea's conservative ruling bloc on Friday was divided over the prosecutors' recent decision to not indict first lady Kim Keon Hee over her alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scandal involving a local BMW dealer. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Thursday dismissed the charges that the first lady violated the Financial Investment Services And Capital Markets Act. The announcement came some four years after the probe into allegations that Kim's stock trading ac
Oct. 18, 2024
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DP to take steps to impeach prosecutor general over nonindictment of first lady
The main opposition Democratic Party said Friday it will take steps to impeach Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung over the prosecution's decision not to indict first lady Kim Keon Hee over her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme. "The (DP) leadership discussed the issue of impeaching the prosecutor general and concluded to go ahead with it," Jo Seoung-lae, a senior DP spokesperson, told reporters after a Supreme Council meeting. "The steps and timing of the impea
Oct. 18, 2024
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PPP voices objections to new first lady special counsel bill
The ruling People Power Party on Friday voiced objections to a new opposition-introduced bill calling for a special counsel probe into allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, calling it an "unconstitutional wicked bill." The main opposition Democratic Party introduced the bill on Thursday, the third time it submitted such a proposal after two previous versions were scrapped following revotes triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol's vetoes. The new bill expands the scope of th
Oct. 18, 2024
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Seoul envoy calls for stronger defense industry cooperation, cautions against protectionism
Seoul's top envoy to Washington cautioned Thursday against economic "protectionism" as he highlighted the need to address barriers that preclude full defense industrial cooperation between South Korea and the United States. Speaking at a think tank forum, Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong pointed to a US legal mandate requiring US naval ships to be built in America as a challenge limiting efforts to expand collaboration between the US and its foreign partners. "This issue is particula
Oct. 18, 2024
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As election ends, Han urges first lady to scale back public role
Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon on Thursday stepped up his call for first lady Kim Keon Hee to refrain from public activities and explain multiple allegations against her, which include claims of her illegal involvement in the April 10 parliamentary elections. Han’s remarks come a day after the conservative bloc won two of the five seats in the regional by-elections in its respective strongholds -- Busan's Geumjeong District and Incheon's Ganghwa County – as President Yoo
Oct. 17, 2024
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First lady cleared of stock manipulation allegations
The South Korean prosecution on Thursday announced it would not indict first lady Kim Keon Hee for her alleged involvement in a 63.6 billion won ($46.6 million) investment fraud case, effectively clearing her remaining legal risks. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said in a press release it would not pursue charges against the first lady as there was a lack of evidence that Kim had been aware of what was found to be a pump-and-dump scheme when trading stocks of the targeted compani
Oct. 17, 2024
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Yoon's office vows to press ahead with reforms after ruling party's by-election wins
The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to push for major reform agenda items after the ruling People Power Party won crucial by-elections on its home turf. The PPP secured victories in its traditional stronghold constituencies -- Busan's Geumjeong District and Incheon's Ganghwa County -- in Wednesday's by-elections as the party seeks to recover from waning approval ratings for both Yoon and the party following its crushing defeat in the April 10 parliamentary electio
Oct. 17, 2024
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Ruling party chief again calls for first lady's withdrawal from public activities
Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon on Thursday called again for first lady Kim Keon Hee to withdraw from public activities following the party's wins in crucial by-elections the previous day. Han of the People Power Party also reiterated his call for a presidential office reshuffle to remove those considered close to Kim and exercising undue influence on state affairs. "First lady Kim Keon Hee should refrain from public activities in keeping with her promise during the presidential elec
Oct. 17, 2024
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Finance minister calls for thorough preparations for uncertainties over US politics
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on Thursday called for thorough preparations for uncertainties stemming from the upcoming presidential election in the United States. Choi made the remarks during a ministerial meeting on external economics, also pointing to escalating tensions in the Middle East as major external challenges, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. "The US presidential election is just about 20 days away, and there is a possibility of a wider conflict in the Middle E
Oct. 17, 2024
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[News Focus] By-election, small yet crucial for Han
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s by-elections for Seoul’s new education superintendent and four local government heads, ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon has been exceptionally busy. Han has visited Busan six times since Sept. 11, so far, in a bid to sway voters into backing the conservative candidate and tax accountant-turned-politician Yoon Il-hyun for the next Geumjeong district head. Busan has been considered the conservative party’s home turf for decades,
Oct. 16, 2024
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‘North Korea can’t afford war while sending shells to Russia’: ex-Yoon adviser
Rep. Lim Jong-deuk, former deputy national security adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol and lawmaker on the National Assembly National Defense Committee, on Wednesday allayed concerns of North Korea waging war on account of its arms trade with Russia. “North Korea is in a difficult position to start a war at this point for a number of reasons. One is that North Korea is already sending large quantities of artillery shells and missiles to Russia, and likely to send troops as well,” he
Oct. 16, 2024
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S. Koreans head to polls in local by-elections
South Koreans voted Wednesday to elect the education chief of Seoul and four local government heads, with the result expected to serve as a litmus test of public sentiment since the April general elections. Up for grabs in Wednesday's by-elections are five local administrative seats — the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, as well as the heads of Busan's Geumjeong District, Incheon's Ganghwa County, and the Yeonggwang and Gokseong counties in South
Oct. 16, 2024
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Seoul education chief by-election pits conservative ex-lawmaker against progressive professor
Voters in Seoul headed to the polls on Wednesday to select the city's new education superintendent in a by-election, with a close race expected between a conservative former lawmaker and a progressive honorary Seoul National University sociology professor. The superintendent seat of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is one of five local administrative positions up for grabs in Wednesday's by-elections, with voting running from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The position was vacated when lef
Oct. 16, 2024
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'Respect each other as human beings’: Hanni testifies at National Assembly audit
NewJeans member Hanni appeared as a reference witness at a National Assembly audit of the Environment and Labor Committee on Tuesday, where she expressed her concerns about workplace bullying. "I hope that no one -- whether seniors, juniors, peer artists or even trainees -- has to experience what I went through,” Hanni said during the audit session. “If we respect each other as human beings, there would be no workplace bullying or ostracism.” The Vietnamese Australian sing
Oct. 15, 2024
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Jeju Island plans to expedite screening of cruise passengers
The government plans to spend 5.2 billion won ($3.8 million) to set up an automated security screening system next year to expedite the embarking and disembarking process for foreign cruise ship passengers at sea ports on South Korea's southern Jeju Island. According to Bae Sang-up, commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice, the automated security checkpoints will be set up by October next year at two ports -- Jeju International Passenger Terminal and Seogw
Oct. 15, 2024
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Rival parties clash over allegations involving first lady, Moon's daughter
The rival parties engaged in heated exchanges over two high-profile incidents involving President Yoon Suk Yeol's wife, first lady Kim Keon Hee, and Moon Da-hye, daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, during a parliamentary audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police on Thursday. The Democratic Party of Korea and other opposition lawmakers have raised concerns over first lady Kim Keon Hee's visit to Mapo Bridge on Sept. 10, an area notorious for frequent suicide attempts. The visit, made
Oct. 15, 2024
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Yoon floats plan for tertiary hospital on Jeju Island
South Korea's southern Jeju Island could have its first tertiary hospital in 2027. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that the government is considering easing policy hurdles for the self-governing province to have an accredited general hospital, which currently requires a population of 1 million in the region. The island is home to nearly 700,000, remaining far short of the requirement, but Yoon said such a "policy hurdle" needed to be addressed as part of a medical reform driv
Oct. 15, 2024
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Yoon calls for bipartisan efforts to scrap financial investment income tax
President Yoon Suk Yeol urged Tuesday bipartisan efforts to abolish the planned financial investment income tax and instructed the government to prepare lifting a temporary ban on short selling in March 2025 to shore up the stock market. During a Cabinet meeting, Yoon addressed the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the financial investment income tax, which would impose a 20 percent tax on capital gains exceeding 50 million won ($38,000) from stock investments, or a 25 percen
Oct. 15, 2024
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[Exclusive] South Korean defense companies lacking cyber security workforce
Even South Korea’s largest defense companies do not have adequate cyber security workforce in place, and their contractors exempt from government monitoring, leaving loopholes for cyber threats, Rep. Lim Jong-deuk said Monday, citing Defense Acquisition Program Administration data. According to DAPA data submitted to Lim’s office, as of this year, just 0.6 percent or 124 of 18,043 defense-related employees across 18 largest defense companies in South Korea were in charge of cyber sec
Oct. 14, 2024