Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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S. Korea, Japan could consider simplified entry agreement: Seoul official
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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[Music in drama] An ode to childhood trauma
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'The Roundup: Punishment' becomes fastest 2024 film to top 2 mln admissions
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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New head of doctors' association vows war in case of disadvantage to medical professors
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Seoul raises ordinance issues with KORUS FTA
Seoul City voiced concerns over South Korea’s free trade agreement with the U.S., saying it possibly clashes with several local laws, capital officials said Thursday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, after analyzing 7,138 city and district regulations they found 30 that may disagree with the Korea-U.S. FTA.The capital recommended that the central government create countermeasures for eight of the regulations that have a possibility of clashing with the FTA. The regulations affect
Jan. 26, 2012
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Ministry to crack down on excessive work hours
Plans to tighten on-the-spot checks especially at metal and food companiesThe Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to strengthen the monitoring of working conditions in industries known for excessive overtime and weekend work, as part of its drive to shorten labor hours, officials said Thursday. Starting from next month, local labor authorities will conduct on-the-spot checks on up to 35,000 workplaces around the country. The inspections, though an annual event, will have a clear focus on work
Jan. 26, 2012
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‘Heavy penalty’ on energy envoy in Cameroon diamond mining scandal
The state watchdog on Thursday reportedly demanded the Foreign Ministry slap a “heavy penalty” on Kim Eun-seok, the ministry’s ambassador for energy and resources, who is suspected of involvement in pumping up the stock prices of CNK International in 2010.The Board of Audit and Inspection’s council of commissioners held a meeting earlier in the morning and decided to demand punishments for eight officials including Kim, a local media outlet said, prior to the watchdog’s announcement of investiga
Jan. 26, 2012
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Lee calls for continued pursuit of green growth
President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday South Korea should continue to pursue “green growth,” a policy that seeks economic growth through environment-friendly technologies and industries, stressing that the era of fossil fuels is drawing to an end.“Green growth is a task that not only South Korea, but the entire world is faced with. It is a task that will last more than fifty and even a hundred years,” Lee said during an annual policy briefing by the Presidential Committee on Green Growth, accordi
Jan. 26, 2012
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Seoul proclaims student rights ordinance
Education ministry seeks suit to prevent implementationThe Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Education Ministry clashed over the controversial ordinance on students’ human rights on Thursday as the ministry sought legal action to prevent its implementation.As soon as Seoul Metropolitan Government proclaimed the ordinance in the name of the SMOE chief on Thursday morning, the education ministry filed a suit to the Supreme Court. “It’s a historical event that the city council passed t
Jan. 26, 2012
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6 out of 10 leave first job within 4 years: study
Six out of 10 workers with a college diploma quit their first job within four years, according to a study released Thursday. The report by state-run Korea Employment Information Service analyzed the employment status of about 440,000 who graduated from universities or two-year colleges in 2007, thro
Jan. 26, 2012
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Seoul proclaims controversial student rights ordinance
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday proclaimed an ordinance to protect the human rights of students, which have been at the center of public controversy.With an aim to expand students' rights at school, the student human rights ordinance bans corporal punishment by teachers as well as disc
Jan. 26, 2012
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Seoul gov't proclaims controversial student rights ordinance
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday proclaimed an ordinance to protect the human rights of students, which have been at the center of public controversy.With an aim to expand students' rights while at school, the student human rights ordinance bans corporal punishment by teachers as well a
Jan. 26, 2012
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Labor ministry moves to cut working hours
South Korea plans to start inspecting 35,000 local workplaces next month as the country is gearing up to reduce its conventionally long workweek here, the labor ministry said Thursday.South Korean workers have the longest workweek among the 34 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooper
Jan. 26, 2012
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Ministry strives for women’s rights
Minister stresses better childcare at workplaces, safe environment for immigrant wivesGender Equality Minister Kim Kum-lae says she is striving to make Korea a global symbol of women’s empowerment.Kim is looking to take Korea’s progress further this year, as it chairs one of the biggest international organizations for gender equality.The country has been accepted to chair United Nations Women, the U.N.’s entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, according to U.N. officials.The min
Jan. 25, 2012
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Jacket of Lee’s granddaughter enlivens netizens
President Lee Myung-bak is being criticized for his grandchildren’s expensive outfits.Online bulletins are abuzz over a set of photographs showing his granddaughter wearing a high-end winter jacket in a family outing during the Lunar New Year’s Day holiday. The pictures, uploaded to show Lee’s caring, family-centered side, prompted an outcry over the luxurious clothes worn by his family, a stark contrast to his pledge to empathize with ordinary people’s economic hardship.In the photos released b
Jan. 25, 2012
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Seoul education office to proclaim controversial student rights ordinance
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Wednesday that it will proclaim an ordinance on the protection of students' human rights, banning corporal punishment and allowing freedom to choose their own hairstyle and clothing, a move expected to cause conflict between the office and the educatio
Jan. 25, 2012
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Seoul city to raise subway, bus fares next month
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to raise public transportation fares by 150 won (US$0.13) next month to make up for rising deficits from transfer fee discounts and energy costs, officials said Wednesday.The city government has come up with a proposal to raise bus and subway fares from 900 wo
Jan. 25, 2012
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Oh chosen for HHMI early career scientist
Oh Dong-chan, pharmacy professor of Seoul National University, has been chosen as one of the early career scientists of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, an internationally renowned research foundation, SNU said Wednesday. Oh is expected to receive $715,000 for the next five years in funding for his research on microbes in relation to drug use, according to the school. “The research on discovering new antibiotic compounds based on microbes is promising … on discovering antibiotics from natura
Jan. 25, 2012
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Female workers top 10 million for first time in 2011
The number of female workers in South Korea exceeded 10 million for the first time in 2011 due to the growing female population and a higher number of jobseekers among those supporting families, data showed Wednesday.Female workers totaled 10.09 million at the end of last year, up 1.8 percent or 177
Jan. 25, 2012
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Top U.S. schools turn to Jeju for new campuses
JDC signs MOUs with two institutions to establish international schools in JejuA number of prestigious U.S. private schools, including Wilbraham & Monson Academy and Perkiomen School, are expected to discuss setting up overseas branches in Jeju. Jeju Free International City Development Center signed memoranda of understanding with Wilbraham & Monson Academy and Perkiomen School on each campus on Jan. 18 and 19 to establish international schools at Jeju Global Education City.JDC Chairman Byon Jon
Jan. 24, 2012
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Prestigious U.S. schools turn attention to Jeju
JDC signs MOUs with two institutions to establish international schools in JejuA number of prestigious U.S. private schools, including Wilbraham & Monson Academy and Perkiomen School, are expected to discuss setting up overseas branches in Jeju. Jeju Free International City Development Center signed memoranda of understanding with Wilbraham & Monson Academy and Perkiomen School on each campus on Jan. 18 and 19 to establish international schools at Jeju Global Education City.JDC Chairman Byon Jon
Jan. 24, 2012
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School authorities look away from violence
Teachers call for effective alternative discipline for student misconductThis is the second of a series of articles on school violence brought into the public spotlight following recent student suicides. ― Ed.A 28-year-old middle school teacher who reported an in incident of violence to the school’s teacher in charge of student discipline received a shocking response. “He first asked me back, ‘Did the student break something? If not, deal with the case by yourself,’” she said, declining to be na
Jan. 24, 2012
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80% of Seoul citizens agree to street smoking ban
A majority of Seoul citizens agree on imposing a smoking ban on streets in the capital, according to a survey of 1,000 citizens earlier this month. About 80 percent said they would support designating streets as non-smoking areas while 16.9 percent opposed the idea, and 3.9 percent said they do not know, according to a poll conducted by Nam Jae-kyong, a Grand National Party member of the city council, from Jan. 2-6. The survey is expected to be used as background data on revising an ordinance th
Jan. 24, 2012
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Korean universities lower tuition fee
About one-third of Korean universities announced they will lower their tuition fees by 4.8 percent on average for the 2012 school year in a bid to meet the government’s request to reduce tuition costs in line with state tuition subsidies for students.A total of 109 universities out of 344 nationwide plan to lower their fees by 4.8 percent on average from last year, according to the Korea Student Aid Foundation on Tuesday. “Students will be able to feel the change, with a tuition fee cut combined
Jan. 24, 2012