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East Asia
Turkish Satellite Succesfully Launched At Jiuquan Rocket Center In China
A Long March carrier rocket carrying Turkish earth observation satellite GK-2 blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province, early on Dec. 19, 2012. China successfully sent the satellite GK-2 into orbit with a Long March carrier rocket on Wednesday. <Xinhua/Zhang…
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East Asia
South Koreans Stand In Line To Vote For Presidential Election
Voters register at a polling station in Seoul, Dec. 19, 2012. Polls opened early Wednesday morning in South Korea’s closely contested presidential election, which pits the daughter of a military strongman against a former human rights lawyer once jailed for protesting his rule. Park Geun-hye, South Korean presidential candidate of…
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West Asia
An Egyptian Soldier Stands Guard Amid Opposition Rally To Protest Against Constitution Referendum
A republican guards soldier stands guard at the presidential palace and anti-Morsi graffiti is seen on the palace’s wall behind him in Cairo, Dec. 18, 2012. Egypt’s opposition staged rallies across the country on Tuesday to protest against the draft constitution referendum, after the country’s Ministry of Justice ordered a probe…
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East Asia
Strangers in their homeland
Many ethnic Koreans with foreign citizenship live here and their number is growing steadily. Do these “gyopo,” who were raised abroad feel comfortable in their homeland? Does Korean society embrace them heartily? A once homogenous country, Korea is gradually opening up to foreigners but it’s still not as friendly to…
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East Asia
SK Chairman Chey steps down from top post
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has stepped down from the top post of Korea’s third largest conglomerate’s decision-making body to serve as a strategic stakeholder, the group said Tuesday. Kim Chang-geun, vice chairman of SK Chemical, was appointed to chair the group starting January, it said. “Chey, who has served…
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East Asia
Protecting all members of our human family
I am a great champion of the power of youth to change the world but I am celebrating a 64-year-old responsible for ushering in momentous progress. Not a person but a document that was born on December 1948 and forever altered the view of how we treat members of our…
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East Asia
Winner’s bucket list
Here are five suggestions for what our new President has to do during his or her five-year term. 1) Don’t be ambitious but be ambitious The late former President Roh Moo-hyun once observed, “The fact that I became president,” when asked what he thought was his biggest presidential achievement. Roh didn’t…
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East Asia
Pop starts urged to shun alcohol ads
Seoul City government is poised to set guidelines on alcohol advertisements that may be harmful to teenagers. The municipal authorities said Tuesday that it sent an official document to alcohol manufacturers, entertainment companies and advertisers requesting that they refrain from contracting young idol stars. A recent soju advertisement showing female…
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East Asia
‘More senior NK leaders to fall’
One year after the announcement of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Dec. 19, 2011, his son and successor Kim Jong-un appears to have overseen a relatively smooth transition of power. But analysts say tricky moves such as replacing more senior figures and smoothing relations with regional…
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East Asia
President-elect to set new records
Whoever wins Wednesday’s election, he or she will rewrite Korean history as the two major candidates’ unique political and personal backgrounds will make them set new records in many ways. If ruling Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye is elected, the 60-year-old will be the first female president in Korean history, which…
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