Most Popular
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
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Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?
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[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
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Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
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Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens
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Young Korean doctors seek plan B: cosmetic dermatology or overseas
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[Newsmaker] Former mentor Yoon returns to Ahn
Former Environment Minister Yoon Yeo-jun has once again created a stir in the political arena by joining independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo’s “new politics” movement. In 2012, Yoon sent ripples across the conservative bloc when he joined the presidential campaign of the Democratic Party’s Rep. Moon Jae-in. The move, unexpected because of his long-running conservative ties, earned him strong criticism including being branded a “political prostitute” from disgraced former Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Yoon
PoliticsJan. 5, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Businesses brace for New Year challenges
Chairmen of Korea’s top conglomerates started off the year on Thursday by urging executives and employees to brace for crisis. Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee emphasized that the business behemoth should keep trying to shed old things in running business in order to embrace a new global management system. “To be a leader in an environment that lacks certainty and visibility, we must go beyond the boundaries of current markets and technologies,” Lee said at an opening event for the New Year he
BusinessJan. 2, 2014
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[Newsmaker] New video rebuts Japan’s Dokdo claim
Korea unveiled a new promotional video on Dokdo on Wednesday, countering Tokyo’s increasing territorial assertions and lambasting Japanese politicians’ visits to a controversial war shrine. The 260-second clip was released at midnight on YouTube and the Foreign Ministry’s website (dokdo.mofa.go.kr). It was an update to a previous piece that was uploaded in late October but taken down shortly due to its unauthorized use of clips from Japanese broadcaster NHK.The latest version is much shorter tha
Foreign AffairsJan. 1, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Park begins second year with old problems
President Park Geun-hye enters her second year in office with a mass of tricky domestic issues unresolved and increasingly volatile dynamics in Northeast Asia. Disputes over the National Intelligence Service’s alleged election meddling still haunt her government despite the political parties spending much of 2013 on the matter at the cost of state affairs being delayed. With key elections slated for June and July, political wrangling is expected to further escalate in the New Year hampering her
PoliticsDec. 30, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Abe’s gamble falters under criticism
Japanese leader Shinzo Abe is struggling to contain a backlash over his recent visit to a controversial war shrine that has sparked a barrage of criticism even from domestic supporters and international allies, notably the U.S.The prime minister’s visit on Thursday to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo honoring war criminals has further aggravated diplomatic tension with South Korea and China, two major victims of Japan’s past militarism, and frustrated peace advocates in the island country.The visit
Foreign AffairsDec. 29, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Jogye back in spotlight over rail strike
The country’s largest Buddhist order Jogye on Thursday took the side of railway workers in their ongoing strike, putting the government in a dilemma after last week’s botched police raid on the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. “(The Jogye Order) cannot look away when laborers have come in to the folds of the Buddha in desperation,” the order said in a statement on Thursday. The statement also said that helping and protecting those who are seeking refuge was the only right thing to do. “(The
Social AffairsDec. 26, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Massacres feared as S. Sudan nears war
Thousands of South Sudanese have been killed in over a week of violence, according to the United Nations, with reports of bodies piled in mass graves fueling fears of a worsening of ethnic bloodletting in the world’s newest state.The U.N. Security Council approved plans on Tuesday to almost double the number of peacekeepers in the country in an effort to protect civilians. The top U.N. humanitarian chief in the country Toby Lanzer said Tuesday there was “absolutely no doubt in my mind that we’re
World NewsDec. 25, 2013
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[Newsmaker] IBK names Korea’s first female bank chief
Besides the first female president, Korea has seen another woman break through a glass ceiling, this time in the banking industry. Kwon Seon-joo, the senior executive vice president of the Industrial Bank of Korea, was named the next CEO of the state-run IBK on the approval of the Financial Services Commission on Monday. Before Kwon, no woman had been named CEO of a Korean bank. “We believe that Kwon is well qualified as the country’s first female bank CEO, which she has demonstrated through her
Dec. 24, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Choo joins Texas Rangers on $130m contract
Choo Shin-soo of South Korea has agreed to the biggest-ever contract for an Asian player in the U.S. professional baseball free agent market.A report on the Major League Baseball website said Sunday that outfielder Choo agreed to a seven-year, $130 million contract with the Texas Rangers.The deal will be finalized if Choo passes a physical test, which is expected to be done by Christmas. Any formal introduction in Texas would likely wait until after the holiday.Once signed, it will be the highes
BaseballDec. 22, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Rodman visits Pyongyang in wake of purge
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman made his third visit to North Korea on Thursday, drawing keen attention as he is the first high-profile American allowed to stay in the reclusive country in the aftermath of the chilling execution of Kim Jong-un’s uncle. Rodman is trotting into the secretive society thanks largely to his special relationship with Kim, who recently surprised the international community by staging a harsh political purge involving his uncle Jang Song-thaek. South Korean and U.S. spy a
North KoreaDec. 19, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Governor seeks to inherit Roh’s legacy
Ahn Hee-jung, South Chungcheong Province governor and late President Roh Moo-hyun’s right-hand man, entered the fray in the power-struggle within the opposition Democratic Party on Tuesday. The 49-year-old liberal-minded politician was one of Roh’s closest aides, from 1994 onward. In the years leading up to Roh’s election in 2002, Ahn played the role of top strategist, earning himself the moniker “Little Roh Moo-hyun.” However, Ahn remained on the fringes of power during the Roh administration a
PoliticsDec. 18, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Hopes running high for KT chief nominee
There’s a new man in the house at KT: Hwang Chang-gyu, a former Samsung executive who, if Cheong Wa Dae has nothing more to say about it, will become the next chairman and CEO of the nation’s second-largest mobile carrier.While the company seemed to have initially hoped for someone with a KT background, most are ready to welcome Hwang and his expertise, according to those close to KT. Hwang served as president of Samsung’s memory business division from 2001 to 2004. He currently teaches at Sungk
IndustryDec. 17, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Chile’s Bachelet returns to presidency
Chile welcomed the return of its first female president, Michelle Bachelet, in a landslide run-off election victory Sunday. The Socialist Party candidate is the region’s first reelected female leader. The widely popular 34th president, who served from 2006 to 2010 and was barred by constitution from running for a second straight term, is to succeed the increasingly unpopular Sebastian Pinera in March after sweeping some 62 percent of second-round votes over her former childhood playmate, Evelyn
InternationalDec. 16, 2013
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[Newsmaker] N.K. leader Kim’s aunt, wife in spotlight
Following the demise of Jang Song-thaek, the once-powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the whereabouts of the two’s respective wives, Kim Kyoung-hui and Ri Sol-ju, have come under the spotlight.Kim, the leader’s only aunt, and his wife Ri have been out of the public eye for several months, sparking media speculation about their health and relationships with the increasingly coercive ruler.Attention is now being drawn to whether both would appear in public on Tuesday, when Pyongyang
North KoreaDec. 15, 2013
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[Newsmaker] GM’s CEO change features cut in Korean unit
In a move both groundbreaking yet also very traditional, General Motors Company CEO Dan Akerson will be replaced by GM “lifer” and global product chief Mary Barra. But GM Korea chief Sergio Rocha has probably just shrugged his shoulders. Though the ranks of top women executives at top global brands gets a bump with Barra’s appointment, not much has changed for GM in South Korea. Barra will surely follow through with the expected downsizing of GM Korea’s presence in South Korea. GM gets about 20
Foreign AffairsDec. 11, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Leadership of rail chief put to test
Choi Yeon-hye, CEO of the state-run rail operator KORAIL, is taking a chance on her leadership by adopting a zero-tolerance policy on the hard-line unionized rail workers’ strike.“I shall deal (with the walkout) with a mother’s heart,” Choi said through an official statement on Monday, apologizing for the inconveniences caused by the KORAIL labor union’s nationwide strike.Despite her seemingly soft-hearted words, the rail operator’s first-ever female chief has largely been stern and forthright s
Dec. 10, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Defiance of election result bogs parties
The National Assembly appears headed toward more political wrangling after a first-term proportional representative over the weekend denied the validity of last year’s presidential election.On Sunday, Democratic Party proportional representative Rep. Jang Ha-na declared her official denial of the validity of the Dec. 19 election and argued that a by-election should be held on June 4.The DP as a whole has taken pains to walk a thin line between refuting the election result and shedding light on t
PoliticsDec. 9, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Japan enacts strict state secrets law
Japan has enacted a state-secrets law toughening penalties for leaks, despite public protests and criticism that it will muzzle the media and help cover up official misdeeds.The full upper house approved the bill Friday by 130 to 82. The more powerful lower house passed the bill the previous week.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the law was needed to ensure the smooth operation of a new National Securities Council and to persuade foreign countries such as the U.S. to share intelligence.In Wash
World NewsDec. 8, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Korea hits a wall with F1 Grand Prix race
South Korea has been dropped from the 2014 Formula One Grand Prix race program.The International Automobile Federation eliminated South Korea, Mexico and the U.S. state of New Jersey from its official 2014 calendar of F1 GP races. It also set the schedule for the 2014 season, which will feature 19 races, starting in Melbourne, Australia, on March 16, and ending in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 23.The three eliminated venues had been listed on a provisional 2014 schedule issued in September, with the Korean
More SportsDec. 5, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Choe in spotlight after Jang's removal
The alleged removal of the North Korean leader’s powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek put the spotlight on Choe Ryong-hae, who is believed to be Jang’s rival and to control the country’s military. Choe is a vice marshal of North Korea’s military and the chief of the General Political Bureau, a powerful military organ under the direct control of the ruling Workers’ Party.Without Jang, Choe, a loyalist of the Kim dynasty, is considered to be in an unrivaled position, with his level of authority overshad
North KoreaDec. 4, 2013