Most Popular
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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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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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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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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Three nominated for new chief prosecutor
A nominations committee for the next prosecutor general picked three candidates on Thursday. They are Kim Jin-tae, deputy general prosecutor at the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office, So Byung-chul, chief public prosecutor at the Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office, and Chae Dong-wook, prosecutor general at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. “The committee screened the candidates based on their integrity and competence and looked through their financial assets and military duty,” said an official fr
Feb. 7, 2013
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Watchdog warns Lee office over civilian surveillance
The national human rights watchdog advised President Lee Myung-bak Thursday to take steps to reassure the public they will not be illegally spied on, an activity the government was accused of conducting early on in his term.It is the first time the National Human Rights Commission has made a recommendation to the president since its founding in November 2001.“It is necessary for the government to clearly state the measures it will take against (the illegal surveillance of civilians) so that pres
Feb. 7, 2013
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Suwon provides baby-naming service for socially disadvantaged
Suwon City will provide a naming service for newborn babies who are socially disadvantaged.The program aims to support people who are financially challenged, such as people living on minimum wage, the disabled, single mothers and North Korea refugees. Those who wish to sign up for the program should submit basic information, such as the baby’s birth date and parent’s name, to Suwon City by e-mail or mail.Korean names comprised of three characters have different meanings. Many Koreans believe tha
Feb. 7, 2013
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Leaked personal data about woman sparks disputes
A set of photos and data files depicting a young Korean woman engaged in sexual acts has been spreading fast on Korean file-sharing websites, causing controversy over human rights violation and punishment of the disseminators.The data files were first uploaded to a local online community on Monday, and quickly went viral through social networking services and file-sharing platforms such as torrents.The rapid circulation of the revealing personal files is drawing worries about human rights violat
Feb. 7, 2013
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Seoul city to offer reward for information on cabs overcharging foreigners
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it will offer a 500,000 won ($458) reward to anyone with information about taxis ripping off foreign tourists in a bid to stem unfair practices.The municipal government revised its ordinance to provide rewards to people who report taxi drivers overcharging foreign riders, officials said. Foreign passengers being cheated by cabbies can also report the scam to the city government and be rewarded, they added.The move is part of the authority‘s efforts
Feb. 7, 2013
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First video-conference trial linked to Costa Rica
The morning of Jan. 29 in Seoul, a mother who lost her daughter in a car accident three years ago in Costa Rica gave a tearful testimony in the trial of the suspected killer taking place in the Central American nation.The video-conference trial was the first of its kind since the establishment of the act on international judicial mutual assistance in criminal matters in 1991. The act Korea signed with 73 nations encourages the countries to cooperate in criminal investigations and trials, such as
Feb. 6, 2013
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Korea carving its place in ‘rise of the East’
The world is facing a great transformation of civilization stemming from the rise of the East, fast-spreading globalization and the advancement of science and technology.The shifts cast uncertainties over the future of Korea. Its culture is steeped in both Eastern tradition and Western modernization as globalization seeps into every aspect of life. And science and technology has been the key driver of its rapid growth in the latter half of the 20th century.In this transitional period, the countr
Feb. 6, 2013
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Spending on private education drops 5 percent in 2012
Spending on private education dropped for a third straight year here in 2012 due mainly to an increase in elementary students participating in government-run after-school programs, a report showed Wednesday.According to data compiled by Statistics Korea and obtained by the education ministry, South Korean parents spent 19 trillion won ($17.47 billion) last year on private education for their children, down 5.4 percent from a year earlier.Private education spending was at its highest in 2009 at 2
Feb. 6, 2013
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U.S. soldiers get suspended term for using drugs on duty
A district court here on Wednesday gave a U.S. soldier a suspended prison term for using drugs inside his unit.The 23-year-old corporal from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, whose identity was withheld, was found guilty of smoking a new type of narcotics called "Spice," at Camp Casey on Sept. 3. Camp Casey is the name of the base of the 2nd Infantry Division, located close to the border with North Korea.Spice refers to a wide variety of herbal mixtures that, when smoked, give users a marijuana-li
Feb. 6, 2013
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'Pharming' scammers arrested
A group of fraudsters were arrested on charges of swindling 600 million won ($550,000) from bank customers, Seodaemun Police Station said Wednesday.The group allegedly gained access to the victims’ personal information through “pharming,” one of the latest online scams that leads people to access forged websites instead of legitimate ones by spreading malicious codes on computers.The new type of scam hit many unsuspecting users as malware redirects them to bogus websites, even when they enter th
Feb. 6, 2013
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Motorcycles deadly no matter rider‘s skill
No matter how skilled or experienced motorcyclists are, they have far higher risk of being killed while riding than someone in a car, U.K. researchers say. Jonathan J. Rolison of Queen’s University Belfast and Elizabeth Hellier of the University of Plymouth assessed whether policies designed to safeguard young motorcyclists would be effective given shifts toward high-powered motorcycles.The researchers investigated population-wide motor vehicle driver and motorcyclist casualties, excluding passe
Feb. 6, 2013
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Business dailies in public war of words
Korea’s two largest economic dailies are engaged in a rare public war of words that has exposed the shady aspects of the nation’s business media including corruption, fraud and intimidation. Observers see the battle between the Korea Economic Daily and the Maeil Business Newspaper as a desperate struggle to take a greater share of an increasingly small market.On Tuesday, Korea Economic featured half a dozen stories bashing the “dirty” business operations of its competitor. “It has been the pract
Feb. 5, 2013
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SK Group chairman appeals prison sentence
The head of South Korea's third largest conglomerate, SK Group, appealed a lower court ruling Tuesday that sentenced him to four years in jail for embezzling 46.5 billion won ($42.8 million) in company funds.Court officials said lawyers representing Chey Tae-won submitted a request for an appeal at 5 p.m. with the paperwork expected to be forwarded to the Seoul High Court in due time. The 53-year-old businessman was found guilty of embezzling the money from SK Group affiliates and funneling it i
Feb. 5, 2013
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Danish man helps homeless with clothing donations
Emil Bredahl is a rare breed of volunteer in Yeongdeungpo, southern Seoul.The Danish man and his friends take to a rundown street every week to give out donated winter clothes to homeless people. Many of them are defensive and wary of strangers, especially foreigners.“We move in small groups as to not intimidate the homeless. Two of us carry bags of clothes, and one of us talks to the homeless in Korean,” Bredahl, 29, told The Korea Herald in an interview. Consistency and building relationships
Feb. 5, 2013
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Police to hire law school graduates as investigators
The National Police Agency said Wednesday that its plans to employ and dispatch graduates from law schools as investigators.The NPA signed an agreement with the Korean Association of Law Schools to mutually cooperate to nurture the graduates amid the fast changing law industry. Law schools were introduced in 2007. The schools were opened as part of the government’s efforts to increase diversity among law practitioners and to address the issue of vested interests and exclusivity in the legal comm
Feb. 5, 2013
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Family killer might not be psychopath: experts
A man who allegedly killed his family in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Jan. 30 may not be a psychopath, according to profilers.Park, 25, thoroughly planned to murder his entire family last month. He drugged his parents with sleeping pills, then later in the night his brother. After that, he left all three to suffocate on briquette fumes after he set fire to the coal in their rooms. He left behind clues pointing to a murder-suicide with his brother to blame.Experts, however, said it remains u
Feb. 5, 2013
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Foreign nationals nabbed for alleged shopping spree on forged
Eight foreign nationals have been arrested on suspicion of using forged credit cards to fund lavish shopping sprees in Seoul, police here said Tuesday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, six foreigners, including a Malaysian ringleader identified by the initial M, are accused of using 120 fake credit cards under other people's names to purchase 270 million won (US$248,000) worth of jewelry and electronic goods during their three visits to Seoul, with the first instance taking plac
Feb. 5, 2013
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Conscientious objectors step up campaign
Korean conscientious objectors are set to step up their petition campaign with the next government and the international community. A lawyer representing the 488 objectors said Monday they will file a petition with the presidential transition team this week to demand that their right to object be observed. In addition, objectors plan to make their case with foreign embassies in Korea and the relevant United Nations institutions. “Korea has ignored the international society’s recommendations on f
Feb. 4, 2013
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Probe widens over alleged election law breach by NIS agent
An investigation of a spy agent suspected of conducting an online smear campaign against an opposition presidential candidate during the December election took a new turn as new evidence emerged that another person was involved.Suseo Police Station said Sunday that five IDs made by the spy agent surnamed Kim were also used by a different person, whose name was withheld, in writing posts supporting President-elect Park Geun-hye and favoring other posts amiable to the president-elect.The new suspe
Feb. 4, 2013
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Watchdog urges airline to renounce skirt-only policy
Korea’s human right agency recommended Monday that Asiana Airlines allow its female flight attendants wear trousers while on duty, calling its skirt-only policy potentially discriminatory. The announcement came after the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions filed a claim against Korea’s No. 2 airline dress code in June last year.The union noted that the company has regulations on hairstyle and length of skirts to wear, also on wearing glasses for its female crew.The company recently changed its
Feb. 4, 2013