Most Popular
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Yoon calls for dialogue, trust from medical community
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NK leader guides firing drills involving super-large multiple rocket launchers
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Dyson founder visits Seoul for global debut of new hair dryer
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Leaders call for action against threats to democracy posed by AI
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Asiana Airlines wins data transfer certification in China
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Dodgers beat S. Korea in final exhibition before MLB opener in Seoul
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Dispute heats up over dispatch of scandal-ridden envoy to Australia
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Trump unlikely to unravel IRA: experts
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Disgraced ex-K-pop star released after serving time for sex crimes
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Yoon says medical licenses should not be used as tool against people
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US takes step toward signing defense procurement pact with S. Korea
The US Defense Department has started a process to solicit industry feedback on its pursuit of a defense procurement agreement with South Korea to allow easier access to each other's market amid growing security uncertainties from North Korean threats and other challenges. Last week, the department posted a notice in the Federal Register to request public comments on the pursuit of a new Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement with South Korea through March 25. Seoul and Washington have be
Feb. 28, 2024
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Main opposition party grapples with widening internal rift
An existing fissure within the main opposition party has widened as several lawmakers have taken steps in response to conflict over the party’s candidate nomination process for the upcoming general election. Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Ko Min-jung on Tuesday announced her resignation as a member of the party’s Supreme Council, saying that she believes the party should openly discuss its election candidate nomination process, which has been criticized as biased towards the pro-Lee
Feb. 27, 2024
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Why Cha Eun-woo’s name keeps popping up in politics
Actor and K-pop singer Cha Eun-woo is undoubtedly one of the most popular Korean celebrities at the moment. It is no surprise that Cha has often generated buzz in the entertainment news section and among fans of Korean music and drama. But in recent days, his name was mentioned multiple times among a most unexpected group of people here: politicians. It started with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s decision last week to nominate its deputy spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong to run
Feb. 27, 2024
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Democratic Party of Korea’s beef with prosecutors, explained
With the April general election just around the corner, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is again campaigning on “abolishing the political prosecution” -- a slogan that the liberal party has been using for every election for at least the past three administrations. Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party chair who was narrowly defeated by then-rival Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election, says he is a victim of “political prosecutors." Having been in
Feb. 26, 2024
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Skepticism clouds roles of overseas Korean nationals in upcoming election
The launch of the Overseas Korean Agency raised expectations that overseas Korean nationals could play a bigger role in this year's general election, but experts are skeptical. With polling indicating a weak turnout and parties showing little interest, they say the impact of overseas voters is likely to be very small. "The interest in the upcoming election is obviously lower than the 2022 presidential election," Lee Jean-young, director of Inha Center for International Studies s
Feb. 26, 2024
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Korea to lift land use restrictions near military bases
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday pledged to remove restrictions near military bases regarding land use for private purposes such as construction, in yet another apparent move to appeal to voters ahead of the April parliamentary election. Yoon's conservative administration has decided to ease land regulations on a total of 339 square kilometers of land across the nation -- equivalent to 47,480 soccer fields, or 0.3 percent of South Korea's land area -- mostly near military airfields an
Feb. 26, 2024
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[Bills in Focus] Companies supporting child birth, redevelopment projects
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on the Improvement of Urban Areas and Residential Environments Proposed by Rep. Park Duk-hyum (People Power Party) ● The number of owners of most plots of land in major cities exceeds the number of owners allowed to directly or jointly implement a redevelopment project, which has complicated the implementation of redevelopment projects. This amendment expands the conditions regarding the number of owners of a plot of land from the current less than 2
Feb. 26, 2024
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S. Korea to offer tax incentives to boost value of listed firms
The financial regulator said Monday that it will work to incentivize efforts by local businesses to enhance their own value that will in turn lead to increased returns to investors. The move comes as part of efforts to end the "Korea Discount," where local shares are traded at prices lower than their fundamentals. A seminar, attended by Kim Joo-hyun, the head of the Financial Services Commission, was held on the day to discuss how to encourage local firms to improve their value. "
Feb. 26, 2024
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Anti-Yoon vs anti-‘586’: Main parties’ election strategies take shape
The campaign strategies for South Korea’s two major parties are starting to take shape as they fill candidacies for the legislative general election less than 50 days away. The Democratic Party of Korea, the main opposition that has a majority in the National Assembly, is playing the “Yoon Suk Yeol card,” seeking to capitalize on the strong anti-Yoon sentiment in the party’s base. Rep. Kim Min-seok, who is heading the Democratic Party general election situation room, told
Feb. 25, 2024
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DP rift widens over candidate nomination process
An internal rift in the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has widened amid accusations from current and outgoing party members that the candidate nomination process for the April legislative election is unfair and lacks transparency. Both the ruling People Power Party and the Democratic Party have been gradually selecting their candidates to run in South Korea's 253 constituencies. Lawmakers are either elected directly by the constituency or through a proportional representation system t
Feb. 25, 2024
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Yoon appoints new vice science ministers
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday appointed experienced bureaucrats as new vice science ministers, his office said. Lee Chang-yune, the secretary-general of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science & Technology, was appointed to replace Cho Seong-kyung as the first vice science minister in charge of science technology policies, the presidential office said. Kang Do-hyun, director of ICT policy at the science ministry, was appointed to replace Park Yun-kyu as the second vice science minis
Feb. 23, 2024
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Gender Ministry on course for disbandment
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family faces dissolution as President Yoon Suk Yeol has decided to leave the position of minister of gender equality vacant, in an apparent drive to disband the ministry, one of his key election pledges. "President Yoon believes it is necessary to express his firm intention to fulfill the pledge at the administrative level, even if a legal revision has yet to be made," a senior presidential official said Thursday. Currently, two amendments to the Gov
Feb. 22, 2024
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Yoon bets big on nuclear energy
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday pledged to spend 4 trillion won ($3 billion) on nuclear energy research and development projects during his five-year term until 2027, bolstering his earlier commitment in July 2022 to reverse the nuclear phase-out policy. Yoon also set the goal of planning nuclear power projects that would earn the domestic nuclear energy industry a combined 3.3 trillion won, and promised to extend a total of 1 trillion won in special loans for industrywide support. Moreover,
Feb. 22, 2024
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S. Korea to permit development in conservation area
South Korea is poised to ease regulations on greenfields protected by the government and permit land development projects in such conservation areas in provincial areas. President Yoon Suk Yeol said the eased rules related to protected areas designated as "greenbelt" could create economic value during the 13th session of the policy debate held in Ulsan on Wednesday. "The one-size-fits-all land regulations concerning the greenbelt designation will be addressed for the first time in
Feb. 21, 2024
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Ruling party proposes new security council against NK threats
The ruling party's floor leader on Wednesday called for the establishment of a trilateral security council formed of members of the Cabinet and the two major parties to counter threats from North Korea. “North Korea is projected to step up its provocations ahead of our general election (scheduled for April 10) and the US presidential election (in November),” People Power Party Floor Leader Yun Jae-ok said in a keynote speech at a meeting of the National Assembly’s floor ne
Feb. 21, 2024
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Yoon calls German, Danish leaders over postponed trip
President Yoon Suk Yeol called by phone his counterparts in Germany and Denmark Tuesday to provide an explanation for postponing his trip to the two European countries, according to his office on Wednesday. Yoon asked German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for understanding for delaying his previously scheduled visit. Yoon had been set to depart Seoul this Sunday for a weeklong trip including a state visit to Germany. Yoon told Steinmeier and Frederi
Feb. 21, 2024
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Yoon accepts resignation of gender equality minister
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook, officials said, six months after she offered to step down over the failed Scout jamboree. Kim offered to resign in September to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree the previous month but was retained pending a replacement. Yoon had tapped Kim Haeng, a former member of the ruling People Power Party's interim leadership panel, as the new gender minister
Feb. 20, 2024
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Yoon seeks German president's understanding on postponed state visit
President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke by phone with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday and asked for his understanding regarding his decision to postpone his state visit to the European country, Yoon's office said. Yoon was planning to visit Germany and Denmark this week but postponed the trip four days before his scheduled departure. The presidential office did not give an official reason, though there was speculation the decision reflected his need to focus on domestic issues and
Feb. 20, 2024
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Yoon to soon accept resignation of gender equality minister: officials
President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to soon accept the resignation offer of Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook, officials said Tuesday. Kim offered to resign in September to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree the previous month but was retained pending a replacement. Yoon had tapped Kim Haeng, a former member of the ruling People Power Party's interim leadership panel, as the new gender minister, but she withdrew herself from consideration during
Feb. 20, 2024
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Yoon says trainee doctors' collective actions 'cannot be tolerated'
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday said the collective action of trainee doctors to quit their jobs at teaching hospitals cannot be tolerated, and the government has the "constitutional responsibility" to manage medical resources to prevent the nation's medical system from collapsing. "We are seeing scheduled surgeries being scaled down or suspended, as the (trainee doctors') collective action to halt the provision of medical services was expected," Yoon told the Ca
Feb. 20, 2024