Most Popular
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BTS, NewJeans fandoms clash over Hybe-Min Hee-jin conflict
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N. Korea launches missiles in latest show of military, nuclear strength
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High temperatures may worsen mental health conditions: study
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Samsung chief travels to France to encourage young talents
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Korean battery makers zero in on global commercial EV market
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Yoon leaves for Prague to cement nuclear energy push
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N. Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles: JCS
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[Off the Pages] German bestseller gets new twist in ‘Snow White Must Die -- Black Out’
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4th case of lumpy skin disease confirmed in S. Korea
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Main opposition to railroad multiple contentious bills after Chuseok
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DP claims gov't pressure behind death of senior official of anti-corruption agency
The main opposition Democratic Party vowed Friday to reveal the truth behind the recent death of a senior official of the state anti-corruption agency, saying government pressure led to his death. Until recently, the official of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission had served as acting chief of the agency's anti-corruption bureau and oversaw inquiries into politically sensitive cases, including first lady Kim Keon Hee's acceptance of a luxury handbag and opposition leader Le
Aug. 9, 2024
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Yoon visits military headquarters on last day of summer vacation
President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the headquarters of the armed forces in the central city of Gyeryong on Friday to inspect security posture and examine preparations for upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, his office said. Yoon's visit to the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, came on the last day of his five-day summer vacation. During the visit, Yoon met with the top commanders of the Army, Air Force and Navy at a wa
Aug. 9, 2024
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President may grant liberal ex-governor clemency
The Ministry of Justice on Thursday reportedly prepared a list of high-profile politicians convicted of crimes who would be eligible to be granted either special amnesty or rehabilitation by President Yoon Suk Yeol next week. Among them on the list is liberal bigwig Kim Kyoung-soo, formerly a lawmaker and South Gyeongsang Province governor. The 56-year-old Kim, convicted for his involvement in the high-profile "Druking" opinion-rigging scandal in July 2021, is likely to be rehab
Aug. 8, 2024
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Defense chief apologizes over leak scandal
Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik apologized Thursday over high-profile allegations that a Defense Intelligence Command official leaked agents’ identities to Chinese hackers earlier this year. “I would like to apologize to the South Korean people for the public display of the (alleged) leak of military secrets and the bickering that ensued among senior intelligence officials,” Shin said at a National Assembly national defense committee meeting. At Thursday’s defen
Aug. 8, 2024
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PPP leader vows to provide additional electricity support to 1.3m households
The leader of the ruling People Power Party announced plans Thursday to provide an additional 15,000 won ($11) in electricity support to 1.3 million vulnerable households to help them better cope with the hot weather. Han Dong-hoon made the announcement during a meeting of the PPP supreme council, pointing out that many families are suffering from the record-breaking heat wave this summer. He explained his support scheme will essentially cover the entire electricity bill for the vulnerable house
Aug. 8, 2024
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Yonsei University revokes master's degree of Cho Kuk's son
Yonsei University has revoked the master's degree of a minor party leader's son following a court ruling related to the case, informed school officials said Thursday. The university recently decided to cancel the admission of Cho Won, the son of Cho Kuk, the chief of the Rebuilding Korea Party, into its graduate school of political science and diplomacy in 2018 and his master's degree earned from the same school in 2021, they said. The decision came after the Supreme Court confirm
Aug. 8, 2024
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Justice ministry to review pardon beneficiaries, including ex-governor, ex-presidential secretary
The justice ministry on Thursday was scheduled to review beneficiaries of special presidential pardons to be granted on the occasion of Liberation Day next week, including a former South Gyeongsang governor and a former presidential secretary. President Yoon Suk Yeol will grant special pardons mostly to those convicted of livelihood-related crimes and others in commemoration of the Aug. 15 national holiday, the fifth round of such special pardons since his inauguration in 2022. The justice minis
Aug. 8, 2024
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Yoon visits southern naval base during summer vacation
President Yoon Suk Yeol visited a major naval base in the southern part of the country this week as part of his summer vacation, his office said Wednesday. During the two-day visit to the naval base in Changwon, some 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Yoon spent time with service members, playing basketball with a group of Navy personnel and Marines on Wednesday, it said. On Tuesday night, Yoon had dinner with various service members at the base, including those who served during the sinking of
Aug. 7, 2024
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Conflicts arise within liberal bloc over sell off of Kim Dae-jung’s residence
A recent move by one of former President Kim Dae-jung’s sons to sell his father’s residence in a bid to avoid a “hefty inheritance tax,” has sparked a conflict among the liberal bloc here in recent days, with some calling for the main opposition or the government to repurchase the property for its historic value. On Wednesday, several lawmakers of the main opposition liberal Democratic Party of Korea, which has repeatedly mentioned Kim’s “spirit of Democracy&r
Aug. 7, 2024
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Ruling bloc urges repeal of taxation on investors' gains
President Yoon Suk Yeol's office on Wednesday called on the National Assembly to abandon a plan to implement the "financial investment income tax" scheme that is to come into effect in January 2025 in the face of the heightened domestic capital market volatility in recent days. The political standoff is expected to linger, as the liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has insisted that the plan for taxation on investors' sales proceeds must proceed as planned. Desc
Aug. 7, 2024
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PM says hospitals will extend application period for trainee doctor programs
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the government will allow hospitals to extend the application period for trainee doctor programs this week to help them recruit more junior doctors. Han made the remark after only 104 candidates, or 1.4 percent of trainee doctor positions available at 126 hospitals, had applied for the training programs that begin next month amid a prolonged standoff between the government and the medical community. "Within this week, the government will extend the
Aug. 7, 2024
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Yoon calls for swift responses to stock market volatility amid criticisms over vacationing
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday instructed the government to take swift and preemptive responses to heightened volatility in the financial market, his office said, refuting opposition criticisms over his vacationing despite a recent market rout. South Korean stocks suffered the worst sell-off since late 2008 on Monday, along with its global peers, on growing fears over an economic recession in the United States, before rising more than 3 percent Tuesday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Pr
Aug. 6, 2024
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Anti-foreign spy bills floated after alleged leak of agents’ identities
A series of bills targeting foreign espionage were floated in a rare show of bipartisan lawmaking in the National Assembly in the past week, following recent allegations of identity leaks of covert military agents. The bills seeking to expand the scope of punishable foreign espionage here have been proposed by lawmakers from both ruling and main opposition parties, according to the Assembly website on Tuesday. Under the existing laws, foreign espionage is restricted to that perpetrated by an &ld
Aug. 6, 2024
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Govt. sets deadline for Qoo10 crisis consumer refunds
Some customers who have yet to receive refunds from e-commerce platforms Tmon and WeMakePrice due to a liquidity crisis surrounding the companies will get their money back by the end of this week, officials said Tuesday. Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok announced that the refund process for the customers who purchased products other than travel services or gift cards on the two imperiled e-commerce platforms would be completed by “the end of this week,” in a b
Aug. 6, 2024
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Yoon advised to veto bills over broadcast governance
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday advised President Yoon Suk Yeol to strike down four bills sponsored by the main opposition that are designed to curtail Yoon's influence over the boardroom reshuffle of South Korea's public broadcasters or their highest direct authorities. This comes as the latest in a prolonged tit-for-tat in South Korea's political landscape, where Yoon's political opponents continue to ram bills -- including ones similar to those already vetoed -- thr
Aug. 6, 2024
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Cabinet passes motion requesting parliamentary reconsideration of 4 broadcasting bills
The Cabinet passed a motion Tuesday calling for parliamentary reconsideration of four bills aimed at changing the governance structure of public broadcasters. The motion, passed a week after the last of the four bills was railroaded by the opposition-controlled National Assembly, will be sent to President Yoon Suk Yeol. Should Yoon endorse it, the bills will be sent back to the Assembly for a revote. Three of the bills call for amending the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture
Aug. 6, 2024
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Assembly passes pro-labor ‘Yellow Envelope Bill’
The opposition-led National Assembly on Monday passed a pro-labor bill that seeks to limit employers from filing damage claims against workers during legitimate disputes and requires them to engage in collective bargaining with subcontractor labor unions, amid ongoing protest from the ruling party over the bill. The bill, dubbed the “Yellow Envelope Bill," which is a revision to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, passed in a 177-2 vote during an afternoon plenary sess
Aug. 5, 2024
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Yoon mulls speech after summer break
President Yoon Suk Yeol is considering delivering a speech to the nation over a set of domestic reform agendas to address crises in the fields of education, labor, medicine, and population, as well as the public pension's sustainability later this month, according to the presidential office Monday. According to the presidential office, Yoon will make public remarks after he returns to his post from his summer vacation next week, and before the first regular session of the 22nd National Asse
Aug. 5, 2024
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[Bills in Focus] Easing discount store restrictions, securing AI usage policies
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Distribution Industry Development Act Proposed by Rep. Choi Soo-jin (People Power Party) ● The current act prescribes the establishment and modification registration of superstores and quasi-superstores in traditional commerce preservation areas, requiring persons who intend to open superstores, etc., to register and submit an evaluation report on the store’s impact on commercial districts and a regional cooperation plan. The act also requires the Ma
Aug. 5, 2024
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Partisan gridlock to continue over contentious bills
Partisan gridlock in the National Assembly is unlikely to cease in upcoming weeks, with the opposition-led parliament having either passed or eyeing to vote in favor of more contentious bills, which President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to veto. The opposition-led National Assembly late last month passed four broadcasting bills aimed at reducing the Yoon administration’s influence over public broadcasters, alongside a pro-labor revision bill to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment
Aug. 4, 2024