Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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Police records can’t be used as evidence without defendant’s approval: court
The Supreme Court ruled that police records of a defendant’s statements cannot be used to prove guilt unless the defendant agrees to the records being used as evidence.The top court said Friday that it reversed a lower court ruling that sentenced a defendant to six months in prison for violating the law on community credit cooperatives, and sent the case back to the Daegu District Court.The defendant was indicted for allegedly giving 500,000 won in cash each to two voters and asking for th
Nov. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Two K-pop stars found guilty of sex crimes
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced K-pop star Jung Joon-young to six years and his friend K-pop singer Choi Jong-hoon to five years in prison Friday for sex offenses. They were found guilty of gang raping women who were under the influence of alcohol. Jung was also found guilty of sharing secretly filmed sex videos and photos, including those taken during the gang rape, via online group chats. But he was acquitted on a separate sexual assault charge at the same trial. Jung and Cho
Nov. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] College admissions reforms coming amid controversy
Seoul-based universities will select more freshmen through a state-administered college entrance exam to be held once a year starting in 2023 as part of college admissions reform measures unveiled by the Education Ministry on Thursday. Under the measures, at least 40 percent of applicants at 16 major universities in Seoul – including Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University – will be selected through the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung.The me
Nov. 28, 2019
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11 booked for posting naked pictures to student community
Police booked 11 college students and graduates for posting naked pictures of themselves and others on an online student community site.Hyehwa Police Station in Seoul said Thursday they recently booked without detention 11 men and women, mostly in their 20s, on charges of spreading obscene materials on the internet. Police launched an investigation in June after receiving reports that obscene pictures had been posted to an anonymous community site only accessible to students of a private u
Nov. 28, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court orders retrial of former President Park in NIS fund case
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a retrial of former President Park Geun-hye for acceptance of off-the-books funds from the National Intelligence Service, saying her acquittals by lower courts on bribery and state fund loss charges should be reversed.The top court instructed the Seoul High Court to retry Park's case, raising legal questions about the appellate court's decision in July to reduce her prison sentence in the NIS fund scandal by one year to five years.Besides the commutation of
Nov. 28, 2019
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[Graphic News] 1 in 5 Seoul households live with a pet: data
One in 5 households in Seoul have a pet and the number of homes that have embraced cats is on the rise, data showed. Some 20 percent of the surveyed households said they were living with a pet as of 2018, compared with 18.8 percent in 2014, according to data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The survey was conducted in September last year on 20,000 households in the city. The poll had a margin of error of 0.47 percentage point and a 95 percent confidence level. The number of households w
Nov. 27, 2019
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15,000 imitations of BTS character goods seized in Incheon this year
Customs officials in Incheon, west of Seoul, said Wednesday they have cracked down on huge amounts of imitation goods that infringe on the trademark rights of BTS, a globally popular South Korean boy band.According to Incheon Main Customs, about 15,000 fakes of BTS' BT21 character products originating from China and other countries were detected at the port of Incheon in the first 10 months of this year. BT21 is a registered trademark of BTS.The BT21 imitations caught by the Incheon customs offi
Nov. 27, 2019
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[News Brief] Fire hits chemical factory in Yeosu
A fire that started at a chemical factory in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, around 10 a.m. on Wednesday was contained in around three hours. A whole block of five prefab buildings in the city’s southern end were demolished from the blaze, the authorities stated. Around 30 people were evacuated with no reported casualties.The fire which started at a lubricant storage warehouse inside the factory spread quickly to nearby furniture stores, the fire authorities said. Black fumes covered the sky
Nov. 27, 2019
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[News Brief] Appeals court upholds 30-year sentence for internet cafe murderer
An appellate court on Wednesday upheld a 30-year prison sentence for a man who brutally killed a part-time worker at an internet cafe in western Seoul.The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence to Kim Sung-soo, 30, convicted of the murder of the 20-year-old. On Oct. 14, 2018, Kim stabbed the victim some 80 times in the body and face. Kim later stated that he had stabbed the victim because the victim had been rude to him. The prosecution had sought a life sentence for Kim at both the low
Nov. 27, 2019
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[News brief] Norovirus outbreak reported in Gyeonggi Province elementary school
A student at an elementary school in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, was confirmed to be infected with norovirus on Wednesday. Siheung Public Health Center said Wednesday that health authorities had launched an epidemiological probe last week after some 50 students at an elementary school showed signs of food poisoning. Since Friday, 52 students have been absent or left school early due to stomach pain and diarrhea.One student tested positive for norovirus, according to the regional institute
Nov. 27, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seoul mayor vows to restrict ‘excessive’ rallies
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Tuesday vowed to restrict excessive protests that “threaten public good,” amid complaints over weekend rallies that have dominated Gwanghwamun Square for several months. He also held politicians accountable for failing to contain the deep ideological division that has led to rallies by both supporters and opponents of the Moon Jae-in administration. “The right to public assembly and demonstration is a very basic human right granted by the Constitut
Nov. 27, 2019
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[Feature] Lai Dai Han people still seeking apology, roots in Korea
Nearly 45 years after the end of the Vietnam War, some Vietnamese still live in the shadow of the war. Among them are the Lai Dai Han people -- a term meaning mixed blood in Vietnamese and referring to those born mostly to Vietnamese women and South Korean men during the war. As the Korean government remains lukewarm about recognizing the negative aspects of Korea’s involvement in the war -- from massacres of civilians allegedly committed by Korean troops to half-Korean children left beh
Nov. 27, 2019
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Court to decide whether to arrest Busan's ex-vice mayor in bribery case
A Seoul court on Wednesday began a hearing to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant sought against a former vice mayor of the southeastern port city of Busan on alleged bribery charges.Yoo Jae-soo is alleged to have taken kickbacks when he served as director-general of the state financial regulator Finance Services Commission in 2017.State prosecutors have been probing allegations surrounding Yoo since October, raiding the FSC, as well as financial companies.They requested an arrest warrant
Nov. 27, 2019
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Court strips immigrant’s citizenship after bigamy discovered
The Seoul Administrative Court ruled Tuesday that the Ministry of Justice can revoke the South Korean citizenship granted to a foreign immigrant if it finds the person married to more than one spouse -- whether by legal marriage or common law marriage -- even after granting citizenship. A man obtained South Korean citizenship in 2014 after marrying a Korean national in 2004. But upon learning of the man’s common law marriage in his home country in 2009, the Justice Ministry canceled his K
Nov. 26, 2019
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Memorial service for defector mother, son begins
A three-day memorial service for a North Korean defector and her six-year-old son began Tuesday, about four months after they were found dead, apparently from starvation.The 42-year-old Han Sung-ok and her son, surnamed Kim, were found dead at their home in southern Seoul in late July, sparking widespread suspicion they starved to death months earlier.Citizens expressed condolences at memorial altars that have been set up at six of the state-run Korea Hana Foundation's regional offices in the ar
Nov. 26, 2019
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Veterinary professor accused of animal abuse, case sent to prosecution
An animal abuse case against a renowned veterinary professor based at Seoul National University, who allegedly conducted illegal experiments on a cloned dog, has been sent to the prosecution.The Seoul Gwanak Police Station said Tuesday that it had referred Lee Byeong-chun’s case to the prosecution, recommending that he be charged with violating the Animal Protection Act. The animal keeper at Lee’s lab and an owner of a dog farm, suspected of providing Lee with dogs for experiments, w
Nov. 26, 2019
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Russian claims parachute jump from Busan LCT
A Russian man who was fined for parachuting off two high-rise buildings in Busan claimed another unauthorized jump, this time from the highest skyscraper in the city.On Monday, Aleksey Pykhov posted to his Instagram a picture apparently taken from atop the 101-story building, with a message implying he had parachuted from the building. Written in Russian, the message reads, “413 meters before the jump. Sophisticated landing.”“We can say that we jumped from the LCT buildin
Nov. 26, 2019
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Govt. to spend W100b more on traffic safety in school zones
The ruling Democratic Party and the government agreed on Tuesday to increase the budget for traffic safety facilities near schools, such as speed cameras and signals, by some 100 billion won ($85 million) next year.They will also swiftly handle traffic safety bills named after children killed in car accidents inside school zones, party policy committee chief Cho Jung-sik said in a press briefing following a meeting of the relevant government and party officials.“Next year’s budget wi
Nov. 26, 2019
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Old diesel cars to be banned in central Seoul
Old diesel cars will be banned from the area within Seoul’s four main gates starting December, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday, as part of efforts to tackle air pollution.Diesel cars classified as grade 5 in terms of emission levels -- some 2.18 million vehicles nationwide and 720,000 in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province -- will be excluded from the city center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting Dec. 1. After that, a driver caught driving an old diesel vehicle in the city center withou
Nov. 26, 2019
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Prosecutors file for arrest warrant for Busan's ex-vice mayor on bribery charges
State prosecutors filed for a warrant to arrest Yoo Jae-soo, former vice mayor of Busan, on Monday on charges of bribery.The prosecution requested a Seoul court issue the warrant for the 55-year-old Yoo over allegations he took kickbacks when he served as director-general of the financial regulator Financial Services Commission in 2017.Prosecutors have widened their probe into allegations surrounding Yoo since late last month, raiding the FSC as well as financial companies. Yoo was questioned fo
Nov. 25, 2019