Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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S. Korea to issue travel ban on Haiti amid intensifying gang violence
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Korea tipped to have similar population level in 30 years
South Korea is expected to have a population similar to the current level in 30 years, despite widespread predictions of a tumble due to the country's chronically low birthrate, government data showed Monday.The country's population is estimated to reach 51.05 million in 2045, slightly higher than last year's number of 51.01, given its total fertility rate, life expectancy and a net inflow of foreigners, according to the data by Statistics Korea.The statistical agency said South Korea's populati
Dec. 12, 2016
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Prosecutors confirm evidence against Park
Public prosecutors said Sunday that hard evidence proves now-impeached President Park Geun-hye played a part in alleged crimes committed by her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil and their shared inner circle. Wrapping up a two-month investigation into the scandal that led to Park’s impeachment last week, prosecutors also called for further investigation by the independent counsel to determine whether the president’s actions could be considered bribery. “We rendered the bribery allegation is substant
Dec. 11, 2016
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[Newsmaker] Is Constitutional Court stacked in Park's favor?
Now that the parliament has voted to impeach Park Geun-hye, the fate of her presidency is left to one unique entity that is rarely in the public eye: the Constitutional Court. A tough legal battle looms, as the president, embroiled in a corruption and nepotism scandal involving her secret confidante Choi Soon-sil, is determined to defend her job and name. Legal issues aside, observers say the court itself is stacked against forces that want Park gone as soon as possible. Two factors come into pl
Dec. 11, 2016
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‘We’re only halfway through‘
Six Saturday candlelight vigils. Nearly 7 million cumulative participants. And President Park Geun-hye is impeached. Yet South Korean protesters say this is not the end of their fight. Braving the sub-zero temperatures, some 800,000 people bundled up in thick jackets and flocked the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul in their seventh Saturday rally, this time to celebrate Park’s impeachment.“It is a triumph of the people. We have fought hard to defend our democracy,” Kim Yool-gu, 47, told The K
Dec. 11, 2016
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[From the scene] South Koreans celebrate Park’s impeachment in rally
A day after South Korean lawmakers impeached scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans gathered in central Seoul, this time to celebrate the impeachment. Despite the sub-zero temperature, some 800,000 people bundled up in thick jackets and flocked the Gwanghwamun Square to express their joy at the result. But they said firmly that the impeachment was not the end of their fight. Many of the protesters vowed to hold up candles until Park resigns and those who ass
Dec. 10, 2016
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[Focus] Constitutional Court stacked in favor of Park?
Now that the parliament has voted to impeach Park Geun-hye, the fate of her presidency is left to one unique entity rarely see in the public eye: the Constitutional Court. A tough legal battle looms, as the president, embroiled in a corruption and nepotism scandal involving her secret confidante Choi Soon-sil, is determined to defend her job and name. Legal issues aside, however, observers say the court itself is stacked against forces that want Park gone as soon as possible. Two factors come in
Dec. 10, 2016
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Candlelight vigil Saturday to celebrate impeachment
As in previous weekends, many South Koreans are expected to gather in central Seoul with candles, this time to celebrate the impeachment of Park Geun-hye. Rally organizers said Friday that this Saturday’s candlelight vigil, the seventh against President Park since a scandal involving her confidante erupted late October, will be a festive event with lots of cultural performances, stand-up comedy and displays of satirical messages. The messages will center on demanding President Park immediately s
Dec. 9, 2016
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Candle revolution: how candles led to Park’s impeachment
The parliament on Friday voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye, bringing her presidency to the brink of collapse. The impeachment was a victory for many of South Koreans who have taken to the streets for the past six weeks in massive street rallies to demand her resignation.It was the candle-holding protesters who unwaveringly demanded Park’s immediate removal ever since the scandal broke in late October and pushed lawmakers to cast ballots to impeach her. The National Assembly in Seoul, a da
Dec. 9, 2016
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Body of captain from capsized boat found
The body of the captain of a South Korean fishing boat that capsized after colliding with a foreign-flagged vessel was recovered Friday off the country's southwest coast, raising the death toll to two, Cost Guard said.The body of the 59-year-old captain, identified only by his surname Kim, was found floating some 16 kilometers off the country's resort island of Jeju, about 12 km away from where the incident took place at around 12:30 p.m., it said. The body was transferred to a hospital on the i
Dec. 9, 2016
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4 out of 10 in their 20s and 30s dream of becoming civil servant: poll
Four out of 10 job seekers in their 20s and 30s have prepared for state tests to become a civil servant, a poll showed Friday, a sign that government jobs are popular in South Korea amid growing job insecurity.The leading online job search portal JobKorea said its poll of 1,083 young people showed that 42.9 percent had prepared for the state tests. Among them, 23.5 percent said they have recently dropped their plans due mainly to fierce competition and the high costs needed for study.The poll sa
Dec. 9, 2016
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Korean court fines woman for violating anti-graft law
A local court on Thursday ordered a 55-year-old woman to pay 90,000 won ($77) for giving rice cakes to a police officer in the first ruling made after the implementation of a much-debated anti-graft law.The Chuncheon District Court found the woman, whose identity was withheld, guilty of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, which bans public servants, educators and journalists from receiving free meals valued at over 30,000 won, gifts worth more than 50,000 won, or congratulatory or
Dec. 8, 2016
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Civic groups gear up for impeachment vote
While the historic vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye gets underway inside the National Assembly on Friday, citizens will be holding a sit-in outside the parliamentary building to ramp up pressure on politicians to oust Park. An association of some 1,500 civic groups demanding President Park’s resignation plan to hold a large-scale debate session at the front gate of the National Assembly main building in southwestern Seoul from 1:30 p.m. Friday until the vote ends. Citizens demanding or op
Dec. 8, 2016
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Revisiting Roh Moo-hyun impeachment
Twelve years ago, South Korea’s parliament impeached the president only to face unforeseen consequences: an overwhelming outpouring of public anger. The president was the now deceased Roh Moo-hyun. Key players in the 2004 parliamentary impeachment are back. But they are in different positions, this time. Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, was then leading the Millennium Democratic Party pushing for Roh’s impeachment. National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun
Dec. 8, 2016
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S. Korea's population likely to start shrinking in 2032
South Korea's population is expected to start contracting in 2032 amid widespread concerns that the country's chronic low birthrate and aging citizens will undermine growth potential, a government report showed Wednesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy will likely see its population peak at 52.96 million in 2031, rising gradually from 51.01 million tallied at the end of last year.And the number will begin declining in the following year and reach 43.02
Dec. 8, 2016
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[BREAKING] Car crashes into presidential office, one police officer injured
A 27-year-old female driver plowed through a security post at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday morning, injuring one police officer. The collision happened at 9:50 a.m., when a white Kia K3 vehicle crashed through the main security post of Cheong Wa Dae. Main securty post of Cheong Wa DaeDetails of the crash have not yet been released, including the identity of the driver and whether she was inebriated. She was alone in the car. Police said they are investigating the accident. By Bak Se-hwan (sh@herald
Dec. 8, 2016
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Girl's statue symbolizing sexual slavery victims to be unveiled in Washington
A girl's statue symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery will be unveiled in Washington this week in a first step toward placing the statue in the US capital city permanently, organizers said Wednesday.The statue, made in South Korea and shipped to the United States last month, will be formally unveiled in a welcoming ceremony at the National Sylvan Theater on Saturday, organizers said. It is of the same size of a similar statue set up in front of Japan's Embassy in Seoul.Organizers
Dec. 8, 2016
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Ko Young-tae denies being close to Choi Soon-sil
Ko Young-tae, one of the key aides to President Park Geun-hye’s embattled friend Choi Soon-sil, offered new testimonies about his relationship with Choi and his job as a clothes manufacturer for Park during a parliamentary inquiry into the influence-peddling and corruption scandal. During the hearing, Ko, the chief of handbag manufacturing company Villomillo, provided a clue which may implicate Choi and Park for bribery. Ko said he made not only up to 40 bags, but also about 100 pieces of clot
Dec. 7, 2016
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Another Korean former sex slave dies
Another South Korean woman who was coerced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II has died, the government said Wednesday.The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Park Sook-yi died the previous day at the age of 94. Park had been hospitalized for poor health in Namhae, 495 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Her death leaves only 39 surviving victims of one of Japan's most serious wartime crimes when it colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45. Initially, 238 women wer
Dec. 7, 2016
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South Korea’s ranking drops in PISA test
South Korea’s rankings in the 2015 international student assessment slightly slipped compared to three years ago, though it still remains among the top eight the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members, the OECD report showed Tuesday. The OECD announced the results of its 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which surveyed about 540,000 15-year-olds in 72 different countries, including 35 member nations of the OECD. South Korea ranked “first-fourth” in
Dec. 6, 2016
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Half of elders in poverty live alone: report
As nearly 1 in 2 elderly households are living in poverty in South Korea, the poverty rate among senior citizens who live alone has almost doubled since 2006, a study found Monday.According to a report issued by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs recently, about 45.9 percent of elderly in the poverty group were living alone in 2015, up from 27.1 percent in 2006.The poverty rate refers to the ratio of households that make below 50 percent of the median household disposable income,
Dec. 6, 2016