Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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Govt. bans abuse of nitrous oxide
The government said Tuesday it has banned excessive use and sales of nitrous oxide, more commonly known as "laughing gas," that is increasingly used here as a party drug for entertainment purposes. The Ministry of Environment said an amendment in the decree regarding the management of chemical substances has been made, by which it has included nitrous oxide as a hallucinogen. Any inhalation, and sales or possession of the substance for inhalation purposes will now be banned and are punishable by
July 25, 2017
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Welfare minister vows to build stronger social safety net
Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said Monday he will strengthen the country's social safety net and establish a foothold for a welfare state for the next five decades. During his inauguration ceremony held at the government complex in Sejong, south of Seoul, Park said the country should be able to embrace the vulnerable people and become an inclusive society that can bring about growth from all walks of life."To make an inclusive welfare state, there should be harmony between a sound m
July 24, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Chief prosecutor nominee vows political neutrality
Prosecutor General nominee Moon Moo-il pledged Monday to ensure political neutrality and rebuild public trust that has been marred by what critics say are lopsided investigations into high-profile cases involving leading politicians and major corporations. Prosecutor General nominee Moon Moo-il (Yonhap)At his parliamentary confirmation hearing, ruling and opposition lawmakers wrestled over Cheong Wa Dae’s recent disclosure of massive sheaves of documents left behind by the Park Geun-hye adminis
July 24, 2017
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Prosecutors demand 4 yrs for ex-spy chief over election-meddling
Prosecutors asked a Seoul court on Monday to sentence a former chief of South Korea's intelligence agency to four years in jail over an election-meddling scandal. In a retrial against ex-National Intelligence Agency chief Won Sei-hoon, the prosecution also demanded a four-year disqualification on the defendant. Won was indicted in 2013 on charges of interfering in the 2012 presidential election by instructing his subordinates to post political comments online in a bid to sway public opinion in f
July 24, 2017
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South Korean teens sweep math, physics Olympiads
South Korea retained the top spot in the global students’ competition in physics on Monday, following a clean sweep of gold medals in mathematics a day earlier. All five members of the Korean team – high school seniors and sophomores – bagged gold medals at the 48th International Physics Olympiad held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on July 16-24, handling South Korea the year’s championship. Five members of the Korean team pose for a photo after winning gold medals at the 48th International Physics O
July 24, 2017
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Seoul to sue central government for US base cleanup costs
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will file a lawsuit against the central government for the cost of cleaning up contaminated underground water near the US military base in Yongsan, central Seoul. (Yonhap)The city government is seeking compensation of 540 million won ($480,000) for the cost of purifying oil-contaminated groundwater around Camp Kim and near Noksapyeong Station. According to the city government’s internal inspection last year, the average benzene concentration near Yongsan Garriso
July 24, 2017
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SK Group chief seeking divorce settlement
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has filed a request with a Seoul court seeking a divorce settlement with his wife Roh So-young, legal sources said Monday. The settlement request was lodged with the Seoul Family Court on Wednesday, with the date for a hearing on the mediation yet to be decided, according to the sources familiar with the matter. Chey, who runs South Korea's third-largest conglomerate, has only made the request for divorce and an asset division was not included, the sources said, as
July 24, 2017
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Over 1,100 houses suffer flood damage from weekend rain
As many as 1,168 houses, factories and other buildings were waterlogged and over 70 residents were evacuated in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province due to heavy rain over the weekend, the nation’s disaster control center said Monday. Residents clean up the house in Incheon, Monday. (Yonhap)In Incheon, where at least 100 millimeters of rain fell in an hour on Sunday morning, at least 2,000 public officials, fire fighters and volunteer workers were dispatched to help recovery operations, the city govern
July 24, 2017
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Korea to take in 30 Myanmar refugees for resettlement
A total of 30 refugees from Myanmar are expected to arrive in South Korea next week, as part of a United Nations-led refugee resettlement program, the Justice Ministry said Monday. The first batch of refugees -- 23 Myanmarese nationals of four families who have been staying in a refugee camp in Thailand -- will land at Incheon Airport on Tuesday morning. The rest -- a family of seven -- are to arrive in early August.As part of the three-year pilot project, the government has granted 86 Burmese r
July 24, 2017
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US peace activists arrive in Korea calling for withdrawal of THAAD deployment
A group of American activists opposing the deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea arrived in the country Sunday to call for the withdrawal of the decision.The US Solidarity Peace Delegation includes former Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein, Medea Benjamin, head of the women-led peace group CODEPINK, Will Griffin of Veterans For Peace and Reece Chenault of US Labor Against War as members.The delegation will hold a news conference in central Seoul on Tuesday to issue
July 23, 2017
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[Graphic News] Cities and Provinces with strongest youth unemployment cash support
In an effort to curb South Korea’s high youth unemployment rate, the government has decided to provide cash subsidies to young job seekers. Gyeonggi Province and capital city Seoul ranked first with 3 million won ($2,700) each, followed by the port city of Busan at 2.4 million won. Daejeon came in fourth with 1.8 million won and North Gyeongsang Province in fifth with 1 million won. The cash subsidy program is in line with the Moon Jae-in administration’s job creation policy.
July 23, 2017
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Police warn about sexual crimes on subways
Police have warned about the rise in sexual harassment crimes on subways during the summer season.According to a study conducted by the Southern Gyeonggi Subway Police Station, 148 men were accused of sexually harrassing women on the subway last year, up from 126 in 2015.(Yonhap)In the first half of this year, the number of sexual crimes caught on subways reached 104. The total figure is expected to rise by the end of the year.Of each reported number, crimes tend to be more often committed in th
July 23, 2017
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Torrential rain sweeps across Korea, leaving one dead
Torrential rain, accompanied by lightning and thunder, battered the country Sunday, with at least one person dead, several roads closed, trains halted and houses flooded.Seoul, Incheon and cities in Gyeonggi Province were the hardest hit, with more than 100 millimeters of rain pouring down till Sunday afternoon, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. A 96-year-old man died at his home when it was flooded in Incheon at around 10 a.m. He was found floating on the water inside the ho
July 23, 2017
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Police says no charges on ‘idol singer rape’ case
Police have decided not to press charges in a recent gang rape case involving a member of popular K-pop act, officials said Sunday.Officials at the Gangnam Police Station said though it has been confirmed that a sexual act had taken place between a woman and men present at the scene, there was no evidence it was forced. Gangnam Police Station (Yonhap)Earlier in the month, a woman claimed she had been raped by an idol singer and another man after having a drink in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, in so
July 23, 2017
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Arson suspected in Daegu factory
A man is suspected of setting fire to his wife’s factory in Daegu on Saturday night.After arguing with his wife earlier in the day, the suspect reportedly used a lighter to set fire to her factory. (Yonhap)Police made the determination after investigating CCTV footage near the scene of the crime, which showed the man walking around the area shortly after the factory was set ablaze.Police said that they are still surveying the option of applying for an arrest warrant for the man.Firefighters exti
July 23, 2017
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70 mm of more rain expected in the afternoon
The torrential downpour in the central regions could bring up to 100 millimeters more rain through late afternoon Sunday, the Korea Meteorological Administration says. Torrential monsoon rains, along with lightning and thunder, battered the country Sunday, with some roads and bridges closed and trains halted in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province.(Yonhap)The KMA said some 20 to 70 mm more rain is forecast, with up to 100 mm in some areas in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinc
July 23, 2017
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More seniors dying lonely deaths
More elderly people are dying lonely deaths as society ages and families are being replaced by single-person households, data showed Sunday. (Yonhap)According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 1,232 people who died last year had no family members who could be contacted.The number of such deaths has been gradually rising, from 693 in 2011 to 741 in 2012, 922 in 2013, 1,008 in 2014 and 1,245 in 2015.It marks a 77.8 percent increase over the past five years.Some 24.6 percent of these people we
July 23, 2017
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Basic pension recipients short of gov‘t target
The number of basic pension recipients who are older than 65 and belong to the bottom 70 percent of income earners totaled 4.72 million as of March this year, government data showed Saturday. The figure represents 66.6 percent of the entire population aged 65 and over, falling short of the government’s payout rate of 70 percent. Of the recipients, 1.62 million people receive both basic and national pension, while the total amount of basic pension payout reached 870.6 billion won (US$778 million)
July 22, 2017
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Judge arrested for taking photos of woman on subway
An active judge was caught secretly snapping photos of a woman at a Seoul subway station on Tuesday, police said Friday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the judge whose name is being withheld, allegedly approached a woman from behind and secretly photographed her with his mobile phone. He was caught by nearby passengers and forcibly handed over to police. Passengers waiting and entering a Seoul subway train (Yonhap)The man claims innocence, saying the camera application insta
July 21, 2017
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Korea dismisses diplomat in Ethiopia suspected of raping female worker
South Korea's foreign ministry meted out its heaviest punishment on Friday against a diplomat in Ethiopia suspected of having sexually assaulted a female subordinate.The dismissal, the strongest punishment under the ministry's disciplinary regulation, was determined at a disciplinary panel meeting, according to a foreign ministry official. Separately, the diplomat was earlier referred to prosecution for further investigation.Based on testimonies from the victim and other evidence, the ministry s
July 21, 2017