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East Asia
High-speed rail deal among 21 signed by China and Russia
Twenty-one agreements were signed between China and Russia on Monday to further promote cooperation in various fields, including on high-speed railways, during Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to St. Petersburg. Li and his Russian counterpart, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, witnessed the signing of the agreements — which also included civil nuclear…
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East Asia
Reflections of the Choi Soon-sil Scandal in Asian Countries
A bizarre scandal about the Korean President Park Geun-hye shakes the South Korean society. Choi Soon-sil, an old friend of the president, allegedly used her connection with Park to extort money from largest corporations as well as abuse of power and corruption activities. President Park Geun-hye apologized recently that she…
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East Asia
Samsung runs apology ad over Galaxy Note 7 recall
Samsung Electronics ran an apology ad in major U.S. newspapers on Monday, pledging to thoroughly look into what led to the massive recall of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and renewing its commitment to consumer safety. “An important tenet of our mission is to offer best-in-class safety and quality. Recently,…
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East Asia
Did the President lie?
Park needs to tell whether she led fundraising New revelations point toward President Park Geun-hye as leader of a fundraising effort for two foundations ― Mir and K-Sports ― with Choi Soon-sil, Park’s “evil” confidant, playing second fiddle as an accomplice. Park had lunch with 17 heads of top conglomerates…
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East Asia
China still tops lists of Russian arms importers
China continues to be one of the largest importers of Russian weapons, Sergei Kornev, the head of the delegation of the Russian state-run arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, at the Airshow China 2016 International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, informed TASS. “China has long been one of the major importers of Russian…
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East Asia
Park’s approval rating crashes to record-low 5%
President Park Geun-hye saw her approval rating crash to 5 percent, the lowest for sitting South Korean presidents, as an influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime friend rattled her presidency, data showed Friday, According to a Gallup Korea survey conducted this week, Park’s approval rating plunged 12 percentage points from a…
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East Asia
N. Korea sounding out labor export to Mongolia
North Korea is seeking ways to export its workers to Mongolia as the central Asian country is recruiting foreign laborers to work at its mines, a U.S. broadcaster, monitored here, said Wednesday. “(As far as I know), the North Korean authorities recently set up ways to make use of its…
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East Asia
Moms and Dads Sports Day marked in China
Children take part in a race during the Moms and Dads Sports Day at a kindergarten in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Nov. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) (wx)
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East Asia
Sharing intelligence with Japan
Korea and Japan announced last week that they will reopen talks on a military information-sharing pact, known as a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), with an aim to conclude the pact by end of the year. An intelligence-sharing accord will allow the countries to exchange sensitive information on…
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East Asia
‘I committed a capital offense’
Choi Soon-sil, the central figure in the biggest influence-peddling scandal of the Park Geun-hye administration, appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office, Monday. Covered up in a black hat, scarf and sunglasses, the 60-year-old arrived at the prosecution’s office a few minutes before 3 p.m. The prosecution and her…
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