Most Popular
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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More med professors to take day off each week while govt. urges them to stay
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Former YG Entertainment head booked for procuring sex services
The police Thursday booked Yang Hyun-suk, former CEO and chief producer of K-pop entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment, on suspicion of having procured sexual services for foreign investors.Yang, 49, was being investigated over suspicions that he arranged and paid for sexual services for two investors from Southeast Asia in 2014 at an adult entertainment establishment in southern Seoul. The police said they have secured evidence that could back the allegations and booked three employees of t
July 18, 2019
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Overstretched rope, insufficient safety measures blamed for deadly destroyer accident
The inappropriate management of mooring ropes and insufficient safety measures caused the deadly accident in May involving a Navy destroyer at the southern port of Jinhae, the Navy said Thursday.On May 24, one Navy officer was killed and four others were injured after one of the mooring ropes used to connect the 4,400-ton Choi Young destroyer to the dock suddenly snapped during a ceremony to welcome the destroyer after a mission in waters off Somalia.Announcing the results of its monthlong probe
July 18, 2019
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[Newsmaker] KCTU stages nationwide strike over next year’s minimum wage
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country’s two biggest umbrella unions, staged multiple strikes across the country Thursday in protest against key labor policies of the Moon Jae-in administration.Among the slew of policies labor groups have condemned, next year’s minimum hourly wage that will fall short of reaching 10,000 won ($8.50) is at the center of amplifying discontent.Some 50,000 members of the KCTU joined demonstrations held nationwide, of which about 5,00
July 18, 2019
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[News brief] 37 Koreans running illegal gambling sites in Malaysia extradited
Koreans who ran illegal gambling sites from an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, have been arrested here following extradition from Malaysia, police said Thursday. Thirty-seven people from two gambling organizations were extradited from Malaysia between July 9 and Wednesday in the largest such operation. A man surnamed Lee and nine others are suspected of having made profits totaling 19.2 billion won ($16.3 million) by operating an illegal gambling site that handled about 384 billion won s
July 18, 2019
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[News brief] Actor sent to prosecution for alleged sexual assault
The police sent the case against a South Korean actor to the prosecution Thursday, seeking his indictment on charges of sexually assaulting two female staff members from a production company. Kang Ji-hwan, 41, is suspected of raping a woman and sexually molesting another when they were sleeping in a room at his house in Gwangju, south of Seoul, after a drinking session July 9. Police also conducted a drug test to determine whether he used drugs to make the women fall unconscious.Kang initi
July 18, 2019
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Israeli president awarded honorary citizenship of Seoul
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Thursday awarded Israeli President Reuven Rivlin honorary citizenship in recognition of his efforts to foster relations between the two countries.The Israeli leader has been making a five-day visit to South Korea at the invitation of South Korean President Moon Jae-in since Sunday.During a ceremony at Seoul City Hall to mark the granting of the honorary citizenship, Park said South Korea and Israel have one thing in common: They have grown into economic powerhouses b
July 18, 2019
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Govt. briefs entertainers on mandatory military service
The military manpower agency said Thursday it held a briefing session for entertainment agencies as part of efforts to help celebrities carry out their mandatory military service and create a fair draft culture. All able-bodied South Korean men must serve in the military for about two years.The Military Manpower Administration keeps a list of potential draftees considered at higher risk of draft dodging, including entertainers, athletes and the children of high-income earners and senior public o
July 18, 2019
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37 S. Koreans extradited from Malaysia over illegal gambling websites
Police have arrested 37 South Koreans on suspicion of running illegal gambling websites, with stakes of hundreds of billion won, in Malaysia after they were extradited from the Southeast Asian country, the National Police Agency said Thursday.The 37 people from two illegal gambling rings -- one with nine members and the other with 28 members -- were extradited through Incheon airport, west of Seoul, from July 9 through Wednesday.It marked the largest number of South Koreans ever arrested oversea
July 18, 2019
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Former YG Entertainment chief booked for suspected arrangement of sex services
Yang Hyun-suk, former CEO and chief producer of YG Entertainment, has been booked on suspicions that he arranged sex services for foreign investors, police said Wednesday.Investigators have been looking into allegations that Yang treated potential foreign investors at a posh restaurant in Seoul and arranged sex services for them in 2014. Yang was summoned for the probe but was initially not a suspect. Yang, 49, has flatly denied the allegations.The probe into Yang came as big-name artists from Y
July 17, 2019
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Woman bites into raw chicken burger
McDonald’s Korea was embroiled in controversy last week after a customer complained about eating a chicken burger that was almost raw.A woman, 31, had a McDonald’s chicken burger delivered to her home in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday night.After a few bites of the burger, she noticed the chicken patty had a strange texture and then realized it was almost raw, Yonhap News Agency quoted her as saying. She said she then rushed to the emergency room of a nearby hospital, where tests
July 17, 2019
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Counseling clinic for migrant women to open Friday in Incheon
A counseling clinic for migrant women is slated to open Friday in Incheon, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday.The clinic will provide legal, medical and psychological counseling services to migrant women who are victims of domestic violence and sex crimes and other crimes, according to the ministry. The services will be provided in Korean as well as the native language of the client by in-house interpreters at the clinic or via the ministry-operated hotline for migran
July 17, 2019
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Prosecutors demand jail for policemen who took bribes from Gangnam club
Prosecutors demanded a two-year jail term for two police officers accused of taking bribes from a club in Gangnam, Seoul, in exchange for covering up illegalities in the club’s operations.At a hearing Wednesday at Seoul Central District Court, prosecutors requested two years in jail for a lieutenant surnamed Yeom and sergeant surnamed Kim, saying the two had abused their authority in committing the crimes. Prosecutors also asked that the bribes they took be forfeited.The date of their sent
July 17, 2019
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[News brief] LB Investment head gets suspended sentence for fabricating bank statements
Koo Ja-doo, chairman of venture capital firm LB Investment, received a suspended prison term for fabricating bank statements to close accounts he maintained under other people’s names, a court said Wednesday. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Koo, the fourth son of LG Group Founder Koo In-hoi, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of fabricating documents.Koo had a total of 281 bank accounts under the names of foreign students in Seoul who received schol
July 17, 2019
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[News brief] Car crash at FINA leaves no injuries
A bus carrying participants of the ongoing world championships in Gwangju collided with a passenger car, but there were no injuries, police said Wednesday. The bus crashed into the vehicle, which was changing lanes, near Eodeung bridge in Gwangju, where the FINA World Aquatics Championships are being held, according to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency. The bus was transporting 25 athletes from five countries from the Yeomju Gymnasium Artistic Swimming Competition Venue to the athletes
July 17, 2019
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Police detain 1,089 people in 4-month crackdown on int'l crimes
A four-month crackdown on international crimes, such as illegal entries and drug trafficking, has resulted in the detention of 1,089 people, the Korean National Police Agency said Wednesday.The crackdown, conducted from March 4 to July 12, mainly targeted illegal employment of foreign workers, fake visa issuance, drug manufacturing and smuggling, and voice phishing, the agency said, noting 237 of the 1,089 detainees were formally placed under arrest. The crackdown busted 557 cases, and illegal e
July 17, 2019
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Asking job applicant’s personal information now illegal
From Wednesday, prospective employers cannot ask job seekers for information unrelated to the positions they are being hired for.The Employment Ministry said Tuesday that a revised hiring law prohibits employers from collecting information irrelevant to job performance and engaging in behavior that may hurt fairness in employment practices.Asking about a job applicant’s weight, height, place of birth, marital status and assets is subject to a fine of up to 5 million won ($4,200) under the
July 16, 2019
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More young people seeking public jobs, professional licenses
A growing number of young South Koreans are preparing for state exams for public jobs and professional licenses, data showed Tuesday.The data released by Statistics Korea showed that 714,000, or 15.3 percent, of 4.68 million economically inactive youths aged 15-29 prepared for state exams in May, up 2.2 percentage points from the same period last year. Among the 714,000, 30.7 percent were preparing for state exams to become low-ranking public officials, while 6.7 percent were getting ready for h
July 16, 2019
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Busan launches fact-finding team over atrocities against vagrants decades ago
The Busan metropolitan government said Tuesday it has launched a commission to investigate human rights violations that took place at a vagrants' detention facility in the southeastern port city decades ago. The commission, headed by social welfare professor Nam Chan-seob, will meet and interview people who survived the alleged illegal confinement and mistreatment of inmates at the Brothers Welfare Center in the city in the 1970s and 1980s. The commission's nine-month investigation, due to
July 16, 2019
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Workplace anti-bullying law takes effect
A new law aimed at preventing harassment in the workplace took effect in South Korea on Tuesday, bringing the widespread but overlooked issue of bullying at work into the legal domain.A revised law on labor standards, commonly called the workplace anti-bullying law, went into effect after a six-month grace period.Under the new law, workplace harassment is defined as an act of incurring physical or mental suffering or a worsening of the work environment by employers or workers using their status
July 16, 2019
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Plaintiff in forced labor lawsuit against Japanese company dies at 90
Lee Young-sook, a South Korean victim of wartime forced labor who filed a damage suit with a Korean court against Japanese companies, has died. She was 90.Lee died of old age on Sunday, relatives of the deceased said. She was one of hundreds of Korean victims of wartime forced labor who took legal action in April, seeking compensation from Japanese firms, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Koreans were mobilized as f
July 15, 2019