Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
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Seoul to replace aged pipes amid ‘reddish tap water’ crisis
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Wednesday that the city will bring forward plans to replace aged water pipes by securing extra funds, amid growing concerns over contaminated tap water reported in Seoul, Incheon and other cities. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would begin replacing 138 kilometers of the old pipes within the year, earlier than as scheduled in 2020. For the 1.75-kilometer pipe that contaminated tap water in Mulle-dong, the replacement will be completed by the end of
June 26, 2019
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Childbirths down 6.1% in April
The number of newborns in South Korea fell 6.1 percent in April from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, a sign of the continuing low birthrate that has plagued Asia's fourth-largest economy for more than a decade.The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 26,100 babies were born in April, compared with 27,800 babies tallied in the same month of 2018. It marks the lowest number of newborns reported for any April since 1981, when the statistics agency started compiling data o
June 26, 2019
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Seungri referred to prosecutors on embezzlement, sex crime, prostitution charges, among others: police
Seungri, formerly of boy band Big Bang, has been referred to prosecutors in the latest development in the Burning Sun probe, police said Tuesday. Burning Sun, a now-closed club in Gangnam, Seoul, is alleged to have been host to a range of criminal activities, including sex crimes, drug dealing and prostitution. The singer and entrepreneur was heavily involved in the club’s management. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, charges Seungri faces concern embezzlement, destruction
June 25, 2019
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153 caught drunk driving nationwide on first day of toughened DUI law
Police caught 153 people for drunk driving nationwide between midnight Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday, when the toughened drunk driving law came into effect, according to the National Police Agency. Of the 153 drunk drivers, 57 had their licenses suspended and 93 had their licenses revoked. Three refused to have their blood-alcohol levels checked, police said. The revised law stipulates a lower blood-alcohol level limit for drivers and stricter punishments for those driving under the influence.Previo
June 25, 2019
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Top prosecutor apologizes for prosecution’s past misdeeds
Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il on Tuesday apologized for the prosecution’s past abuses of power and human rights violations in connection with politically sensitive investigations, vowing to make the law enforcement body transparent and politically neutral. In a news conference, Moon said he “repents” the prosecution’s past failures to do its duty to protect people’s basic rights and fairly exercise its investigative powers. Moon admitted that the prosecution
June 25, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Far-right campsite cleared from Gwanghwamun Square
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday forcibly removed tents set up by a far-right minor party at Gwanghwamun Square in early May without a permit, only to have them reinstalled by the party amid fierce protests. About 500 Seoul city officials and 400 contract demolition workers tore down the tents put up by Our Republican Party, formerly the Korean Patriots Party, on May 10 as part of its campaign calling for the release of former President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a 25-year jail te
June 25, 2019
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Fugitive chaebol chief might be dead: prosecutors
Chung Tae-soo, a former chaebol chief at the center of a 1990s corruption scandal that shook the country, might be dead, according to prosecutors Tuesday. Chung founded and headed Hanbo Steel, Korea’s second-largest steelmaker, until the company went bankrupt in January 1997, some 5.7 trillion won ($5 billion) in debt, despite government-ordered bailout loans from banks. Hanbo’s fall set off a cascade of collapse of major conglomerates, including Kia Motors and Daewoo, triggering the
June 25, 2019
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Nat'l short track speed skaters kicked out of training center over sexual harassment
The entire South Korean short track speed skating team has been expelled from the national training center over a sexual harassment incident involving two male athletes.According to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), one male short track speed skater pulled down the pants of a younger male teammate during training while the female skaters were present on June 17 at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul. The younger skater reported the incid
June 25, 2019
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Man uses stolen IDs to supply 5-year sleeping pill binge
A man, 33, was booked on suspicion of misusing other people’s personal information to obtain sleeping pills, Busan police said Monday.According to the Busan Seobu Police Station, the man obtained a total of 6,157 zolpidem pills over the past five years, starting in April 2014, having made 232 visits to 10 hospitals in Busan. Police say he received the prescriptions in his friends’ names and took an amount exceeding the advised dosage, which is one pill per day.Zolpidem is a psyc
June 24, 2019
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Prosecution zeroes in on Hanbo Group chief
The prosecution is closing in on Chung Tae-soo, the former head of the now-defunct Hanbo Group who absconded after being convicted of embezzlement, with his son’s extradition to South Korea on Saturday. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office reportedly had identified Chung, who was believed to have died, as having been in Kyrgyzstan until recently, and pushed to have him extradited to Korea. It plans to release more information about him this week. Chung was sentenced to 15 years in
June 24, 2019
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[News Focus] Busan, South Jeolla top senior-population ranking
SEJONG -- South Korea saw its senior population surpass 15 percent of the total last month for the first time. Seniors are people aged 65 or over, according to standards set by the United Nations.The number of senior citizens came to 7.8 million out of the total 51.84 million as of May, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.This indicates that 1 out of every 6 or 7 Koreans are aged 65 or above, which is posing social concerns over a variety of sectors such as the national pension, tax
June 24, 2019
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South African man sent to court for attempt to smuggle 20 kg of marijuana
A South African man, 40, was caught trying to smuggle marijuana at Jeju Airport, prosecutors said Monday.According to the Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office, the suspect was arrested June 2 after 20 kilograms of marijuana wrapped in plastic were found in his luggage during a customs inspection. He was sent to court on suspicions of violating the narcotics law.This is the largest amount of drugs attempted to be smuggled at Jeju Airport and amounts to about half of the total amount of marijua
June 24, 2019
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Police question Psy over suspicions regarding YG head
Police have questioned Psy regarding suspicions that Yang Hyun-suk, founder and former chief producer of YG Entertainment, procured prostitution for businesspeople. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigation unit said during a press briefing Monday that it had questioned the singer for about nine hours, from 5 p.m. on June 16 to 2 a.m. the next day. Psy was called in as a witness in the investigation into YG Entertainment, which is suspected of having procured prostitution f
June 24, 2019
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Perception of gender roles changing: survey
The traditional notion of appropriate gender roles -- the idea that husbands should work outside the home and their wives should stay home to look after the family -- is weakening among South Koreans, a survey showed.In a poll conducted through telephone interviews with 2,000 adults -- 990 men and 1,010 women -- between June 25 and July 6 last year, 68.8 percent of the respondents said they did not agree that it was the husband’s job to make money and the wife’s job to take care of t
June 24, 2019
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[From the Scene] Unsuspecting town finds gruesome infamy
JEJU CITY -- About a month has passed since the gruesome murder that rattled Jeju Island, a popular holiday destination for locals and outsiders alike. The key suspect and circumstantial evidence have been identified. But there is still no trace of a body, raising concerns over the prosecution’s ability to reach a conviction.Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office said Thursday that police are extending their search for the victim’s remains until July 1, while the Coast Guard will co
June 23, 2019
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Prosecution eyes harsh penalties for serious DUI accidents
Prosecutors will demand harsh penalties, including life sentences, for drivers who kill or severely injure people while driving under the influence of alochol, according to the prosecutor’s office Sunday.Under the revised guidelines that will go into force from Tuesday, prosecutors are advised to seek the maximum penalty for drunk drivers who cause unusually severe damage or who have habitually driven under influence.The guidelines also make it a rule to put into custody drunk drivers who
June 23, 2019
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Body of presumed Korean victim in Danube boat sinking found
BUDAPEST -- A body presumed to be a South Korean victim from last month's sinking of a tour boat in the Danube River was found some 30 kilometers away from the accident site, officials said Sunday.The body was found by a Hungarian fisherman about 30 km downstream from the accident scene in the Danube River at around 10:08 p.m. on Saturday, according to a South Korean government response team based in Budapest.The South Korean team, in cooperation with the Hungarian authorities, will identify whe
June 23, 2019
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Taiwanese woman booked in Burning Sun probe
The South Korean police said Friday they have booked a Taiwanese businesswoman who was a major foreign investor of scandal-ridden nightclub Burning Sun in southern Seoul on a charge of embezzling money from the club in collusion with former BIGBANG member Seungri and his business partner. "We booked the Taiwanese national earlier in the day on charges of having misappropriated money from Burning Sun," the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. The woman, known as "Mrs. Lin&qu
June 21, 2019
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Reddish tap water also reported in Seoul
Reddish tap water was detected in apartment complexes in Seoul on Friday, amid growing concerns over contaminated water after reddish water was first reported in Incheon in late May. As of Friday afternoon, the Seoul Metropolitan Government recommended some 1,300 households and an elementary school in Mulle-dong in southwestern Seoul stop using tap water. The municipality has fingered aged water pipes as the cause of the murky water. Results of a detailed analysis are expected to come out in abo
June 21, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Korean travel columnist murdered in the Philippines
A well-known Korean travel columnist was found shot to death near Manila on Sunday morning, according to the Korean Embassy in the Philippines and the Korean police.A passerby made a local police report after finding Joo Young-wook, 58, dead in a forest by a road in Antipolo, a city east of Manila, at around 7:15 a.m. June 16. Joo had a bullet wound on his forehead; his mouth was covered, and his hands were tied behind him with duct tape. Local police found his hotel room key and confirmed it wa
June 21, 2019