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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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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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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Seoul city govt. to hold K-pop festival at Gwanghwamun Square
The Seoul city government plans to hold a K-pop music festival starting next week at a public plaza in central Seoul as part of its projects to make the capital a music hub, officials said Tuesday.The first-ever Seoul Music Festival will be held at Gwanghwamun Square from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6, Seoul Metropolitan Government said.It is part of the city government's five-year plan to spend 481.8 billion won ($405.3 million) on nine projects aimed at fostering the music industry and expanding music pr
Sept. 17, 2019
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South Korea culls pigs after confirming African swine fever
South Korea is culling thousands of pigs after confirming African swine fever at a farm near its border with North Korea, which had an outbreak in May. South Korea's agriculture ministry said the country's first case of the highly contagious disease was confirmed Tuesday in tests on five pigs that died at the farm in the city of Paju. The government has vowed stern quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the disease, which threatens a massive industry that involves 6,000 farms raising more
Sept. 17, 2019
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Personal transporter accidents on sharp increase
The number of accidents involving electric skateboards, electric kick scooters and other personal transporters doubled last year from a year ago, a lawmaker said Tuesday. There were 225 such accidents recorded in 2018, leaving four dead and 238 others injured, compared with 117 accidents the previous year, in which four died and 124 were injured, Rep.Song Seog-jun of the main opposition Liberal Korea Party said, citing data from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority."The shar
Sept. 17, 2019
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Seoul likely to lose megacity status
Seoul is getting smaller and older in terms of population and could soon cease to be a megacity with over 10 million inhabitants, the capital's government said Tuesday. According to the city government, the total number of residents in the capital was 10,049,607 as of the end of last year, including 283,984 foreign residents. The number is forecast to sink below 10 million at the end of the year or in the first half of next year given the average net number of people moving out has been mor
Sept. 17, 2019
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Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun ordered to pay compensation to alleged rape victim
Park Yoo-chun, an actor and former member of K-pop boy band JYJ, must pay compensation to one of four women who claimed to have been raped by him years ago, following a local court's mandatory mediation, court officials said Tuesday.The Mediation Center of Seoul Court decided on July 15 on a damage suit filed against the 32-year-old Park by one of the four, identified only as A, the officials said.The court's mandatory mediation was delivered to Park on Aug. 27 before taking effect last Wednesda
Sept. 17, 2019
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S. Korea on high alert after 1st African swine fever case confirmed
South Korea was on alert Tuesday to prevent the spread of African swine fever after the first case of the animal disease was confirmed near the border with North Korea.The agriculture ministry announced the beginning of operations to slaughter some 4,000 pigs as a precautionary step.Kim Hyeon-soo, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, said quarantine officials are set to complete the culling of the pigs at three farms, including the one where the disease was detected, in Paju, just so
Sept. 17, 2019
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Arrest warrant issued for Cho's relative in fund investment probe
A Seoul court on Monday issued a warrant to arrest a relative of Justice Minister Cho Kuk as part of a widening probe into corruption allegations surrounding the minister's family. Cho took office earlier this month despite a heated debate among political parties and the general public over suspicions regarding his daughter's education and a family fund investment.The Seoul Central District Court's decision is expected to speed up the probe as the relative, also surnamed Cho, is at the center of
Sept. 16, 2019
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[News Brief] Man sent to prosecutors for attacking Japanese woman in Seoul
The police sent the case of a South Korean man in his 30s to the prosecution Monday, seeking indictment on charges of physical assault and verbal insult.The Seoul Mapo Police Station said the 33-year-old suspect, whose name has not been disclosed, is accused of physically and verbally attacking a 19-year-old Japanese passerby near Hongdae Subway Station on Aug. 23. Pictures and video of the man grabbing the woman by the hair and making malicious statements were posted on social media the same da
Sept. 16, 2019
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[KH explains] What is prosecution looking for in its probe of Cho Kuk family?
The prosecution’s investigation into corruption allegations surrounding Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s family gathers steam this week with the minister’s wife likely to be called in for questioning sometime soon. Here are some key points concerning the probe. Q. What is being investigated? Prosecutors on Monday sought a formal arrest warrant for a relative of Justice Minister Cho Kuk as part of a widening probe into corruption allegations surrounding the minister’s family,
Sept. 16, 2019
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[Photo News] Pyongyang or Seoul?
Portraits of North Korea’s founding ruler Kim Il-sung and his successor Kim Jong-il hang outside a soon-to-open restaurant in the Hongdae area of Mapo-gu in Seoul. The interior and exterior of the restaurant is themed around North Korea, with decorations including the North Korean flag. According to police, the restaurant has not violated the National Security Law with such decorations, but the restaurant’s owner has decided to take down the controversial items after complaints
Sept. 16, 2019
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DMZ trail to host special group of foreign tourists this week
A special group of foreign students will walk a trail along the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone this week during a government event designed to mark a historic inter-Korean summit a year earlier. Thirteen university students from 12 countries outside of Korea, including the United States, Britain, Italy, Vietnam and Mexico, will go on a three-hour tour Tuesday on the Cheorwon stretch of the DMZ Peace Trail, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday.Cheorwon, 88 kilo
Sept. 16, 2019
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Marketing of e-cigarettes to be banned
The advertising of electronic cigarettes will soon be banned. The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday issued a notice on revision of the National Health Promotion Act concerning restrictions on e-cigarette advertisements. The amendment will take effect six months after the bill is passed at the National Assembly. The revised law prohibits not only promotions of e-cigarettes, but any kind of marketing that could induce consumption of tobacco products, such as promotions of products tha
Sept. 16, 2019
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[Newsmaker] National Cancer Center strike ends after 11 days
An 11-day health workers’ strike at the National Cancer Center ended Monday morning after the labor union and the hospital management reached an agreement on pay and working conditions. The hospital’s operations will return to normal Tuesday at 6 a.m.The management and the union agreed to a 1.8 percent pay hike, overtime pay in 10-minute increments, transportation allowances for night-shift workers and other welfare support for hospital workers. The management also vowed not to take
Sept. 16, 2019
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Greenpeace posts protest sign over Hyundai billboard in S. Korea
Greenpeace campaigners climbed a 40-metre billboard advertisement for Hyundai Motor's near its head office in South Korea to post a sign reading "No more internal combustion engines", the environmental group said on Monday.Police said they were investigating the group on suspicion of defacing the advertisement for a sedan next to a busy expressway in the capital, Seoul.Greenpeace spokesman Sean Lee said the group wanted to send a message to Hyundai Motor that eliminating internal combu
Sept. 16, 2019
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Jailed former President Park in hospital for surgery
Former President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a 32-year jail term for bribery, abuse of power and election law violations, was admitted to a hospital for surgery, the Justice Ministry said Monday. Park was transferred to Catholic University St. Mary’s Hospital in southern Seoul Monday morning for a surgery on her left shoulder.The former president, who has been in the Seoul Detention Center since March 31, 2017, had previously received treatment for herniated disc and other health co
Sept. 16, 2019
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Seoul city to pump in 482b won to become music hub
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday plans to invest 481.8 billion won ($407.1 million) to make the city a music hub in a move seen as building on the K-pop momentum spurred by boy band BTS.Under the five-year plan, the metropolitan government will spend the amount on nine projects aimed at nurturing the local music industry, increasing musical exchanges with cities around the world and expanding musical programs for Seoul residents."We aim to enhance Seoul's competitiveness,
Sept. 16, 2019
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S. Korea on clear path to job recovery: presidential office
South Korea's job growth is showing clear signs of improvement, with the government planning to roll out "preemptive" measures to help cushion the negative impact from the inevitable restructuring of some troubled businesses, the presidential office said Sunday. Hwang Deok-soon, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for job creation, said the government expects more than 200,000 jobs to be added this year.He cited the latest data on job creation. In August, the jobless rate hit a si
Sept. 15, 2019
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[Herald Interview] ‘Corruption cannot be eradicated, only contained and controlled’
Amid the efforts of governments worldwide to tackle corruption, Daniel Li, vice chairman of the advisory board of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, said corruption cannot be completely eradicated in economically vibrant societies.He added that the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference, to take place Seoul in June 2020, should focus more on crafting practical solutions to curb corruption.“Corruption is a major problem. … I am not supporting corruption. … I wou
Sept. 15, 2019
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[Feature] Cho Kuk scandal reignites debate on college admissions system
At a glance, the daughter of the newly appointed Justice Minister Cho Kuk has led a charmed life. Her wealthy, highly educated parents with powerful and respected jobs have given her an elite background and the privileges that come with it.Cho’s 28-year-old daughter graduated from a prestigious foreign language high school. In her second year in high school, she was improperly listed as a primary author in a paper published in a medical journal. She then gained admission to a prestigious u
Sept. 15, 2019
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One in three S. Korean students too reliant on smartphones: report
One out of three South Korean students is too dependent on their smartphone, is at risk of addiction and is having trouble in school, a government poll showed Sunday. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's survey of 2,510 people aged between 9 and 17, 34 percent spent too much time on their smartphones and had problems controlling their use of the devices. Among them, 5.8 percent relied seriously on their smartphone, had problems with their families and suffered from health issu
Sept. 15, 2019