Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Fiji to open embassy in South Korea
Fiji is to open a new embassy in South Korea next year, sending an ambassador from Suva to Seoul. The new embassy is expected to open in the first half of 2012 to foster trade and investment between Korea and the archipelago about 2,000 km northeast of New Zealand. It will employ about 5 staff, a Fiji government official said, adding that an ambassador may be selected in the next month. “We want to open an embassy there because Korea is right in the heart of Asia,” he added. “Korea and Fiji have
Dec. 11, 2011
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Jang transports envoys to the ‘Beautiful World’
He may be small in stature, but Jang Sa-ik proved he had the voice of a mountain when he entertained Seoul’s diplomatic community in an end-of-year concert Friday.The haegeum traditional fiddle and Korean percussion fused with piano and guitar as Jang took the audience on a “Voyage to the Beautiful World” at Seoul Women’s Plaza.At times he sang from the side of his mouth, at others he tilted his head back and let the emotive Korean lyrics pour freely out of him. His body bobbed up and down as if
Dec. 11, 2011
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H.K. proves might of an open legal market
Secretary says territory’s experience shows more foreign law firms may benefit KoreaHong Kong’s justice secretary has praised the opening-up of Korea’s legal market on a trip to Seoul, saying a more international outlook could be a “positive development.”During his relationship-building visit Thursday, Wong Yan Lung commented on foreign law firms’ new chance to work in Korea following the U.S. Fair Trade Agreement, likely to take effect Jan. 1, and the EU FTA which came into force this July. “Th
Dec. 11, 2011
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U.S. visa quota not in sight despite FTA
Seoul pushing U.S. Congress for visa allocation for Korean professionalsThe Korean government once set a U.S. visa quota for Korean professionals as a major goal of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.However, the bilateral trade deal, ratified by the Korean parliament last month, did not include the visa issue at all, disappointing many Korean professionals who hoped to find getting a job in the U.S. easier ― just like Australians who earned a quota of 10,500 a year through a bilateral trade de
Dec. 7, 2011
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South Korea, U.S. resume talks on revising nuclear energy pact
South Korea and the United States resumed talks Tuesday on revising a bilateral pact that defines the boundaries of the Asian country’s use of nuclear energy, with Seoul aiming to gain concessions in the area, officials said.The discussions in Seoul were led by Park Ro-byug, South Korea’s envoy for the talks and a former ambassador to Ukraine, and Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department’s special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control.The two sides were holding their fourth round of tal
Dec. 6, 2011
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Japan to return ancient books Tuesday
Some 1,200 Joseon Dynasty-era books looted by Japan during the colonial era will be returned to Korea on Tuesday afternoon, a government official said.According to the official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the books will be divided and delivered on two flights, each carrying 600 books. The books will arrive at the Incheon International Airport at 3:35 p.m. and 4:35 p.m., respectively, said the official.Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Park Suk-hwan and Japan’s ambassador to Seoul,
Dec. 5, 2011
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U.S. calls on S. Korea to add pressure on Iran
The United States called on South Korea Monday to add pressure on Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons program, indicating that the Seoul government could soon impose fresh sanctions on Tehran.The remarks by Robert Einhorn, the State Department‘s special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, came after the U.S. and several other nations recently announced additional economic sanctions against the Islamic state for its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. The measures, targeting Iran’s o
Dec. 5, 2011
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Lindenbaum Concert looks to North Korea
Young Korean musicians have been given the chance to perform with top-notch international artists at a Swiss concert in Seoul. So far, 180 talented Korean musicians have practiced for and performed in the annual Lindenbaum Festival Concerts under Swiss Maestro Charles Dutoit, who founded the event along with Hyung Joon-won in 2009.Dutoit started establishing contacts with North Korea this year with the aim of being able to also invite young North Korean musicians to join future Lindenbaum Festiv
Dec. 4, 2011
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Denmark brings advent calendars to Korea
The Danish Embassy is bringing some European Christmas sparkle to Seoul by introducing shoppers to advent calendars. The tradition in northern Europe sees kids receive a small gift or sweet every day until Christmas. “A calendar can come in every shape and size, and the main point is that you open a new window every day from Dec. 1 to Dec. 24, the day we celebrate Christmas in Denmark,” explained Jens Busk Gronbech. “We want to introduce this tradition to the Korean people and therefore we are c
Dec. 4, 2011
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U.K. event to boost charities, scholarships
The Korea Britain Society will hold its annual dinner at the Westin Chosun Hotel on Wednesday. The dinner in the hotel’s grand ballroom will start at 6:45 p.m. with a speech from Minister of Strategy and Finance Bahk Jae-wan and a performance from celebrated South Korean pianist Yiruma. Funds raised will go toward several Korean charities as well as scholarships funded by the KBS. The society funds students via the Duke of Edinburgh and Chevening scholarships as well as supporting Korean school
Dec. 4, 2011
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UAE celebrates national day
The United Arab Emirates celebrated 40 years of its union with events around the world and in Korea on Friday.UAE Ambassador Abdulla Al Romaithi held a reception in Seoul to mark the anniversary of the joining of seven emirates on the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula in 1971.Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain joined as a federation of monarchies under one president that year with Abu Dhabi as the capital. The ambassador, who took his Korean posting this April
Dec. 4, 2011
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Poland, Germany share how they moved from foes to friends
Polish and German former politicians have visited Seoul to tell how “vanquishing prejudices” moved their countries from conflict to friendship, and ask whether Korea and Japan can learn from their experience. Both Polish-German and Korean-Japanese relations have been marred by long histories of conflict, culminating in the Second World War. While the two European nations are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their Treaty of Good Neighborhood and Friendly Cooperation this year, Korea-Japan
Dec. 4, 2011
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Ambassador plans Korean industrial area for India
He may be leaving Seoul for New Delhi, but the exiting Indian ambassador to Korea is keen to take a patch of this country’s industry back to his home turf. Skand Tayal wishes to establish a South Korean industrial complex in his homeland to help this country’s manufacturers take advantage of Indian human resources and technology. “What we have been trying to do is create some special zone in India which would be devoted to Korean industry,” Tayal said. “That way Korean workers and managers who s
Dec. 4, 2011
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Rwanda aims to learn and earn from Korea
The Rwandan president has urged Korea to invest in his country as a gateway to Africa, and said he will take lessons from rapid development here. President Paul Kagame said in a speech in Seoul on Friday that his once civil war-torn nation had created an accommodating investment environment. Rwanda is rebuilding its economy following Africa’s worst genocide in modern times. The 1994 killing of an estimated 800,000 people and involvement in conflict in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo
Dec. 4, 2011
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BRICs boost global aid partnership
BRIC nations’ agreement at the Busan aid forum to join a new global development partnership is a significant breakthrough, sources said.While advanced countries have had difficulty expanding or maintaining their budgets for international aid due to the recent global economic downturn, the increased role of Brazil, Russia, India and China at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness may point to a new era. These emerging countries struggled to draft a final version of the document with mo
Dec. 1, 2011
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UAE celebrates 40th National Day
The following article was contributed by Abdulla Al Romaithi, ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, to mark its 40th National Day, which falls on Dec. 2. ― Ed.With the theme “Spirit of the Union,” the United Arab Emirates celebrates its 40th National Day on Dec. 2, noting the great achievements it has made since the establishment of the federation in 1971 thanks to the policies of our late leader and founding president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al Nahyan and his fellow members of the Supreme Co
Dec. 1, 2011
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‘Busan forum to shape new global partnership on aid’
The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness will be a precious opportunity to build a new global partnership making development more effective in aid recipient countries, a South Korean government official said.Park En-na, director general of the development cooperation bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, represents Korea in the group of sherpas who are to finalize the outcome document in the final meeting of the so-called HLF-4 on Thursday.“In the past, aid and development
Nov. 29, 2011
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Exhibition to show how Korea rose from recipient to donor
The Korea International Cooperation Agency said it will hold an exhibition of photographs and videos from Tuesday to Thursday to showcase the way South Korea has transformed itself from an aid recipient to a donor country.In the lobby in front of the Convention Hall on the third floor of BEXCO in Busan, the exhibition will be open to all participants of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness including government officials from development partners, lawmakers, civic activists and priva
Nov. 28, 2011
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Busan forum to address key aid agenda
Main issues include ODA alignment, harmonization, accountabilityThe global economy has changed enormously since September 2008, when high-ranking officials from both donor and recipient countries gathered in Accra, Ghana to discuss improving the effectiveness of aid and development cooperation.Recent global crises including food shortages, inflation, the global financial crunch and economic downturns have aggravated the global efforts for development in less-developed countries.The Fourth High-L
Nov. 28, 2011
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Exhibition to show how Korea rose from recipient to donor
The Korea International Cooperation Agency said it would hold an exhibition of photographs and videos from Tuesday to Thursday to showcase the way South Korea has transformed itself from an aid recipient to a donor country.On the lobby in front of the Convention Hall on the third floor of BEXCO in Busan, the exhibition will be open to all participants of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness including government officials from development partners, lawmakers, civic activists and priva
Nov. 28, 2011