Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok team up in 'Whenever Possible'
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Aging population to drive down Korea's housing prices from 2040: experts
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North Korea holds drills simulating nuclear counterattack against enemy
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Park calls for thorough investigation into senior prosecutor over stock purchase
The presidential office on Thursday called for a thorough investigation into a senior prosecutor who has come under public scrutiny for the way he accumulated personal wealth.Jin Kyung-joon offered to quit five days ago, when it was discovered that he pocketed millions of dollars by selling stocks of Nexon Corp., a local online game developer.A presidential official said it's important to shed light on whether Jin may have broken the law when he bought and sold the stocks.Another official also s
April 7, 2016
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S. Korea declares war on excessive sugar intake
The government here on Thursday announced an unprecedented campaign to reduce sugar consumption by its people, designating sugar as the main culprit behind the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases in Korean society.In the initial five-year phase of the anti-sugar campaign, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will make an intensive effort to keep the intake of sugar from processed foods, except for milk, below 10 percent of people's daily total energy.For instance, an adu
April 7, 2016
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Court orders gov't to cancel dismissal of acquitted energy ambassador
An appeals court on Thursday ordered the government to cancel its dismissal of a former energy and resources ambassador who was acquitted of the charge of manipulating stock prices.Overruling a lower court's decision, the Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Kim Eun-seok, who had been indicted on charges of colluding with a mine developer to reap massive profits from a stock price rigging scam linked to a diamond mining project in Cameroon.Ok Deok-gyun, the former head of CNK International, was fo
April 7, 2016
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Ministry to bolster security after break-in
The government vowed Thursday to overhaul the entire security system at government complexes in the wake of multiple break-ins by a civilian last month.The Interior Ministry announced it will fortify security levels by forming four separate task forces -- for security management, security personnel, computer security and service measures -- joined by private security experts. It also immediately blocked entrances at the basement floor of the Seoul Government Complex in central Seoul that are con
April 7, 2016
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Migrant workers call for end to government crackdown
A migrant workers advocacy group called for an end to the government’s “inhumane” crackdown on unregistered foreign workers in Seoul on Thursday, following the government’s announcement to reduce the rate of illegal migrants to below 10 percent by 2018. An association of some 60 lawyers, foreigners and labor rights groups urged the government to revise the Employment Permit System to curb illegal migration in a press conference held in front of the immigration building in western Seoul. Migrant
April 7, 2016
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Ministry to toughen watch on enrollments at international schools
YonhapInternational schools in South Korea will face suspensions in enrollment if they are caught illegally admitting Korean students four times, the Education Ministry said Thursday.The Education Ministry released revised regulations aimed to strengthen the control of illegal admissions at international schools here. There are currently 43 schools and three international kindergartens nationwide.This is the first time the government has specified punishments against schools in cases of illegal
April 7, 2016
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Air Jordan, fashion reawaken ghosts of Japanese imperialism
“It’s gotta be the shoes!” exclaimed director Spike Lee in the hit Air Jordan shoe commercial of the 1990s, images of which were soon branded into the minds of sports fans around the world.Since then, basketball legend Michael Jordan’s sneakers have transcended sports gear to become symbols of pop culture and must-have items for anyone striving to “be like Mike.”Former NBA superstar Michael Jordan / MCTBut the shoes have become a social hot potato in Korea, as the design of the recently released
April 7, 2016
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Korea declares war on sugar
South Korea on Thursday released a set of measures to reduce its citizens’ sugar consumption, after a recent government study revealed almost half of young Koreans aged 3-29 are eating too much sugar, leaving them vulnerable to a number of health conditions, including obesity and diabetes. “Our goal is to make sure every citizen’s sugar consumption only makes up 10 percent of their daily calorie intake,” said an official from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. “For example, if an in
April 7, 2016
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Soldier found guilty of molesting fellow soldier
A senior soldier was handed down a sentence of eight months in prison for assaulting and molesting a junior soldier of the same sex. The 23-year-old soldier surnamed Kwon was initially given a suspended sentence, but the Daejeon High Court reversed the decision Thursday and slapped Kwon with eight months in prison with two years of probation. (123RF)Kwon will also receive 40 hours of sex education and carry out 80 hours of volunteer work. According to the court, Kwon threatened his victim with
April 7, 2016
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Number of marriages sinks to 12-yr low in 2015: report
The number of South Koreans getting married dropped to a 12-year low in 2015, a government report showed Thursday, partly on a steady decline in the number of people in the marriage age group.In 2015, the number of marriages came to about 302,800, the lowest since 302,500 tallied in 2002, according to Statistics Korea.The annual figure represents a 0.9-percent drop from a year before, with 2015 marking the fourth consecutive year the number decreased.A drop in the number of marriages spells a pr
April 7, 2016
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Professor accused of assaulting colleague
A 50-year-old professor was booked on Thursday for assaulting a coworker. (123RF)The Cheongju Heungdeok Police said that the professor had pushed and tripped a 36-year-old employee at his workplace, a college hospital.The victim had to undergo medical treatment for two weeks. In the police investigation, the professor testified that he and the victim have had a strained relationship ever since they had a row over personal matters a long time ago. He had grown angry when the victim had ignored
April 7, 2016
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Man, 2 high school girls found dead in motel
A 36-year-old office worker and two high school girls were found dead in a motel room in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo-gu, Wednesday. The police had arrived at the scene after the motel keeper reported the three had not left the room long after checkout time. (Yonhap)Evidence suggesting suicide was found inside the room. According to the police investigation, the three had entered the motel at 9:30 a.m. together, before which they had never met. The police suspect they met through an online site, and ar
April 7, 2016
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Former KORAIL chief arrested over corruption in urban development project
Prosecutors on Thursday formally arrested a former chief of South Korea's rail operator on suspicions of bribery in connection to a now-scrapped urban development plan in Seoul.The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to arrest Huh Joon-young, who led the Korea Railroad Corp. from 2009 to 2011, noting there are considerable reasons to believe he committed the crimes and could possibly destroy evidence.The 63-year-old is accused of receiving some 20 million won of illegal political funds
April 7, 2016
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Man allegedly sells out wife as prostitute
A man who allegedly told his wife to sleep with another man to extort money out of the latter will be tried on charges of false accusation. Seoul’s Northern District Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday that the 26-year-old man, who is mildly impaired, directed his 25-year-old wife, who has a second-degree mental disability and an IQ of 45, to seduce strangers on the streets. They had been living on government subsidies at the time.(123RF)Following the husband’s orders, the wife had taken a ma
April 7, 2016
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Awareness of animal rights grows in Korea
This is the first installment in a series of articles that look at South Korea’s pet culture and industry. –Ed.Stay-at-home mother Cho Young-ai has endured painful treatments to fight cancer for the past three years, but luckily two companion animals have given her a great deal of emotional support and strength to survive. “When I was ill and isolated in a rural area, I felt relieved to see my dogs wagging their tails as if everything was going to be just fine,” the 51-year-old told The Korea He
April 6, 2016
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Pregnant ballerina asked to quit
Gwangju City Ballet Company’s art director is drawing flak for allegedly asking a pregnant ballerina to quit.The Gwangju Artists’ Labor Union claimed on Wednesday that the director had told the dancer to “think it through for a week,” effectively pressuring her to leave her job. The woman in this photo is not the ballerina mentioned in the article. (123RF)The director has so far denied the allegations. He refuted the Union’s claims, by saying, “I have never told her to leave because she’s pregn
April 6, 2016
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Ministry burned for lax regulation of harmful acids
A sulfuric acid attack against Seoul police earlier this week exposed the lax supervision of harmful acids by the Environment Ministry. A police officer at Gwanak Police Station was attacked Monday with highly corrosive sulfuric acid by a women surnamed Jeon, who was at the station to file a complaint with the Cyber Investigation Team.A corridor of Gwanak Police Station where the attacker poured sulfuric acid on police officers. (Yonhap)Jeon reportedly told the police that she had purchased the
April 6, 2016
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Concerns rise over nighttime opening of palace
“I managed to get the last batch of tickets,” said 29-year-old Tina Hsing, a Chinese student here, standing in front of the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul after sunset. She said she really did not want to miss the chance to experience Korea’s royal palaces under the moonlight.“I heard tickets (to enter Gyeongbokgung Palace during night hours) are sold out in minutes for domestic visitors, which makes me glad that I am a foreigner here,” said Hsing.Visitors take a stroll arou
April 6, 2016
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[EXCLUSIVE] Racism prevalent in migrant education
When Alaina Yildiz started taking her Korean language class at a state-run institute in Busan in February, she could not believe what her teacher told her and her classmates. The class, officially named the Korea Immigration and Integration Program, was offered by South Korea’s Justice Ministry and specifically targeted marriage immigrants who wish to obtain South Korean citizenship after marrying Korean nationals. “My Korean teacher said Vietnamese names aren’t beautiful so Vietnamese women sh
April 6, 2016
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Prosecution brings murder charges against abusive father
A 23-year-old father who had habitually abused his daughter from before she was three months old was indicted Wednesday on charges of murder. The man was taken into custody last month for repeatedly dropping his baby from the height of a meter, which cracked her skull and led to her death.(123RF)The police initially accused the man of foul play, but later changed the case to that of manslaughter by gross negligence. The police said it had discovered through investigation that the man and his wif
April 6, 2016