Most Popular
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Yoon sorry for shortcomings but insists policies were right
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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S. Korea ‘strongly’ protests Japan’s claim over Dokdo in diplomatic bluebook
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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Korean won weakens amid heightened uncertainty
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Seoul says will cut power to porn festival planned on Han River
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Sewol victims commemorated on tragedy's 10th anniversary
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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Chanel, Louis Vuitton see muted growth in Korea
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Owners of room salon charged with sex trade, tax evasion
Prosecutors said Sunday they indicted the two co-owners of the nation’s largest hostess bar in southern Seoul on charges of facilitating prostitution and tax evasion. The two brothers, surnamed Kim, were arrested early this month on suspicion of arranging over 80,000 cases of prostitution and evading some 3 billion won ($2,685,000) in taxes.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office also charged the chief manager of the room salon “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” without detention. Occupying
Sept. 23, 2012
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Jail breaker nabbed after 6 days
A robbery suspect who earned the nickname “Korean Houdini” after breaking out of prison through a very narrow cell window was nabbed Saturday after six days on the run, police said.Choi Gab-bok, 50, was caught on the rooftop of an apartment building in Milyang, 386 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier in the day, said Daegu’s Dongbu Police Station. Milyang is about 30 kilometers south from Daegu.Upon a tipoff from a villager in Milyang, police raided an apartment building and arrested the susp
Sept. 23, 2012
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Chief justice urges stern punishment of sex offenders
Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae said Sunday that a provision of law should be repealed to ensure sex offenders can be punished without the need for a complaint from their victims.The provision in the current law stipulates that those suspected of sexual offenses are prosecuted only when victims file formal complaints.The loophole could allow sex offenders to get off scot-free as many victims are reluctant to make a complaint because they are afraid of having to confront their assailants and concerne
Sept. 23, 2012
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Two killed, dozen injured in construction site collapse
PAJU (Yonhap News) ― Two construction workers were killed and 12 others were injured Saturday after they fell from a bridge under construction in this city near the northern border, police and emergency officials said.The upper part of the concrete bridge in Paju, north of Seoul, collapsed at around 8:50 a.m., and 14 workers who were working on the bridge fell 15 meters down to the ground, they said. Seventeen were working there starting at 7:30 a.m. to plaster the bridge.The workers were immedi
Sept. 23, 2012
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Detention warrant sought for renowned conductor's elder brother
A detention warrant for the elder brother of South Korea's renowned conductor Chung Myung-whun was sought by prosecutors on suspicion of embezzlement on Sunday. Prosecutors at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office said the 70-year-old brother is suspected of pocketing billions of won from 14 billion won in subsidies for a joint project with the Incheon metropolitan government called "Incheon & Art
Sept. 23, 2012
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Hostess bar owners indicted for arranging prostitution
Prosecutors said Sunday they have indicted two owners of South Korea's largest hostess bar on charges of sex trafficking, tax evasion and other illegal activities.The two brothers, identified only by their surname Kim, are suspected of earning more than 6.1 billion won (US$5.4 million) by running a room salon in Seoul and arranging acts of prostitution more than 88,000 times between July 2010 and
Sept. 23, 2012
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Chief justice calls for punishment of sex offenders without victims' complaint
Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae said Sunday that a provision of law should be repealed to ensure sex offenders can be punished without the need for a complaint from their victims. The provision in the current law stipulates that those suspected of sexual offenses are prosecuted only when victims file formal complaints. The loophole could allow sex offenders to get off scot-free as many victims are
Sept. 23, 2012
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'Korean Houdini' nabbed a!fter six days on the run
Robbery suspect Choi Gab-bok, is escorted by police at an apartment in Milyang on Saturday. (Yonhap News)A robbery suspect who earned the nickname "Korean Houdini" after breaking out of prison through a very narrow cell window was nabbed Saturday after six days on the run, police said.Choi Gab-bok, 50, was caught on the rooftop of an apartment building in Milyang, 386 kilometers southeast of Seoul
Sept. 23, 2012
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Granddaughter of Korean emperor loses trial to regain lost land
The granddaughter of Korean Emperor Gojong, the 26th monarch of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), lost a trial to reclaim land that she claims was taken over by the government without following due process.Princess Yi Hae-won and 16 other people who are descendants of the dynasty that was stripped of its powers by Japan in the early 20th century had filed a legal suit asking for the return of 12,700
Sept. 22, 2012
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Two killed, dozen injured in construction site collapse
Two construction workers were killed and 12 others were injured Saturday after they fell from a bridge under construction in this city near the northern border, police and emergency officials said.The upper part of the concrete bridge in Paju, north of Seoul, collapsed at around 8:50 a.m., and 14 workers who were working on the bridge fell 15 meters down to the ground, they said. Seventeen were wo
Sept. 22, 2012
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Seoul’s best flea markets
Sunny, brisk September days are perfect for some treasure hunting at outdoor flea markets. Here are Seoul’s most popular flea markets.Seocho Saturday Flea MarketLocation: Sadang Station, Lines 2 and 4, Exit 11 Time: Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Phone: (02) 2155-6693 Website: www.seocho.go.kr On an 800-meter-long street between Sadang and Chongshin University subway stations, thousands of buyers and sellers hustle and bustle every Saturday. This is Seoul’s oldest and largest flea market and th
Sept. 21, 2012
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Court orders financial regulator to disclose Lone Star reports
A Seoul court has ruled that the country’s financial regulator should make public its reports that helped Lone Star retain its status as the largest shareholder in a South Korean bank, court officials said Friday.The Seoul Administrative Court made the ruling in a lawsuit filed by a group of employees of the Korea Exchange Bank, the fifth-largest lender in South Korea, against the Financial Supervisory Service, they said.Since 2003, the Texas-based private buyout fund has been the biggest share
Sept. 21, 2012
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Korea to allow foreign doctors to practice while training here
The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to allow foreign doctors to practice medicine on a limited scale. The ministry unveiled the plan during a public hearing Friday aimed at opening the door for foreign doctors and dentists to practice while they receive training here. Under the current law, foreigners with a medical license are allowed to practice a limited scope for educational or research purposes after getting permission from the Health Ministry. But due to a lack of actual guidelines an
Sept. 21, 2012
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One in five schools has no native English teachers
One in five schools in Korea currently has no native English-speaking teachers, governmental data showed on Friday. As of the end of April, 8,520 foreign English teachers were employed at the country’s 11,368 primary, middle and high schools. The number is down 800 from a year ago, representing an 8.5 percent drop, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said.Some 18 percent of schools, or 2,065, currently have no English speaking assistant teachers. The shortage in English-speaking te
Sept. 21, 2012
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Treasure hunting at flea markets
Community-based markets for secondhand goods thrive in SeoulA riverside park around Han River bustles with sellers both young and old. They sit on mats with their items and call out to potential customers. Many eat snacks or lunch while they wait. Buyers survey each mat and scrutinize the objects on display, while market staffers walk around and monitor the area. Welcome to Ttukseom Beautiful Flea Market, where bargain shoppers meet hundreds of vendors every Saturday, hoping for amazing deals an
Sept. 21, 2012
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Prosecution quickening probe into political funding scandal
Prosecutors are stepping up their investigations into corruption scandals involving politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties. Political parties are keen to the development of the inquiries which coincide with the launch of a three-way race for the December presidential election and are expected to affect voter sentiment considerably. Prosecution investigators on Thursday raided the home and office of Hong Sa-duk, a former lawmaker and close aide to Saenuri Party presidential nomin
Sept. 20, 2012
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Labor group elects new leader
Moon Jin-guk, chief of the national taxi drivers’ union, was elected president of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions on Thursday.He replaces Lee Yonh-deuk who resigned last month over an internal feud regarding the labor umbrella group’s relations with political parties. Moon will serve until January 2014 when the term of the former chairman ends. Moon’s running mate Han Kwang-ho, FKTU executive vice president, was elected secretary-general. The duo were the sole candidates in the by-election
Sept. 20, 2012
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Japan’s emperor hopes to visit Korea, willing to apologize: report
TOKYO (Yonhap News) ― Japanese Emperor Akihito has expressed his wish to visit South Korea and said he could apologize for Japan’s colonial rule if needed, a Japanese weekly reported, amid heightened diplomatic tension between the two nations.During a Sept. 4 issue briefing with Koji Tsuruoka, the deputy vice-minister for foreign policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Akihito said he and Empress Michiko hope to visit South Korea “some day,” the Japanese women’s magazine published Wednesday r
Sept. 20, 2012
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Long-tailed gorals, hoofed rock climbers
Before industrialization, Korea’s steep, rugged mountains were a perfect home for long-tailed gorals, a species of wild goat dwelling at high elevations from Russia all the way down to the Himalayas. These small, antelope-like ungulates were often spotted resting on rocky cliffs in mountains throughout the country, where their predators, including humans, couldn’t dare to climb. But as Korea developed, constructing roads that reached deeper into the mountains, habitats that suit gorals’ shy, tim
Sept. 20, 2012
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Where did all the stars go?
When was the last time that you viewed a star-studded night sky? In Seoul and other major cities, chances are that you have not seen one for many years. And perhaps you never will. A starry night is becoming like an endangered species here and elsewhere in the developed world, with neon signs, street lights, giant ad screens and decorations on office towers lighting up the night sky. “Light pollution is, perhaps, the fastest-growing pollution these days. What makes it more serious is that not ma
Sept. 20, 2012