Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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[ASEAN-Korea summit] Busan aims to be global hub of shipping and tourism
Ahead of the commemorative summit between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations members that opens Monday, the host city of Busan is seeking to attain its goal of rising as a global hub of shipping and tourism.Busan is the nation’s biggest port city and the main sea gateway. The port in Busan was ranked the sixth-busiest container harbor last year, handling 21.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo, and the second-to-largest in the volume of transshipment traf
Nov. 24, 2019
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Special investigation team secures records involving ferry disaster
On Friday, a special investigation unit of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office tasked with reinvestigating the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster secured communication records of the Coast Guard at the time of the incident. The special unit raided the Coast Guard headquarters in Incheon and branches in South Jeolla Province and asked the maritime security authority to submit travel records for the Sewol ferry rescue operations. In October, a special committee launched to review the ferry disast
Nov. 24, 2019
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Police officer sentenced to jail for prostitution cover-up
A police officer was handed a prison sentence for taking tens of millions of won in exchange for covering up crimes by the operator of a prostitution website.Suwon District Court said Sunday the police officer was sentenced to six years in jail, an 80 million won ($67,780) fine and an additional 77.7 million won for embezzlement, fraud, disclosure of official secrets and dereliction of duty. The 48-year-old is accused of condoning criminalities by the site operator, his longtime acquaintan
Nov. 24, 2019
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Railway strike continues for 5th day without major disruptions
Train services across South Korea dwindled to about half of normal levels on Sunday as unionized railway workers continued their labor strike for the fifth consecutive day.KTX bullet trains were running at 68.9 percent of the usual level as of Sunday, while the Saemaeul and Mugunghwa lines were operating at 58.3 percent and 62.5 percent of normal levels, respectively, according to Korea Railroad Corp. Cargo services were running at 31 percent of the general operative level, according to th
Nov. 24, 2019
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[Newsmaker] 2019 MAMA takes blow from police probe over Mnet survival show
The upcoming 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards are taking another heavy blow as an ongoing police probe over the music channel's idol survival shows is eating into its lineup.Earlier this week, police took into custody the director and chief producer of Mnet's high-profile audition show, "Produce 101," on charges that they fixed the final vote result of the show's latest fourth season.The police said they have also booked at least one ranking official at the channel's operator and entertain
Nov. 23, 2019
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Hideous criminals to be banned from marrying foreign women
The government said Friday that it will ease requirements for marriage migrants to naturalize even after a divorce and those convicted of violent crimes will be banned from marrying foreign women as part of measures to better protect marriage migrants’ human rights. Migrant women married to Korean men do not have to prove their husbands were entirely responsible for the breakup to naturalize here, according to the measures unveiled by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family along
Nov. 22, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Ex-vice minister mired in orgy scandal cleared of all charges
Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui, who was indicted for allegedly receiving sexual services and bribes, was cleared of all charges Friday in a court ruling that came six years after he first became mired in an orgy scandal. Kim, who served as vice justice minister in 2013, was accused of having received sexual services arranged by a local developer, Yoon Joong-chun, and having received bribes from the latter and other businessmen between 2006 and 2008.The Seoul Central District Court
Nov. 22, 2019
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Korea to enhance protection of foreign wives from violence
South Korea will create a multi-language police hotline to better protect foreign wives from domestic violence, the gender ministry said Friday. The government will also ban men with records of serious crimes from bringing in foreign brides and enhance education for marriage migrants and mix-race families to help them settle in this ethnically homogenous nation. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and related government agencies announced a set of measures to enhance protection of t
Nov. 22, 2019
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Prosecutors raid Coast Guard in Sewol probe
South Korean prosecutors on Friday raided the Korea Coast Guard headquarters and some regional offices as part of its ongoing probe into the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, one of the country's worst maritime disasters, which killed more than 300 people.A special unit tasked with the probe launched the raid at around 10 a.m. at the Incheon-based Korea Coast Guard headquarters, as well as at regional offices in the southwestern coastal cities of Mokpo and Yeosu.The raid is part of a widening probe into
Nov. 22, 2019
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Train services reduced as strike continues for 3rd day
Train services across the nation are expected to be reduced again Friday as unionized workers at the state railway operator striked for the third straight day.Subways ran by the Korea Railroad Corp. -- lines No. 1, 3 and 4, and the Gyeongui-Jungang and Bundang lines -- are expected to operate at 82 percent of the usual level, the company said. Other passenger services will also be affected, with the KTX bullet train running at 68.9 percent of the usual level, and the Saemaeul and Mugunghwa lines
Nov. 22, 2019
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19 fast-food outlets fail health inspections in two-week crackdown
Several fast-food outlets were found to have violated the health code in recent inspections by the Food and Drug Safety Ministry.According to the ministry, 19 of 147 burger restaurants across the country failed health inspections during a two-week crackdown from Nov. 1-15. The inspections were carried out at three global fast-food chains -- McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC -- as well as two local ones, Lotteria and Mom’s Touch. Seven McDonald’s joints, six Mom’s Touch,
Nov. 21, 2019
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Suicides of 3 families in less than 20 days raises alarm
A family of three and a woman living with them were found dead in a public rental apartment in Incheon, marking the third apparent family suicide reported in the past 20 days.According to the Incheon Gyeyang Police Station on Wednesday, the local fire authorities found a woman, 48, her son, 23, and her daughter, 19, dead in their house at around 12:40 p.m. Tuesday. The body of the daughter’s friend was also found with them. Four letters were found in the house, revealing the family’s
Nov. 21, 2019
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Army division commander under probe over destroying Sewol documents
The military prosecution is investigating an incumbent Army division commander who is suspected of ordering his staff to shred documents on the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking while he was working at the presidential office in 2017.Kwon Young-ho, commander of the Army’s 22th Division, allegedly instructed his subordinates to destroy two boxes of documents on the Sewol accident without lawful procedures in July 2017. He was serving as chief of the crisis management center at Cheong Wa Dae at the t
Nov. 21, 2019
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Ex-Justice Minister Cho refuses to open up during questioning
On Thursday morning, ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office for a second round of questioning. He reportedly refused to open up, just as he had the first time on Nob. 14. At the time, Cho denied all charges against him, saying he would “reveal the truth in court” once prosecutors indict him. The former justice minister faces corruption charges involving his family and charges of abuse of power. He did not
Nov. 21, 2019
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Railway union launches indefinite walkout nationwide
The unionized workers of state-run rail operator Korail and its affiliated companies began an indefinite strike at 9 a.m. Wednesday.A crowd bustled in front of the ticket boxes at Seoul Station on Wednesday afternoon, several hours after the Korean Railway Workers’ Union started their general walkout. Three to four Korail staff were ushering customers to the self-service kiosks while many stood confused, waiting for help. Seo Jung-min, 32, who travels to Seoul from Busan at least twic
Nov. 20, 2019
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Korean, Japanese lawyers demand action for forced labor victims
South Korean and Japanese legal professionals on Wednesday called for action to enforce Korean Supreme Court rulings holding Japanese firms responsible for compensating Koreans forced to work in their factories during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea. Six Korean and seven Japanese lawyers’ groups, as well as 123 individual lawyers and scholars from Japan, jointly released a statement urging the Japanese companies to accept the rulings and the Japanese government not to impede the
Nov. 20, 2019
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Railway workers begin strike, demanding higher wages
DAEJEON -- Railway workers across South Korea went on strike Wednesday calling for higher wages and greater recruitment, potentially affecting a majority of rail services nationwide.The collective action by the unionized workers came as overnight negotiations with the railway operator fell through.Around 30 to 70 percent of passenger trains, including the KTX bullet train, intercity subways and the Saemaeul and Mugungwha services, as well as cargo trains, are forecast to be affected by the strik
Nov. 20, 2019
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Gangwon governor calls for resumption of Kumgangsan tours
The South Korean government should resume tours to North Korea’s Kumgangsan, Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon said at a press conference held at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club on Tuesday. “Resumption of the Kumgangsan tours is the deepest wish of the Korean people, and a matter of survival for Gangwon Province and its Goseong County,” Choi said, adding, “The tours will help North Korea to open up to the outside world and usher in peace and st
Nov. 19, 2019
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[Newsmaker] State broadcaster accused of demoting reporters over critical coverage of ex-minister
The national public broadcaster KBS is accused of unfairly punishing its reporters for running unfavorable stories on Cho Kuk, a close Moon Jae-in aide and former justice minister.A KBS labor union said in a statement Monday that nine reporters who covered criminal suspicions surrounding Cho faced unwarranted demotions last week. The reporters at the broadcaster’s radio news bureau have been reassigned to non-reporting positions and night shift jobs, according to the statement. “This
Nov. 19, 2019
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Nurse accused of fracturing newborn’s skull; more than 200,000 sign petition urging punishment
Public rage is escalating after a newborn baby suffered brain and skull injuries owing to alleged violence at a hospital.As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, 203,880 South Koreans had signed an online petition requesting a proper investigation and punishment of the person responsible for the infant’s injury. The petition was filed by the baby’s father on Oct. 24 at the website of presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. The presidential office is required to respond to petitions that receive more than 20
Nov. 19, 2019