Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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[Multicultural Korea] College chapel requirements leave some students uneasy
Nadia Al Insyiraah, a Muslim student from Singapore who attends a prestigious women’s university in Seoul, still remembers the day she went to the freshman orientation session organized by the international students’ office.“The faculty told us that every undergraduate student must attend chapel class every week for eight semesters, and we can’t graduate the school unless we pass the course,” Nadia told The Korea Herald.“I was shocked. I knew the university was a mission school but never thought
March 20, 2019
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[Herald Interview] Blaming China doesn’t help combat fine dust: GGGI director
It has become a habit for many South Koreans to point to China as a thick haze of ultrafine dust descends and chokes the country, as well as to lash out at the Korean government for failing to settle the issue with its giant neighbor. Blaming China for worsening air pollution does not help the country’s fight against ultrafine dust, however, as a large amount of toxic particles are produced at home, according to Frank Rijsberman, director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute.“Blaming Chi
March 20, 2019
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Number of marriages falls to lowest level in more than four decades
The number of South Koreans getting married fell to the lowest level in more than 40 years in 2018, government data showed Wednesday, as young people delay marriage amid a prolonged economic slowdown.The number of couples tying the knot came to 257,622 in 2018, compared with 264,455 in 2017, according to Statistics Korea. The figure is the lowest since 1972, when the number of couples who got married came to 244,780.Some young people are delaying marriage or giving up on marriage altogether, and
March 20, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Military recruitment agency okays Seungri's request for draft delay
South Korea's military recruitment agency said Wednesday that it has decided to accept a request by Seungri of boy band BIGBANG to delay his military draft amid a probe into sex-for-favors allegations against him.His conscription, originally scheduled for next Monday, will be postponed by three months, the Military Manpower Administration said. "He has submitted a written request to respond to the ongoing probe, while the investigation authorities also called for a delay to carry out a thorough,
March 20, 2019
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[Newsmaker] 2017 Pohang earthquake probably caused by geothermal plant
South Korea's second-most destructive earthquake, which struck the southeastern city of Pohang in 2017, was probably triggered by an experimental geothermal power plant, the government said Wednesday.The government-led team of experts, from both South Korea and abroad, concluded that a series of earthquakes, reaching a magnitude of 5.4 on Nov. 15, 2017, could have been brought on by efforts to harness energy from the ground. (Yonhap)The study is the first official government finding that indicat
March 20, 2019
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Gov't to update rules on ownership of fierce dogs
South Korea's agriculture ministry said Wednesday it will implement a tougher set of rules on raising fierce dogs to better protect people and animals.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs said the new rules will require owners of dog breeds known for aggressiveness to receive mandatory education programs on how to properly raise such pets.The ministry categorizes Tosa, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, and other rel
March 20, 2019
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[Graphic News] 1 in 4 Korean students overweight
A quarter of young South Korean students were obese or overweght, the Ministry of Education said. According to data compiled from a survey of 108,000 elementary, middle and high school students conducted nationwide last year, 10.6 percent of them were overweight and the remaining 14.4 percent were obese. Those with a body mass index of over 23 were counted as overweight and those with BMIs of 25 or more were considered obese. The percentage of overweight and obese students has continued to rise
March 19, 2019
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Police accelerate probe into Burning Sun scandal
Police on Tuesday accelerated a probe into nightclub Burning Sun, which has been marred by allegations of sexual assault, the illicit filming of sex videos, drug use and corrupt ties with police, as ministers vowed a thorough investigation and due punishment.Seungri (left) Jung Joon-young (Yonhap)The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office asked a Seoul court to issue an arrest warrant for Jung Joon-young, a singer-songwriter suspected of secretly filming sex videos and sharing them in mobile messenge
March 19, 2019
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Seoul distributes guidelines on spycam crimes
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday distributed guidelines on how to respond to spycam crimes for victims and law enforcement officers, amid a growing epidemic of spycam porn in the country. (Yonhap)Divided into two parts -- for civilians and police officers -- the handbook was designed to raise awareness of what constitutes secondary damage to victims of spycam porn and how police officers and victims can handle such cases, according to the Seoul city government.For example, the guideli
March 19, 2019
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Prosecutors to review 2009 suicide of actress Jang Ja-yeon
The suicide of actress Jang Ja-yeon in 2009 is drawing fresh media attention after President Moon Jae-in ordered prosecutors to conduct a thorough fact-finding into the case.Jang, then a 30-year-old rookie actress, committed suicide in March 2009 after leaving a suicide note that accused her agent of forcing her to attend drinking parties and to provide sexual favors to 31 high-profile entertainment figures and journalists. She hanged herself at her house in Bundang, south of Seoul. (Yonhap)The
March 19, 2019
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Arrest warrant sought for Jung Joon-young
The prosecution on Tuesday asked a Seoul court to issue an arrest warrant for Jung Joon-young, a singer-songwriter suspected of secretly filming sex videos and sharing them in online group chats, amid a widening probe into the scandal. (Yonhap)The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office also sought arrest warrants for two men, a staff member at the scandal-ridden nightclub Burning Sun surnamed Kim and an executive director at the club surnamed Jang.Kim is accused of illicit filming and Jang is accused
March 19, 2019
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[Newsmaker] State authority blocks truth, says man who blew open Burning Sun scandal
Kim Sang-kyo, who opened the floodgates of a gamut of allegations, including illegal drug use, sexual assault to police corruption at the Burning Sun club, appeared before the police Tuesday for questioning on defamation charges filed against him following his accusations against the club. (Yonhap)“It seems that the state authority is blocking the truth,” he said as he appeared before the Seoul District Police Agency. “I was a victim of assault and reported to the police for help, but I did not
March 19, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Burning Sun head attends arrest warrant hearing
Lee Moon-ho, the head of nightclub Burning Sun marred by allegations of sexual assault, drug use and corrupt ties with the police, attended a hearing on an arrest warrant against him Tuesday. He is suspected of illegal drug distribution. (Yonhap)Lee, 29, who ran the club where Big Bang member Seungri was an executive director, did not answer any questions as he entered the Seoul Central District Court. Lee is suspected of distributing drugs at the club, which he denies. Lee was named as a crimin
March 19, 2019
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8 men accused of faking hearing impairment to dodge draft
South Korea's military recruitment agency has accused eight men of having dodged or attempted to evade military service by feigning hearing impairment, its investigators said Tuesday.The Military Manpower Administration said that six of the men falsely registered as hearing-impaired after intentionally exposing themselves to the high-pitched sounds of bicycle and air horns to make themselves temporarily deaf. (Yonhap)Two others attempted to evade conscription using the same method, but failed.
March 19, 2019
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[News Focus] 1 in 10 South Koreans aged 70 or above
SEJONG -- South Korea saw its elderly population grow rapidly over the past decade, while at the same time posting some of the world’s lowest fertility rates. Pundits continue to warn that countermeasures involving social infrastructure fall short considering the speed at which society is aging.Data from the Ministry of Interior and Safety suggest there is an urgent need to map out mid- and long-term policies for the growing proportion of seniors in the nation.As of February 2019 the number of p
March 19, 2019
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Prosecution office decides not to directly investigate Burning Sun scandal
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office assigned the Burning Sun investigation to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Monday amid snowballing allegations over collusive ties between the police and the club’s management, but the latter said it would not be investigating the case “directly” for now.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said a team that supervises the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigators would be in charge of the case as of Monday. The office added that t
March 18, 2019
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[Graphic News] Number of gas stations drops for 4th year in 2018
The number of gas stations in South Korea dropped for the fourth straight year in 2018, amid worsening profitability facing the industry, data have showed. As of end-December, 11,769 gasoline stations were operating across the country, down 196 from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority. It marked the fourth consecutive year of annual decline. An annual average of 149 gas stations have been shuttered over the past four years.
March 18, 2019
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Moon calls for thorough investigation of past, current scandals
President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered thorough investigations of prominent scandals involving celebrities and a former ranking Ministry of Justice official. President Moon Jae-in gives orders regarding investigations into a number of scandals to ministers of justice, and interior at the presidential office on Monday. Cheong Wa DaeAccording to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, Moon gave the orders in connection with cases involving late actress Jang Ja-yeon, former Vice Justice Minister K
March 18, 2019
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Human rights body says punishing women for abortion unconstitutional
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has delivered its opinion to the Constitutional Court that criminal penalties for women who undergo abortion, as well as doctors who perform them, are unconstitutional.The current law on abortion violates the right to self-determination, among others, the rights panel said Monday. Those in support of abortion participate in a press conference calling on the Constitutional Court to rule criminal penalties for women and doctors involved in abortion un
March 18, 2019
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3 construction workers plunge to deaths in Andong
Three construction workers fell to their deaths while working at the construction site of a new town in North Gyeongsang Province on Monday, rescue officials said.The workers fell about 20 meters at the site in Andong, 260 kilometers south of Seoul, at 12:41 p.m., the officials said.The workers were immediately taken to a nearby hospital but were pronounced dead, according to officials from Andong fire and rescue services. (Yonhap)The accident occurred as a steel mold on the fifth floor of the c
March 18, 2019