• President Lee’s approval rate recoreded lowest

    According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea in the third week of July, only 18 percent of those polled replied positively about President Lee Myung-bak’s performance of duty while 62 percent of the respondents said negatively about Lee’s performance. The survey marked the lowest approval rating for President Lee during his tenure of office. The…

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  • Politics

    Rodong Sinmun stresses economy over politics

    Economic coverage by a major North Korean newspaper has increased in recent months amid signals that the isolated state could experiment with reform, experts said Monday. The Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, carried 506 economy-related articles during the first quarter of the year, up from…

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  • DUP seeks 3-way race with Ahn, UPP

    Rep. Lee Hae-chan of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) is optimistic that Ahn Cheol-soo will become a contender for the opposition camp during the process of choosing a candidate for the December presidential election. Speaking at a news conference with foreign correspondents based in Seoul, the DUP chairman…

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  • Politics

    KBS head to visit NK over Olympic coverage

    Kim In-kyu, president of state-run broadcaster KBS, will head to Pyongyang Tuesday to discuss the sharing of broadcasting rights for the 2012 London Olympics and other matters, Seoul said Monday. Kim will travel in his capacity as head of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), which is coordinating the broadcasting…

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  • Park’s remark over May 16 causes controversy

    Rep. Park Geun-hye, strong presidential hopeful of the ruling Saenuri Party, assessed that the May 16 coup d’etat was “my father’s indispensable best choice,” in a meeting last Monday (July 16). It was a step back from her earlier estimation in 2007 that “it was a revolution for salvaging our country.”…

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  • View of Chinese expert on NK’s dismissal of Ri Yong-ho

    China’s experts on North Korea are producing diverse analyses in connection with recent dismissal of North Korea military chief Ri Yong-ho by its new leader Kim Jong-un. China’s major press including government-controlled Xinhua News Agency reported swiftly the news on July 16. Other news media analyzed about the background of…

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  • Korea-bashing in China sparks soul-searching

    Bloggers here blamed some Koreans for their alleged double standards on foreigners, arguing their immaturity could trigger anti-Korean sentiment in China. “Koreans tend to be nice to Americans or Europeans and try to help them when they are in trouble here. But those who are from Asia, Africa or China…

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  • NK leader ready to push his agenda

    Pyongyang’s recent military reshuffle gives leader Kim Jong-un the stability to implement his own governing style, which has shown hints of balancing security and the economy, analysts said Sunday. The replacement last week of army chief of staff Ri Yong-ho with Kim’s own man, Hyon Yong-chol, has raised questions over…

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  • Politics

    Young NK defector beats ‘English stress’

    Hong Sung-il, a North Korean defector, found himself alienated in his first English class on the first day of high school in Seoul in 2000. Hong was 17 then. “I had never studied English before,” said Hong, a 29-year-old Yonsei University graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology, in an interview…

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  • Politics

    [Indonesia Report] ASEAN Hopes to settle dispute on South China Sea

    Amid tension in South China Sea, ASEAN countries are expected to release a statement of unity of their stands on South China Sea dispute this week. ASEAN Ministerial Meeting’s unprecedented failure to issue communiqué last week, raised concern over ASEAN’s unity. They failed to reach a consensus after Cambodia objection…

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