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Politics
Hu calls on U.S. to build cooperative partnership
Chinese President Hu Jintao addresses the opening session of the fourth round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, May 3, 2012. <Xinhua/Li Tao> BEIJING, May 3 — Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday called on China and the United States to break the traditional…
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Politics
Egyptian military to hand over power when outright election winner appears
Egypt’s military is ready to hand over power to a new president after the first round of the vote on May 24, Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sami Anan said on Wednesday. That will happen if the first round produces an outright winner, he said. “The Military Council is…
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Korea, China will start FTA talks
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced the start of free trade agreement (FTA) talks with China, the nation’s largest trading partner, Wednesday. “Beginning the negotiations is a historical step for both nations,” said Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho during a joint press conference with China’s Commerce Minister Chen Deming…
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Left-wing minor party apologizes for election irregularities
A left-wing minor party leader issued a public apology Thursday for suspected vote rigging and other irregularities in the party’s selection of candidates for last month’s parliamentary elections. Lee Jung-hee, one of four co-leaders of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP), said in a meeting with party officials she “would assume…
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Politics
Incompetent!
Foreign ministry runs out of tricks to deal with big powers Does Korea have diplomacy it can call its own? If so, the next question would be what has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade been doing. Whenever a diplomatic row surfaces, it cites strategic ambiguity or quiet diplomacy,…
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Politics
Foreign minister in knotty mission in Myanmar
South Korea’s top diplomat will hold talks with the foreign minister of Myanmar this week as the resource-rich Southeast Asian country draws a flurry of high-profile visits from European countries and the United States. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-hwan will sit down with his counterpart Wunna Maung…
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Underdogs challenge Park
Several politicians, whose support rates combined are lower than that of Park Geun-hye, are forming a collective front against her by declaring their bid to run in the Saenuri Party primary for December’s presidential election. The contenders, including Rep. Chung Mong-joon and Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, are dreaming of a…
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Politics
Chung announces presidential bid
Chung Mong-joon, a businessman-turned-lawmaker, announced Sunday he will run in the Saenuri Party primary in the run-up to the December presidential election. Chung is also chairman of the world’s largest shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries. He promised to fight against the widening income gap. “As a presidential hopeful, I would like…
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iPhones to be banned in defense ministry
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to prohibit the use of Apple’s iPhones in two of its major buildings from August, military officials said Friday. They said other smart devices will continue to be allowed after installing a mobile device management (MDM) system, an application that would automatically disable…
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Politics
Russia more flexible than China on N. Korean defectors
North Korean loggers in Russia successfully arrived here earlier this month with help from the South Korean Embassy in Moscow. It shows the contrasting stance between Russia and China in dealing with the defectors from their neighbor. According to government sources and comments made by Kim Hee-tae, head of a…
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