Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[FEATURE] English fluency an unusual source of pride in Korea
A director-level official from a government body of commerce walks into a conference room. He is welcomed by a representative of a U.S.-based firm, who wastes no time in explaining his complaints and demands related to doing business in Korea.The translator opens his mouth, only to be stopped mid-sentence by the director.“Thanks, I’ll take it from here. I can speak English,” he says. He then goes on struggling to sustain a conversation with less-than-perfect, if not downright broken English.“It
July 3, 2016
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64-year-old gets 10 years for contract murdering ex-husband
A 64-year-old woman received 10 years in prison Sunday for hiring someone to murder her ex-husband. The three men who complied and carried out the murder were each sentenced to heavier terms of 15, 20 and 25 years, respectively. The Cheonan branch of Daejeon District Court said the convicted woman had paid 50 million won ($43,500) to have her ex-husband killed, after they had mutually agreed on a divorce and while they were going through the process of property division. Daejeon District Court,
July 3, 2016
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Cambodian gets 4 years for drug trafficking
A Cambodian national received four years in prison in Korea, Sunday, for attempting to smuggle in narcotics to Korea. The Suwon District Court said the 41-year-old man worked at a casino in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh where he met a client offering to pay him $5,000 with flights and accommodation covered for his stay in Korea if he were to help in drug trafficking. (123RF)He was caught while attempting to bring in over 280 grams of methamphetamine and 190 grams of ketamine in vacuum-pack
July 3, 2016
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University students from 25 countries to take part in Korea water forum
University students from 25 countries will take part in a four day gathering in South Korea to discuss water environment issues facing the world, the Ministry of Environment said Sunday.The Korea Water Forum, which runs from Monday through Thursday at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, will involve 78 students representing their respective countries with participants exchanging views on water-related issues, the ministry said. Students will also be tasked with coming up wit
July 3, 2016
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Gov't to give more incentives to firms that hire disabled national honorees
South Korea will give more incentives to local companies that employ disabled soldiers and those that sustained injuries in the service of the country, the government said on Sunday. Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs recently made a pre-announcement of legislation outlining expanded support for those with national honorees status, so as to get more companies to hire these people who have made sacrifices for the country. According to the changes, employing a wounded veteran or other honoree
July 3, 2016
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No S. Korean victims found in Bangladesh hostage standoff: embassy
NEW DELHI (Yonhap) -- The South Korean Embassy in Bangladesh said Saturday it has found no South Koreans in the on-going hostage standoff in Dhaka, the capital city, but it will continue to keep a watchful eye on the situation.A group of nine armed gunmen attacked a Dhaka-based restaurant late Friday, taking around 30 staff and customers as hostages. “We have made contact with South Korean communities and companies, but no one has been reported missing,” an embassy official said. “But as the loc
July 2, 2016
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4 in 10 staff at big firms are irregular workers
Nearly 40 percent of employees at South Korean conglomerates are irregular workers, the Labor Ministry said Friday, highlighting the level of job insecurity and low quality of jobs in Korea. According to data on the types of employment in 3,454 conglomerates involving 4.73 million workers, 38.7 percent of the Korean workers at large companies were either hired temporarily by the firms or indirectly through outsourcing firms. Of the irregular workers, 19.7 percent of the laborers were recruited t
July 1, 2016
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Technology important in achieving gender equality: Minister
South Korean Gender Minister Kang Eun-hee stressed the importance of information technology in achieving gender equality during a meeting of gender and economic development officials in the Asia Pacific region held from Monday to Thursday in Lima, Peru.“I believe that an increasing number of women will enter the information, communication and technology industry, as more girls are majoring in science and technology,” Kang said in a meeting held during the APEC Women and the Technology Forum. “Th
July 1, 2016
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[CONTRIBUTION] Freedom of assembly on trial in South Korea
To bring attention to the shrinking right to freedom of peaceful assembly in South Korea, Amnesty International organized a holographic Ghost Protest in Gwanghwamun Plaza, downtown Seoul, in February this year. Fortunately, the assembly took place without a hitch. But consider for a moment what would have happened had a participant suddenly become violent. What if in their frustration they had suddenly struck out, kicking a police vehicle parked nearby?The police might intervene to prevent an e
July 1, 2016
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Dentists launch 'Denture Day' as insurance coverage expands
The local dental association said Friday it has designated July 1 as Denture Day, timed with revised state health insurance coverage going into effect.The coverage for dentures has been widened to people over 65 from the former 70 as of Friday, halving the cost for those individuals to receive a set of artificial teeth. According to the Korean Academy of Prosthodontics, one out of two Koreans aged 65 or older use dentures.The academy said dental clinics and hospitals will mark the day with free
July 1, 2016
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Study shows youth employment lacks stability
Youth employment may have improved numerically last year but job stability has not as most of the obtained jobs were either short-term or menial, a study indicated Friday.An analysis by Park Jin-hee at the Korean Employment Information Service said 68,000 more people in their 20s were employed last year compared to a year before. The increase contrasts with those in their 30s, whose employment fell by 38,000, and also those in their 40s whose number decreased 14,000.But a closer look showed that
July 1, 2016
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S. Korean painter Lee U-fan reconfirms authenticity of paintings suspected of being fake
Renowned South Korean artist Lee U-fan confirmed Thursday once again that he did paint all 13 paintings that are suspected of being forgeries.In a press briefing in central Seoul, the artist said the paintings in question were his work beyond a doubt."I checked them with my own eyes and they are certainly all mine judging from their breath, rhythm and colors," the artist said.He continued: "Breath and rhythm are like fingerprints, which no one can copy. A third person, however talented the perso
June 30, 2016
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JYJ's Park summoned over alleged sexual assault, apologizes to public
Park Yu-chun, the troubled member of popular K-pop boy band JYJ, appeared before police Thursday to face questioning over his sexual assault allegations which have been rocking the local entertainment scene. The 30-year-old singer-actor appeared at the Gangnam Police Station in southern Seoul about three weeks after he was first sued over allegedly raping a woman working at a local bar."First of all, I am very sorry for causing many people concern," he told reporters before entering the office,
June 30, 2016
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Samsung denies rumors over its chief's death
Samsung Group denied rumors circulated Thursday that its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who has been hospitalized for over two years, has died.Earlier in the day, rumors that the 74-year-old has died and that the news will be made public at 3 p.m. were circulated around the local stock market and social media.Samsung Electronics Co., the flagship of South Korea's largest family-run conglomerate, said the rumors are "groundless," shortly after the Korea Exchange (KRX) demanded an explanation over the spec
June 30, 2016
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Cram school tutor gets jail term for leaking SAT questions
The head of a private education institution has received a jail term for leaking questions from a U.S. college admissions test and teaching students with the material, court records showed Thursday.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the defendant, identified only by her surname Kim, to a year in prison, suspended for two years, for obtaining questions of earlier Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs) from her acquaintances and students, and using them in classes in 2011. Previous tests are not
June 30, 2016
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Juvenile delinquency increasingly violent
The number of teenagers committing violent crimes is rising at a rate that is cause for concern, according to the Korean National Police Agency on Wednesday. The KNPA’s data showed nearly 18,000 people below 19 were arrested nationwide between 2011 and 2015. Among the cases, 6,900 involved theft and robbery, while 4,500 involved violence and 2,700 were intellectual crimes. (Yonhap)In the period leading up to May this year, 1,044 teenagers were arrested and 547 of them had committed violent crime
June 30, 2016
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Good deed paid off 34 years later
The story of a woman who remembered to pay off a good deed 34 years later on Wednesday is receiving warm reactions from the public.The 63-year-old woman surnamed Kang remitted 7.1 million won ($6,150) to the Presbyterian Medical Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, which was the amount she owed the hospital for the life-saving medical care her husband received some 34 years ago. Presbyterian Medical CenterKang’s husband suffered a serious car accident in April 1982 when his car collided head
June 30, 2016
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Korea to hold biennial ADEX defense expo in late 2017
The Korea-hosted biennial defense expo Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition will be held in October next year to bring together some 400 global defense manufacturers, the event's organizer said Thursday.The exhibition, more widely known as ADEX, has been scheduled to run from Oct. 17-22 in 2017 at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, adjacent to southern Seoul, according to the organizer.The biggest defense fair in the Asia Pacific region is expected to put together some 400 defense firms f
June 30, 2016
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Coal use to rise by 2.7% this year
Despite the government’s pledge to curb industrial and everyday sources of the fine dust that has risen as a major public health threat, the amount of South Korea’s coal consumption is expected to rise by 2.7 percent this year, a research institute said Thursday.The Korea Energy Economics Institute said that the total energy demand for South Korea this year is estimated at 289.4 tons of oil equivalent this year, up by 1.5 percent from last year. This is due to introduction of new bituminous or s
June 30, 2016
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Korea crafts 5-yr plan for unmanned vehicle development
Korea said Thursday it has finalized a five-year master plan to advance the local unmanned vehicle industry.Under the project, approved by the National Science & Technology Council, the government will concentrate efforts on boosting the development of drones, self-driving cars, unmanned ships and agricultural machines by 2020, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.The size of the global unmanned vehicle market came to US$24.8 billion last year. It's expected to grow at t
June 30, 2016