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East Asia
First lady submits statement to independent counsel
An independent counsel may bring criminal charges against seven or eight people, including President Lee Myung-bak’s son, for their involvement in a property scandal over a now-scrapped retirement home project for the president, according to sources Tuesday. First lady Kim Yoon-ok turned in a statement over her alleged role in…
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East Asia
Obama to support Seoul’s N. Korea engagement policy
U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to cooperate tightly with the next Seoul administration on efforts toward eventual unification of the peninsula, a former U.S. envoy said Tuesday. The remark from James Steinberg, deputy secretary of state under Obama from 2009 to 2011, came as South Korean presidential candidates say…
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East Asia
Expat life in Kuwait
Canadian native, David Yorston, one time English teacher in Korea took the opportunity of a lifetime to go back to his former profession, civil engineer. Accepting an offer from a Korean company, he found himself stationed in the oil rich State of Kuwait. Now back in Korea, Yorsten spoke with…
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East Asia
Right to smoke vs. right to breathe
“I can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke when I step into the restroom in my office building. Some people smoke inside the booths, it’s really irritating,” says Kim Ga-eun, a 31-year-old sales manager. Under the current People’s Health Promotion Law, buildings with floor space of over 2,000 square meters…
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East Asia
Jeong-dong: historic hideaway where East meets West
A trail less than a kilometer from the periphery of Seoul City Hall to Sinmun Road in the Jeong-dong area is one of few spots where one can calmly stroll amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Seoul. But its birth was as dark as the fate of the Joseon…
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KT, SKT may face credit downgrade
SK Telecom and KT, the country’s two leading wireless service providers, may face a credit ratings downgrade in the near future due to their excessive marketing war for new customers, Moody’s Investors Service said Tuesday. The global ratings agency also said E-Mart and Lotte Shopping, Korea’s two retail giants, have…
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East Asia
African connections
The government announced Tuesday that it plans to boost Korea’s trade with African countries with a goal to increase bilateral trade to $80 billion by the year 2020. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said that it had a new set of measures that will boost economic support for African…
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tobechecked
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West Asia
Authenticated Video Image Shows Syrians Looking For Victims After Airstrike By Syrian Warplanes In Ras al-Ayn, Syria
This image taken from video obtained from Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and an Associated Press journalist who saw a plane bomb an area around the Syrian-Turkish border town of Ras al-Ayn, shows Syrians inspecting the damage and looking for victims moments after an…
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West Asia
Trial For Former Libyan Prime Minister Starts At Court In Tripoli, Libya
Former Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi (L) arrives for his trial at a court in Tripoli, capita of Libya, on Nov. 12, 2012. The trial of former Prime Minister al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi started here on Monday. Mahmoudi, who served as the last prime minister in former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s…
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