Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok team up in 'Whenever Possible'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Aging population to drive down Korea's housing prices from 2040: experts
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47 parents indicted in foreign school admissions scam
Prosecutors said on Tuesday they had indicted 47 parents on charges of forgery as part of an ongoing investigation into a massive admission fraud case involving several international schools here.Prosecutors said they took a 36-year-old, surnamed Kwon, into custody and indicted another 46 parents without physical detention for forging passports to help their children gain admission to international schools in Seoul and Incheon. Under the current law, only children with a parent with foreign citi
Nov. 6, 2012
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Korea's elderly suicides highest among OECD members
South Korea's elderly suicide rate was the highest among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), data showed Tuesday, prompting the country to come up with measures to counter the rise of suicides among economically strapped senior citizens.According to the data compiled by the OECD, 81.8 per 100,000 South Korean elderly citizens under 74 years of age committed suicide in 2010, while 160 out of 100,000 people took their own lives among those aged 7
Nov. 6, 2012
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Controversial welfare law for artists to go into effect this month
The government will push for various policies to promote welfare of artists normally struggling to make ends meet as related laws are set to come into force this month, the culture ministry said Tuesday.A controversial law aimed at protecting occupational rights of artists and promoting their creative activities will go into effect on Nov. 18 along with two enforcement ordinances that passed the Cabinet Tuesday, the ministry said.Under the laws, the government has earmarked 7 billion won ($6.4 m
Nov. 6, 2012
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3-yr prison term sought for lawmaker for money-for-nomination
Prosecutors on Monday demanded three years in prison for independent lawmaker Hyun Young-hee for bribing a former ruling party official in return for her nomination ahead of the April general elections.Hyun was indicted in September on suspicion of giving 50 million won ($45,766) to Cho Ki-moon, who worked at Saenuri Party's branch office in the southern port city of Busan, in return for securing her a spot on the proportional representation ticket ahead of the elections, according to the prosec
Nov. 5, 2012
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Moon pledges to curb education costs
Democratic United Party presidential candidate Moon Jae-in pledged Monday to introduce a package of reforms to curb soaring private education costs and competition.“In recent years, the competition for private education has expanded from middle and elementary schools to kindergartens,” Moon told reporters.The presidential candidate said that so-called prestigious high schools in the nation have “significantly” contributed to the rising cost of private education. He suggested Monday a ban on univ
Nov. 5, 2012
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Prosecutors to question reporter over Jeongsu foundation report
Prosecutors have summoned a reporter who revealed a recorded conversation by the chairman of a private scholarship foundation linked to Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye. The journalist, Choi Sung-jin, working for the Hankyoreh newspaper, is accused of illegally eavesdropping on the talks between Choi Phil-lip, chairman of the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation, and senior officials from MBC. He reported on Oct. 13 and Oct. 15 that they met at the foundation chairman’s office in cen
Nov. 5, 2012
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Education is now a global issue
There is an exclusive set of issues that is regarded as “global.” War, humanitarian disasters, international development and economics are issues where people think, act and care beyond the borders of their own state. In a few weeks’ time, at the Qatar National Conference Center in Doha, innovators from a wide variety of sectors around the world will come together to add another issue to this exclusive set: education. That is education ― not as a bolt-on to international development programs, wo
Nov. 5, 2012
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Korean schools embrace multicultural society
GIMPO, Gyeonggi Province ― English teacher Jenny Alfaro shows pictures of vegetables and fruits on the blackboard at an elementary school on the outskirts of Seoul. “I guess everyone knows what it is,” she said, pointing to a picture of a tomato.“Yes, it’s a tomato, but in the Philippines we call it ‘kamatis,’” the 27-year-old Filipina said, the students repeating the word.“How about this? We call it ‘talong’ and in English it’s an eggplant.” This time, some students struggle to pronounce the Fi
Nov. 5, 2012
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Foreign students at SNU increase 27% over 3 years
The number of foreign students studying at Seoul National University has increased 27 percent over the last three years.According to Seoul National University International Cooperation Headquarters, its international enrollment totaled 2,401 as of October, breaking down into 2,080 full-time students and 321 part-time students including exchange students.It marks a 27 percent increase from 1,891 registered in 2009. The number of foreign students has been increasing steadily every year, and the na
Nov. 5, 2012
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Two nuclear reactors shut down for substandard parts
The government shut down unit 5 and unit 6 of the nuclear power plant in Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province, on Monday, after finding a number of “substandard” components in the two nuclear reactors. The government’s announcement of the use of unapproved parts in the nuclear power plants shocked the public, raising concerns over safety and power shortages during the upcoming winter. Speaking at a press briefing, Knowledge Economy Minister Hong Suk-woo said eight part suppliers have faked 6
Nov. 5, 2012
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Yeongdeungpo has most foreigners in Seoul
Itaewon has long been seen as a foreigner zone but a recent report showed that Yeongdeungpo, a southeastern residential and business district in Seoul, has the highest rate of foreign residents.According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, Yeongdeungpo topped the list with more than 57,000 foreigners registered in January. The number of foreigners in Yeongdeungpo accounted for 14.4 percent of the district’s population. Meanwhile, one out of every 10 residents in Geumcheon and
Nov. 4, 2012
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Lee secretary changes story on retirement home scandal
The special counsel team investigating suspected malpractice in the scrapped retirement home project for President Lee Myung-bak questioned Kim Baek-joon, the former presidential secretary for administrative affairs, on Saturday.Kim returned home at around 12:50 a.m. Sunday after 10 hours of questioning at the counsel’s office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.On his way out, the former aide took back an earlier statement and answered “No” to reporters’ questions about whether the Presidential Secu
Nov. 4, 2012
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Stricter security checks at schools
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced Sunday that it will strengthen security checks at primary and secondary schools as part of measures against school violence and crimes.From early next year, all visitors including parents at elementary, middle and high schools across the country must show their personal IDs and obtain a visitor pass to enter.Faculty members and students will also need to wear badges indentifying themselves at all times when on school sites, and those wi
Nov. 4, 2012
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N. Korea attempts to intervene in S. Korean election
North Korea on Saturday openly called for an opposition victory in South Korea's upcoming presidential election, accusing President Lee Myung-bak's conservative government of ruining inter-Korean relations.The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, a powerful party organization, denounced South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party as a "disaster" that brews "all sources of misfortune" for Koreans."If Saenuri Party, a group of obsolete conservatives, takes the office, it would make th
Nov. 4, 2012
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Ex-aide quizzed over land deal for Lee's retirement home
Special prosecutors summoned a former close aide to President Lee Myung-bak for questioning Saturday over alleged irregularities on a deal to purchase land for Lee's now-scrapped retirement home project.Kim Paik-joon, a former senior secretary to the president for administrative affairs, denied any involvement in the controversial project in which critics say taxpayer money was used, as he appeared before prosecutors. "I was not involved," the 72-year-old Kim responded to a reporter who asked ab
Nov. 3, 2012
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Ex-presidential security chief grilled on Lee retirement home
The special counsel team investigating suspicions surrounding President Lee Myung-bak’s now-scrapped retirement home plan questioned Lee’s former security chief on Friday. Kim In-jong, who was until October last year the head of the Presidential Security Service, is a key figure involved in the scandal, which centers around the joint purchase of land by his office and Lee’s son to build the president’s retirement home and security facilities. He is suspected of inflicting state losses by making
Nov. 2, 2012
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Choi elected as vice chief of UNHCR exec committee
Choi Seok-young, former vice trade minister and ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, was elected Thursday as vice chair of the executive committee of the agency’s refuge unit, the Foreign Ministry said. Choi, a representative of South Korea’s permanent mission to the United Nations in the Swiss city, will serve the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees’ top decision-making body until September. He will then take over as chairman for a one-year term according to custom.The 87-country committee authori
Nov. 2, 2012
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Chinese man to stand trial over extradition
A Chinese man currently jailed for attacking the Japanese Embassy in Seoul earlier this year will stand trial to decide if he will be extradited to Japan, officials here said Friday.In accordance with an extradition treaty with Tokyo, Seoul's Justice Ministry requested a local court to make a decision on whether to hand over the 38-year-old man surnamed Liu to Japan, after his release from a Seoul prison next Tuesday, the officials said. Liu received a 10-month term for hurling Molotov cocktails
Nov. 2, 2012
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Number of foreign tourists likely to top 10 million
The annual number of foreign tourists to South Korea is likely to exceed 10 million this month thanks to increased Chinese and Japanese visitors, a state-run tourism company said Friday. According to the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO), the number of travelers who visited the country reached 8.44 million in the January-September period, up 19 percent from the same period last year. The company forecast the figure will surpass the 10 million mark between Nov. 20 and 22, citing more for
Nov. 2, 2012
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Calls for comprehensive dementia service mounting
A tragic story of an elderly man who killed his wife with Alzheimer’s disease brought fresh attention to the need to improve care services and social assistance for dementia patients. The police arrested Tuesday the 78-year-old man who strangled his wife, apparently under huge psychological and physical strain from taking care of his wife for the last two years. The man, identified only by his surname Lee, had been looking after his wife full-time, but killed her on Oct. 19, as he couldn’t deal
Nov. 1, 2012