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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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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[Graphic News] Level of toxic smog from China
The level of fine particulate matter in the air, known as PM2.5, on Saturday stood at between 31-80 micrograms per cubic meter in Seoul city areas. But meteorologists say this week it will exceed the daily safe level of 100 micrograms per cubic meter due to smog blown in by northwesterly winds from China.
Nov. 3, 2013
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Local court orders Mitsubishi to compensate forced laborers
A local court on Friday ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to compensate five former Korean employees who were forced into hard labor during Japan’s colonial rule.The Gwangju District Court ruled that the engineering and aviation giant should provide each of four complainants, including 82-year-old Yang Kum-duk, with 150 million won ($141,000) and the family of a deceased laborer with 80 million won in overdue salary and other damages. The ruling marks the third victory for former conscrip
Nov. 1, 2013
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Telecom giant KT raided again over chairman's alleged graft
State prosecutors on Friday raided the offices of KT Corp., the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, as part of their ongoing corruption probe into its chairman.A team of prosecutors and investigators obtained computer hard drives and confidential documents, including accounting books, from the company's three offices and houses of several executives to corroborate the charges, prosecutors said.The raid comes just 10 days after the prosecution office first swooped down on
Nov. 1, 2013
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[Graphic News] Share of university lectures by full-time faculty increases
The share of university lectures given by full-time faculty members increased slightly to 58.9 percent in the second semester in 2013, according to Education Ministry data released Thursday. By region, universities in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province have fewer lectures by full-time professors, with an average rate of 54.9 percent, compared to 61.1 percent in other areas.
Oct. 31, 2013
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Court says civic groups not liable for damages during 2008 street protests
A Seoul court ruled Thursday that local civic groups are not liable for damages the state allegedly suffered during massive street rallies against imports of U.S. beef in 2008.The former Lee Myung-bak administration, seeking to advance the bilateral free trade agreement process with the United States, resumed American beef imports in April 2008. The decision sparked weeks of massive anti-government street protests, the so called “candlelight movement,” as many people viewed it as a hasty decisio
Oct. 31, 2013
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Seoul ranked sixth for city competitiveness
Seoul City was ranked as the sixth-most competitive city for the second consecutive year in a survey by the Mori Memorial Foundation of Japan.According to the 2013 Global Power City Index, Seoul showed general improvements in all categories, especially in economy in which it jumped from 13th to 8th, the Japanese urban studies research center said. It has annually rated 40 cities since 2008 in the six categories: economy, research & development, cultural interaction, livability, environment and t
Oct. 31, 2013
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Actor Song Sae-byeok getting married
Actor Song Sae-byeok is to tie the knot with actress Ha Ji-hye on Saturday on Jeju Island, said Song’s agency on Thursday. “The couple has been preparing for a small wedding to celebrate quietly,” Wellmade STARM said. They started dating in 2010 after working for a stage drama together in Seoul. The groom-to-be has publically expressed his affection toward Ha. Song built his fame on the big screen with a supporting role in the film “Mother” in 2009. He also gained popularity through his roles
Oct. 31, 2013
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Police illegally monitor civilians to guard president: lawmaker
Police have blacklisted and inspected 16 civilians simply because they are deemed threats to the President, an opposition lawmaker claimed Thursday."A police blacklist that I recently acquired had personal information such as specific people's names, dates of birth and whether they are members of certain organizations just because they pose threats to escorting the president," Rep. Kim Hyun of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said during a news conference at the national assembly.The do
Oct. 31, 2013
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Court says civic groups not liable for damages during 2008 street protests
A Seoul court ruled Thursday that local civic groups are not liable for damages the state allegedly suffered during massive street rallies against imports of U.S. beef in 2008.The former Lee Myung-bak administration, seeking to advance the bilateral free trade agreement process with the United States, resumed American beef imports in April 2008. The decision sparked weeks of massive anti-government street protests, the so called "candlelight movement," as many people viewed it as a hasty decisio
Oct. 31, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Korea’s jury system: Is it working?
Korea introduced a jury system six years ago as part of reforms to make court proceedings fair, transparent and more in tune with common sense. But the system has come under scrutiny following the separate jury acquittals in less than a week of progressive political satirists Ju Jin-u and Kim Eo-jun, and poet Ahn Do-hyun.They all were accused of spreading false information about President Park Geun-hye and her family members and charged with defamation.The verdicts troubled conservatives includi
Oct. 30, 2013
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Kids starting school know it all already
Looking bored and uninterested, scores of first-grade primary school pupils stare at a question on the blackboard, the answer to which they seem to know too well.“Can anyone guess what the answer is?” the teacher asks the class pointing to the question: 15-5=? One student replies, “That’s too easy, we have learned that already.”It is a typical interaction with her 38 pupils that frustrates Roh Eun-jin, 40, at Soongin Elementary School in northern Seoul. But she does not blame students.“For them,
Oct. 30, 2013
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SKKU hosts forum for Asia-Pacific universities
More than 500 educational officials and experts from 48 countries agreed to work together to enhance partnership and share new developments in higher education during an annual forum in Seoul on Tuesday.Sungkyunkwan University and QS-ASIA, the U.K.-based university evaluation firm’s Asia branch, is co-hosting the 9th QS ASIA Pacific Professional Leaders in Education Conference and Exhibition on Wednesday and Thursday at the school’s main campus in Seoul.Since its inception in 2005, the forum has
Oct. 30, 2013
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Civic groups may sue YBM over TOEIC fees
Two civic organizations are reviewing plans to sue for compensation as early as next week against YBM Korea TOEIC Commission for taking excessive cancellation fees and charging extra during a special application period.The Youth Community Union and the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy argued that YBM should refund all past English proficiency test applicants who were forced to pay too much due to these provisions. According to the YBM website, applicants who cancel their entrance
Oct. 30, 2013
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Elementary school teacher suspected of sex with 12-year-old
The Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency said Wednesday that it has forwarded the case of a 30-year-old elementary school teacher to the prosecutors on suspicion of statutory rape.“We will investigate further to see if there are any additional offenses, after which we will apply for an arrest warrant,” an official from the agency said. The suspect allegedly had sex with a 12-year-old elementary school student.The official added that the accused has willingly complied with the investigation and ther
Oct. 30, 2013
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Court approves change in ex-spymaster's indictment
A Seoul court on Wednesday accepted state prosecutors' request to press additional charges against a former national intelligence chief accused of meddling in last year's presidential election.Won Sei-hoon, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) under former President Lee Myung-bak, was indicted in May on charges of leading an online smear campaign to sway public opinion ahead of the Dec. 19 poll in favor of the then ruling party candidate Park Geun-hye.A team of state prosecutors in
Oct. 30, 2013
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Korea plans to start telemedicine in 2015
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that it will push ahead with telemedicine despite resistance from doctors as part of its effort to improve the medical welfare of the public and curb medical costs.Telemedicine refers to the use of information-communication technologies for the delivery of clinical care. It can help people consult with and get prescriptions from doctors without having to travel to hospitals.The ministry on Tuesday filed a public notification of a new bill to introd
Oct. 29, 2013
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Working moms’ conditions worsening: poll
About 73 percent of working mothers in Korea are experiencing difficulty in balancing career and family despite government efforts to support women in the workplace, a poll showed Monday.According to a survey of 1,000 women in their 30s and 40s conducted by the Women’s Intercultural Network, the Misery Index for working moms reached 3.33 points on a scale of zero to five, up 0.29 points from last year. A reading closer to 5 indicates higher levels of stress. The organization analyzed the data by
Oct. 29, 2013
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Substitute holiday system to take effect next year
The substitute holiday system that designates the working day immediately following public holidays that fall on Saturday or Sunday will be introduced next year.At Monday’s Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, the revision on the regulation regarding state organizations’ holidays was approved, paving the road to the introduction of the system drawn up by the government and the ruling Saenuri Party. Under the system, the three-day Chuseok and Lunar New Year holidays will be
Oct. 29, 2013
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Prosecution vows to charge Chun’s son with tax evasion
Prosecutors vowed Tuesday to charge a son of disgraced former President Chun Doo-hwan with tax evasion in a 2006 land deal, saying they would swiftly wrap up the investigation into the case.Chun Jae-yong, the second of the former president’s three sons, faces charges of colluding with his uncle to dodge up to 6 billion won ($5.66 million) in transfer taxes in the process of selling a plot of land in December 2006.The uncle, Lee Chang-seok, is currently on trial on charges of evading the taxes.On
Oct. 29, 2013
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5 Korean men sentenced for killing wealthy businessman in the Philippines
Five South Korean men were sentenced to lengthy prison terms on Tuesday for jointly taking part in the murder of a wealthy South Korean businessman in the Philippines, the country's top court said.The Supreme Court of Korea upheld an appellate court's 17-year prison term for a 35-year-old man, surnamed Yoon, while also confirming the roughly 15-year terms for the three other men, all in their early 30's, over the murder case in August of last year.One more man -- surnamed Song, age 42 -- was als
Oct. 29, 2013