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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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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Yoon, Lee end first talks with differences, agree to meet more
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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China outpaces Korea in smaller OLED shipments for 1st time
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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What is Hybe’s next move?
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[News Focus] Surging Sejong population appeals to mega-shopping malls, hospitals
SEJONG -- It is now seven years since the government relocated numerous ministries and agencies to the newly developed special autonomous city of Sejong, neighboring the northwestern part of Daejeon, as part of its efforts to decongest Seoul.Sejong has 14 dongs -- administrative divisions -- including Eojin-dong where the Government Complex is located, one eup -- town -- and nine myeons –- townships. (Graphic by Heo Tae-seong/The Korea Herald)Though the city is rapidly expanding, its infrastruct
May 16, 2019
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Top prosecutor reiterates opposition to investigative rights reform
Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il on Thursday reiterated his opposition to bills on redistributing investigative powers between the prosecution and police, saying it runs counter to the principles of democracy.(Yonhap)At a press briefing, he also vowed efforts to overhaul the prosecution and meet public expectations for curbing its authority amid long-held criticism that the law enforcement agency wields too much power. “The bills designated as fast-track proposals do not meet the democratic princ
May 16, 2019
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Daegu police bust Thai drug smuggling operation
Police in Daegu are investigating 24 Thai nationals on suspicions of various drug offenses including smuggling.Daegu Bukbu Police Station said Thursday 11 suspects face charges of smuggling drugs such as methamphetamine and yaba -- a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine -- from Thailand since May last year. The police confiscated 292.9 grams of meth and 244 yaba pills. One of the suspected drug dealers came to South Korea on a tourist visa last May for the purpose of trafficking drugs and ha
May 16, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Burning Sun scandal probe ends without much
Police said Wednesday that they are set to refer a senior police officer to the prosecution on charges of abuse of power for allegedly pulling strings for Burning Sun, the nightclub owned by former Big Bang member Seungri. (Yonhap)The police, having dispatched some 150 officers for the investigation and targeted some 50 people over the past three months, are facing criticism that they conducted a slipshod probe and protected their own. Announcing the results of their probe into the embattled clu
May 15, 2019
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Prosecution search police agency over alleged corrupt ties with ‘hostess bar king’
The prosecution on Wednesday conducted a search and seizure operation at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency over allegations of corrupt ties between the police and a suspected pimp. (Yonhap)The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office sent prosecutors and investigators to the police agency and the Suseo Police Station in Seoul to secure relevant documents and records. The prosecution suspects that a former police officer, surnamed Park, was warned ahead of police raids into prostitution est
May 15, 2019
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Government announces measures to deal with mental illness in light of rise in crimes
The government is rolling out emergency measures to assist individuals with serious mental illnesses, in light of recent incidents where mentally ill suspects were implicated in violent crimes.A policy framework outlined by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday includes expansion of mental health care infrastructure to make diagnosis and treatment more accessible, increased medical subsidies for low-income patients and operation of intensive care system for those more severely ill. To
May 15, 2019
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[Photo News] Korea celebrates Teachers’ Day
In South Korea on Wednesday, schools around the nation marked Teachers’ Day with events that brought teachers and students together. Students here can only express appreciation to teachers through letters and handmade presents, as giving any other gifts to teachers has been prohibited since September 2016 when the anti-graft law took place.A teacher and students pose for a picture at an elementary school in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Wednesday. The students are wearing paper carnations and m
May 15, 2019
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[Feature] We saw helicopters firing in Gwangju: US missionary
GWANGJU -- Gwangju streets at this time of the year are full of banners on events related to the May 1980 Democratic Uprising as the city remembers the brutal military crackdown on protesting citizens under former President Chun Doo-hwan, with exhibitions, forums, music contests and food sharing.The deadly military crackdown left an estimated 160 dead and some 5,000 injured in the course of 10 days from May 18, 1980.Experts say the figure is expected to be higher given that many of the dead were
May 15, 2019
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Court to rule on Gyeonggi governor on Thursday
The court is set to rule on Thursday on Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung who has been indicted on charges of abuse of authority and violation of election law.The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court is expected to rule at 3 p.m. on Thursday on whether he is guilty of the charges of wrongly committing his estranged brother to a psychiatric hospital, and publicly lying during election campaigns.The prosecution has demanded a year and half in jail for abuse of authority, and fines of 6 million wo
May 15, 2019
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Two former police chiefs attend arrest warrant hearing in election intervention case
A Seoul court held a hearing on Wednesday to decide whether to issue arrest warrants for two former police chiefs and two former police intelligence bureau chiefs all charged with illegally intervening in elections and politics during the previous administration.Kang Shin-myung and Lee Cheol-seong, who both served as commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency during the administration of President Park Geun-hye, attended their arrest warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District C
May 15, 2019
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Bus drivers in Seoul, major cities cancel planned strike after reaching wage deal
Unionized bus drivers in Seoul, Busan and all other metropolitan cities and provinces canceled a planned strike on Wednesday after reaching last-minute wage deals with their management.Labor and management at about 200 bus companies nationwide held marathon negotiations until early Wednesday morning over wage hikes for drivers who will suffer a reduction in income after the implementation of the mandatory 52-hour workweek in the bus industry in July.In Seoul, unionized bus drivers reached a deal
May 15, 2019
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Court refuses arrest warrant for Seungri
Disgraced K-pop star Seungri has avoided arrest in connection with allegations of embezzlement and procuring sexual services, after a Seoul court on Tuesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for the former Big Bang member.The Seoul Central District Court said there is still “room for dispute” over the embezzlement case and that there was no risk of him destroying evidence. Seungri (Yonhap)The court refused to issue an arrest warrant for Seungri‘s business partner Yoo In-suk, with whom he co-fou
May 14, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Woman rescued from militants in Africa returns home
A South Korean woman rescued from militants in Burkina Faso, West Africa, returned to Korea on Tuesday. The woman, whose identity has been withheld, returned from Paris aboard an Asiana Airlines flight. Korean woman (center) and French nationals rescued from militants speak to the media at a French military airbase on Saturday. YonhapShe was met by a joint investigation team consisting of personnel from the National Intelligence Service and other concerned government organizations. According to
May 14, 2019
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[News Focus] Soaring elderly population outnumbers Busan, Daegu, Daejeon combined
SEJONG -- The government has embarked on research into whether it should raise the threshold at which it considers people senior citizens from the current 65 years old to 70.Though South Korea has followed UN standards stipulating the age of seniors, the recent move to fine-tune it comes amid rapid growth in the percentage of Koreans who are aged 65 or above.A decade ago, 10.39 percent of Koreans were aged 65 or over -- 5.15 million out of 49.59 million citizens, according to the Ministry of Int
May 14, 2019
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Middle schoolers to receive jail term for bullying classmate to death
Four teenagers accused of causing the death of a classmate during a bullying incident were sentenced to prison terms Tuesday. In the final trial, Incheon District Court sentenced the defendants to terms ranging from a minimum of 18 months to four years. Two of the defendants, who admitted to the charge of causing bodily injury resulting in death were each sentenced to 18 months to three years, and two years to four years, respectively. Under local criminal law, jail terms for juveniles
May 14, 2019
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Joint probe launched into chemical explosion at mobile phone parts manufacturer
Authorities are investigating a chemical explosion at a mobile phone parts manufacturer that left one dead and three injured Monday in central South Korea.Police said Tuesday they were launching a joint probe with National Forensic Service, Korea National Fire Agency and Korea Energy Agency to identify the cause of the explosion and details surrounding the accident, such as whether safety regulations had been followed.The explosion occurred at around 2:30 p.m. at a factory for manufacturing phon
May 14, 2019
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Two minors booked for speeding on highway without license
Police have booked two high school students speeding on expressway without license.Highway patrol said Tuesday that the two 17-year-olds face charges of speeding at 180 kilometers per hour on a 30-kilometer stretch on a Busan-bound expressway. The speed limit for the road is 100 kph.The two rented a Hyundai SUV through a car sharing service under one of their fathers’ names, the police said. The minimum age for driving in Korea is 18.The highway patrol team chased the speeding SUV for
May 14, 2019
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Panel to conclude dead actress’s case next week
The Justice Ministry’s special commission on past misconduct by the prosecution is set to announce next week whether an actress’s death in 2009 should be reinvestigated. A fact-finding team under the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office wrapped up its 13-month probe and submitted a final report to the commission Monday. The panel said they had requested the team to revise some parts of the report and that they would announce the results of their review on Monday. Actress Jang Ja-yeon killed herself in Ma
May 14, 2019
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Seungri faces possible arrest for alleged embezzlement, prostitution
K-pop band Big Bang’s former member Seungri on Tuesday attended a hearing that could lead to his arrest over allegations that he purchased sexual services himself, procured prostitutes for potential investors in his business and siphoned off funds from the nightclub Burning Sun. Seungri did not take questions from reporters as he entered the courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court at around 10 a.m.Seungri is suspected of procuring prostitutes for parties he organized in 2015, misappropriat
May 14, 2019
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Bus drivers hold last-minute talks with management on eve of threatened strike
Last-minute negotiations were under way on Tuesday between unionized bus drivers nationwide and their employers over wage hikes on the eve of a planned strike that would halt the operation of nearly half of the nation's buses.The Moon Jae-in government and the ruling Democratic Party have announced plans to increase indirect financial incentives for loss-making bus companies, but unionized bus drivers in Seoul and most other regions have not reacted positively.Trade unions representing over 41,0
May 14, 2019