Most Popular
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Kia EV9 wins world car of year
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Korea misses out on global bond index boost
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Rival parties set to clash over Yoon’s new Cabinet picks
The rival parties are expected to lock horns this week over the scheduled confirmation hearings for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s latest Cabinet nominations, scheduled to kick-off Monday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers have hinted they plan to scrutinize intensively the six ministerial-level nominees handpicked by Yoon earlier this month. The ruling People Power Party are likely to defend the nominees and push forward with the nominations. “In particular, the nom
Dec. 17, 2023
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Foreign minister says he plans to return to parliament at end of year
South Korea's top diplomat said Friday he plans to return to the National Assembly as a lawmaker if a Cabinet reshuffle takes place by the year's end ahead of the general elections next year. Foreign Minister Park Jin, who holds a parliamentary seat for the ruling People Power Party, made the remarks in an interview with news channel YTN amid reports that he will run for parliament in the April general elections. "Although I am cautious, I plan to do my best so that the People Pow
Dec. 15, 2023
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Yoon's national security aide warns of potential NK missile launch this month
The Presidential National Security Office's first deputy chief Kim Tae-hyo said Thursday North Korea might launch another intercontinental ballistic missile before the end of the year, as he arrived in Washington to attend a nuclear consultative group meeting Friday. "I think there is a possibility that North Korea would launch an ICBM in December," he told reporters at Dulles International Airport near Washington. "I can't tell you further about this," he added when asked wh
Dec. 15, 2023
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Yoon vows backing for Korea's Dutch nuclear power plant bid
President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged his support for South Korea's bid to build two new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, as he wrapped up his five-day state visit to the European country which faces energy transition pressure due to geopolitical uncertainties. "I will actively support South Korean companies, boasting world-class plant engineering capabilities, to participate in new projects to build nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, based on the agreements signed today," Yoon
Dec. 14, 2023
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Rival parties wrestle with potential defections, leadership void
South Korea's rival parties were scrambling to deal with increasing uncertainty sparked by a series of unforeseen events tied to next year’s general election, as of Thursday. Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s announcement on Wednesday saying he will establish a new political party of his own has emerged as a major hurdle for both the ruling and the main opposition party lawmakers. Lee, an influential lawmaker, said in Wednesday&rs
Dec. 14, 2023
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Ruling party leader steps down
The leader of the ruling party announced his resignation on Wednesday, expressing hopes that his decision would help unify the party ahead of next year’s general elections. People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon released a statement saying that he would step down from his current position, a day after a fellow party bigwig announced he also would not run in the elections. “I take full responsibility for the situation our party is currently in,” Kim said in his statement. &ldq
Dec. 13, 2023
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S. Korea, Netherlands declare 'semiconductor alliance'
South Korea and the Netherlands on Wednesday announced a "semiconductor alliance" under which the two countries will join forces to strive for chip supremacy and overcome chip supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical tensions. The announcement came as President Yoon Suk Yeol and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met in The Hague on Wednesday and signed three memoranda of understanding, including one on intergovernmental cooperation to ensure chip supply chain stability. "Both le
Dec. 13, 2023
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[News Focus] Tusk’s return has South Korea worried over Polish arms deal
The shift in power in Poland is stoking worries in South Korea over its possible toll on an arms export deal to the European country reached last year. Donald Tusk, a former European Union leader, was chosen as Poland’s prime minister for a second time in a parliamentary vote Monday, ending eight years of the nationalist conservative administration’s rule. With the change of the administration, the Polish Parliament’s Speaker Szymon Holwnia has said that agreements signed by th
Dec. 12, 2023
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Yoon starts Dutch state visit, eyeing stronger ties in chips, logistics, AI
President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived Monday in Amsterdam to forge stronger bilateral ties with the Netherlands, South Korea's emerging European trade partner in terms of semiconductor chips, logistics and artificial intelligence cooperation. During the five-day state visit, South Korea is set to ink a project deal to deploy its cold chain logistics technology in Europe. Moreover, South Korea laid out a plan with the Netherlands to nurture 500 semiconductor experts over the next five years, and e
Dec. 12, 2023
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Yoon’s close aide says he won't run in next year’s election
A close confidante of President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed not to run in next year’s general election on Tuesday, a move seen as being in support of intra-party reform. People Power Party Rep. Chang Je-won said he has decided to refrain from running for a seat in the 2024 general election, making him the first among ruling party bigwigs to do so. “I will cheer for the People Power Party’s election win behind the curtains of history,” said Chang, a three-term lawmaker,
Dec. 12, 2023
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Preliminary candidate registration opens for 2024 general elections
The preliminary candidate registration for April's general elections opened Tuesday, kicking off a four-month race whose results could determine how the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol will fare in the remainder of its term. Prospective candidates can register their preliminary candidacies with the National Election Commission until the official candidate registration opens on March 21 for the April 10 elections. Introduced in 2004, the preliminary registration system is aimed at
Dec. 12, 2023
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[Bills in Focus] Gimpo-Seoul merger proposal, cord blood use for regenerative medicine
Proposed bill: Special Act on the Change of Jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Province and Seoul Metropolitan City Proposed by Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae (People Power Party) ● Due to its geographical location, Gimpo citizens interact more with Seoul than other parts of Gyeonggi Province, with a high percentage of its population commuting from Gimpo to Seoul. Therefore, this bill aims to resolve the disparity between the administrative district and the actual activity space of Gimpo citizens by excluding Gimpo
Dec. 11, 2023
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Could ex-leaders of rival parties form new alliance?
Former leaders of rival parties here have been hinting at the possibility of joining forces to launch a new party ahead of next year’s general election as of Monday, invoking concern and skepticism from other lawmakers. Former Prime Minister and previous main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Nak-yon along with estranged former leader of the ruling People Power Party Lee Jun-seok have been mentioning each other in various interviews as potential partners to set up a new
Dec. 11, 2023
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Yoon departs for Amsterdam for regional security, chip cooperation
President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee flew to the Netherlands on Monday at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander, in a bid to strengthen bilateral semiconductor supply chain cooperation and to enhance the European nation's involvement in Indo-Pacific regional security, in what will be the president's last trip to a foreign country this year. Yoon is the first South Korean president to pay a state visit to the Netherlands since the two countries forged diplomatic relat
Dec. 11, 2023
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Tensions flare in National Assembly over 2024 budget, bills
The rival parties are expected to engage in an intensified tug-of-war starting Monday, as they failed to come to a consensus on the passage of the 2024 government budget and pending bills. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday agreed to kick off an extraordinary session on Monday, which will include two plenary meetings scheduled on Dec. 20 and 28, respectively. The Dec. 20 meeting will address next year’s budget plan, which parliament
Dec. 10, 2023
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In revote, National Assembly strikes down controversial media bills
South Korea’s National Assembly on Friday voted to discard a set of bills aimed at giving the state broadcasting regulator more power in choosing heads of public broadcasters. The bills were vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and sent back to the Assembly for a revote. They were initially proposed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which controls the parliamentary majority. The ruling People Power Party protested the bills as having the potential to increase government influe
Dec. 8, 2023
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4 contentious bills scrapped in revote after Yoon's veto
Four contentious bills, including the pro-labor "yellow envelope" law, were scrapped Friday as they failed to pass through the National Assembly in a revote after President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed them last week. 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, which is against the measures, holds 111 seats in the 298-member parliament. The "yellow envelope" bill calls
Dec. 8, 2023
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Missile scientist from North Korea, pediatrician among new ruling party recruits
South Korea’s ruling party on Friday announced a fresh batch of recruits to run in the 2024 general election. Among the five recruits disclosed by the People Power Party’s parliamentary recruitment committee is Park Chung-kwon, a North Korean defector who worked in intercontinental ballistic missile research at the National Defense University in Pyongyang. The 37-year-old has been a researcher at Hyundai Steel since he escaped from North Korea in 2009. The committee said Park was &ld
Dec. 8, 2023
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Ex-Democratic Party chair denies bribery, illegal campaign allegations
Song Young-gil, former chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, on Friday denied allegations of illegal campaigning before a 2021 ballot where he was elected the party chairman, as well as separate bribery allegations. The prosecution is now seeking criminal charges against the 60-year-old, who was a five-term lawmaker. He has not been indicted for the allegations. Song said he would exercise his right to remain silent during the interrogation, in a show of resistance to what he c
Dec. 8, 2023
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S. Korea hopes to host 3-way summit with US, Japan: Yoon's office
South Korea is working to host a trilateral summit with the United States and Japan, according to an official of Seoul's presidential office on Thursday. The trilateral summit would be a follow-up to a three-way meeting in August at Camp David, the US presidential retreat in Maryland, the official said on condition of anonymity. "The Camp David Principle stipulates an agreement of the three leaders to hold a regular summit on a yearly basis," the official said. "We have been
Dec. 7, 2023