Most Popular
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
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Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
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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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[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
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S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
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North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS
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Samsung, SK hynix investors dump shares on Nvidia crash
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Koreans seek ‘right to disconnect’
Koreans find their constantly buzzing smartphones disorienting, according to a report by the Korea Press Foundation on Wednesday.The KPF surveyed 1,040 employed Koreans over a course of four days between March 17 and 21, regarding their “rights to disconnect.” (123RF)According to the survey, 62.3 percent of the respondents felt that smartphone connectivity added to their workload. Among them, 57.6 percent singled out mobile messenger apps such as KakaoTalk and Line as the prime culprit. Other 23
March 30, 2016
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7-in-10 South Koreans willing to fight if war breaks out
Seven out of 10 South Koreans are willing to fight for the country if a war breaks out, with those in their 50s showing the strongest intention to take up arms, a government poll said Wednesday.According to the survey by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, 72.1 percent of the respondents said they are willing to go to war if one like the 1950-53 Korean War erupted.The opinion survey was conducted in November last year on 1,000 men and women aged 15 and older, randomly selected from ac
March 30, 2016
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Quarter of college students willing to work in N. Korea
More than a quarter of South Korean college students are willing to work in North Korea after reunification if they could get a job there, a local poll showed Wednesday.According to the poll conducted by a research center at Seoul's Kookmin University on 1,004 students, more than 25 percent said they are willing to work in the North.The survey was based on 731 freshmen and 273 students in their second to fourth years.Sophomore, junior and senior students were more favorably inclined to working i
March 30, 2016
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Korea checking if nationals aboard hijacked Egypt plane
South Korea said Tuesday it is checking whether any of its nationals were aboard the EgyptAir flight that was forced to land in Cyprus after being hijacked.The Airbus A320 carrying 81 people was en route to Cairo from Alexandria, Egypt, when a passenger reportedly wearing an explosive belt forced the plane to land in Larnaca, Cyprus."The Foreign Ministry is checking through the South Korean embassies in Egypt and Greece whether any of our nationals were aboard the plane," the ministry said in a
March 29, 2016
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PM vows to eradicate child abuse
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn vowed Tuesday that the government will make utmost efforts to root out child abuse after a series of high-profile cases involving violence against children made headlines."The government will set up a system to root out child abuse by focusing its resources on tackling child abuse cases," Hwang said during a government meeting.Participants at the meeting included the vice ministers of education, welfare and justice, as well as officials from relevant government agenc
March 29, 2016
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Employees lie most about being sick: survey
Nine in 10 South Korean workers have lied to their bosses or colleagues at work, mostly about being sick, a survey showed Tuesday. According to a survey by job portal site Career on 756 workers, 90.7 percent of the respondents said that they have lied, with 22.6 percent of them being excuses like “I don’t feel well” to get out of social or work obligations.YonhapOther 21 percent said they lied about understanding orders from their boss although they failed to grasp what was being sought, while 1
March 29, 2016
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Appeals court hears Itaewon murder case
An appeals court on Monday began to hear a case involving a Korean-American sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of killing a South Korean college student nearly two decades ago. Arthur John Patterson, 37, denied his involvement in what is known as the “Itaewon murder case,” saying that he was only a witness of an “unexpected” murder. His lawyer accused Edward Lee, 37, of killing Cho, citing the blood stains on his shirts. Arthur John Patterson’s attorney Oh Byung-joo heads
March 29, 2016
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Changing definition of Korean family
In the hit drama “Reply 1988,” which vividly portrayed Korea in the ’80s, protagonist Deok-seon usually begins and ends her day by having a meal with her family, while watching television. This was when TV sets were becoming popular in Korea and served as the center of home life.But times have changed and it is rare to come across such a scene nowadays. A man is eating alone at a restaurant specially designed for “honbobjok,” people who eat alone, in Sinchon, Seoul. YonhapShin Hyang-gi, 50, who
March 29, 2016
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Korean history exam now mandatory
The Korean history test will become mandatory for college entrance exam takers starting this year, officials said Tuesday. The Education Ministry said the score of the College Scholastic Aptitude Test, or Suneung, will be invalid if test-takers do not sit for the Korean history exam. The new rule is part of the ministry’s guidelines and plans for the CSAT this year. The ministry annually releases the basic scheme for the national college entrance exam at the start of the school year. The test wi
March 29, 2016
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'Subway masseur’ to be retried as sex offender
Korea’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that a man who “massaged” an inebriated woman in a late night train fits the profile of a sex offender and he must be retried accordingly. The man, previously acquitted on grounds that he lacked intent, will be tried again at the Seoul Central Court, according to Justice Park Bo-young of the Supreme Court. (123RF)Justice Park’s announcement said the “act of semi-coercive molestation does not require deliberate objective for sexual gratification” and that “layin
March 29, 2016
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Divorce-seeking wife tortured by husband
A woman pursuing divorce was locked up for over 24 hours and tortured by her husband, Seoul’s Seocho Police Station said Monday. (123RF)The husband, whose identity was withheld by the police, met with his estranged wife at his bar in Seocho-gu to discuss custody rights. When she turned up, he locked her in an underground storage house where he is suspected of torturing her with a hot iron. He then took the victim to a hospital for emergency treatment and kept watch to prevent her from contactin
March 29, 2016
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Wait time for foreigners' alien registration, extension of stay slashed
The wait time for foreigners filing for alien registration or extension of stay has been sharply decreased with the extended implementation of the online reservation system, the government said Tuesday.The Ministry of Justice said since it adopted the full-scale online reservation system at six immigration offices in the Seoul metropolitan area in February, 45,635 cases have been processed via the Internet as of last week, accounting for 44.4 percent of the total. The online system allows foreig
March 29, 2016
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Korea‘s air passenger traffic jumps 15.3% in Feb.
South Korea's air passenger traffic jumped 15.3 percent in February from a year earlier on an increase in domestic and international travelers amid reduced fuel costs, government data showed Tuesday.The number of people entering and leaving the country by plane reached 8.13 million last month, up from 7.05 million tallied a year ago, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Outbound travelers rose 15.7 percent on-year to 5.85 million, with inbound air passeng
March 29, 2016
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9 in 10 immigrant investors are Chinese
About 9 out of 10 foreigners who obtained residency visas in South Korea through the immigrant investor program were from China, the government said Monday. The Justice Ministry said that 123, or 88.5 percent, of the 139 investments were made by Chinese citizens, followed by three from Hong Kong and Iran, respectively. (Yonahp)Amid the need for capital to boost the economy, the government has granted residency to foreign nationals in return for investment in public development projects since May
March 28, 2016
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Daredevils unwelcome in Korea
Daredevils Vitaliy Raskalov and Vadim Makhorov, whose unprotected skyscraper-scaling photographs would give any acrophobic person an immediate heart attack, are apparently not welcome in Korea. After the 20-year-old Raskalov updated his Instagram account with a photo of his feet precariously atop Seoul’s Lotte World Tower, Sunday, the Korean public responded with fierce criticism of his “reckless” and “irresponsible” behavior. (Raskalov's Instagram)In the shot captioned “Get ready for the new vi
March 28, 2016
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Number of foreign students hit record high
The number of foreign students in South Korea has hit a record high, topping 100,000, the Justice Ministry said Monday. According to the ministry’s statistics, the number of foreign students studying in Korea was 105,193 in March, up 10.6 percent from January. The number saw a gradual decrease from 88,468 in 2011 to 81,847 in 2013, but started to bounce back in 2015 at 96,357. Graduates of Konkuk University in Seoul attend a graduation ceremony on Feb. 22. (Yonhap)By nationality, there were 62,
March 28, 2016
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Korean female expats happiest in Brazil: study
Ethnic Korean women living in Brazil are the most satisfied with life, while those in Guatemala are the least content, a study showed Monday. Those who live overseas also face difficulties in dealing with language barriers, cultural differences, racism and financial problems.The research, written and published by the Korean Women’s Development Institute, surveyed 1,360 ethnic Korean women living in 20 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Russia, and Germany.South Koreans attend an exhib
March 28, 2016
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Spouses' employment status affects South Korean women's mental health
South Korean women were found to be emotionally dependent on the employment status of their spouses, with more women likely to suffer from depression when their partners retire, a study showed Monday.The results were also connected to the low employment rate of women in South Korea, with only 55.7 percent of women aged 15-65 in the workforce. This is lower than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.123rfThe study on depression researched a total of 5,
March 28, 2016
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South Korea's foreign worker policy founders
Foreign workers in South Korea are concentrated in labor-intensive industries despite growing calls for a “comprehensive” immigration policy to encourage more skilled workers from abroad, according to a recent report. The study by Hyundai Research Institute, commissioned by the Justice Ministry, suggested that the government fix its immigration system that is heavily focused on low-skilled workers and more effectively make use of foreign workers on a long-term basis in the wake of aging populati
March 28, 2016
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Spurned lover takes ex's new man hostage
A Korean man in his 20s took his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend hostage for five hours while brandishing a knife, before giving in to the police on Monday.Incheon Namdong Police Station said the perpetrator, whose identity has been withheld, waited for his former girlfriend in front of her studio apartment in Ganseok-dong, Namdong-gu, from as early as 8 a.m. (YouTube Capture)When the woman saw the man who had been waiting in front of her door, she pushed past him and ran next door for shelter. Co
March 28, 2016