Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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[Graphic News] Damages from phishing scams jump over 35%
Damages from phishing scams jumped on-year in 2023 despite growing awareness of the crime, data showed. Damages from phishing crimes came to 196.5 billion won ($147.8 million) last year, up 35.4 percent from 145.1 billion won in 2022, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. The number of people who fell victim to the crime dropped 10.2 percent to 11,503 from 12,816 over the cited period. Phishing is a crime where victims are conned into transferring money to scammers or s
Social AffairsApril 3, 2024
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S. Korea, Chile hold talks on improving bilateral FTA
South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it has launched another round of talks with Chile to update their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) that went into effect in 2004, aiming to reflect the latest changes in the global supply chain and the digital economy. Director General for FTA Policy Ahn Chang-yong met his Chilean counterpart, Pablo Urria, in Santiago for the ninth round of negotiations on improving South Korea's first FTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and E
Foreign AffairsApril 2, 2024
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Court dismisses med professors’ request to avert expansion plan
The Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday dismissed an injunction request filed by 33 representatives of the Medical Professors Association of Korea against the government’s planned hike in medical school enrollment quotas, as well as the administrative lawsuit against the health and education ministers, respectively. The court said in its ruling that the medical professors are not eligible to file an injunction request, but the presidents of universities can. The economic damage asserted
Social AffairsApril 2, 2024
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South Korea sanctions Russians for helping North Korea
South Korea imposed sanctions on two Russian individuals and two other entities over the transfer of arms with North Korea and involvement in helping North Korea finance its nuclear and missile programs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul said Tuesday that two Russian ships used in arms transfers as well as two Russian organizations and their leaders have been designated as sanctions targets. Two Russian vessels -- Lady R and Angara -- were involved in shipping containers of military suppl
PoliticsApril 2, 2024
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[Hello India] Korea, India interwoven as 'win-win cooperation partners'
The synergistic cooperation between South Korea and India, deeply rooted in shared values, stands as indispensable in nurturing economic growth and security as well as regional security, amid compounding crises worldwide, South Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae-bok said. "The significance of India cannot be emphasized enough, given its status as the world's largest manufacturing hub and its potential as a market, as well as its role in ensuring economic security and sustaining globa
Foreign AffairsApril 2, 2024
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Election candidates seek to win votes from pet owners
Several candidates running for the April 10 general election have rolled out pledges to attract votes from pet owners in recent weeks, including tax benefits and setting up pet-friendly systems and facilities. Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Byung-wook, who is running for the Bundang-B constituency -- one of the two constituencies in the Bundang district located in Seoul's satellite city of Seongnam -- sees pet owners as key voters. Kim pledged to build a budget pet hotel
PoliticsApril 2, 2024
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[Hello India] India rises as new economic powerhouse under Modi
The Indian economy, once labeled by Morgan Stanley as one of the "Fragile Five" countries due to its vulnerability, has surged to become the world's fifth-largest and fastest-growing economy over the decade since 2014, under the two terms of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When Modi assumed office in 2014, he inherited an economy grappling with a range of challenges, including the Indian Rupee Crisis of 2013, a downturn in the stock market, reduced foreign direct investment into Ind
Foreign AffairsApril 2, 2024
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Govt. to expand range of E-9 visas
The South Korean government announced on Tuesday that it would begin accepting applications from business owners that want to hire workers from 16 designated countries eligible for E-9 visas starting later this month. Owners of Korean restaurants, hotels and resorts, forestry and mining companies will now be able to apply for permission to employ workers from these countries, the government said. From April 22 to May 3, business owners can apply for permission to employ workers from the 16 count
Social AffairsApril 2, 2024
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Seoul Metro to switch subway seats from fabric to plastic
Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1 to 8, announced Tuesday that it will replace all fabric seats on its subway trains with reinforced plastic chairs by 2029 to keep the trains clean from bedbugs and other pollutants. According to Seoul Metro, fabric chairs account for 54 percent, or 1,955 subway cars of all seats on Seoul’s subway trains. On the other hand, reinforced plastic chairs account for 29 percent of Seoul’s subway trains, while stainless steel seats account for 17 p
Social AffairsApril 2, 2024
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Bakery giant SPC chief detained for questioning
Prosecutors arrested Hur Young-in, chair of South Korean bakery giant SPC Group, after he repeatedly failed to comply with being summoned for an investigation. The 74-year-old is under investigation for his suspected involvement in forcing bakers at PB Partners to quit their membership in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions umbrella labor group, between 2019 and 2022. PB Partners is SPC's subsidiary in charge of recruiting and training bakers for bakery chain Paris Baguette. Prosecut
Social AffairsApril 2, 2024
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Yoon envisions 2nd presidential office, relocation of parliament to Sejong
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday his administration was moving to establish a new presidential office and a parliament branch in Sejong, the de facto administrative capital of South Korea. The new branch of the presidential office, currently located in Yongsan-gu of Seoul near the Yongsan Garrison of the US Forces Korea, will contribute to "breaking down barriers between the presidential office and the government" and at the same time boost Yoon's public engagement, Yoon said
PoliticsApril 2, 2024
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Foreigners must stay in S. Korea for 6 months to be eligible for state health insurance as dependents
Foreigners and overseas Koreans can only become eligible for the state health insurance coverage as dependents if they reside in South Korea for at least six months, according to the health ministry Tuesday. The tightened rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, comes as some foreigners have reportedly exploited the nation's health insurance system. Media reports have said some foreign nationals working in South Korea register siblings and other relatives as dependents and arrange temporary
Social AffairsApril 2, 2024
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North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea
North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile into the East Sea on Tuesday morning. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, an intermediate-range ballistic missile was launched from the Pyongyang area at around 6:53 a.m. The missile flew for about 600 kilometers before landing in the water. The missile was detected from the moment of its launch, and the related information was shared with the US and Japan, the JCS said. The JCS condemned North Korea’s missile firing as a
DefenseApril 2, 2024
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Air Force explores replacing patrol dogs with robot dogs
South Korea's Air Force on Monday revealed that it is exploring the possibility of replacing patrol dogs with four-legged robots or robotic dogs, as the number of military dog handlers is expected to decrease due to a reduction in troops. The Air Force intends to initiate a feasibility study to assess whether robotic patrol dogs can effectively supplant traditional breeds such as shepherds and Labrador retrievers at major air base facilities, while maintaining the integrity of the patrol an
Social AffairsApril 1, 2024
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[Election Battlefield] ‘Mini presidential election’ unfolds in Incheon
INCHEON -- In a district in Incheon, two potential presidential candidates are in a neck-and-neck race to secure a National Assembly seat on April 10. The ruling People Power Party candidate is Won Hee-ryong, previously the minister of land and transport under President Yoon Suk Yeol. The 60-year-old was a candidate in the party’s presidential primary in 2021, and boasts a winning track record against Democratic Party of Korea rivals so far in all of the five elections he has run in. He is
PoliticsApril 1, 2024
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Korea unveils next-generation bullet train
South Korea on Monday unveiled the KTX Cheong-ryong, a new class of bullet train that boasts a maximum speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The new high-speed train is the first domestically designed and manufactured one with a peak speed surpassing 300 kilometers per hour. South Korea launched its homegrown bullet train, the KTX-Sancheon, in 2008 for the first time. Beginning in May, the KTX Cheong-ryong will operate four times a day between Seoul and Busan in southeastern Korea, and twice a day b
PoliticsApril 1, 2024
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Seoul education office to support same-sex schools to turn coed
Seoul plans to boost fiscal support to encourage single-sex schools in the city to transition to coeducational schools, which refers to schools where male and female students are taught together, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Monday. Same-sex schools that register to change to coed will receive 600 million won ($445,000) for six years. Schools can use the funds for educational programs and activities suitable for each school. Schools will also receive 90 million won
Social AffairsApril 1, 2024
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Yoon says 'open to talks' but doctors express disappointment
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that he is open to talks with doctors if they can suggest a more plausible option than his administration's plan of adding 2,000 more medical students a year, seeking a breakthrough in a prolonged medical standoff that has apparently been affecting the ruling party's election campaign. Pointing to doctors' failure to refute his administration's plan to increase the school quota by 2,000 to 5,058 per year starting in 2025, Yoon said in a tel
PoliticsApril 1, 2024
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Police vow to take strict action against false reports
The Korean National Police Agency stated Monday that it will begin to strictly respond to false police reports that waste police resources by increasing fines. Currently under the Punishment of Minor Offenses Act, making a false police report through the 112 hotline is punishable by a fine of up to 600,000 won ($445), imprisonment or both. False police reports are also punishable as obstruction of justice under the criminal code. Additionally, if a false police report results in a significant wa
Social AffairsApril 1, 2024
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Private physicians, med professors start reducing work hours
Patient anxiety over health care disruptions is growing as medical professors and private physicians started reducing their work hours to protest against the medical school quota expansion plan on Monday, shrugging off the government’s efforts to facilitate talks. The Medical Professors Association of Korea said medical professors, who are senior doctors at major hospitals, began shortening their work time to 52 hours a week to cope with fatigue from trainee doctors’ walkouts. They p
Social AffairsApril 1, 2024