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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Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia
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Yellow dust engulfs S. Korea, advisory alert issued
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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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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Seoul opens lounge promoting city's 'Seoul, My Soul' slogan in hanok village
The Seoul city government on Friday opened a welcome lounge promoting the city's new slogan, "Seoul, My Soul," in a popular tourist destination in central Seoul, known for its preservation of traditional Korean houses called hanok. The promotion set up in Bukchon Lounge, a sample hanok house the city government runs in the Bukchon Hanok Village, will receive visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Mondays and Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday, city officials said. T
Feb. 9, 2024
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Illegal drug suspect charged with forgery for AI-generated letter
An individual charged with illegal drug possession and use is now facing a another trial for filing what he claimed was a petition containing a character reference letter from the head of a local sports association, but which was allegedly forged by the suspect's friend using ChatGPT, arguing for leniency from the court, state prosecutors said Thursday. He was subsequently indicted for document forgery. The letter, submitted to the prosecution during the man’s first trial on drug char
Feb. 8, 2024
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Doctors, government lock horns over medical school expansion
Medical circles continue to lock horns with the government following the announcement of an increase in medical school enrollment quotas by 2,000 from the current 3,058, as they mull joint action in protest of the decision. In response, the Health Ministry said Thursday afternoon it had issued orders to prohibit doctors from engaging in collective action and specialists from resigning en masse. The ministry raised the national health crisis level to alert -- the third highest in the four-tier
Feb. 8, 2024
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[Graphic News] Majority of adults just want to rest over Lunar New Year’s holiday
More than half of South Korean adults would like to rest at home during the upcoming Lunar New Year’s holidays, according to a survey. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they would rest at home, while 31.3 percent said they would visit their hometowns or parents’ homes. Roughly 14.3 percent said they would travel. Some people chose possible activities in a short period, such as a day trip (14.1 percent), or meeting acquaintances or friends (11.4 percent). The survey was conducted
Feb. 8, 2024
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Number of international students grows to 182,000 last year: ministry
South Korea saw up to 182,000 new international students in 2023, an increase compared the 167,000 in 2022, said the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. To enhance Korean universities’ management of the increasing numbers of international students and to respond to the problem of illegal immigration among international students, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice annually examine the universities' internationalization competencies. In 2023, among the universities th
Feb. 7, 2024
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Foreign nanny plan put on hold as Philippines suspends worker deployment
A moratorium set by the Philippine government on sending their workers to South Korea has put the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan to bring in foreign domestic workers on hold, while also leaving some local farms with a shortage of workers as they will have fewer seasonal workers from the Philippines than in previous years. The Seoul city government said last year that it would bring in around 100 Filipina domestic helpers during the second half of 2023 in a pilot program to tackle the
Feb. 7, 2024
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Race for med school heats up after hike in student quota
The race for medical school enrollment has kicked off nationwide following the government’s decision on Tuesday to increase the quota by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to ease the staffing problem and improve access to healthcare services, according to experts on Wednesday. Woo Youn-cheol, a team leader at Jinhak Educational Assessment Research Institute, pointed out that there would be a particular increase in the number of retakers for the Suneung, or the country’s national college e
Feb. 7, 2024
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Ruling party leader denounces hidden recording of first lady
The ruling party leader on Wednesday criticized the usage of a hidden camera against the first lady for 2022 footage that shows a Korean American pastor giving her a luxury bag, which has sparked suspicions of anti-graft law violations. “The incident is quintessentially a vulgar operation involving a spycam,” People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said during a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists in Seoul. In footage uploaded by liberal news outlet
Feb. 7, 2024
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Criticism mounts over DJ's deadly drunk-driving
South Koreans across the country have been angered by the news that a drunk-driving DJ who hit and killed a motorcyclist did nothing to help the victim a the time of the accident. The 20-something DJ surnamed Ahn is accused of hitting a 54-year-old delivery man on a motorcycle with her vehicle last Saturday while driving under the influence of alcohol. She was arrested Monday on suspicion of death due to dangerous driving. A police investigation found that Ahn's car moved for 100 meters aft
Feb. 7, 2024
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'Beauty Taxi' discontinues makeup service due to safety concerns
A South Korean taxi driver who provided cosmetics supplies for passengers has been instructed not to do so anymore, after complaints that some of the items could present safety concerns. Kakao Mobility, the operator of the Kakao T taxi service, said Tuesday that it has ordered driver Ahn Seon-woo to remove all the makeup equipment from inside his vehicle. The 62-year-old driver based in Daejeon had been providing the services on his own initiative, gaining media attention and earning the nicknam
Feb. 6, 2024
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South Korea to lower EV subsidies by W1m
Subsidies given to those who purchase electric vehicles will be lower regardless of vehicle size compared to the subsidies given last year, said the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday. During the Ministry of Environment’s press briefing on its new EV subsidy plan, the environment ministry confirmed that the performance subsidies for EVs of all sizes have been reduced by 1 million won ($752). According to this new plan, the maximum subsidy for medium and large-sized EVs will reduced from 5
Feb. 6, 2024
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Popular YouTuber apologizes for racism
Tzuyang, one of the most popular internet celebrities in South Korea, issued a public apology late Monday after being accused of racism for featuring a comedian doing an offensive portrayal of a Filipino character in one of her videos, Jan. 28. "It was a huge oversight on my part not to realize that the content we produced might unintentionally cause emotional pain, which was not our intention. I sincerely apologize once again to the Filipino viewers and to anyone who felt uncomfortable wat
Feb. 6, 2024
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Yoon meets trilateral dialogue representatives for 1st time
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday met representatives of the country’s tripartite panel of labor, management and the government, urging them to jointly resolve pending issues. “Labor-management issues are not simply issues between groups with different interests but should be discussed within the larger framework of ‘sustainability’ in this society," he said as he hosted a luncheon with the member of the Economic, Social and Labor Affairs Committee. "If we comm
Feb. 6, 2024
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S. Korea to increase med students by 2,000 despite doctors’ threat to strike
The South Korean government on Tuesday announced it will increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 to address the shortage of doctors in non-metropolitan areas and broaden the reach of healthcare services despite the medical circle’s strong opposition and threat to hold a nationwide strike. According to the plan, approved by the medical policy review body held on Tuesday afternoon, the number of medical students will be increased to 5,058. The hike is the first in 27 years sinc
Feb. 6, 2024
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Ruling party pledges to spend more on senior citizens
The ruling party on Tuesday announced a set of pledges aimed to improve the lives of senior citizens here, which includes tax benefits and an expanded free lunch system, as the country grapples with the issue of entering a super-aged society. In its sixth pledge announced ahead of the general election on April 10, the People Power Party said it plans to expand the role of the government and taxpayers' money in taking care of Korea's older population. "The government plans to launc
Feb. 6, 2024
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YouTuber arrested after broadcasting while driving under the influence
South Korean police said Tuesday they are investigating a YouTuber on suspicion of drunk driving after he broadcast himself driving under the influence of alcohol. According to Geoje Police Station, the YouTuber started the broadcast around noon on Sunday at his residence in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. Then he left in his car to go fishing at around 7:10 p.m., at which point one of the viewers reported drunk driving to the police. Police caught the suspect at around 7:30 p.m. and found tha
Feb. 6, 2024
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Man caught pretending to be passenger to hide drunk driving
Police said Tuesday they had found that a man who pretended to be a passenger of a mystery friend who had run away after hitting a parked bus had in fact caused the accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the Incheon Sangrok Police Station, the suspect drove his car into a bus in Sangrok-gu, Incheon at around 5:45 p.m. on Monday. He then destroyed the SIM card in the black box of his car and sat in the passenger seat, to hide his drunk driving. When the police arrived
Feb. 6, 2024
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Doctors warn of nationwide strike against envisioned medical school quota hike
The doctors' association vowed Tuesday to launch a nationwide strike if the government "unilaterally" pushes for raising the medial school enrollment quota. The health ministry is widely expected to announce a plan later in the day to increase the number of medical students by up to around 2,000 starting 2025 as part effort to address the chronic shortages of doctors in rural areas and the essential health care field. It will be the first hike in nearly 20 years, as the current li
Feb. 6, 2024
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24/7 support system needed for independence of disabled: experts
Experts and activists have repeated their calls for a more long-term, attentive care system for those with disabilities to prevent further tragedies in the wake of another murder-suicide by the parent of a disabled child. On Sept. 16, 2023, a family of five was found dead in their home in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, after the father killed his wife, his three sons with developmental and physical disabilities and himself. On Friday, a man in his 40s was found dead alongside the body of his 10
Feb. 5, 2024
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Drunk man goes into wrong home and commits murder
The Supreme Court recently confirmed a 19-year prison term for a South Korean man who mistakenly went into the wrong home and stabbed a person to death while under the influence of alcohol, officials said Monday. The court found the defendant guilty of murder, threat and violence charges, upholding a lower court ruling. Although the defendant, in his 60s, requested a lighter punishment based on a legal clause that mitigates sentences for those who have committed a crime while not of sound mind,
Feb. 5, 2024