Most Popular
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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[Kim So-hyun] The quiet taxi driver from Paris
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Govt. to toughen penalties for in-flight violence
The government said Friday that it will strengthen punishments for people causing violence or a disturbance during a flight, following a recent in-flight incident.Under revised airline safety regulations, a passenger resorting to violence during the flight will be sentenced to up to three years in prison, officials said. The revision was discussed during a government meeting presided over by Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Y
Feb. 3, 2017
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Park adds 2 more lawyers to impeachment defense team in a week
Impeached President Park Geun-hye added another lawyer to her legal team Friday in what appears to be a bid to strengthen her defense at the Constitutional Court.Wie Jae-min, a former prosecutor, was appointed to join the team, a court official said, bringing the total number of attorneys to 14. His appointment came just three days after the addition of another former prosecutor to the team. Parliament has 16 lawyers on its impeachment panel to serve as the prosecution. (Yonhap)Park was impeache
Feb. 3, 2017
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Anti-trust body, financial regulator raied over bribery allegation
The independent counsel probing the nation’s corruption scandal on Friday raided the offices of an antitrust body and financial regulator as part of an investigation into the bribery allegations involving President Park Geun-hye, her confidante Choi Soon-sil and Samsung Group.The team led by Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo searched the offices of the Fair Trade Commission in Sejong and the Financial Services Commission in central Seoul, seeking to secure personal data and financial records of
Feb. 3, 2017
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Court backs special prosecutors' probe of blacklist allegations
A Seoul court on Friday backed special prosecutors' ongoing investigation into allegations the Park Geun-hye administration created a blacklist of liberal artists to ban them from state support.The Seoul High Court dismissed a complaint that former residential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon filed on Tuesday accusing the independent counsel team of overstepping their authority by investigating a case that was not in their mandate.The special prosecutors' investigation centers on allegations that Par
Feb. 3, 2017
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Seoul to require aged taxi drivers to take license renewal tests
All taxi drivers in South Korea may be required to have regular checkups to ensure they are physically and mentally fit to drive once they reach 65 years of age, the government said Friday.Under a proposed government revision to the public transportation law, all taxi drivers aged between 65 and 69 years will be required to undergo a medical checkup every three years.Those aged 70 years or more will be required to prove their physical health every year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and T
Feb. 3, 2017
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Seoul to allow active use of full body scanners at airports despite opposition
South Korea is moving to require active use of full body scanners at its major international airports, the government said Friday, despite opposition from human rights activists that has effectively limited the use of the device over the past six years.The government first introduced full body scanners in 2010, but their use have been strictly limited due to the strong opposition from human rights groups that claim they infringe on people's privacy by rendering graphic images of their body.Only
Feb. 3, 2017
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NHK biased in reporting Seoul-Tokyo comfort women deal: civic groups
Officials from the Violence Against Women in War Research Action Center and the National Movement for Resolving the Issue of the Military Comfort Women hold a press conference on Feb. 2, 2017, at the National Diet in Tokyo to address what they call NHK's biased reporting on the 2015 comfort women agreement between South Korea and Japan. (Yonhap)Japanese public broadcaster NHK was accused by local civic groups on Thursday of selectively airing misinformed opinions that were in favor of an agreeme
Feb. 2, 2017
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Artists blacklist allegations cited as reason for Park's impeachment
Lawmakers added allegations of an artists blacklist to the charge sheet for the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye on Thursday as they strive to fend off what they see as a stalling tactic by her legal representatives. The parliamentary panel, serving as the prosecution in the Constitutional Court trial, submitted a revised impeachment document, which also simplified the overall frame of her charges and reinforced legal arguments for issues related to her bungled response to a 2014 ferry dis
Feb. 2, 2017
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City to financially support foreign cultural events
Seoul plans to provide financial support for cultural events hosted by foreign communities here, the city government said Thursday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a maximum of 6 million won ($5,200) will be given to foreign communities organizing cultural events, such as food, sports and music festivals, in an aim to actively promote opportunities for both locals and foreign residents to experience and enjoy diverse cultures. “It will be a good opportunity to introduce a variety
Feb. 2, 2017
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Arrest warrant sought for wife of Park’s ‘shadow doctor’
The independent counsel probing President Park Geun-hye on corruption allegations said Thursday it has requested an arrest warrant for the wife of the embattled president’s “shadow doctor” on charges of offering bribes to a former top presidential aide.Park Chae-yoon, 48, runs Y. Jacobs Medical, a small maker of medical appliances and cosmetics suspected to have received business favors from the government. She is married to Kim Young-jae, the owner of a cosmetic surgery clinic frequented by the
Feb. 2, 2017
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Elderly parents seen moving away from relying on sons for support: study
Unlike the traditional patriarchal family structure where filial duties predominantly rest with the sons, particularly the eldest one, elderly parents in South Korea are now leaning toward equal contribution from sons and daughters, a recent survey shows. According to a joint study conducted by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and Seoul National University’s Institute for Social Development and Policy Research, 38.5 percent of the elderly parents surveyed said that they want either
Feb. 2, 2017
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Park's impeachment motion revised with blacklist allegations
The parliamentary motion to impeach President Park Geun-hye has been revised to incorporate recent allegations that she dismissed government officials who were opposed to a blacklist of liberal artists, the motion showed Thursday.The original motion, which passed through parliament on Dec. 9, centered on allegations that Park let her friend Choi Soon-sil meddle in state affairs and colluded with her to extort money from conglomerates.In revising it, a parliamentary panel serving as the prosecuti
Feb. 2, 2017
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Less emphasis on traditional family, marriage values: survey
More South Koreans, noticeably young people and women, are putting less emphasis on traditional values such as family and marriage, a survey showed Thursday.The survey was conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on people aged over 18 in 2006 and 2016. It showed that 46.4 percent of the respondents agreed that married women are happier than single women in 2016, compared to 57.1 percent in 2006Moreover, 78.1 percent of the respondents said the authority of a father should
Feb. 2, 2017
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Govt. moves to allow active use of force against in-flight violence
South Korean flag carriers will soon be required to carry rope and even handcuffs on each of their flights to restrain passengers causing violence or a disturbance during the flight, the government said Thursday.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will also require flight attendants to film any in-flight incidents to be used as evidence.Such changes will be made in a revision to airline safety regulations announced Thursday, it said."Airlines will be asked to revise their
Feb. 2, 2017
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Choi summoned by counsel on warrant
Prosecutors of an independent counsel Wednesday summoned Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of a presidential corruption scandal, executing an arrest warrant despite Choi’s consistent refusal to speak. Choi, 61, turned up at the counsel’s office in southern Seoul at around 10:30 a.m., keeping mum despite an onslaught of reporters’ questions on her purported interest-seeking in a spate of government projects. Choi has been rejecting the counsel’s summons, citing coercion, repeating the team is “
Feb. 1, 2017
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Half of Koreans say fine dust action plan ‘unsatisfactory’
Amid growing public anxiety over the Korean Peninsula’s gray skies and health risks linked to air pollution, more than half of South Koreans find themselves unsatisfied with the government’s countermeasures against fine dust, a survey showed Wednesday.According to the poll conducted by the state-run Korea Environment Institute, 53.1 percent of Koreans said the government’s fine dust countermeasures are unsatisfactory, while another 55.2 percent said they worry about the current fine dust level h
Feb. 1, 2017
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Court approves stay of execution on return order for stolen Buddhist statue
A court has accepted a request for a stay of execution on a ruling to hand over a stolen Buddhist statue to a local temple that has been claiming ownership of the relic, until the verdict is confirmed by a higher court, prosecutors said Wednesday.The Daejeon District Court on Thursday ruled in favor of Buseok Temple, which filed a lawsuit against the Seoul government in April to take over the statue that was stolen by Korean thieves from Kannon Temple in Japan in October 2012.The temple has been
Feb. 1, 2017
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Park requests 15 more witnesses at impeachment trial
President Park Geun-hye's lawyers asked the Constitutional Court Wednesday to summon 15 more witnesses to her impeachment trial, a move critics have denounced as an attempt to stall the proceedings.Lee Joong-hwan, an attorney for Park, requested during the 10th hearing that the court call 15 people including Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of an influence-peddling scandal that led to the president's impeachment."Please accept the request to allow for a fair battle," Lee said. "We will do
Feb. 1, 2017
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Constitutional Court chooses acting chief to lead Park's impeachment trial
The Constitutional Court on Wednesday chose Justice Lee Jung-mi as its acting chief to lead the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye.Lee, 54, took over after Chief Justice Park Han-chul retired a day earlier. Lee has served the longest among the remaining eight justices, with her six-year term set to expire on March 13.Before retirement, former chief Park called for a decision on the president's impeachment before March 13 to prevent a "distorted" ruling caused by an additional vacancy o
Feb. 1, 2017
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Investigators execute warrant to question woman at center of scandal
Investigators on Wednesday executed the arrest warrant issued against a close friend of President Park Geun-hye, who is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal, to carry out an interrogation, the probe team said.The investigation team went to the detention center near Seoul to compel Choi Soon-sil to appear at its office to undergo questioning on bribery charges.Choi, already standing trial over a string of corruption allegations, is suspected of peddling influence in the appointment of t
Feb. 1, 2017