Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
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[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids go gold in US with ‘Maniac’
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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‘Comfort women’ rally marks 24 years
The weekly rally held to protest Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II marked 24 years Wednesday, becoming the longest-running demonstration in the world. Despite the landmark deal between Seoul and Tokyo on Dec. 28, the decades-long ordeal of the victims -- euphemistically called “comfort women” -- appears to be far from over, with the victims and their supporters still crying out for the same demands in front of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul. (Yonhap)In the 1
Jan. 6, 2016
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Education chiefs propose child care standoff talks
Heads of six education offices across the country accused the government Wednesday of unfairly forcing local education offices to shoulder the costs for its free child care Nuri program, and suggested an open dialogue to resolve the “crisis.”Education chiefs of Seoul, Incheon, Gwangju, Gangwon Province, North Jeolla Province and South Jeolla Province held a joint press conference and called for an emergency meeting ― of the leaders of ruling and opposition parties, education superintendents, and
Jan. 6, 2016
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Seoul city to revitalize Seochon
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it will embark on projects to restore and beautify a neighborhood of traditional Korean houses in central Seoul.The city government plans to build historic cultural streets in Seochon, or "western village," which stretches out from the western wing of Gyeongbok Palace and stretches all the way up to the base of Mount Inwang.The plan is to enlarge the pedestrian passages from 1 meter to 4 meters, repave roads and restrict building heights in the ar
Jan. 6, 2016
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Top court orders retrial for army officer convicted of condemning ruling party
The nation's top court has returned to a lower military court a ruling that convicted an army officer of criticizing the ruling party on social media in violation of the Public Servant's Act, court officials said Wednesday.The captain, whose identity was withheld, was indicted in 2013 over tweeting negative comments about the Saenuri Party during the 2012 presidential election.The current law prohibits civil servants from taking part in political activities such as holding rallies or voicing pol
Jan. 6, 2016
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Park’s salary to rise by 3 percent
The Cabinet has decided to raise President Park Geun-hye’s annual salary by more than 3 percent and expand the merit-based wage system in the public sector, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced Tuesday. Park is set to earn 212 million won ($179,000) this year, compared to 205 million won last year, after the Cabinet approved the bill on government employees’ salaries in the meeting held in the morning.Given that the nation’s average consumer price inflation stood at 0.7 percent last ye
Jan. 5, 2016
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Prosecutors seek 1-year jail term for ex-PM
Prosecutors on Tuesday sought a one-year jail term for a former South Korean prime minister on charges of receiving bribes from a deceased businessman. Former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo was accused of receiving 30 million won (US$25,000) at his election office in April 2013 from Sung Wan-jong, the late chairman of construction firm Keangnam Enterprises Inc.Prosecutors said the sentence demand came as Lee's actions "severely damaged" the laws related to the transparency of political fundings.The
Jan. 5, 2016
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Marriage stress may fuel Korea’s low fertility rate: study
Marriage and financial stress, rather than child care-related struggles, may have a bigger influence on a Korean mother’s decision not to have more than one child, research by a state-run think tank suggested. Contrary to the popular belief in Korea that child care stress can significantly reduce the mother’s desire to have a second child, the study, written and released by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, showed that wives with lower household income or who are unhappy with thei
Jan. 5, 2016
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Korean fire stations to get advanced ambulances
The government will place at least one ambulance with advanced equipment at each fire station in the country to provide quicker treatment for emergency patients, officials said Tuesday. The Ministry of Public Safety and Security said it would provide special ambulances that are equipped with 12 emergency medical devices to 205 fire stations. In these ambulances, medical staff will be able to conduct emergency treatments, such as intubation or heart-stimulating drug injections, which are difficul
Jan. 5, 2016
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Park’s salary to rise by 3 percent
The Cabinet has decided to raise President Park Geun-hye’s annual salary by more than 3 percent and expand the merit-based wage system in the public sector, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced Tuesday. Park is set to earn 212 million won ($179,000) this year, compared to 205 million won last year, after the Cabinet approved the bill on government employees’ salaries in the meeting held in the morning.Given that the nation’s average consumer price inflation stood at 0.7 percent last ye
Jan. 5, 2016
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Labor union leader indicted over violent rallies
The leader of South Korea's second-largest umbrella labor union has been indicted on charges of leading last year's violent rallies in downtown Seoul, prosecutors said Tuesday. Han Sang-gyun, the head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is accused of orchestrating a massive anti-government protest on Nov. 14 that led to violent clashes with the police and some ten other rallies last year, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office said. The labor union leader faces five charges, inc
Jan. 5, 2016
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College students with part-time jobs to get unemployment benefits
College students who manage studying and a part-time job at the same time will become eligible for unemployment benefits from now on when they lose their job, the government said Tuesday.The Ministry of Employment and Labor said it revised the guidelines on unemployment allowances to lower the barriers for students who are enrolled in schools.Employees who work over 15 hours a week or 60 hours a month, as well as those who work less than 60 hours a month for over three months to earn a living, c
Jan. 5, 2016
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Ambulances to be banned from using sirens in non-urgent situations
Emergency vehicle drivers who turn on their sirens and warning lights in non-urgent situations will be fined starting this year, police said Tuesday.The National Police Agency said a revision to the traffic law passed the parliament last year and will take effect in July.According to the revision, offenders can be fined up to 200,000 won ($168), except for certain situations, such as for a patrol or during training. The revision is aimed not only at protecting the right of way held by the police
Jan. 5, 2016
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Minister urges passage of labor reform bills
South Korea’s labor minister renewed his calls for the passage of labor market reform bills Monday in his New Year’s speech, amid growing resistance from the labor bloc and political wrangling over the pending bills at parliament. With the National Assembly’s extra session expected to end Friday, Lee Ki-kwon, the minister of employment and labor, underscored the need for bills to revamp the nation’s labor market to create jobs for the young and reduce job uncertainties. Members of the Korea Conf
Jan. 4, 2016
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Student councils, scholars denounce sex slave deal
A local scholars’ group on Monday called for the immediate annulment of last week’s agreement between South Korea and Japan on wartime sex slavery, saying it is working with 380 intellectuals and activists across the world to establish a society solely dedicated to the “comfort women” issue. The student councils of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Ewha Womans University also called on the government to scrap the agreement, while encouraging other universities to join their cause.The grou
Jan. 4, 2016
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Child care crisis looms as funding standoff persists
The Education Ministry stepped up its offensive against local education superintendents this week, with the government and regional offices locking horns over who is responsible for funding the “Nuri” child care and education subsidy program.“Some education offices’ refusal to allocate a budget for the Nuri program infringes on children’s right to be educated. Superintendents should immediately take measures to stop the ‘child care’ crisis, and be mindful that they are responsible for the situat
Jan. 4, 2016
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Drinking, smoking, obesity cost South Korea W23tr: report
Problems and damages resulting from excessive drinking, smoking and obesity cost South Korea 23.3 trillion won ($19.7 billion) in 2013, which was equivalent to nearly half of the spending on medical costs covered by the national health insurance, a report showed Monday. The report, written and released by the Health Insurance Policy Research Institute under Korea’s National Health Insurance Service, said problems resulting from drinking cost Korea 9.4 trillion won, smoking 7.1 trillion won and o
Jan. 4, 2016
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6 killed after 2 cars fall into sea
Six people have been killed as their two separate cars fell into the sea in South Korea's southwestern area, the Coast Guard said Monday.Emergency crew members pulled the bodies of two sisters, surnamed Sohn, and a teenager, presumed to be the son of one of the women, from the car in the waters off Haenam, some 420 kilometers south of Seoul, soon after receiving a report about the vehicle earlier in the day.Footage from a security camera showed that the Hyundai Accent subcompact car was heading
Jan. 4, 2016
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'Warm winter' alters public life
Kim Mi-ra, a 58-year-old businesswoman in Seoul, has not worn a thick and heavy padded coat this winter. She has so far preferred a thin woolen overcoat or a light jacket. “A heavy padded coat with muffler and gloves do not seem to be necessary this winter. I purchased a high-end goose down parka in October last year, but I only wore it once or twice,” said Kim. Unlike previous years, the winter temperature has remained unusually warm this season. The spring flower forsythia has prematurely come
Jan. 4, 2016
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Camping operator to compensate for negligence over death of drowned student
A local court has ordered a company that runs camping tours to a deserted island to compensate an insurance firm for negligence over the drowning death of a student off the country's southwestern coast.The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the insurance company that filed a suit against the camping operator seeking compensation for 120 million won ($102,000) it paid to one of the bereaved families.In 2012, the bodies of two students who participated in a camping tour at Shinan Count
Jan. 4, 2016
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Ex-Olympic weightlifting champion questioned over assault charges
Former Olympic weightlifting champion Sa Jae-hyouk received a 10-year suspension from the sport's national federation on Monday over assault charges.The Korea Weightlifting Federation handed down the penalty a day after Sa was questioned by police in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, over allegations that he'd punched fellow weightlifter, Hwang Woo-man, in the face on New Year's Eve.The suspension effectively spells the end of a roller-coaster career for Sa, who turns 31 later this month. He was the
Jan. 4, 2016