Most Popular
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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S. Korea to boost support for single-parent families
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Kia EV9 wins world car of year
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Korea misses out on global bond index boost
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Three Chinese trawlers seized for illegal fishing
JEJU ISLAND (Yonhap News) ― Maritime police on this resort island said Saturday they have seized three Chinese fishing boats for poaching and obstruction of duty in South Korean waters.Jeju maritime police first seized a Chinese boat which was illegally fishing inside South Korea’s exclusive economic zone off Jeju at around 4:25 a.m. Soon after, 25 Chinese trawlers approached a South Korean maritime police vessel in the area to demand the release of the seized Chinese boat.As the Chinese boats i
Nov. 20, 2011
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Online address reporting opens for foreign residents
Long-term foreign residents of Korea may now register their new addresses online after moving, the Justice Ministry said Sunday.The ministry announced that starting Monday, foreigners and Koreans living overseas may register their change of residence or address online, following digital verification.Until now, foreigners were required to complete change of residence applications at their local immigration or government office within 14 days of moving, according to officials.The ministry believes
Nov. 20, 2011
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Cold spell to grip country
The cold spell will continue to grip the nation Monday, with the mercury dropping below minus 9 degrees Celsius in the morning, the state weather agency said Sunday. The Korea Meteorological Administration warned of a wind chill factor likely to dip into the minus-10s. Some Chungcheong and west coastal areas will see snow. The cold spell will linger through Tuesday, the KMA said. The sudden coldness appeared on Sunday morning, pushing away the unusually mild autumn days. The morning low in Seoul
Nov. 20, 2011
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Forum to seek global governance to make aid more effective
High-ranking officials from donor and recipient nations meeting in South Korea later this month expect to discuss a new global mechanism that can better manage and improve the impact of global development aid, key organizers said Sunday.About 2,500 government delegates and leaders of international organizations, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will start a three-day conference in the southern port city of Busan on Nov. 29. The 4th High-Le
Nov. 20, 2011
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Will Korea end limits on overseas adoption?
The government may have to deregulate overseas adoption in order to fit into an international pact that prioritizes children’s welfare over their country of origin. Korea, which has gradually reduced the number of overseas adoptions by 10 percent every year, is likely to uncap the number to encourage more children to find homes, observers said. There were 1,013 overseas adoptions in 2010, down from 2,101 in 2005, two years before the regulation was implemented.According to the Ministry of Health
Nov. 20, 2011
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U.S. ex-soldier helps build bridges
Christopher Vaia looks to promote idea of reconciliation across KoreaOne retired U.S. soldier has become the face of friendly community relations to honor his Korean-American daughter’s legacy of building bridges between unlikely sides.Christopher Vaia, better known by community children as “Balloon Ajeossi,” is spending his retirement years by serving up smiles, lending a friendly ear and making balloon animals for the local community.A retired Army sergeant major, Vaia has been reaching out to
Nov. 20, 2011
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N. Korean spy arrested after claiming to be defector
A North Korean spy has been caught impersonating a defector from the North, the South's public security authorities said Saturday.The man was identified as a member of the North's Military Security Command in a routine investigation of newly arrived defectors, government agencies, including the Nati
Nov. 20, 2011
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Foreign adoptions by Americans plunge again
NEW YORK (AP) -- The number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell by 15 percent last year, reaching the lowest level since 1994 due largely to sharp cutbacks by China and Ethiopia, sources of most adoptees in recent years.Figures released Tuesday by the State Department for the 2011 fis
Nov. 20, 2011
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More Koreans taking to two-wheels
It’s better for heath and environment, but regulations needed for safe bike ridesIm Sang-hyuk, 37, an oriental medicine doctor, has been cycling to work every day for the last eight years.“It’s obviously cheaper, and I find it often faster,” he said.Im commutes with his bike from his house in Sinjeong-dong, southwest Seoul to Jegi-dong, in the northern part of the city. It’s a daunting 60 km round trip, but Im finds it enjoyable and reliable. “I leave my house around 8:10 a.m. and arrive at work
Nov. 18, 2011
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Korean professor elected to U.N. law commission
Park Ki-gab, a law professor at Korea University, has been elected as one of the 34 members of the International Law Commission of the United Nations in the ILC’s 2011 election.Park will serve as an ILC member for five years beginning Jan. 1. Candidates from 50 countries ran for 34 commission member places. Asia Pacific states fielded 13 candidates for eight seats allocated to the region. Park garnered votes from 135 out of 193 member countries.Park is the second Korean member of the ILC, follow
Nov. 18, 2011
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Sex crimes by minors increase
Reported sex crimes among school students in Seoul surged from nine in 2009 to 23 in 2011, leading to calls to strengthen sex education.According to data released by city councilor Yoon Myung-hwa, of the 53 cases from 2009-2011, 36 were committed by middle school students, the number increasing from two to 18 over the period. The latest case involved a second grade middle school student who stripped his classmate’s pants, took photos of his genitals and made jokes, according to Yoon. Another cas
Nov. 18, 2011
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Missing U.S. military rifle found near base of Lee's plane
A missing U.S. military rifle was found Thursday near a local air base, where President Lee Myung-bak departed aboard a presidential jet on the same day for Indonesia to attend a regional summit, an official said Friday.The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) official said a civilian found the M4 rifle on Thur
Nov. 18, 2011
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Distinguished figures busted in crackdown on prostitution ring
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- Police said Thursday that they have arrested a broker who allegedly used the Internet to arrange perverted sex and booked 70 others, including distinguished figures like doctors and professors, for being involved in the illegal prostitution ring.The 41-year-old man, surnam
Nov. 17, 2011
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Justice Ministry seeks to remove statute of limitations for murders
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to abolish the time limit for prosecuting murderers as part of efforts to better prevent life-threatening crimes, the Justice Ministry said on Thursday.The ministry is pushing to revise related laws to lift the 25-year statute of limitations on all k
Nov. 17, 2011
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Court rules in favor of gov't in suit filed by N.K. sanction victim
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Thursday ruled in favor of the government in a case that underscored the economic hardship risked by South Korean companies that have business ties with North Korea.NFN, a small local company that had produced clothing made by North Korean workers in Pyongyang since 2007, filed a suit demanding compensation of about 2.1 billion won (US$1.8 million) from the government for the economic damage the company suffered following the South's sanctions on the N
Nov. 17, 2011
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Student attacks on teachers increase
Views differ over ordinance against corporal punishmentA third grade student at a middle school in Daegu hit his vice principal in the head and stomach several times on Nov. 1 because he confiscated his cigarette.On the same day, the father of a sixth grade elementary school student in Gwangju threw a chair at his daughter’s homeroom teacher after he was dissatisfied with the way the teacher disciplined his child.The two cases are the latest incidents in which students or parents have attacked t
Nov. 17, 2011
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IFC Seoul opens its doors after 9-year wait
The International Finance Center Seoul opened its doors Thursday after a nine-year wait.Construction of all three towers, which began in 2006 after three years of development, is expected to be finished by the end of 2012.According to Seoul Metropolitan Government, 16 global financial institutions have concluded contracts and begun moving into One IFC.Those attending the opening ceremony included AIG Global Real Estate Managing Director John Whitaker and AIG Korean Real Estate Development Presid
Nov. 17, 2011
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UNESCO Creative Cities Network adopts Seoul declaration
An international conference of cities with strong cultural assets and diversity adopted a declaration on Thursday in Seoul, calling for regular meetings and a common vision of “sustainable development based on creativity.”The UNESCO Creative Cities Network Conference, hosted by the Seoul city government Nov. 16 and 17, highlighted worldwide cooperation for sustainable urban development and creative ideas to realize it. In the Seoul Declaration, mayors of 41 cities around the world agreed to hold
Nov. 17, 2011
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U.S. soldier suspected of arson, in banned bar after curfew
A U.S. soldier is being investigated by police here as a prime suspect in a fire at a Seoul bar in an area off-limits to U.S. military personnel past curfew hours.Located in Itaewon’s infamous district, better known as “Hooker Hill,” the scorched bar is one out of more than 45 establishments that are off limits to all U.S. Forces Korea military personnel 24 hours.“There really isn’t much to say about (the incident). It was off-limits and it was after curfew,” USFK spokesman Jason Chudy told The
Nov. 17, 2011
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Tomato Savings Bank exec commits suicide
An executive of the suspended Tomato Savings Bank was found dead in an apparent suicide on Thursday morning. The savings bank, one of 16 such institutions suspended, was under investigation by the Public Prosecutors Office.The 50-year old, identified by his surname Cha, was found dead in a building in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. A will was not found, but Cha is reported to have sent a text message implying that he would commit suicide to his wife before he hung himself.Cha is the second suspende
Nov. 17, 2011