Most Popular
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle
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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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Korean ex-leprosy patients return to island colony
SOROK ISLAND, South Korea (AP) -- Kang Sun Bong once considered this tiny island a ``hell on earth,'' a place where hospital workers beat the leprosy patients exiled here and forced them into harsh labor, sterilizations and abortions. But three years ago, old, sick and broke, Kang returned to the place he'd been banished with his mother decades ago.His savings wiped out by cancer treatment, the 74-year-old now hopes to live the rest of his life with hundreds of other former patients on Sorok Isl
Nov. 24, 2013
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Confusing questions on CSAT stir controversy
College entrance exam authorities came under fire amid a series of claims of ambiguous questions, one of which has prompted students to prepare a class action suit. Students claimed that at least three questions in English, mathematics and geography on the College Scholastic Ability Test were confusing and ambiguous.The state-run Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation is scheduled to notify students of the results of the national exam Wednesday. More than 650,700 high school seniors and g
Nov. 24, 2013
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Zookeeper attacked by tiger
A zookeeper was seriously injured Sunday after being bitten in the throat by a tiger.The 52-year-old employee of Seoul Zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, was found lying half-conscious in a staff passage leading to the cage of the 3-year-old Siberian tiger. The man identified by his surname Shim appeared to have been delivering food to the cage when the tiger, which had escaped its inner cage, sprung up at his neck. Shim was found by another staff member and was taken to hospital but is still i
Nov. 24, 2013
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Sex offenders' recidivism rate falls
The recidivism rate among sex offenders has dropped somewhat over the past year due in part to stronger oversight by the police, data showed Sunday.According to the National Police Agency (NPA), a total of 24,471 sex offenders have been arrested nationwide since November last year. Of that total, 1,556 offenders were found to have committed the same crime before, marking a recidivism rate of 6.35 percent.Over the same period between 2011 and 2012, the rate was 8.01 percent, according to the NPA.
Nov. 24, 2013
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Novelist berates MBC’s decision not to air his lecture
Novelist Lee Oi-soo on Friday showed his discontent toward MBC’s decision not to air his latest lecture, after his past remarks on the 2010 sinking of warship Cheonan sparked controversy.“I feel like I was shot to death,” Lee said on his Twitter account.Debating the legitimacy of MBC’s decision, the 66-year-old writer reacted with his trademark sarcasm, saying, “Korea is a democratic -- yeah, right -- republic in which lawmakers pressure those who oppose the government’s view, so they are banned
Nov. 22, 2013
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[Graphic News] Korea‘s life expectancy stood at 81.1 years in 2011
South Korea‘s life expectancy stood at 81.1 years in 2011, one year above the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average, according to the health data from the OECD.
Nov. 21, 2013
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Childless families increase rapidly
Childless households are sharply increasing in Korea due to the low birthrate and an aging population, a governmental think tank’s research showed on Thursday. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs’ report, the proportion of two-member families without children increased to 27.9 percent in 2013, up 18 percentage points from 1990.The share of three-member childless households also jumped from 6.9 percent to 17.1 percent during the period, according to the report written b
Nov. 21, 2013
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Law enforcement less sensitive to child abuse: survey
South Korean law enforcement officials tend to have a lower sensitivity to child abuse than the general public, a survey suggested on Thursday.The survey, the first of its kind here, was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and conducted last year on 190 professionals handling child abuse -- 51 prosecutors, 54 judges, and 85 police officers.One question on the survey involved a scenario in which a sick child is left unattended. While about 90 percent of the general public viewed the case as c
Nov. 21, 2013
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Each ministry, agency urged to take responsibility for monitoring public organizations
South Korea has called on each ministry and agency to take the lead in reforming public organizations in a move aimed at accelerating its push to tackle lax management and growing debt problems rampant in the public sector, government sources said Thursday.According to the sources, Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok emphasized during a meeting with other economy-related policymakers on Wednesday that the responsibility for monitoring public organizations lies with each relevant ministry and agency. H
Nov. 21, 2013
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S. Korea registers highest gain in life expectancy of OECD countries
South Korea has enjoyed the largest gains in life expectancy over the past four decades among a group of 34 mostly rich nations, new health data showed Thursday.In 1960, life expectancy in South Korea was almost 16 years below the average of member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).But as of 2011, South Korea's life expectancy stood at 81.1 years, a full year above the OECD average of 80.1, according to the health data posted on the website of the OECD.Th
Nov. 21, 2013
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[Photo News] Warm hearted
Nov. 20, 2013
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Movies, TV trump video games in kids’ exposure to violence
South Korean students are exposed to violence mostly through movies and TV programs, a survey showed on Wednesday. The study, conducted on 3,115 elementary and middle school students, creates food for thought for policymakers and parents, many of whom vehemently view video and online games as the primary transmitter of violent images. The survey, which allowed multiple responses, reported that 66.6 percent of respondents said movies were the medium through which they have seen violent scenes the
Nov. 20, 2013
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Why universities should make better use of alumni
Last summer, Nyenrode Business Universiteit’s latest graduates left the university to embark upon their new careers, but it was not goodbye. Though these students may no longer need the university, it has become increasingly clear to us that we will always need them; as such, we will endeavor to be involved in their lives for as long as possible. The reason? Though a university’s value can be judged on its position in league tables and rankings, from its reputation and its faculty expertise, the
Nov. 20, 2013
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Student elections marred by apathy, irregularities
Student council elections at some universities have been marred by low participation, indifference and even claims of irregularities. Experts voice concerns about a decline in democratic participation and weakening commitment to public interest activities among students, who have grown up witnessing corruption in politics and are increasingly concerned about their employment prospects. In the most recent case, the election management committee at Duksung Women’s University in Seoul on Wednesday
Nov. 20, 2013
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ETS scholarship applications open
Educational Testing Service said it has kicked off the application process for the 2013 ETS TOEIC Scholarship Program for Korea.ETS will provide a total of $72,000 to help 24 Korean students further their education.Introduced to Korea in 2008, TOEIC scholarships are awarded to students “who have superior academics, demonstrate an interest in mastering English and exhibit well-rounded qualities, such as participating in extracurricular activities ― including community service,” the company said.T
Nov. 20, 2013
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New Gangnam style: students dominate admission for top college
High school students from the affluent Gangnam area in Seoul are strengthening their dominance on the admission roster for Korea’s top university, a lawmaker’s report showed on Wednesday.In a report by Rep. Yoo Ki-hong of the main opposition Democratic Party, seven out of 10 high school graduates from Seoul that were accepted to the prestigious Seoul National University came from the three Gangnam districts: Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu. Out of the total 187 Seoul-based students who made
Nov. 20, 2013
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DP Lawmaker loses libel suit over ‘Kim Il-sung remarks’
Democratic Party lawmaker Lim Su-kyung on Wednesday lost a defamation suit against a lawmaker and a former spokesman of the ruling party, who claimed she called former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung “father” on a visit to Pyongyang.“Although there is no evidence to prove the Saenuri Party’s accusation as true, (the comments) were neither malicious nor libelous enough to constitute as illegal,” the Seoul Central District Court said in its ruling. The court added that the comments, made by Saenur
Nov. 20, 2013
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Int'l inspection finds no major problems at S. Korean nuclear
An international inspection of South Korea's nuclear power plants and its state-run operator has identified nearly 200 minor problems, though they do not warrant any immediate safety concerns, the country's nuclear commission said Wednesday.According to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), the special inspection by Germany's TUV SUD concluded that South Korea's nuclear power generation system is largely immune to any immediate threat, while identifying 35 findings, along with 145 r
Nov. 20, 2013
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Korea lags in "open government data" index: data
South Korea's policies and efforts to enable publicly-available government data to be easily accessible still has a long way to go with the country coming in 12th among the surveyed 77 nations, data showed on Wednesday.The so-called Open Government Data Barometer ranked Britain as the most advanced country for open data readiness, implementation and impact with a score of 100. The United States came in second with a score of 93.38, followed by Sweden with 85.75 and New Zealand with 74.34, accord
Nov. 20, 2013
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DP boycotts Assembly session
Democratic Party lawmakers staged a rare walkout during the parliamentary interpellation session for over two hours Tuesday in protest of a ruling party lawmaker’s criticism of a DP member who scuffled with presidential security guards. In addressing the parliament, Saenuri Party’s Rep. Lee Woo-hyun said that DP lawmaker Kang Gi-jung used violence against security personnel deployed for President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the National Assembly. Following Park’s parliamentary address on Monday, Ka
Nov. 19, 2013