• Politics

    President’s mentor Choi embroiled in bribery scandal

    Former Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairman Choi See-joong is facing being summoned for allegedly taking billions of won in bribes from a businessman. Another key presidential aide Park Young-joon, a former vice minister of knowledge economy, is also suspected of having taken money from the same businessman, the prosecution said…

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  • Politics

    North Korea threatens ‘special action’ against S. Korea

    North Korea’s military announced Monday it would soon take “special actions” targeting the conservative administration of President Lee Myung-bak and some media outlets. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, the military said the actions would last for 3 to 4 minutes and consist of “unique…

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  • Politics

    IOC to investigate Moon case

    Moon Dae-sung, Korea’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, who is in trouble for plagiarizing his doctoral thesis, didn’t respond to repeated calls Sunday for comments regarding The Korea Times’ report about the IOC’s plan to investigate the case. Moon, a lawmaker elected for the upcoming 19th term of the National…

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  • Politics

    High expectations greet Filipina-Korean lawmaker

    Philippine envoy says community feels pride in Jasmine Lee The Filipino community here is abuzz with pride and high expectations of lawmaker-elect Jasmine Lee, the first naturalized citizen ever elected to the National Assembly in the history of Korea. “Jasmine Lee is a source of pride in Korea for Filipinos…

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  • Politics

    Governor declares presidential bid

    Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo declared his presidential candidacy Sunday, becoming the first to announce a bid to compete in the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential primary. “Today, I announce my decision to run for the presidential election,” he said during a press conference at the National Assembly. Kim said he…

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  • Politics

    Predictions on Kim Jong-un era

    ‘Years 2015-2020 crucial to third-generation leader’ The launch of Kim Jong-un’s rule in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been a major theme in publishing in recent months, with many scholars, experts and journalists writing about it. Even the untested leader’s older brother Kim Jong-nam’s views on the…

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  • Politics

    Moderate voters: cure or curse?

    A lawmaker-elect of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) strove to put a halt to the full-blown debate calling for embracing middle-of-the-road voters ahead of the presidential election slated for December, Friday. There have been growing calls from within that the party needs to woo the hearts and minds…

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  • Politics

    Lose him!

    Saenuri sends plagiarizing Moon to ethics panel; IOC remains mum International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Moon Dae-sung is not just an embarrassment to the ruling Saenuri Party but also to Korea, an Olympic nation that hosted the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul and will host the 2018 Winter Games in…

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  • Politics

    Kim Jong-un named one of world’s most influential people

    Time magazine online named North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for being “the incarnation of the tenets of self-sufficiency established by his grandfather and father.” Kim, who is believed to be in his late 20s, is one of the “four…

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  • Politics

    Post-election purge in ruling Saenuri

    Unethical, unscrupulous lawmakers-elect targeted Kim Hyung-tae, a lawmaker-elect of the ruling Saenuri Party, decided to leave the party Wednesday amid mounting criticism over his ethically-flawed behavior in allegedly attempting to sexually assault the wife of his deceased brother. The would-be lawmaker’s move comes at a time when the ruling party…

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