Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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North Korea sends political prisoners to nuclear facilities: defector
North Korea is forcing political prisoners to work at some of its high-risk nuclear facilities, a North Korean defector was quoted as telling South Korean authorities. A former Pyongyang resident in her 40s who defected in 2019 said in an in-depth interview with authorities in Seoul that North Korea was sending its political prisoners to labor camps close to nuclear sites, according to a recent report by the government-run Korea Institute for National Unification. “The levels of radiation
March 6, 2024
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Financial regulator vows swift implementation of W5tr support fund for local firms
The financial regulator said Wednesday it will work to quickly provide up to 5 trillion won ($3.75 billion) in financial support to local firms this year, while pushing to create an additional 3 trillion-won investment fund for businesses. The government earlier announced plans to provide more than 76 trillion won in financial support for local businesses, with 20 trillion won earmarked for large businesses and 15 trillion won for mid-sized firms. "As a follow-up to the 'business-tailo
March 6, 2024
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Disgraced ex-minister meets opposition leader amid talk of alliance
Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday met former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who recently launched a political party of his own, exhibiting the possibility of an alliance. The meeting follows Cho’s move to launch the National Innovation Party on Sunday against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration ahead of the upcoming general election, which some critics say is an attempt to avoid jail time. The Seoul High Court in early February decided to uphold a lower court ruling to sentence the 5
March 5, 2024
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Yoon to expand state-backed college student aid
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday announced plans to expand state-backed scholarship programs to woo South Korea's young generation. Yoon told some 460 participants in a policy debate held in the city of Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, that the government "has the responsibility to help the talented young generation live up to their capacity." Yoon said the number of students eligible to get state-sponsored scholarships, provided by the state-run Korea Student Aid Foundation, wil
March 5, 2024
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Ex-consul general in Sydney named chief negotiator for defense cost sharing with US
A senior South Korean diplomat who previously served as the consul general in Sydney has been named to lead the negotiations with the United States on the sharing of costs for the upkeep of US troops here, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Lee Tae-woo will head the upcoming rounds of the talks on the 12th Special Measures Agreement, the ministry said, without specifying when the initial negotiations will be launched. The career diplomat has the experience and expertise in various fields of the
March 5, 2024
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NIS warns of rise in North Korean hacking threats against South Korean chipmakers
South Korea’s spy agency on Monday warned of a recent uptick in North Korean hacking threats against South Korean semiconductor firms. The National Intelligence Service said North Korean hackers have been ramping up hacking efforts targeting South Korean semiconductor equipment makers since the latter half of 2023. The NIS said the North Korean hackers mainly focused on companies whose servers are connected to the Internet and who had their vulnerabilities exposed. The North Korean hackers
March 4, 2024
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Why Jongno is known as Seoul’s center of politics
The race to win the Assembly seat for Jongno, long known as the center of politics in Seoul, officially kicked off Monday as the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, Kwak Sang-eon, set to work after a contentious primary. Kwak is the son-in-law of the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun. The party decided to hand him the nomination for the symbolic Seoul district over other competitive figures such as Jeon Hyun-hee, who served as the head of the anti-corruption watchdog under President Moon Jae-
March 4, 2024
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[Election 2024] Will election untie Yoon's hands?
The general election on April 10 will not only be an election for a new parliament of 300 legislators but also a decisive moment for the presidency of Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been struggling to advance his agenda since his narrow election victory two years ago. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, led by Yoon's presidential election opponent Rep. Lee Jae-myung, currently holds a simple majority. The ruling party, on the other hand, has only 113 out of the 300 parliamentary seats. T
March 4, 2024
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Ruling party chief calls for TV debate with main opposition leader
The ruling party chief on Monday called on the main opposition leader to engage in a televised debate ahead of the April 10 legislative election, saying that it’s “what many people want.” People Power Party Interim Chair Han Dong-hoon told reporters that he is ready to face off against the Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung in a debate, while hinting that the opposition leader has been avoiding it on purpose. “I believe it is what several media and many people
March 4, 2024
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[Bills in Focus] Tax relief for birth benefits, green light for local logistics facilities
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act Proposed by Rep. Yoon Doo-hyun (People Power Party) ● To ensure consumers are protected after the abolition of the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act, this amendment transfers provisions related to selective contract discounts and prohibitions on compulsory subscriptions to add-on services to the Telecommunications Business Act. It also promotes free competition among mobile communications businesses and enhances use
March 4, 2024
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Ex-DP lawmaker to join PPP amid growing factional rift as April 10 elections near
A four-term lawmaker previously affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party joined the ruling People Power Party on Monday as a factional rift in the Democratic Party deepened over candidate nominations for the April 10 parliamentary elections. Rep. Kim Young-joo, a deputy National Assembly speaker, quit the Democratic Party last month, protesting the party's inclusion of her in a list of underperformers to be disadvantaged in election nominations amid allegations the party is side
March 4, 2024
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Mainstream factions dominate as election candidates
The overwhelming majority of candidates from the two main parties picked to run in the upcoming legislative election so far are viewed as part of the parties’ respective mainstream factions, data showed Sunday. The outcome contradicts earlier pledges made by the two parties to select more candidates from their respective nonmainstream pools for the April 10 general election in order to promote fairness. According to data provided by the ruling party, the majority of the candidates from
March 3, 2024
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Ex-PPP leader to run for seat in less conservative Hwaseong city
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the newly launched New Reform Party, said Saturday that he will run for a parliamentary seat representing a constituency in Hwaseong, a metropolitan city near Seoul considered traditionally a liberal stronghold. Lee, a former leader of the ruling conservative People Power Party, made the announcement in a Facebook post that he will run for the constituency that covers Dongtan 2 New Town in the upcoming April 10 elections. "Hwaseong is a difficult area for conservativ
March 2, 2024
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DP leader Lee retains ticket to his constituency for April elections
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung retained the ticket as the party's single candidate to his constituency for the upcoming April 10 elections, the party announced Saturday. The DP's nomination committee made the announcement as it unveiled the decisions on the candidate nominations for seven other constituencies, with about a month left before the parliamentary votes expected to serve as a political litmus test for the Yoon Suk Yeol government. The announce
March 2, 2024
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Vote on bill to probe first lady lays bare Democratic Party of Korea split
The bill to launch a special counsel investigation into allegations surrounding First Lady Kim Keon-hee was struck down in a National Assembly vote late Thursday, amid a loud protest from the Democratic Party of Korea’s primary losers challenging the results of the nominations for the April general election. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party convened a plenary session to vote on the special counsel bill, which was sent back to the Assembly for a re-vote
March 1, 2024
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Yoon touts improved Japan ties on Independence Movement Day as gateway to 'new world'
President Yoon Suk Yeol hailed Seoul's thawing relationship with Tokyo as a chance to move the two East Asian countries toward a "new world," stressing that now is the time for South Korea to leave historical grievances in the past. Yoon described Japan, which ruled South Korea for 35 years until the end of World War II, as South Korea's "partner in the pursuit of common interests for global peace and prosperity," at the March 1 Independence Movement Day celebration held at Y
March 1, 2024
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Address by President Yoon Suk Yeol on the 105th March 1st Independence Movement Day
My fellow citizens, 7 million overseas Koreans, decorated patriots who fought for the nation’s independence, Today, we celebrate the 105th March First Independence Movement Day. With utmost reverence, I pay a heartfelt tribute to our fallen patriotic forefathers and patriots who devoted themselves to the cause of our country’s freedom and prosperity. I extend my sincerest gratitude to our independence heroes and the bereaved families who lost their loved ones. Fellow Koreans, One h
March 1, 2024
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Ex-judge, ex-prosecutor recommended as anti-corruption agency chief
A former veteran judge and a former prosecutor have been recommended as candidates for the head of the anti-corruption agency, a nomination committee said Thursday. Oh Dong-woon, a former judge at the Seoul High Court, and Lee Myong-sun, who served as the chief prosecutor at the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, were tapped as the nominees for Chief Prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, according to the committee. With the nomin
Feb. 29, 2024
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2 special probe bills, including one involving first lady, scrapped in revote after Yoon's veto
Two opposition-led special investigation proposals, one of which involves allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee, were scrapped Thursday in a revote after President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed them last month. The results have widely been expected as two-thirds support is required for vetoed bills to pass through the Assembly again, and the ruling People Power Party (PPP), which is against the measures, holds 113 seats in the 297-member parliament. The bills, which the main opposition Democratic P
Feb. 29, 2024
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Parties agree to hold revote on special investigation bills
The floor leaders of South Korea's two main parties on Thursday agreed to hold a revote on the two special investigation bills vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 5. The revote on the two bills, one of which pushes for a probe into a stock manipulation scandal linked to first lady Kim Keon Hee, was to take place during a plenary session scheduled in the afternoon. “We plan to deal with the revote of the two special investigation bills (during the plenary session scheduled later
Feb. 29, 2024