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 efforts to root out corruption
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday renewed the government's commitment to combating corruption ahead of parliamentary elections."It is important to eradicate corruption and illegalities and establish stern law and order as we have parliamentary elections this year," Park said in a meeting where she was receiving an annual policy report from the Justice Ministry and several other ministries.South Koreans are scheduled to go to the polls in April to elect new lawmakers. In the past, elections have
Jan. 26, 2016
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Korea to buttress biological medicine, cosmetics exports
As part of efforts to boost the local biopharmaceutical industry and exports, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Tuesday that it will shorten the review process of biologics for rare and incurable diseases so they can be approved and distributed for sale overseas as quickly as possible. A biopharmaceutical, simply known as a biologic, is any medical product extracted from or manufactured with biological sources. Examples of biologics include gene therapy, allergenic products, vaccine
Jan. 26, 2016
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Ministry to ramp up labor exploitation crackdown
The South Korean government said Tuesday that it will set out administrative guidelines to clamp down on firms exploiting young workers for little or no money. Employment and Labor Minister Lee Ki-kwon vowed stern actions to root out employers’ intentional, habitual delay in payment and exploitation of young workers during a meeting between the government and the ruling Saenuri Party at the National Assembly. The guidelines will include a ban on companies making interns work overtime, at weeke
Jan. 26, 2016
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Seoul moves to prevent Zika virus
The South Korean government has announced preemptive measures against the Zika virus that recently began to spread in the Americas.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would include the virus on its list of priority diseases. The law requires medical institutions to immediately report cases to health authorities and allow systematic monitoring and diagnosis. As of now, a total of 70 diseases are on the list.Zika, a tropical virus that has been blamed for causing m
Jan. 26, 2016
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Civil aircraft registered in Korea jumps in 2015
The number of civilian aircraft registered in South Korea soared 10.5 percent on-year in 2015 as airlines increased their fleets to better meet consumer demand, the transportation ministry said Tuesday.As of the end of last year, the country had 724 registered civilian planes, compared with 655 a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Last year marked the first time ever that civilian airplane numbers topped the 700 mark, with the growth being the sharpest
Jan. 26, 2016
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Public officials to be promoted based on performance
The Cabinet approved a law revision Tuesday to introduce a performance-based personnel management system in the public sector.Under the revision to the State Public Officials Act, public servants who receive high scores on evaluations will be promoted and given special bonuses while those with low scores will receive counseling to improve their performance.The revision still needs approval from the National Assembly to take effect.Tuesday's revision allows the government to install a committee t
Jan. 26, 2016
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Jeju airport in full operation to transport passengers
Jeju International Airport on South Korea's southernmost resort island operated hundreds of flights overnight, carrying some 23,900 people off the island after passengers had been grounded by heavy snowfall for over 40 hours, the government said Tuesday.The Jeju Regional Office of Aviation said a total of 355 flights -- 155 inbound and 200 outbound -- were safely executed as of 5:20 a.m. Tuesday. The authorities temporarily lifted night flight restrictions to deal with the backlog of flights.Som
Jan. 26, 2016
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Gov't to sternly punish habitual wage defaulters
The government said Tuesday it will sternly punish employers who habitually and intentionally do not pay salaries in a timely manner.A total of 296,000 employees across the country were not properly paid in due time last year, according to data by the Ministry of Employment and Labor."The government will establish the principle of no tolerance against intentional violation of the law by sternly investigating habitual and intentional wage defaulters and putting offenders behind bars," Labor Minis
Jan. 26, 2016
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Korean man gets suspended sentence for rumors about sunken warship
A Seoul court on Monday sentenced a man to eight months in prison for spreading rumors about the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship.Still, the Seoul Central District Court suspended the sentence for Shin Sang-chul for two years, meaning that he will not have to serve prison time if he stays out of trouble during that period.The court ruled that Shin defamed military officials by posting false information on the Internet that South Korea delayed the recovery of its warship the Cheonan to bu
Jan. 25, 2016
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Seoul court upholds censure of unethical TV drama
The Seoul Administrative Court on Monday upheld the broadcasting watchdog's censure of a TV drama embroiled with immorality and violent language.The court ruled as "fair and legitimate" the Korea Communications Commission (KCC)'s punitive actions against MBC's drama series "Apgujeong Midnight Sun" which was aired from October 2014 to May last year. The terrestrial broadcasting company filed litigation with the Seoul court last year after the broadcasting commission censured those involved in the
Jan. 25, 2016
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Jeju Airport resumes operations after near 2-day shutdown
Jeju International Airport on South Korea's southernmost resort island resumed operations Monday after being shut down by heavy snow for some 45 hours, the government said. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said an Eastar Jet B737-700 passenger jet with 149 people on board took off safely at 2:48 p.m. after ground service personnel cleared the runway and removed ice and snow from the aircraft.About 36 minutes later, a Korean Air B747-400 with 404 people on-board departed for Seo
Jan. 25, 2016
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Korea creates 150 bln won healthcare fund
South Korea has created a 150 billion won ($125.8 million) fund to help the local healthcare and cosmetics industries expand overseas and sharpen their competitiveness, the finance ministry said Monday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare provided 30 billion won and 10 private institutions, including KB Investment Co., provided another 120 billion won, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.KB Investment and Solidus Investment Co. were picked as the managing firms of the fund, it added.
Jan. 25, 2016
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Cold spell eases up in Korea
The cold snap that has paralyzed most of South Korea and stranded nearly 90,000 tourists on the country's resort island of Jeju began to ease up Monday afternoon, weather officials said.The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said it has lifted a cold wave warning from 2:00 p.m and a cold wave advisory from 1:00 p.m from most parts of the country, including Jeju Island which was hit by the worst heavy snow in 32 years."The weather was initially expected to let-up starting Tuesday afternoon
Jan. 25, 2016
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S. Korea to address N. Korean human rights despite frosty ties
South Korea should make efforts to improve North Korea's dismal human rights situation even if Seoul's move to have better inter-Korean relations hit a snag, a government official said Monday.The National Assembly is set to pass a pending bill aimed at enhancing the North's human rights record later this week. The bill, first introduced in August 2005, has been languishing in the parliament, apparently out of concern its passage could have a negative impact on inter-Korean relations.The bill cal
Jan. 25, 2016
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Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for lawmaker over alleged corruption
Prosecutors said Monday they have sought an arrest warrant for a ruling party lawmaker for allegedly taking bribes.Lee Byung-suk of the ruling Saenuri Party is accused of using his position to persuade POSCO, South Korea's biggest steelmaker, to sign business contracts with subcontractors owned by Lee's acquaintances.In return, Lee allegedly received tens of millions of won in bribes from one of the subcontractors.Prosecutors said they sought the arrest warrant as Lee rejected repeated requests
Jan. 25, 2016
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Seoul city to restore palace walkway by year's end
A narrow walkway along Deoksu Palace in downtown Seoul will be restored 132 years after it was cut off by the construction of the British Embassy in Korea, a Seoul City Council member said Monday.The council member said the Seoul Metropolitan Government will restore the 170-meter-long sidewalk along the stonewall of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) palace at the embassy compound at the expense of 2.8 billion won ($2.34 million).The capital city will finish the 3- to 6-meter-wide walkway, commonly
Jan. 25, 2016
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Majority of seniors suffer from multidimensional poverty
Seven out of 10 senior citizens in South Korea are suffering from deprivation in two or more areas, a report showed Monday.According to the report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, some 67 percent of South Koreans aged 65 and older suffered from income poverty and other deprivations as of 2013, down 5.8 percentage points from 2011. The report, based on a survey of 2,889 people aged 65 and older across the country, measured poverty in seven categories: income, assets, residenc
Jan. 25, 2016
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Jeju Airport operations resume
The operation of flights and ships to and from Jejudo Island resumed Monday afternoon, three days after a heavy snow storm and cold snap froze most parts of the country, crippling transportation systems.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it allowed the resumption of operations at Jeju International Airport after confirming the runways were safe, with most of the cold wave alerts being lifted.Takeoff and landing of flights resumed from 3 p.m. after the snow was cleared from t
Jan. 25, 2016
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Voyeurism still tricky to stamp out in South Korea
The number of sex crimes involving the taking of intrusive pictures of body parts increased dramatically in South Korea between 2005 and 2014, but the ambiguity of current laws make it tricky to crack down on, according to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Monday.In 2014, a total of 6,735 cases of voyeurism crimes were reported, which was 19.8 times higher than in 2005, at 341.Also, 24.1 percent of all sex crime perpetrators caught in 2014 were those who illicitly took pictures of others, compared
Jan. 25, 2016
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Walkway near United Kingdom Embassy to be restored
The Deoksugung Palace stonewall walkway that was disconnected by the site of the British Embassy in Seoul will be restored for the first time in 132 years and opened to the public soon, officials said Monday. City councilor Choi Pan-sul of The Minjoo Party of Korea said Seoul City was planning to invest 2.8 billion won ($2.35 million) in constructing a 170-meter pedestrian walkway past the British Embassy. The traditional stonewall walkway surrounding Deoksugung Palace was disconnected after the
Jan. 25, 2016