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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Korea entering monsoon season
Korea is entering the annual summer monsoon season starting Saturday on Jejudo, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.Heavy rain is expected across most of the peninsula next week, with the seasonal rain front climbing up from the south to Seoul. Forecast for Wednesday (Naver)Monsoon season in Korea generally happens from late June to late July. During this period, people planning summer excursions to the beach and camping near the mountain valleys are advised to take account of
June 19, 2016
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Peeping Tom gets 5 months in prison
A 34-year-old man was sentenced to five months in prison on Sunday for looking into a cubicle in a female toilet. The Gwangju District Court said the man had a previous record of being fined for similar misconduct and that he showed no regrets on this occasion. (123RF)The man claimed in court that he had only gone into the female bathroom to look for a woman he had met on the streets. However, the court decided the man was guilty based on how he had climbed onto a stool to look inside the occup
June 19, 2016
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Korean siblings become valedictorians at top Turkish university
Two South Koreans have graduated at the top of their classes at the prestigious Bilkent University in Turkey.Kwon Tae-young and his little sister Min-ah were awarded Bachelor's degrees in interior architecture and environmental design, and graphic design, respectively, at a ceremony held last Saturday.The older Kwon says he decided to study in Turkey when he was preparing to re-take South Korea's college entrance exam in 2011.He convinced Min-ah to come with him to the country where their father
June 19, 2016
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S. Korean, Chinese business leaders agree to reduce fine dust emissions
Dozens of South Korean and Chinese business leaders agreed Saturday to work together to try to reduce fine dust emissions amid growing health concerns in South Korea.Fine dust -- particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter -- is believed to pose the greatest health risks to the respiratory system.Fine particles can lodge deeply into the lungs due to their small size -- approximately 1/30th the average width of a human hair, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The business
June 18, 2016
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Operator to remove billboards from subway platforms
Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit, the operator of subway lines No. 5 to 8, said Friday that it will remove billboards from subway platforms in response to claims that they hamper emergency exits for passengers during safety accidents.Of the 3,180 billboards at some 145 stations on subway lines No. 5-8, a total of 1,093 or 34 percent will be removed by the end of August, according to the operator. Instead, some 6,200 emergency exits will be installed by 2020.Billboards, which expose advertising c
June 17, 2016
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Recovery of sunken Sewol ferry postponed
The recovery of the sunken Sewol ferry has been delayed until August due to unexpected damage caused during the lifting operation which began this week.But considering the heavy rain and typhoons that are common in late summer and early fall, observers noted, the timeline may further be delayed until September.According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on Thursday, the damage to the ferry‘s bow section has dimmed prospects of the salvage operation by the target date of July.Two out of fiv
June 17, 2016
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Psychiatric test sought for Gangnam murder suspect
Prosecutors on Friday said that they will further look into the mental condition of the murder suspect who stabbed a woman to death near Gangnam Station, to identify whether the crime was driven by hatred toward women or a mental disorder. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office requested a state-run hospital in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, to carry out a psychiatric test on the suspect’s state of mind before and after the crime, its officials said. “The hospital will keep experts
June 17, 2016
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Reasons for divorce have changed since ’50s in South Korea: study
The reasons for divorce in South Korea have varied significantly each decade since the 1950s, changing from spouses that have gone missing to basic unhappiness, a study by the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relation showed Friday.The study, which analyzed a total of 1,469,900 pre-divorce counselling cases from 1956-2015, found that historical events and the social climate of each decade, such as the Vietnam War and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, influenced couples’ decisions to part ways. F
June 17, 2016
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2 men lock up runaway teen, force prostitution
Police requested arrest warrants for two men who locked up a runaway teenager and allegedly forced her into prostitution, Wednesday. The Gwangju Dong-bu Police said the men, aged 20 and 18, had invited a 17-year-old runaway they befriended via a chatting app to live with them, then turned violent once she moved in. The victim stayed with them for 12 days.(123RF)During the time, she claims she was coerced into more than ten counts of prostitution, whereupon the men took the money. One of the men
June 16, 2016
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Court orders release of information on U.S. military base pollution
A Seoul court ordered the South Korean government to release information about the level of pollution on the U.S. military base in Seoul on Thursday, ruling in favor of an association of environmental civic groups. The ruling by the Seoul Administrative Court comes nearly a year after civic groups, including Green Korea United and the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, filed a suit against the Environment Ministry to demand the result of the inspection be revealed to the public.The Environment Mi
June 16, 2016
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Women's health policies questioned
The South Korean government recently launched a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program for young girls, but many women and activists in South Korea have mixed feelings about it.Starting June 20, the Health Ministry is to offer free vaccinations against HPV -- known to be the major cause of cervical cancer -- for girls aged 12. The vaccines, which are given in two shots over six months, are currently not covered by the national health insurance, and cost about 360,000 won ($307). While th
June 16, 2016
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Ilbe members charged for identifying wrong woman as rape victim
Members of an extreme right online community were charged for defamation after a failed attempt to reveal the identity of the victim of an island rape case recently in the news, Seoul police said Thursday. Five men from the infamous website had wrongly identified a different teacher from the same school as the victim, and circulated her photo as acquired from the school’s website. (Yonhap)The teacher has since resigned from the school, citing severe psychological distress from the false identifi
June 16, 2016
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Korea seeks new technology to fight fine dust
South Korea will soon craft a concrete plan for the development of technology to tackle fine dust particles that have emerged as a major health threat, according to a related ministry on Thursday.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said it will mobilize "all national R&D capability" on resolving the problem in a "fundamental and innovative" manner.In the first step, the government plans to map out a concrete action plan by September to develop technology that will curb fine dust.A d
June 16, 2016
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Gov't to set up solar panels for schools
The South Korean government will install solar power generators at about 2,000 elementary and secondary schools nationwide in a way to help the education sector earn extra income and bolster the local renewable energy business, the trade ministry said Thursday.A special purpose firm by the Korea Electric Power Corp. will invest 400 billion won ($342.3 million) by next year in a project to help some 2,000 schools install 100 kilowatt-solar panels on their rooftops, according to the Ministry of Tr
June 16, 2016
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Coast Guard to request arrest writs for Chinese boats' crew over illegal fishing
INCHEON (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Coast Guard said Wednesday it will request warrants to formally arrest the captains and senior crew members of two Chinese fishing boats that were seized while operating illegally in the neutral waters between two Koreas earlier this week.The country's military police captured the boats in the neutral waters of the Han River estuary on Tuesday and turned them over to the Coast Guard. It was the first time Chinese boats were captured in the area since the South K
June 15, 2016
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Drinking ban sought for Seoul City parks
Twenty-two members of the Seoul City Council proposed Monday a bill to impose a 100,000 won ($85) fine on people who consume alcohol in Seoul’s parks and playgrounds.According to councilor Kim Gu-hyun, the regulation is anticipated to foster a responsible drinking culture that will cut down on the social and economic problems caused by excessive drinking. (Yonhap)The proposed ordinance gives the Seoul mayor the right to designate parks and children’s playgrounds, among other public spaces, as
June 15, 2016
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Seoul injects W60m in Jongno for senior citizens facilities
Two public parks in Jongno -- Jongmyo and Tapgol -- will turn into special zones for the elderly by offering a variety of welfare facilities and cultural activities, Seoul City said Monday. The two parks are frequented by senior citizens to rest, meet friends and have a meal at a soup kitchen in the neighborhood.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would inject 60 million won ($51,000) over the next four months to build more facilities and programs for the senior citizens. Public and privat
June 15, 2016
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Seoul to reduce number of taxi stands by third
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced its plan to gradually reduce the number of taxi stands in the city.The SMG said Sunday that it would cut 30 taxi stands each year over the next five years -- downsizing about one-third of the current 419 taxi stands installed throughout Seoul. YonhapA city official said the plan is intended to save on maintenance costs. The low level of income from advertising at taxi stands is another reason, the official added.Amid the increasing popularity of mobile
June 15, 2016
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[Newsmaker] Seoul Mayor struggles in quagmire
At the center of public criticism over the recent safety accident and prolonged conflicts with civic groups, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was recently seen taking steps to hear directly from interested parties.Park attended an event Sunday with citizens and a panel of a dozen experts in various sectors who came to state their views regarding lax safety regulations and unstable working conditions of contracted workers. The session was held following the death of a 19-year-old subway mechanic on May
June 15, 2016
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'Women face higher smartphone addiction risk'
Kim Ji-yeon, a 25-year-old Seoulite, starts her day by checking her Instagram. She usually posts selfies, photos of food she ate and sometimes pictures of her dog. “I usually post something before I go to bed,” she said. “And it feels nice to wake up in the morning and find out how people responded. It’s like my morning ritual.”Kim said she is addicted to her smartphone “just as much as everyone else she knows.” She carries it with her everywhere, all the time, every day. She charges her phone b
June 15, 2016