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Sejong Institute withdrawal to leave Cia-Cia out in cold
A Korean teaching institute in Indonesia that taught the Korean alphabet or Hangeul to a small tribe using an aboriginal language has shut down. The King Sejong Institute said Monday that it withdrew from Bau-Bau, a city located on the island of Buton, after a year-long operation. The decision raises…
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Society
Seoul-Beijing ties may get friendlier under Xi
Throughout the year, concern has risen over how current political changes will affect Northeast Asia, stirring the threat of new uncertainty in the region. With elections underway in Seoul and Washington and a new North Korean regime, such concerns are well-founded. Add a new element to the mix: A month…
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Society
Japan should put old colonial dreams behind
This is the sixth in a series of contributed articles by international and Korean experts shedding light on Japan’s claim on Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo and other affairs that prove Japan’s lack of remorse about historic misdeeds it has committed. ― E.D. Discussions often break down into confusing comparisons…
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People
Foreign Hangeul experts honored
To mark Hangeul Day, Seoul will award medals to Korean language experts within and outside Korea. The culture ministry announced Monday a list of 10 medal recipients. The country celebrates Hangeul Day today. Receiving the highest honor is Lev Rafailovich Kontsevich, 82, an expert on Korean language and history from…
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Politics
Saenuri hit by internal dispute
The ruling Saenuri Party was mired in a feud Monday as disgruntled members showed no signs of backing down on their call for a campaign shake-up even after a key post holder quit. Rep. Park Geun-hye, presidential candidate of the ruling party, warned the rebels, urging them not to play…
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Politics
Lawmaker calls for overhaul of NK defector services
Seoul needs to overhaul its support system for North Korean defectors as too many escapees from the Stalinist state live in sub-standard living conditions here, a lawmaker said Monday. Rep. Shim Yoon-joe of the ruling Saenuri Party said that because President Lee Myung-bak and previous administrations have not done enough…
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Business
Nuclear safety concerns growing
Experts stress system overhaul necessary to avoid disaster With nuclear reactors shutting down repeatedly month after month, there is growing concern over whether the nation’s atomic power plant management system has a structural problem that could lead to disaster. Recently published data about a spate of nuclear incidents over the…
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Business
What explains big cash advances from Macau?
Korean financial authorities are taking a harder look on the sharp rise in cash withdrawals by Korean credit card users in Macau. Gamblers are apparently using their credit cards to pay for bets, but Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) officials are also suspicious about bizarre spending patterns in Asia’s casino capital,…
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Column
New ROK-US security partnership
New leaders of the Republic of Korea and the United States may begin strategic discussions on shaping a new role for their security partnership by examining two critical issues: reunification of the Korean Peninsula and revision of the Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1953. These two issues might look separate,…
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Column
Asia’s energy trilemma
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently said that energy was the “golden thread” connecting all of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals. The solutions to energy challenges would help alleviate other global problems, from poverty and the rights of women to the protection of children. But the development of a stable,…
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