Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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[Feature] Waste bin-free public restrooms get mixed response
Japanese exchange student Aoi still remembers the “shocking moment” when she saw a trash bin in a Korean restroom stall for the first time.“As there are no such trash bins in toilets in Japan, I was shocked when I saw the bin overflowing with used toilet paper,” Aoi said.“The stink from the bin and the dirty toilet paper scattered on the ground caused panic immediately. I still have a fear of opening a restroom door, guessing whether it would be clean or not.”Aoi is one of many people who been d
Jan. 20, 2019
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Head of animal shelter apologizes for euthanizing stray pets
The head of a South Korean animal shelter on Saturday apologized for euthanizing stray pets, but claimed that she put stray pets to death with a "humanitarian" purpose.Park So-yeon, chief executive of the organization Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, has been accused of euthanizing more than 200 homeless animals and of secretly burying a number of them between 2015 and last year.Park is also suspected of embezzling money from CARE sponsors and keeping it for her personal use, buying, among
Jan. 19, 2019
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Cause of KT building fire remains a mystery despite two months of probe
The cause of a calamitous fire that engulfed a Seoul switching station of telecom giant KT Corp. two months ago remains elusive despite intensive investigations by police, forensic experts and firefighters, a police report said Friday.The report released by Rep. Kim Young-ho of the ruling Democratic Party said that the Seoul Seodaemun Police Station has so far been unsuccessful in determining the cause of the fire that occurred at KT‘s Ahyeon switching station in western Seoul on Nov. 24 last ye
Jan. 18, 2019
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Agriculture Ministry to strengthen penalties for animal abuse
Animal abusers will soon face up to three years in prison, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Friday.As the number of animal owners increased to some 10 million in 2017, the ministry said, animal abuse and homeless animal populations have gone up too. The number of homeless animals stood at 102,000 in 2017, as compared with 20,000 fewer in 2015.The ministry had previously broadened the definition of animal abuse to include selling stray animals, capturing animals
Jan. 18, 2019
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Three jjimjilbang reject teens after Gangneung accident
The story of a teenager who was refused entry at a jjimjilbang after 10 p.m. even with written parental consent has sparked discussion on the internet.The teen tweeted that the incident took place on Dec. 31 last year. By the Korean age system, the teen would turn 19 years old at midnight, one year short of the age that would not require parental consent. The teen is presumed to actually be 17 years old. The inside of an unrelated jjimjilbang is seen in this file photo. (Yonhap)According to the
Jan. 18, 2019
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Ruling party lawmaker under fire for alleged real-estate speculation threatens lawsuit
A ruling party lawmaker who sits on the National Assembly’s culture, sports and tourism committee is under fire for allegedly having her relatives and aides invest in properties in Mokpo before the area where they were located was designated as culturally significant.Network broadcaster SBS reported Tuesday that Rep. Sohn Hye-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea encouraged relatives, acquaintances and a foundation led by her husband to purchase nine buildings between March 2017 and Septem
Jan. 18, 2019
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Judo federation permanently bans ex-coach facing sexual assault allegations
The national judo federation said Friday it has issued a lifetime ban on a former high school accused of sexually assaulting his former athlete.An official with the Korea Judo Association said the decision was reached Tuesday, a day after former high school judoka Shin Yu-yong accused the coach of sexually assaulting her for four years in multiple media interviews. (Yonhap)The coach, a married man whose identity has been withheld, denied the sexual assault allegations and said instead he was rom
Jan. 18, 2019
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Complaints filed against CARE chief accused of killing rescued dogs
Civic groups on Friday filed criminal complaints against the leader of one of South Korea’s largest animal rights groups, accusing her of secretly killing more than 230 rescued dogs despite the organization’s purported no-kill policy.Park So-youn (CARE)Park So-youn, the head of Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, is alleged to have put down more than 230 dogs between 2015 and 2018 without the knowledge of most of the group’s staff or donors, in order to free up space at the group’s shelter. C
Jan. 18, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seoul court orders Japanese firm to compensate forced laborers in separate ruling
South Korea’s appeals court upheld on Friday a lower court ruling ordering a Japanese company to compensate a group of Koreans forced into labor during Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula, amid an escalating diplomatic row between the neighboring countries. (Yonhap)The Seoul High Court upheld the 2014 ruling that robot supplier Nachi-Fujikoshi must pay 80 million to 100 million won to each of the 17 Korean victims forced to work at Fujikoshi’s arms factories in Japan from 1944 to
Jan. 18, 2019
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Construction of new Jeju airport delayed due to protests from residents, activists
The South Korean government's effort to build a new international airport on Jeju Island has been making little headway in the face of stubborn resistance from residents and environmental activists. (Yonhap)A Jeju resident continued his hunger strike for the 31st consecutive day on Friday in front of the Jeju provincial government office to protest the new airport project, while a number of civic activists have intermittently joined him in the prolonged demonstration.The conflict dates back to N
Jan. 18, 2019
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Fertility rate dips below 1 in 2018: official
South Korea's fertility rate probably fell below the critical level of 1 to an all-time low in 2018, an official said Friday.The country's total fertility rate is estimated at 0.96 to 0.97 for last year, said the official at the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy. An estimated 325,000 babies were born in 2018. (Yonhap)Last year's total fertility rate marks a fresh record low and is far below the replacement threshold of 2.1. The total fertility rate refers to the avera
Jan. 18, 2019
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S. Korea to allow more Incheon-Ulaanbaatar flights
South Korea's aviation authorities said Thursday they will allow other airlines other than the country's largest carrier, Korea Air Lines Co., to offer flights to Ulaanbaatar.Since 1991, flights between Incheon and Ulaanbaatar have only been offered by Korean Air and MIAT Mongolian Airlines despite increasing demands.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it has agreed with the Mongolian government to increase routes by 70 percent and allow other carriers to operate the service.
Jan. 17, 2019
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[News Focus] Jobless rising fastest among 40-somethings
SEJONG – With the 2018 GDP growth rate estimated to be stuck at about 2.7 percent, concerns and uncertainty are growing among middle-aged salaried employees.Weakening profitability and lackluster business confidence for the coming months have led more enterprises to cut their payrolls. Over the past decade or more, companies’ main solution for difficulties has been to reduce costs through voluntary redundancy programs. Early retirees are usually paid a lump sum in addition to statut
Jan. 17, 2019
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Seoul to add 90 native English teachers this year
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to place 90 additional native English teachers in elementary schools in Seoul this year, despite growing questions raised by local teachers over their educational effectiveness. SMOE Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon announced the plan in April to recruit teachers from native English-speaking countries as part of efforts to improve the quality of English education at public schools and ease the reliance on private language education. (Yonhap)The edu
Jan. 17, 2019
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More than 70 percent of new mothers use postnatal care center, spend W2.2m on average
Over 70 percent of South Korean mothers who had just delivered their babies used a postnatal care center for about two weeks, on average paying 2.21 million won ($1,970), a survey shows.The Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted a survey of some 2,911 new mothers who delivered a baby in 2017. According to the poll released Thursday in which multiple responses were allowed, 75.1 percent of respondents said they used a postnatal care center. Some 70 percent responded they went home while 19.8 pe
Jan. 17, 2019
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Vietnamese sailor found dead after S. Korean fishing boat fire, 1 still missing
A Vietnamese sailor was found dead by the local coast guard in a bathroom at the stern of a South Korean fishing boat that caught fire. The 23-year-old went missing on Thursday morning, along with a Chinese sailor, after the boat caught fire at around 8:26 a.m. while out at sea. (Yonhap)The 29-year-old Chinese, who jumped off the boat to escape the fire, has not been found. The Korea Coast Guard has mobilized five patrol ships and eight privately-owned lifeboats to search for the missing victim.
Jan. 17, 2019
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[Graphic News] Number of abandoned pets increases in S. Korea
The number of abandoned animals continued to increase in South Korea, amid the growing number of households raising pets, government data shows. The number of abandoned animals stood at 102,593 in 2017, gradually rising from 81,147 in 2014. The number of households raising pets also increased from 4.57 million in 2015 to 5.39 million in 2017, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. On average, 281 pets were abandoned every day in 2017. In the wake of a
Jan. 17, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Court dismisses indictments against Jeju massacre survivors after over 70 years
The district court on the southern island of Jeju on Thursday dismissed the charges against over a dozen survivors of a bloody 1948-1954 government-civilian clash, effectively ruling them not guilty of mutiny after 71 years. The Jeju District Court made the landmark decision in a retrial involving 18 survivors, including 99-year-old Lim Chang-eui. (Yonhap)The ruling essentially quashes the convictions handed down by a military court in 1949, as it means the court is revoking the initial indictm
Jan. 17, 2019
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Ministries to work together to combat sex abuse in sports
Amid the snowballing revelations of coaches’ sexual misconduct, the government on Thursday unveiled its scheme to root out sexual abuse in the sports community. “The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will form a consultative group with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education in February to formulate measures to combat sexual abuses in the sports community,” Gender Ministry Vice Minister Lee Sook-jin said during a briefing Thursday. Lee Sook-jin, vice minist
Jan. 17, 2019
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2 foreign sailors missing in fishing boat fire
Two foreign sailors went missing and another was injured after a fishing boat caught fire in waters off the southwestern coast Thursday, authorities said. The 85-ton vessel carrying 12 crewmen caught fire in the sea off about 6.4 kilometers northeast of Narodo, an island in Goheung county, South Jeolla Province, at around 8:25 a.m., the Coast Guard said. (Yonhap)Narodo is located about 330 kilometers south of Seoul. A 29-year-old Chinese national and a Vietnamese, aged 23, remain unaccounted fo
Jan. 17, 2019