Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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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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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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EU steps up pressure on Korea to ratify ILO conventions
The European Union requested formal consultations with the Korean government on labor issues Monday, urging Korea to ratify the International Labor Organization conventions.Under the EU-Korea free trade agreement implemented in 2011, both sides agreed to improve labor and environmental standards via a dispute settlement mechanism in the trade and sustainable development chapter. “As part of the agreement both sides made commitments on workers’ rights, but so far the actions taken by the Korean g
Dec. 18, 2018
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Korea ranks 115th in gender parity report by WEF
Korea ranked 115th out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum’s report on the global gender gap released Tuesday.According to the 2018 report, Korea’s gender gap index was 0.657, below China (0.673) and Japan (0.662). The closer the figure is to 1, the greater the gender parity. Korea ranked 118th in last year’s report, with a gender gap index of 0.650. (Yonhap)Since 2006, the WEF has measured the gender gap of nations in four categories: economic participation and opportunity; educational
Dec. 18, 2018
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Jailed ex-President Lee sues MBC chief over news report on alleged secret offshore account
Jailed former President Lee Myung-bak has filed a lawsuit against a major broadcast network and its chief over a recently aired investigative report on Lee's alleged offshore account and suspicious transactions, one of the program hosts said in a social media post on Monday.The lawsuit, seeking 350 million won ($309,270) in damages, was lodged with the Seoul Central District Court against MBC President Choi Seung-ho and two other journalists. The suit also demands the public broadcaster issue a
Dec. 17, 2018
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Government apologizes for Taean power plant tragedy, promises to prevent reoccurrence
The government on Monday announced measures to prevent accidents at coal power plants in the country, six days after an accident at Taean power plant claimed the life of a subcontracted worker. Past accidents at power plants will also be reviewed.The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a joint briefing on Monday and apologized for the death of Kim Yong-kyun, a 24-year-old subcontracted worker at the Taean thermal power plant.On Tuesday, Kim was fo
Dec. 17, 2018
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[Feature] Death of evictee raises call for action on resettlement
On Dec. 3, Park Jun-kyung, 37, a tenant in the Ahyeon-dong 2 reconstruction area in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was found dead in the Han River. His belongings and a note were found at a pavilion at Hangang Park in the Mangwon area.The note described how he had spent the last three days on the streets with nowhere to go after being forcibly evicted three times. He also asked that his mother be given rental housing so she would not suffer as he had.The late Park had moved to Ahyeon-dong, near Sinchon, known
Dec. 17, 2018
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Police chief admits lax handling of violence by unionized workers
Police are considering taking punitive measures against those responsible for lackadaisical response to violence by some union workers at an auto parts maker against an executive.Last month, some 40 union workers of Yoosung Enterprise in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, broke into the office of the company CEO, and some of them struck -- over a period of about 40 minutes -- a managing director in charge of wage talks. National Police Agency Commissioner Min Gab-ryong (Yonhap)The executive surn
Dec. 17, 2018
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[Feature] ‘Migrant workers are not consumables, we are humans!’
Tanka Lungeli, a Nepali who works at a factory in Korea, wants to change jobs because his employer does not pay him properly. But when he told his boss and requested the move, he says he received death threats and was treated as if he were a slave.“The employer deducted my wage for reasons I do not know. He also raised the dormitory fee arbitrarily, and it became hard for me to live and pay my debt with the salary,” Lungeli, 34, told The Korea Herald last week. “So I told him I wanted to work at
Dec. 17, 2018
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Welfare Ministry presents four pension reform options
The government on Friday announced four proposals on reforming the national pension scheme, mainly focused on maintaining a balance between reinforcing recipients’ benefits and securing the fund’s stability.The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s sudden announcement came amid concerns over fund shortfalls, as Korea’s declining birthrate and increasing life expectancy make for a society aging faster than ever. Under the current national pension system, the world’s third-largest fund could be deplete
Dec. 17, 2018
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Man caught for trespassing in dorm, attempted rape
A man in his 20s was caught trespassing in a female dormitory at Pusan National University on Sunday, according to police.The suspect, who is reported to be a student of the same university, is also accused of assault and the attempted rape of a female student residing in the dormitory. (Yonhap)The suspect, who was reported to be inebriated at the time, entered the dormitory by following a student who had opened the door with her student ID card. He reportedly knocked on several doors and dragge
Dec. 17, 2018
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[News Focus] 3 in 10 self-employed self-halt or close in 2018: report
SEJONG – More than 1 in 10 South Koreans, or 5.7 million among the population of 51.6 million, are engaging in self-employment. The proportion of self-employed is 20.3 percent among the 28 million economically active, which indicates people with jobs plus job seekers.And the ratio of self-employed among total employed excluding job seekers posted 25.4 percent at the end of 2017, according to data from Statistics Korea. The percentage is quite high compared to the European Union, at 15.8 percent,
Dec. 17, 2018
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Govt. to change rule for easier pension sharing after divorce
The welfare ministry said Monday it is reviewing a regulatory change that would allow divorcees to claim part of the national pension received by their ex-spouses after just one year of marriage.Eligibility for pension sharing currently comes with a number of prerequisites, including minimum five years in marriage and that the subscribed spouse live to the required recipient age of 60 to 65. The ex-spouse also needs to have subscribed to the pension for at least 10 years. (Yonhap)Ministry offici
Dec. 17, 2018
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'Original contractors should be responsible for subcontractor accidents'
Critics pointed out Sunday the mismanagement of safety by original contractors and dodgy safety inspections as major causes of an accident that killed a 24-year-old subcontract worker at a thermal power plant last week.Kim Yong-kyun, who was a temporary worker at the Taean thermal power plant in South Chungcheong Province, died Tuesday after getting stuck between a conveyer belt and machinery while working his night shift alone. His death sparked public outrage as his harsh working conditions we
Dec. 16, 2018
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New guideline on delaying school attendance to take effect in Seoul next month
A new guideline for delaying elementary and middle school admission for reasons such as studying abroad will come into force in Seoul starting next year.The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced Sunday that it has prepared a revised guideline on encouraging school attendance for children who are subjected to mandatory education, which will be implemented from January 2019. (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education website)The revised guideline requires parents or guardians to visit scho
Dec. 16, 2018
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Court orders govt. to grant Syrian asylum seeker humanitarian stay permit
The Seoul Administrative Court has ordered the government to issue a Syrian asylum seeker a humanitarian stay visa after his request for official refugee status was rejected, court officials said Sunday.The Syrian requested refugee status after entering South Korea on a short-term visit visa. He claimed that if sent back home, he would be conscripted into the army and die. But the government rejected the request, saying fears of conscription or combat do not constitute legitimate reasons for ref
Dec. 16, 2018
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Base fare for taxis set to rise 27% from Jan
The base fare for taxis is set to rise 27 percent in the capital city of Seoul from January, with a 28 percent increase in nighttime base fares, the Seoul city government said Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Council has approved the taxi fare hike plans submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government last month, according to the city government. (Yonhap)Under the plans, the base taxi fare will rise to 3,800 won ($3.40) from 3,000 won to help improve the welfare of taxi drivers. The nighttime base
Dec. 14, 2018
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Jordan Peterson’s book becomes a best-seller in Korea
Jordan Peterson’s self-help book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” has become one of the biggest best-sellers this winter in South Korea, after translated videos of the clinical psychologist’s lectures and interviews criticizing political correctness and feminism have gone viral here.Local publisher Maven said Friday that Peterson’s book had sold over 105,000 copies since its release in late October, topping major online retailer Yes24’s sales chart last week.The warm reception led Peter
Dec. 14, 2018
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Moon says forced labor rulings mean no termination of individual rights for damages claims
President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea's landmark court rulings against Japan's wartime forced labor mean individual rights to damage claims are not terminated under a pact between the two countries."The court ruling does not deny the (1965) pact between South Korea and Japan on normalizing diplomatic ties," Moon said in a meeting with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers led by Fukushiro Nukaga. President Moon Jae-in (L) meeting with the group of Japanese lawmakers seeking to promote
Dec. 14, 2018
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Govt., ruling party push for implementation of salary system for company taxi drivers
Officials from the government and the ruling Democratic Party decided Friday to push ahead with the full implementation of a salary system for drivers at taxi companies as part of measures to support the local taxi industry.The move is also seen as a way to deal with a backlash from taxi drivers that was sparked by the planned launch of a carpool service by IT giant Kakao Corp. (Yonhap)On Thursday, Kakao, which earlier kicked off a pilot run of the service, postponed its official release, orig
Dec. 14, 2018
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Former sex slave for Japanese soldiers dies at 92
A South Korean woman who was forced to work at a Japanese military brothel during World War II passed away at age 92, a Seoul-based civic group working for the rights of sex slavery victims said Friday.The woman, named Lee Gui-nyeo, died in the morning at a hospital in Yongin, a suburb of Seoul, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Lee Gui-nyeo (Justice for the Comfort Women-Yonhap)Born in 1926, Lee was taken to China in
Dec. 14, 2018
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Govt. announces state pension reform proposals
The government on Friday announced four different proposals for reforming the national pension scheme that center on strengthening support for beneficiaries going forward amid concerns over fund shortfalls.The Ministry of Health and Welfare, which oversees South Korea's National Pension Service, the world's third largest, with 630 trillion won ($564 billion) in assets, announced the differing drafts after President Moon Jae-in called for an overhaul of the ministry's draft on reforming the natio
Dec. 14, 2018