Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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GNP prepares push for FTA ratification
Rival parties are once again facing a standoff over the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement as the ruling party is set to push for its ratification despite opposition.“The main opposition Democratic Party effectively called off its FTA renegotiation plan, as it agreed to cooperate in the ratification processes in exchange for reinforcing protective measures for local industries,” said Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the ruling Grand National Party on Wednesday.Should the DP continue trying to block the bill,
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Young, disillusioned behind Park’s win
Generation gap likely to be a key factor in general, presidential elections next yearVoters in their 20s to 40s, who have grown largely disillusioned with the ruling Grand National Party, have been key to independent Park Won-soon’s victory in Wednesday’s Seoul mayoral by-election, political analysts said Thursday. By giving overwhelming support to Park over GNP candidate Na Kyung-won, the young voters have vented their disappointment with the ruling camp, which has failed to address their key c
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Police to restrain domestic abusers
From Thursday, police officers can now restrain domestic abuse offenders temporarily on the spot without referring the case to the prosecution. The National Police Agency said that under a special law on domestic violence, which took effect Thursday, officers will have the authority to intervene in family violence. In case of an emergency, police officers will be able to seclude the attacker from the victim by ordering a 100-meter restraining order, keeping them from the residence and prohibitin
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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Seoul City offers honorary citizenship to ‘bridgebuilders’
Seoul City will confer honorary citizen certificates to 16 people from a dozen countries for their contribution in developing the capital and promoting Korea’s culture around the world, officials said Thursday.Among the beneficiaries is Benjamin Hughes, 46, an international arbitrations expert and Christopher Vaia, 65, a soldier-turned-“Bridgebuilder.”A retired Sergeant Major for the U.S. Forces Korea, Vaia has been an important figure in bridging the gap between the U.S. and Korean communities
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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World cities vie for LivCom Awards in Songpa
The International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom), given to local communities to recognize the best management of environment, kicked off its five-day event at Lotte Hotel in the Seoul district of Songpa, Thursday.It is the first time for Songpa to host the event in Korea since the award was launched in 1997 in partnership with the U.N. Environment Program.About 80 countries selected from 330 applicants will compete for the award this year and share their environment practices with othe
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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New mayor signs off on free school meal expansion
Park expected to halt civil engineering projectsSigning off on a plan to finance free lunches for all elementary school students starting next month was the first thing new Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon did as he began his job Thursday.With his signing, the free school meal program, currently offered to first through fourth graders, will be extended to fifth and sixth graders, two months after ex-mayor Oh Se-hoon resigned over his failure to thwart the free meal expansion plan pushed by the oppositi
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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High turnout indicates hopes for change
Nearly 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the Seoul mayoral by-election Wednesday, seemingly indicating their desire for change as the presidential race draws closer. Turnout was more than 48 percent, according to the election watchdog, with more than 4 million out of the 8.3 million Seoul voters turning up at polling stations. The turnout for 11 other posts in smaller local municipalities stood at 46 percent, the National Election Commission said.The higher-than-expected turnou
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Park’s victory a bitter blow for ruling party
Wednesday’s election victory of opposition-backed civic activist Park Won-soon rocked the ruling party, added to President Lee Myung-bak’s woes, and rattled the country’s traditional two-party political landscape.The 9 percentage-point gap in television exit polls piled pressure on the Grand National Party and the presidential office, already reeling from a series of setbacks including an opposition offensive on Lee’s purchase of property for his retirement and the bribery allegations of two of
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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[NEWS ANALYSIS] Victory comes with a price for DP
The main opposition Democratic Party scored a major win against the ruling Grand National Party in the Seoul mayoral by-election, but it came at a price. The liberal party lent its full support to Park Won-soon, an independent candidate backed by civil groups, in order to take Seoul from the control of the conservative GNP. But the decision to root for a civil activist, not one of its politicians, may backfire for the party, as Park and his key ally Ahn Cheol-soo are likely to gain more influenc
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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Park wins Seoul mayorship
Opposition-backed candidate Park Won-soon won a resounding victory in Wednesday’s Seoul mayor by-election, seen as a crucial test of voter sentiment ahead of next year’s general and presidential elections.His Grand National Party rival Na Kyung-won conceded defeat as the vote count stacked up in Park’s favor.“Citizens won against established power and old politics,” Park said.With the win, Park became the first-ever civic activist mayor of the capital city.With 75 percent percent of the votes c
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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[PROFILE} Park Won-soon, ‘People’s champion’
Newly elected Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was the unified candidate of the liberal bloc.The 55-year-old civic activist and human rights lawyer made his political debut through this high-profile by-election. It is the first time that a civil society leader without any political party membership has taken the helm of the Seoul municipality.Park has said that he joined the mayoral race after “seeing my fellow people suffer and the country going backward” under the leadership of the preceding GNP-affi
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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Voters hope for a new form of politics
Although it was early in the morning with the mercury dipping to 3 degrees Celsius, the lowest this fall, voters in Seoul cast their ballots in the hopes that the new mayor would enhance their welfare. Featuring an unprecedented contest between a ruling party standard-bearer and a civil society leader, the by-election drew keen attention as its outcome was expected to be a crucial gauge of public sentiment ahead of the general and presidential elections next year.“All voters including myself wan
PoliticsOct. 27, 2011
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No time for Park to adapt for new Seoul mayor
The new Seoul mayor’s term begins Thursday without a transition period to get accustomed to the job, the Seoul Election Commission said on Wednesday. The newly elected Park Won-soon will not have time to arrange the transfer of duties before inauguration because the race was decided in a by-election, called after the resignation of former mayor Oh Se-hoon. Oh had spent a month getting used to the job.“A mayor selected in a regular election is given a month to understand city affairs because ther
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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Police chief takes fire over gun use
The chief of police here is facing heated opposition from human rights organizations and even some officers after telling front line police to use their firearms more often. This will be the third time that the National Police Agency Commissioner-General Cho Hyun-oh has ordered his officers to more readily use their firearms after officers simply watched a massive gang fight unfold. “Police will wage war against organized gangsters by the end of this year,” said Cho.“I will allow all kinds of eq
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2011
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[Analysis] Victory comes with a price for DP
Park, Ahn and Moon likely to gain more political influence The main opposition Democratic Party scored a major win against the Grand National Party in the Seoul mayoral by-election, but that victory came with its own political cost, political observers said Wednesday. The liberal party lent its full support to Park Won-soon, an independent candidate backed by civil groups, in order to take Seoul from the control of the conservative GNP. The decision to root for a civil activist, not one of its p
PoliticsOct. 26, 2011
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Park’s victory a bitter blow for ruling party
Wednesday’s election victory of opposition-backed civic activist Park Won-soon rocked the ruling party, added to President Lee Myung-bak’s woes, and rattled the country’s traditional two-party political landscape.The 9 percentage-point gap in television exit polls piled pressure on the Grand National Party and the presidential office, already reeling from a series of setbacks including an opposition offensive on Lee’s purchase of property for his retirement and the bribery allegations of two of
PoliticsOct. 26, 2011
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High turnout indicates hopes for change
Nearly 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the Seoul mayoral by-election Wednesday, seemingly indicating their desire for change as the presidential race draws closer. Turnout was more than 48 percent, according to the election watchdog, with more than 4 million out of the 8.3 million Seoul voters turning up at polling stations. The turnout for 11 other posts in smaller local municipalities stood at 46 percent, the National Election Commission said.The higher-than-expected turnou
PoliticsOct. 26, 2011
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N.K. blasts GNP on election day
North Korea on Wednesday attempted to influence elections in South Korea, urging voters to judge the “pro-U.S. and dictatorial” administration of President Lee Myung-bak and the Grand National Party. “The time calls for the people of South Korea to hand down a judgment on candidates of the GNP, who have tried to conjure up ghosts from the Yushin dictatorial regime,” the communist country said in a posting on its official website “Uriminjokkiri.” “Oct. 26 is the day when the military dictator was
PoliticsOct. 26, 2011
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U.S. to strengthen Pacific military presence: Panetta
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reiterated Wednesday that the U.S. will not only maintain its military presence in the Pacific region, but strengthen it, dismissing speculation over a possible troop drawdown in South Korea.The new American defense chief made the remarks during his meeting with U.S. troops in Seoul. He arrived here in the afternoon as part of his first Asian tour that includes Indonesia and Japan.“The message I brought throughout this region is that we will remain a Pacific p
DefenseOct. 26, 2011
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Exit polls turn out in Park’s favor
Seoul voter turnout 48.6 percentCelebration and disappointment were seen in the liberal and ruling camps, respectively, as Seoul mayoral by-election exit polls favored Park Won-soon.In the exit poll jointly conducted by public broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS, Park got 54.4 percent of respondents’ vote
PoliticsOct. 26, 2011