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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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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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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China outpaces Korea in smaller OLED shipments for 1st time
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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S. Korea tops smartphone penetration rate in 2012
South Korea had the highest level of martphone ownership in the world last year, backed by rising demand for the device and faster Internet networks, data showed on Tuesday.According to data compiled by Strategy Analytics, 67.6 of mobile consumers in the country had smartphones last year, the highest rate in the world. The global average was 14.8 percent. In 2011, South Korea ranked fourth with 38.3 percent smartphone ownership, a sharp rise from 14 percent and 2 percent, respectively, in 2010 a
June 25, 2013
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CJ chairman quizzed over alleged slush fund
The prosecution on Tuesday questioned CJ Group chairman Lee Jay-hyun over allegations that he amassed massive secret funds in and out of the country for personal use. Lee, the nephew of Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, appeared before Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul at around 9:30 a.m., two days after he was summoned by the investigators. “I apologize for causing concern to the people, and I will sincerely respond to the investigation,” the chairman said before entering
June 25, 2013
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Supreme Court considers setting up drug court
The Supreme Court said Monday that it would consider establishing a drug court that orders nonviolent offenders with drug-related charges, alcohol addictions and mental disorders to participate in an intensive treatment course.The envisioned court will be a special judiciary unit that puts offenders in rehabilitation programs rather than prison. Countries including the U.S. and Australia have been operating similar systems as part of efforts to curb drug use. The program in the U.S., for instanc
June 24, 2013
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80% of recruiters say ‘looks affect employment’
Recruiters at more than eight in 10 South Korean companies said they are influenced by the appearances of job seekers in selecting new employees, a poll showed Monday.According to the survey of 273 human resources directors conducted by the job portal Saramin, 84.2 percent of respondents said their hiring decisions are influenced by a job candidate‘s looks and clothing.Of them, 57 percent said they had previously hired candidates based on their physical attractiveness despite shortcomings in the
June 24, 2013
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CJ Group chairman to be summoned Tuesday
The chief of CJ Group, a local food and entertainment conglomerate, will be summoned over suspicions that he created massive secret funds and evaded taxes in the process, prosecutors said Monday.Chairman Lee Jae-hyun has been notified to show up for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Tuesday, they said.Prosecutors suspect that Lee evaded 51 billion won ($44.5 million) in taxes by stashing secret funds offshore. Lee also alle
June 24, 2013
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70 percent of S. Korean students see N. Korea as biggest security threat: poll
Seven out of 10 South Korean students see North Korea as the biggest threat to national security, with half of them feeling reunification of the Korean Peninsula is a necessity, a poll showed Monday.According to the survey of 1,489 primary and middle school students in Seoul, 71 percent said North Korea is the No. 1 entity that poses a threat to national security, followed by 11.3 percent citing Japan and 5 percent pointing to the United States.A majority of the respondents had knowledge of the
June 24, 2013
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Prosecutors summon CJ chief in slush fund probe
Prosecutors investigating CJ Group’s alleged illegal financial activities are to question its chief, Lee Jay-hyun, this week over his alleged tax evasion and stashing of slush funds.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office announced Saturday that it had ordered him to appear for questioning on Tuesday.Lee is suspected of being involved in creating slush funds and overseas tax evasion and holding additional assets held under borrowed names.According to reports, the investigators believe tha
June 23, 2013
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Panel urges district to allow advertisements for gay rights
A state-run human rights organization advised Seoul’s Mapo District Office not to reject outdoor advertisements supporting gay rights, a small victory for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the area.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea handed down its decision last week, on the petition filed by the Mapo Rainbow Resident’s Solidarity against the Mapo office not allowing controversial outdoor banners it submitted last November.The district officials notified the gay
June 23, 2013
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Tougher anti-stalking bill proposed
A bill has been proposed to introduce stronger protection of victims and harsher punishment for stalking by a minor party lawmaker on Saturday.Rep. Kim Je-nam from the Progressive Justice Party said she is pushing to introduce a separate law to ensure better protection of victims from stalking such as by applying criminal penalties for the offense that is currently considered a misdemeanor.Stalking ― currently defined as making approaches, watching or following a person against his or her explic
June 23, 2013
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Prosecution tells CJ Group chairman to face questioning next week
State prosecutors said Saturday that the chairman of food and entertainment giant CJ Group has been summoned to appear for questioning early next week over his alleged stashing of slus funds. The chairman, Lee Jae-hyun, has been told to show up for questioning on Tuesday, said the prosecutors who requested anonymity. Lee is suspected of stashing millions of dollars in secret funds by using fake deals on expensive art pieces, which allowed him and his family to evade up to 50 billion won (US$
June 23, 2013
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CJ Group chief allegedly bought artwork using borrowed names: sources
Prosecutors investigating CJ Group may have secured a key piece of evidence that the conglomerate's chief allegedly purchased artwork with the use of borrowed names, informed sources said Saturday.Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of the local food and entertainment conglomerate, is accused of stashing secret funds worth hundreds of millions of dollars via deals involving expensive art pieces and evading taxes in the process, sources said.Dozens of the group's executives have purchased up to 300 famous wor
June 22, 2013
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Official talks begin in wage system dispute
The government has begun discussions to come up with measures to improve the nation’s wage system and resolve a highly controversial issue of whether to include bonuses as part of “ordinary wages,” officials said Friday.A Labor Ministry committee held its first meeting to discuss whether to include regular bonuses in ordinary wages, which would have a significant financial impact on companies, said the labor ministry officials.Ordinary wages refer to payments in addition to one’s salary that inc
June 21, 2013
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Seoul to release real-time location of sex criminals
The government said Friday it would disclose the location of sex offenders to the public in real-time and dismiss officials convicted of committing even minor sex crimes.The Cabinet approved a set of measures to tighten monitoring, toughen punishment and broaden preventive education during a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won.“These are comprehensive, preemptive and pan-governmental measures devised to crack down on sexual crimes and enhance public security. The government wi
June 21, 2013
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Prosecution raids offices of nuclear power operator
Prosecutors on Thursday raided nine key offices of the state-run nuclear power plant operator in Seoul, Busan and Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in a widening probe into corruption involving the company, parts suppliers and certifiers.The actions of officials in the nuclear industry put the nation at risk of nuclear hazards as they were found to have falsified test certificates for parts and materials used in reactors, according to authorities.The prosecution confiscated computers and ledg
June 20, 2013
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Only 20% of working moms use parental leave
Eight out of ten companies offer the parental leave system to encourage childbirth but only 20 percent of their female workers actually use it, a government think tank said Thursday.A total of 79.4 percent of the firms surveyed had a parental leave system, but the percentage of female workers who utilized it stood at just 24.3 percent, the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education said in a report.By law, business owners are obliged to grant up to one year off of work to their employees with k
June 20, 2013
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New Seoul Global Center building to open
Seoul City is scheduled to open a new office building for the Seoul Global Center on Friday that will be the nation’s largest support facility for foreign investors and residents.The new 15-story building is located in Jongno, downtown Seoul. The city government invested 33 billion won ($28 million) in its construction over three years.The city government has been running the comprehensive support center for foreign residents since 2008 to deal with daily living, business, education, financing a
June 20, 2013
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Gallery head quizzed In CJ slush fund probe
The head of one of the nation’s prominent art galleries appeared for questioning by prosecutors Thursday over suspicions that she helped CJ Group, a local food and entertainment conglomerate, stash slush funds via deals involving art pieces. The family-run group has been undergoing an intense prosecution probe over allegations that it created the secret funds worth tens of millions of dollars overseas in such countries as the United States and Indonesia through various methods, and evaded taxes
June 20, 2013
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Members of chaebol families indicted for using pot
Prosecutors indicted eight people on Thursday including a member of one of South Korea’s largest chaebol families for allegedly smoking marijuana.The Incheon District Prosecutor’s Office said the 28-year-old member of the Hyundai Group owner family was indicted on charges of distributing and smoking the drug.“Many of the suspects were sons of prestigious families who had studied abroad,” an official at the prosecutor’s office said.Another four, including the second son of Kim Seung-youn, chairma
June 20, 2013
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Korean schools abroad to admit foreign students
South Korea is pushing for overseas Korean schools to admit non-Korean students as part of efforts to nurture talent well-versed in Korean culture and boost the competitiveness of the schools, the education ministry said Wednesday. Under a revised bill submitted to the National Assembly, schools reserved for Korean nationals and compatriots in foreign countries can fill up to 30 percent of their total enrollment with non-Korean students. Currently, 30 Korean schools in 15 countries including Chi
June 19, 2013
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8 hagwon ordered to close over SAT leaks
Seoul education authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of eight private institutions accused of leaking U.S. Scholastic Aptitude Test questions. Another four cram schools were suspended and 12 were fined over the scandal, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.The authorities are widening a crackdown on hagwons providing SAT preparation classes. The education office has been conducting on-site inspections at 61 SAT hagwons, mostly located in Gangnam in Seoul. The authoriti
June 19, 2013