Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul
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Plaza renovation project to shed light on medieval flagpole in Korean city
CHEONGJU -- A task force of the state-run Korea Tourism Organization's branch in Cheongju, central South Korea, said Thursday it plans to complete a project aimed at turning a plaza that is known for its flagpole from Korea's medieval dynasty into one of the top tourist spots by creating a dazzling night view there by the end of this month.According to the business group, which has focused its efforts on revitalizing traditional markets, the project involves illuminating the plaza and the Iron F
June 1, 2017
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NGO opens website to promote wider int'l use of East Sea name
A Seoul-based nongovernmental organization said Thursday that it has created a new website to promote the wider international use of "East Sea" as the name of the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.VANK, or Voluntary Agency Network of Korea, said that the opening of the website eastsea.prkorea.com, dubbed "East Sea is the Republic of Korea," is intended to help bolster South Korea's persistent call for the concurrent use of the East Sea, along with the Sea of Japan, in maps and
June 1, 2017
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Antibiotics use down in Korea, highest among OECD members
South Korea's consumption of antibiotics has been greatly reduced, a government report showed Thursday, but the country remains the top user among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries.According to the report by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the prescription rate of antibiotics for acute upper respiratory infections came to 40.99 percent in the second half of last year, down 2.53 percent from a year earlier. (123RF)The government has been pu
June 1, 2017
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Child care cooperative grows into vibrant urban community in Seoul
Moving into a town full of complete strangers may be hard and stressful to most people. When Kwon Ji-hyun, a 36-year-old working mom, decided to bear it and relocate to an unheard-of village in west Seoul four years ago, there was only one thing on her mind: a daycare center where her child can be in good hands."I was at a loss for what to do when my mother said she had to move out of town. She was of great help in taking care of my son," she said, asking for an alias to be used.She couldn't fin
June 1, 2017
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1 in 3 firefighters suffer from PTSD: report
One out of every 3 firefighters in South Korea suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a report showed Thursday, underscoring the mental health issue facing emergency workers. The report showed that 34.4 percent of the firefighters showed some symptoms of the disease, the report by the National Center for Mental Health said. The report was based on a survey conducted on 212 firefighters with an average age of 41.4.PTSD occurs when a person is exposed to traumatic events and represents sympt
June 1, 2017
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Court cancels plan to question Park as witness at aide's trial
A Seoul court on Wednesday nullified its decision to question former President Park Geun-hye as a witness in her aide's trial as she refused to comply with a court-issued warrant to appear at the hearing. The Seoul Central District Court earlier accepted the request filed by an independent counsel team to bring Park to the trial of Lee Young-seon, a former presidential bodyguard.Former President Park Geun-hye, who is now in jail over corruption charges, is taken to the Seoul Central District Cou
May 31, 2017
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[Feature] Incheon Airport to set tone for irregular workers’ status shift
INCHEON – Incheon Airport has been praised for its excellent service, chosen as the world’s No. 1 airport for 12 years in a row. Beneath the fancy title, however, the airport has long been viewed by local labor experts as a microcosm of the country’s sharply-polarized labor market: Nearly 85 percent of the workforce here are “irregular workers” on an average salary that is less than half that of the “regular workers.” Precisely for that reason, President Moon Jae-in chose it as the place to star
May 31, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Chung Yoo-ra returns home to face questioning
Chung Yoo-ra, who has enjoyed a wide range of privileges on the back of her once-influential mother Choi Soon-sil, returned to South Korea on Wednesday to face questioning about the corruption scandal involving her mother and ex-President Park Geun-hye.Eight months after she went into hiding in Europe to avoid the prosecution’s summons, Chung finally returned home in handcuffs and shifted all responsibility to her mother.Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye's
May 31, 2017
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Poll shows 60% of Koreans negative about China's influence
Six in 10 South Koreans have a negative viewpoint of China's influence on their country, according to a poll released Wednesday.In the poll of 758 adult South Koreans organized jointly by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies and several foreign institutions early this year, 60 percent negatively evaluated China's influence on South Korea, while those with neutral and positive opinions amounted to 25 percent and 15 percent, respectively. (Yonhap)Institute officials noted that the ratio of negati
May 31, 2017
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Top court confirms 3-year term for labor union leader over violent rallies
South Korea’s Supreme Court confirmed Wednesday a three-year jail sentence for Han Sang-gyun, the leader of the nation’s second-biggest umbrella labor union, for leading violent rallies. Labor groups denounced the ruling as a regression of democracy.Han, head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, was convicted on charges of leading a series of illegal rallies at the end of 2015 and causing damage to public property and police officers.Protesters hold candles at a rally held near the Const
May 31, 2017
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BOK under fire for sexual harassment report
South Korea’s central bank said Wednesday it is investigating a claim by a female employee that she was verbally harassed by two male superiors for nearly two years. The woman who works at a provincial branch of the Bank of Korea filed the report in April, saying two of her senior colleagues at the office made sexually humiliating remarks several times between 2015 and last year.(123RF)One of the remarks revealed by local reports was: “Women are good at peeling fruit and men are good at strippin
May 31, 2017
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Choi Soon-sil's daughter returns to Korea
The daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's close friend involved in a corruption scandal returned to South Korea on Wednesday, after she was extradited from Denmark where she was in custody for five months. Chung Yoo-ra, the 21-year-old daughter of Choi Soon-sil, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 2:40 p.m. She was arrested by local authorities on a flight from Amsterdam where she transferred."I don't even know what my major was at Ewha Womans University" (Y
May 31, 2017
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Court confirms fine for artist who spread leaflets satirizing Park
South Korea's top court on Wednesday confirmed a monetary penalty for a pop artist for distributing leaflets critical of former President Park Geun-hye across the country.Upholding a lower court's decision, the Supreme Court ordered Lee Byeong-ha to pay 2 million won ($1,700) in fines. Lee distributed a total of some 18,000 leaflets in Seoul and other major cities between 2014 and 2015. This provided photo, taken on Dec. 17, 2013, shows leaflets satirizing then-President Park Geun-hye and North
May 31, 2017
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Daughter of S. Korea's 'Rasputin' set to return home
The daughter of the woman at the centre of a corruption scandal that led to the ousting of South Korea's president will return home Wednesday from Denmark, officials said.Chung Yoo-Ra, 20, will be "immediately put into custody" when she arrives at Incheon airport after being extradited from Denmark, a justice ministry spokesman said.The ministry sent five officials to Denmark on Monday to accompany her home, he said. Chung is the only child of Choi Soon-Sil, the close confidante of former Presid
May 30, 2017
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Seoul clears illegal camp of Park Geun-hye supporters
The Seoul city government Tuesday forcibly removed a camp of former President Park Geun-hye’s supporters outside City Hall. The site, which is frequented by foreign tourists, has been occupied for 129 days by those protesting against Park’s impeachment.Seoul city officials remove the tents set up by supporters of former President Park Geun-hye at Seoul Plaza on Tuesday. The tents, installed on Jan. 21, have been occupying the plaza illegally for more than three months. (Yonhap)The Seoul Metropol
May 30, 2017
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Number of China-bound travelers drops 42% on THAAD spat: data
The number of South Koreans visiting China shrank by almost half in March-May from a year earlier, data from a major travel agency showed Tuesday, reflecting weak demand amid the ongoing diplomatic row between the neighboring countries. The tally on outbound travelers to China plunged 42 percent in the cited two months ending May 31. People visiting China accounted for 15.1 percent of all outbound travelers in the cited period down from 32.6 percent the previous year, according to the latest dat
May 30, 2017
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[News Focus] Drought complicates Moon’s plan to undo river project
President Moon Jae-in’s move to reverse the effects of a controversial damming and dredging project has run into an unexpected snag: South Korea may be entering one of the most severe droughts in decades. From Thursday, the government will release water from six of the 16 dammed pools on four major rivers, the first step after Moon’s order earlier this month to review from scratch the previous Lee Myung-bak administration’s 22 trillion won ($19.5 billion) project.The water levels of the dammed p
May 30, 2017
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Gov't to support foreign organizations to promote Korea overseas
The South Korean government said Tuesday it will sponsor seven foreign private organizations this year in its program to better promote the country abroad. The seven institutions -- from Bulgaria, Poland, Macedonia, the United States, Russia, Slovenia and Thailand -- will be given some 10 million won ($8,800) of subsidies each to be used for promoting South Korea in their respective countries, the Ministry of Education said. The annual sponsorship program was launched in 2009 with an aim to corr
May 30, 2017
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Park Geun-hye seen dozing off during trial
Former President Park Geun-hye’s aloof attitude during her trial is drawing attention. On Monday, while attending the third hearing of her trial, the impeached leader was seen dozing off for about 20 minutes. The 65-year-old impeached leader, who looked visibly tired throughout the day, was seen falling asleep near the end of the hearing, which lasted nearly 12 hours. Former President Park Geun-hye (Yonhap)At that time, witness questioning was underway on Park’s role in the alleged money-for-fav
May 30, 2017
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Man plunges to death from Seoul overpass-turned-park
A man plunged to his death from Seoul’s recently opened overpass-turned-park around midnight Monday, in an apparent suicide, police said Tuesday. According to police, a 32-year-old man from Kazakhstan threw himself from Seoullo 7017, near Cheongpa-ro, west of Seoul Station. The elevated park, which opened May 20, has 1.4-meter high safety walls erected on both sides. Safety walls are built on both sides of the Seoullo elevated park. (Kim Da-sol/The Korea Herald)According to police, the park ha
May 30, 2017