Most Popular
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life
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Questions raised over fair promotion of RM, NewJeans
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P.M. gains presence with communication and moderation
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik’s presence in the political arena is expanding as he gains public attention.For the public, Kim’s image improved significantly during the memorial service for the two marines who died in last year’s shelling of Yeonpyeongdo, held at the Daejeon National Cemetery on Nov. 23. With such events having only upgraded to a national ceremony in 2008, the presence of a prime minister at a memorial was a rare enough occurrence, but his demeanor and actions during the event put
Nov. 28, 2011
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Sohn, Park agree to two-step DP convention
The Democratic Party’s internal strife over left-wing consolidation was temporarily settled as leading figures reached a last-minute compromise to split the national party convention into two stages. The party will hold a national convention on achieving unity first and select the new leadership in a separate process.The party’s chairman Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu met former floor leader and aspiring chairman Rep. Park Jie-won late Sunday in a bid to narrow their differences on the creation of a unified
Nov. 28, 2011
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GNP requests increased budget for ordinary citizens, heavier taxes for rich
Ruling Grand National Party leader Rep. Hong Joon-pyo has requested that President Lee Myung-bak consider increasing the welfare budget for ordinary citizens and levying heavier taxes for those in the top income brackets.Hong made the request on Sunday as his party has been striving to come up with measures to support mid- and low-income citizens in efforts to win back their support and shake off its “wealthy, elitist image.”The government, ruling party and presidential office are expected to ho
Nov. 28, 2011
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Nonhyeon-dong still most likely site for Lee’s retirement
President Lee Myung-bak’s private residence in Nonhyeong-dong, southern Seoul, is still the most likely site for his retirement home, but he could move to a different place should the plan fail, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.As an alternative option, the presidential office is considering a site in northern Seoul or Gyeonggi Province as the plan to move back to the Nonhyeon-dong residence in the affluent Seoul district of Gangnam faces problems including the high cost of establishing security facili
Nov. 28, 2011
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Controversy flares up over assault on police officer
Conservatives slam illegal protests; liberals say incident no justification for crackdown Controversy has flared over an assault of a ranking police officer by angry protesters during a weekend street rally against the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement attended by opposition party leaders.While the conservative ruling camp on Monday vowed stern enforcement of the law on illegal protests, denouncing the incident as a threat to the law enforcement authority, some raised questions that the police off
Nov. 28, 2011
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Parties move from FTA to election warm-up
The National Assembly is still dealing with the aftermath of last week’s Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement passage, but parties have begun diverting their attention to the general election coming up in April.The ruling Grand National Party added momentum to its internal reforms, both in policies and human resources. The main opposition Democratic Party, on the other hand, faces feuds over the left-wing consolidation project and the new leader selection processes.In an unprecedented move, the conse
Nov. 27, 2011
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GNP workshop to set reform path
Aims to chart policy direction next week, reformists suggest heavier tax for ultra-richThe ruling Grand National Party seeks to chart a clear direction for reforms during a workshop on Tuesday in efforts to regain public support ahead of general and presidential elections next year.The workshop will be a crucial venue for the party to discuss how to make a sweeping, fundamental makeover of its policies and personnel, officials said. It will be held at a convention hall in Gimpo International Air
Nov. 25, 2011
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S. Korea executes 27 percent of FTA support budget for farmers
South Korea has already spent about 27 percent of its budget assigned to help farmers whose business might suffer due to the influx of cheaper produce from the U.S.under the recently approved free trade agreement (FTA) between the two nations, the finance ministry said Friday.The ruling Grand Nation
Nov. 25, 2011
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Nam quits foreign affairs committee
The chairman of the National Assembly’s committee on foreign affairs stepped down Thursday, two days after the Grand National Party railroaded through the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.Rep. Nam Kyung-pil had come under attack as the vote ended in chaos, despite his efforts to achieve a bipartisan compromise.“Now that the long-pending FTA has been ratified, I shall step down from the committee chairmanship and focus on my post as the party’s Supreme Council member,” Nam said.“I dreamt of turnin
Nov. 24, 2011
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FTA passage leaves parliament in paralysis
The passing of the disputed Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement has left the National Assembly in paralysis, with the main opposition Democratic Party boycotting most of the scheduled meetings on Thursday.Rep. Jeong Gab-yoon, chairman of the parliamentary budget committee, summoned a subcommittee meeting on Thursday morning to revise the government’s budget bill but had to adjourn as none of the DP members showed up.“The National Assembly should not neglect its duties just because minority oppositio
Nov. 24, 2011
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Lee ponders time, scope of reshuffle
President does not plan press conference or national address on FTA ratificationPresident Lee Myung-bak is pondering when and how to conduct another personnel and organizational reshuffle at Cheong Wa Dae, seeking to shore up public support and make the last year of his five-year term fruitful.Speculation had abounded that he would carry out the reshuffle early next month in a display of his resolve for reforms after his Grand National Party’s defeat in last month’s Seoul mayoral by-election. Le
Nov. 24, 2011
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Harsh words, but no action on tear gas MP
The opposition lawmaker who set off a tear gas canister during a parliamentary vote Tuesday on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement faced harsh criticism Thursday, but no action was taken to hold him legally responsible. The National Assembly Secretariat said that it was “considering” legal action against Rep. Kim Sun-dong, a member of the far-left Democratic Labor Party. But a high-ranking official there said that without political consensus it would not be easy to take such an action against th
Nov. 24, 2011
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Parliament may take legal action against tear gas-spraying lawmaker
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary secretariat said Wednesday it may take legal action against an opposition lawmaker who set off a tear gas canister in the chamber to block the ratification of a free trade deal with the United States.South Korea's ruling party lawmakers on Tuesd
Nov. 24, 2011
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Ruling, opposition leaders suffer from FTA side effects
The National Assembly’s passage of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement bill on Tuesday left leaders of the Grand National Party and Democratic Party facing challenges in their leadership ahead of big elections next year.GNP chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo masterminded the party’s blitz FTA vote. Though the bill was expected to be put to vote on Thursday, he met with floor leader Rep. Hwang Woo-yea late on Monday and persuaded him that further discussions would be of no use, according to party offici
Nov. 23, 2011
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Opposition boycotts parliament, plans outdoor protests
Political paralysis gripped the nation Wednesday, with liberal opposition parties planning an all-out campaign against the conservatives who rammed through the contentious Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in a snap parliamentary session. The deepened partisan standoff is likely to delay the parliamentary handling of next year’s budget, confirmation of two Supreme Court justices and scores of other pending bills. The Democratic Party and other liberal opposition parties started a boycott of all pa
Nov. 23, 2011
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Ethiopian P.M. to visit Korea
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will come here next week for a four-day official visit at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.The two leaders will hold summit talks next Monday to discuss a wide range of issues including development cooperation, trade, education, cultural exchanges and peninsular security, the presidential office said.The Ethiopian leader is to arrive here on Monday and leave on Thursday. Lee’s invitation was made when he traveled to Eth
Nov. 23, 2011
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Lee to sign bill Tuesday, pledges review of all concerns
President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday pledged to “exhaustively review” all issues regarding the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement raised during parliamentary discussions.He also said that the government will pay particular attention to addressing concerns of farmers and mid- and small-sized business operators the expected to be affected by the pact.He made the remarks during a meeting with related ministers, a day after the National Assembly approved the long-pending agreement with the ruling Grand
Nov. 23, 2011
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Lee orders thorough follow-up measures after FTA approval
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak instructed the government on Wednesday to take thorough follow-up measures to make the best use of the just-ratified free trade agreement with the United States to boost the economy and minimize any damage to local small businesses.It was Lee's firs
Nov. 23, 2011
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GNP occupies National Assembly for FTA vote
Opposition parties berate the unilateral move, vowing to take strong actionRuling Grand National Party lawmakers on Tuesday occupied the main chamber of the National Assembly, setting the stage for a floor vote on the contentious Korea-U.S. free trade pact.All GNP members attended the plenary session with opposition party lawmakers upbraiding them for moving to railroad the pact, part of which they argue should be renegotiated to protect national interests.The GNP holds 169 seats out of a total
Nov. 22, 2011
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Korea-U.S. FTA chronology
Korea-U.S. FTA chronology2011 Nov. 22 -- The National Assembly ratifies the Korea-U.S. FTA June 3 -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade resubmits the Korea-U.S. FTA bill to the National Assembly for ratification May 4 -- MOFAT withdraws the Korea-U.S. FTA bill from the Foreign Affairs, Trade & Unification Committee of the National Assembly Feb. 10 -- The signing and exchange of the agreed documents from the Dec. 3 renegotiation takes place 2010 Nov. 30~Dec. 3 -- Trade Ministers’ meeting i
Nov. 22, 2011