Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Korean government refutes WP report over poor seniors
South Korea’s Health and Welfare Ministry refuted Wednesday a recent report by the Washington Post on elderly Koreans “returning to poverty.” The ministry said in a press release that, in fact, “Park Geun-hye’s administration is pushing for a comprehensive welfare policy for seniors to boost their income, health and comfort after retirement.” It added, “We have allocated 6.4 trillion won ($6 billion) exclusively for senior welfare, up 48.7 percent from 4.3 trillion won a year earlier.” Earlier
Jan. 23, 2014
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10 tips to protect information from credit card leak
Korea’s financial authorities suggested Wednesday 10 tips to safeguard personal information in response to the recent card leak. The tips are as follows:1. You can continue to use the original cards, as the leaked information has been fully retrieved, blocking the possibility of additional abuse.2. Request the free mobile text messaging service that notifies customers immediately about every payment made with the card. 3. If you suspect your card has been used illegally, contact the card company
Jan. 23, 2014
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Workers’ burnout syndrome
The term “burnout syndrome” emerged as one of the nation’s most popular search phrases online Thursday. The syndrome occurs in people who have been engrossed in a certain project or with work, often leading to excessive physical and psychological stress. Workers eventually reach a “burnout” stage where the body cannot endure further, and in extreme cases, end up hating their work or themselves. Experts say it is important for workers to keep their composure in order to maintain their current lif
Jan. 23, 2014
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Prosecutor indicted for illegally helping celebrity girlfriend
A prosecutor was indicted Wednesday for allegedly playing favors on his girlfriend’s behalf, raising concerns over the prosecution service’s integrity amid a series of recent scandals involving law enforcement officials.The charged prosecutor, only identified by his surname Jeon, is accused of threatening a plastic surgeon to exact medical and financial favors for his girlfriend actress Lee Yoon-ji, more famously known by her stage name Amy. Indicting an incumbent prosecutor is uncommon in Korea
Jan. 22, 2014
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Ex-spy chief gets 2-year prison term for corruption
Former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon was on Wednesday sentenced to two years in prison on charges of corruption. Along with the prison term, the Seoul Central District Court imposed a penalty of about 163 million won ($153,000) on the former spy chief.The corruption charges were brought against Won early last year, who is also on trial for suspicions of violating the Public Official Election Act, leading to his indictment in July. The trial on Won’s alleged attempts at influen
Jan. 22, 2014
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English teacher extradited from Armenia over teen sex tape
A 29-year-old American accused of having sex with a teenage girl and posting a video of it online was extradited from Armenia to South Korea on Wednesday, the Ministry of Justice said.The ministry has been tracking down the suspect’s whereabouts since 2010, when he fled to China as the video stirred a firestorm of criticism in the Korean online community.“The urgency of each case decides how fast the extradition will take place. In this case, it only took three months, whereas it could take up t
Jan. 22, 2014
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Capital to compensate overcharged tourists
Seoul City’s public tourism organization set up a compensation scheme for overcharged foreign tourists as part of efforts to improve the city’s sightseeing conditions, officials said Wednesday. Seoul Tourism Association has started to reimburse up to 300,000 won ($280) to foreign travelers who are ripped off in seven special tourism districts starting this month. These include Myeongdong, Namdaemun, Jongno, Dongdaemun and Itaewon. Once overcharged, tourists must report to the Seoul tourist infor
Jan. 22, 2014
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Good education a minus for women seeking partners: study
Education level seems to affect men and women in markedly different fashions when it comes to marriage. Higher education is a big plus for men looking to wed; however, it’s a minus for women seeking Mr. Right, a study said on Wednesday.The Korea Institute for Health and Social Science analyzed several variables that affected marriage between 2001 and 2008, which included educational background, career, work hours and ages. According to the study, men with better educational backgrounds had highe
Jan. 22, 2014
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[Eye on English] Families separate for overseas education
In November, a man in his 50s committed suicide in his house in Incheon. He was a “goose father,” one of about 200,000 Korean dads who send their families abroad for their kids’ education, while remaining in Korea to work.The electrical engineer had sent his kids and wife to the U.S. in 2009. But shortly after they left, the man lost his job. He lived off unemployment benefits and savings, sending most of it to his family in the U.S. His wife worked at a restaurant there to support the children.
Jan. 22, 2014
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35 securities firms exposed after leak from Koscom
The network of the financial IT solution provider Koscom was found to have been penetrated amid escalating concerns over the recent credit card leak.“Considering that Koscom boasts a relatively stable system, it is worrying for the overall security business’ data management and security,” said an official who declined to be named. Koscom manages customer information for 35 of the 62 domestic security companies, including details of customers’ account numbers, transaction records and accounting.
Jan. 22, 2014
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Former spymaster gets 2-year jail term for graft
A Seoul court on Wednesday sentenced a former intelligence chief to two years behind bars for accepting kickbacks from a businessman while in office.Won Sei-hoon, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) under former President Lee Myung-bak, was found guilty of taking some 160 million won (US$150,000) in bribes from the former head of now-bankrupt Hwangbo Construction in exchange for influence peddling between 2009 and 2010.The Seoul Central District Court also ordered the disgraced fo
Jan. 22, 2014
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Govt to 'strictly' hold accountable those involved in massive information leak: minister
The government will "strictly" hold accountable those involved in the recent massive leak of personal information from financial institutions, the finance minister said Wednesday."I feel very regretful that this kind of massive personal information leak has occurred, and I am also sorry for the people," finance minister Hyun Oh-seok said at a meeting with other economy-related policymakers."We will get to the bottom of this to figure out who is responsible and strictly hold accountable anyone in
Jan. 22, 2014
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Korea struggles to contain AI
The South Korean government stepped up its efforts to prevent the bird flu from spreading further following the report of another suspected infection case on Tuesday.In a sign demonstrating the gravity of the situation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs extended the geographical limit within which poultry must be immediately slaughtered. All poultry within a 3-kilometer radius from a virus-infected farm will be slaughtered as a preventive measure. Previously, the mandate for cu
Jan. 21, 2014
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[Photo News] Seollal sorting
Jan. 21, 2014
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Smartphones can be deadly distraction
It came as a stark reminder of the seriousness of the country’s smartphone addiction: A college student was killed on campus because she was distracted by her phone.The 23-year-old student was run over by a shuttle bus on Korea University campus in 2011 while walking with her head down, eyes fixed and fingers tapping.The tragic incident is just one of hundreds of traffic accidents here that occur every year because people have their eyes glued to their smartphones. Korea’s pride in high-tech pro
Jan. 21, 2014
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Government denies reports of ID leaks
The Ministry of Security and Public Administration on Tuesday denied an earlier newspaper report claiming that electronic identification cards that contain personal information of government workers had been leaked.The ministry said no personal information from electronic government IDs had been taken, although thousands of officials could have been affected by a major credit card data leak involving KB Kookmin Card, NongHyup Card and Lotte Card, earlier this month. Law enforcement officials cha
Jan. 21, 2014
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McDonald’s, elderly Koreans reach truce on seating hours
A McDonald’s restaurant in New York on Monday ended a dispute with Korean senior citizens over the use of its seating area by agreeing to allow extended seating hours during its off-peak hours.According to New York Assemblyman Ron Tae-sok Kim, who brokered the deal, the fast food restaurant promised to scrap a previous 20-minute time limit for customers during non-peak hours. Signs will also be posted in Korean and Chinese.In exchange, the elderly citizens will avoid hogging the seats from 11:00
Jan. 21, 2014
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Detailed check on personal information leak in Korea available
Information on the extent of personal data leaks has been made available on the official homepage of each card company for individual users to check, following a massive data breach. Credit card users are required to go through a simple identification procedure to find out the specific personal details that have been leaked -- including bank account numbers, phone numbers, home and office addresses, and credit cards numbers. Credit card users of KB Kookmin Card, Lotte Card and NongHyup Card floo
Jan. 21, 2014
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Korean kidnapped in Libya confirmed unharmed: official
A South Korean trade agency employee kidnapped in Libya has been confirmed to be unharmed, a ranking government official said Tuesday. Han Seok-woo, the head of the Libya unit of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), was abducted Monday by four unidentified Libyan gunmen on his way home, prompting Seoul to ramp up efforts to win his release. "Han has been confirmed to be unharmed," the official said, without disclosing how he confirmed his safety and who was behind the abd
Jan. 21, 2014
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Fears of AI spread escalate
The government confirmed on Monday that avian influenza was the cause of wild bird deaths in North Jeolla Province, fueling concerns of a nationwide outbreak. On Friday, a large number of Baikal teals were found dead in a reservoir between Gochang-gun and Buan-gun in North Jeolla Province, where bird flu broke out on duck farms last week. “It was verified as H5N8 but whether it is highly pathogenic will be confirmed later in the day,” said the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The
Jan. 20, 2014