Most Popular
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Yoon sorry for shortcomings but insists policies were right
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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S. Korea ‘strongly’ protests Japan’s claim over Dokdo in diplomatic bluebook
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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Korean won weakens amid heightened uncertainty
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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Seoul says will cut power to porn festival planned on Han River
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Sewol victims commemorated on tragedy's 10th anniversary
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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Chanel, Louis Vuitton see muted growth in Korea
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Labor group vows all-out walkout against gov't-led labor reform
A major South Korean labor organization on Saturday threatened to stage an all-out strike against government-led labor reform that it claims will only result in poorer working conditions for workers. The walkout will be staged from Monday and last indefinitely, said the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of two umbrella labor groups here. The announcement came one day after the labor ministry said it will go ahead with the proposed labor reform despite a recent collapse of three
Jan. 23, 2016
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Ministry releases final labor reform guidelines
The Employment and Labor Ministry on Friday released the final version of its employment guidelines, which include allowing companies to lay off underperforming workers, drawing vehement opposition from the labor unions.The ministry, which had revealed its draft version last month, said that companies will be allowed to fire workers that have shown “extremely” low job performance or capacity to an extent that they “burden their colleagues.” They will first be given a chance to redeem themselves
Jan. 22, 2016
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Korea's overseas arrivals, departures hit record high in 2015
The number of locals and foreigners going in and out of South Korea recorded the largest figure last year, a 7.7 percent increase from the previous year, the Ministry of Justice said Friday.The tally came to some 66.37 million, with the number of locals reaching 39.11 million and that of foreigners coming in at 27.26 million.But the number of foreigners visiting South Korea stood at13.35 million, a 6.3 percent decrease from the previous year, the ministry said.The decline, the first in 12 years
Jan. 22, 2016
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Korea to allow companies to fire 'noticeably' underperforming workers
The government announced Friday contentious labor guidelines as part of its efforts to make the rigid labor market more flexible and help revitalize the sagging economy.The guidelines finalized and released by the Ministry of Labor and Employment ease restrictions for employers to fire "noticeably"underperforming workers and allow companies to change employment rules more easily.Labor representatives strongly voiced opposition to the move, saying that the government policy would make it easier f
Jan. 22, 2016
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Activist gets suspended jail term for leading violent rallies
A local court on Friday sentenced an activist to three years in prison for organizing violent rallies in central Seoul over a deadly ferry disaster.Still, the Seoul Central District Court suspended the sentence for Park Rae-gun for four years and ordered him to perform 160 hours of community service.The 55-year-old activist was convicted of holding unauthorized rallies and injuring police officers in 2014 and 2015 over the ferry sinking. The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol sank in waters off the country's
Jan. 22, 2016
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Gov't extends pig movement ban to control FMD
The government decided Friday to extend its pig movement restrictions for a southwestern province for seven days to help stem the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.Two new cases of the highly contagious animal disease were confirmed at pig farms in Gimje and Gochang, North Jeolla Province, earlier in the month, the Agriculture Ministry said. It said the outbreaks in the southwestern part of the country caused 10,842 animals to be culled. "The restrictions will be pushed back to midnight on Jan. 2
Jan. 22, 2016
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Koreans more concerned about health: report
South Koreans tend to feel disproportionately that they are unhealthy despite their long average life expectancy among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries, state-led research showed Friday.According to the report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 35.1 percent of Koreans aged 15 years and over deemed their health condition to be “good.” That was about half the OECD average of 69.2 percent. Only Korea and Japan scored less than 40 percent
Jan. 22, 2016
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Dr. Cho Su-jin included in Marquis Who’s Who
Pediatrician Dr. Cho Su-jin has been listed in the 2016 edition of Marquis Who‘s Who, a U.S.-based publisher of biographical information. Dr. Cho Su-jin (Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital)Marquis Who’s Who, with 115 years of history, is one of the top three biographical publishers, along with American Biographical Institute and the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England.Cho, who heads the intensive care unit for newborns at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, has been
Jan. 22, 2016
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Koreans weighed down by excessive health concerns
South Koreans feel they are suffering from bad health despite having one of the longest life expectancies in the world, a report by a state-run think tank showed Friday.According to the report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 35.1 percent of South Koreans over 15 said they are in good health. This is well below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average of 69.2 percent, and significantly lower than the 80-90 percent levels found in the United States, C
Jan. 22, 2016
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Korean watchdog probing Volkswagen over advertising
South Korea's antitrust watchdog has opened a formal investigation into suspicions that Volkswagen AG misled consumers with false and exaggerated advertisements on their vehicles that have been cited for emissions cheating, a source said Friday.The source at the Fair Trade Commission said Volkswagen is under investigation because it sent out ads claiming its diesel vehicles passed U.S. and European emissions tests in flying colors, and in particular, the Euro 5 standard."The ads are misleading a
Jan. 22, 2016
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Court confirms revocation of progressive teachers' union's legal status
An appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court's ruling that a progressive teachers' union is not a legitimate labor group because its members include fired teachers.In October 2013, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court against a government's decision to outlaw the KTU due to the union's repeated refusal to deny membership to nine fired teachers.Under the law, dismissed teachers are not eligible to join a trade union.The Seoul Hig
Jan. 21, 2016
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Yongin determined to take lead in environment, gender issues
In 1996, Yongin was largely a farming region surrounded by mountains. Now, the city has established itself as one of the fastest-growing cities in South Korea, with a population of nearly 1 million. It’s home to Everland and Caribbean Bay, the nation’s most popular amusement and water parks, 10 university campuses and some of the most significant museums and galleries in the country -- including the Ho-Am Art Museum and the Nam June Paik Art Center. An image of Yongin Techno Valley (Yongin Cit
Jan. 21, 2016
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Elementary schoolers want to be chefs, star athletes
The top dream jobs among young students in South Korea are to be an entertainer, star athlete or other professional in sports and art, a survey showed Thursday.It marked a stark contrast to former generations who mostly wished to become the president (1970s, '80s) or a doctor (1990s).According to a survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on 456 fourth and sixth graders in elementary schools, 40.5 percent of respondents said they wanted to become athletes, artists or entertain
Jan. 21, 2016
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Seoul holds off Shilla’s hanok hotel project
Hotel Shilla’s third attempt to obtain a permit to build a traditional-style hotel in central Seoul was once again mired in a deadlock by Seoul City on Thursday.The Seoul Metropolitan government said it reserved the decision to approve the company’s request to ease regulations for the project envisioned at a location designated as a development-restricted area.The company had sought to build a hanok hotel at Jangchung-dong in Jung-gu district, a neighborhood near the historic Fortress Wall of Se
Jan. 21, 2016
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Low-income Koreans more suicidal than richer people
South Koreans in the low-income bracket think about committing suicide much more than people at higher income levels, a report showed Thursday.According to the report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, one out of 15 low income earners has thought about killing themselves in the past year, 4.3 times higher than those in higher income brackets. The low income bracket refers to those who earn less than 60 percent of the median income for all Koreans. The degree of depression felt
Jan. 21, 2016
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Lotte executive gets suspended jail sentence in construction worker's death
An executive director of Lotte Engineering & Construction Co. was given a suspended jail sentence Thursday for neglecting safety measures at the construction site of its skyscraper in Seoul leading to the death of a worker.The Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced the 57-year-old executive in charge of the construction project to eight months in prison, suspended for a year, for involuntary manslaughter.Two other defendants who supervised the site received shorter jail terms with a year of susp
Jan. 21, 2016
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Appeals court upholds stripping teachers’ union of legal status
The Seoul High Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of the government’s decision to strip the Korea Teachers and Education Workers’ Union of its legal status, dealing it yet another blow in its two-year legal fight. The left-leaning group has been engaged in a bitter battle with the Labor Ministry since October 2013, when it was no longer deemed a legal entity. The ministry cited a violation of a labor law clause that bans dismissed education workers from joining trade unions. According to the Educat
Jan. 21, 2016
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Pets no longer considered ‘waste’ under new law
Pet owners are no longer required to dispose of the bodies of their beloved pets in the trash, as a revised animal protection law came into effect Thursday. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, pets treated at animal cremation facilities will no longer be classified as waste under the revised law. Animals not treated at cremation facilities will still be subject to the waste management law, which requires pet owners to dispose of the bodies as waste.Before the law wa
Jan. 21, 2016
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Korea's power demand hits new high amid cold wave
South Korea's power demand soared to an all-time high on Thursday as people turned up their heaters amid a severe cold wave, the government said Thursday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Power Exchange said electricity demand rose to 82.97 million kilowatts as of 11 a.m., breaking the previous record of 82.12 million kilowatts set two days earlier.The spike came as the average temperature for all of South Korea fell below freezing, with Gimhwa in Cheorwon County, 88 kilom
Jan. 21, 2016
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Korea to focus on structural, labor reform to fuel growth in 2015
South Korea will focus on pushing forward much needed structural reforms this year in order to create quality jobs for the younger generation and strive to revive domestic demand and exports as part of overall economic policy plan, the government said Thursday."We will do our best to create jobs by producing tangible results of structural reform and economic renovation," the finance ministry said in a follow-up of the 2016 economy policy plan released last week.It said the measures are aimed at
Jan. 21, 2016