Most Popular
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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S. Korea's working-age population to dip nearly 10m by 2044 amid low births
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Doggy patrol team on the move to protect their cities
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S. Korea, China, Japan in talks to hold trilateral summit May 26-27: official
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Prosecutors summon former, current employees of scandal-ridden foundations
State prosecutors on Friday questioned current and former officials of two foundations at the center of a scandal involving controversial figures with ties to President Park Geun-hye.The summons came just a day after Park ordered a thorough “inspection and oversight” of the Mir and K-Sports foundations, which were established in October 2015 and January this year, respectively, to promote Korean culture and sports through various events and programs.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors‘ Office
Oct. 21, 2016
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[Weekender] Seeking sanctuary from stressful city life
For 48-year-old Yeom Deok-gi, settling in the countryside had always been the dream.Now a mushroom farmer, the former soldier said the pressure of South Korea’s competitive and hectic society had motivated him to take on the rural life. Yeom explains greenhouse mushroom farming. (Yoon Min-sik/The Korea Herald)“It’s stress, really. You know how you try to hold it in, but sometimes feel like you’ve had enough and are about to explode? I felt I would explode someday, which is why I came here,” he
Oct. 21, 2016
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[Weekender] Chasing a rural dream
In much of the developed world, retirees dream of escaping the city and settling down in the countryside where the air is cleaner, and life is quieter and simpler. In South Korea’s hyper-competitive and fast-changing society, many mid-career professionals, too, fancy a rural life. (Bloomberg)This younger group is choosing rurality not to retire, but to have a more fulfilling working life in a healthier environment away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Many are drawn by the rural way of li
Oct. 21, 2016
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[Weekender] Center supports urbanites’ rural dream
After hesitating for a long time, Choi Hyeong-tae, a 64-year-old retiree in Seoul, finally made up his mind to live in the countryside for the rest of his life. Then he faced the next question, “Where and how?”Instead of hurrying to a real estate agency to buy a rural home as many do, he visited one of the nation’s support centers for people looking to move to rural areas, where systemized directions to relocating and living in the countryside are offered. From April, Choi took a course provided
Oct. 21, 2016
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Lack of police officers on streets
In South Korea, there were 221 police officers per 100,000 citizens as of July -- or one police officer per every 452 citizens, the National Police Agency said Friday. The coverage is quite low in comparison to other advanced nations. In Germany, each law enforcement officer guarded 305 citizens in July, about 1.5 times less the coverage in South Korea. Paris had 322 citizens per each police officer during the same month, followed by London with 421 citizens and the US with 427. (Herald DB)Front
Oct. 21, 2016
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Man killed after lying down on road, heavily drunk
A man who was lying on the road drunk was killed by a driver who could not avoid running him over, police said Friday. The 42-year-old victim surnamed Hong had been drinking heavily before he walked into the road in the Namgu District of Ulsan on Thursday around 12:20 a.m.Local police said the driver, Lee, could not spot the lying man on the ground and ran over him. (Herald DB)“Lee was not driving drunk at that time of the accident,” police said. “We are working to verify details regarding the
Oct. 21, 2016
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Police arrest suspect in killing of three Koreans in Philippines
Police said Thursday they have arrested a suspect in the killing of three South Koreans in the Philippines earlier this month, adding they will continue efforts to track down accomplices.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it arrested the suspect on Wednesday, known only by his surname Kim, in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Earlier this month, three South Koreans -- two male, one female -- were found dead with gunshot wounds in their heads. Thei
Oct. 21, 2016
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More foreigners indicted for crimes in Korea
The number of crimes committed by non-Koreans in South Korea is on the rise, police said Thursday. The National Police Agency said the number of reported crimes committed by foreign nationals was 25,570 cases in the first half of this year. That figure translates into more than 4,200 criminal cases per month.Criminal charges filed against foreign nationals jumped nearly 44 percent to 38,355 last year compared to 26,663 in 2013, due mostly to an increase in cases of assault and traffic offenses.
Oct. 20, 2016
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Homemade guns raise alarm in ‘gun-free’ Korea
A rare gunfight in Seoul on Wednesday night has caused concern among the public, revealing a loophole in the country’s strict gun control policy: homemade guns. Public criticism and worries are mounting over the authority’s lax control over privately manufactured weapons, after a police officer was shot dead in what appears to be a premeditated attack using a self-made gun. The policeman was shot in the back by a criminal suspect, who was armed with homemade guns and was wearing a bulletproof ve
Oct. 20, 2016
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Young parents redefine ‘doljanchi’
Kim Kyeong-jun, a banker, invited over 150 friends, co-workers, and relatives to his second child’s first birthday party last year. He splurged on the event, spending over 3.5 million won ($3,000) and serving each guest a 40,000-won meal at a fancy banquet hall, with a professional emcee leading the day’s program. He and his wife had their hair and makeup done by professionals, while their little one was also properly prepped for the spotlight as the star of the day. A photographer went around t
Oct. 20, 2016
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Woman rescued from claw machine
A woman was rescued after she crawled into and got trapped inside a claw machine Tuesday. According to the Incheon Seobu Fire Station, the 165-centimeter tall 20-year-old had somehow managed to crawl through a slot in the machine in a drunken state, in an attempt to steal the stuffed toys inside it. (Yonhap)A local wire service quoted a fire department staff as saying, “It’s a mystery how she got inside. She was taller than the average women.”The hole was 30 cm in width and height.The fire depa
Oct. 20, 2016
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Medical students shun urology, cardiothoraic surgery residency programs
Six residency programs, including urology and cardiothoraic surgery, have failed to meet 70 percent of their enrollment quota for medical students this year, a report showed Thursday, raising the need for more incentives to attract students to the less popular residency programs. No medical student applied for the tuberculosis residency program and a urology program met 37.8 percent of its enrollment quota, according to the report by the National Assembly Budget Office.Four other less popular re
Oct. 20, 2016
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Foreign employees in Korea edge up in 2016
The number of foreigners working in South Korea rose slightly this year from a year earlier amid a steady rise in foreign residents here, government data showed Thursday.Of the more than 1.42 million foreign residents aged 15 or older, about 962,000 were working as of May this year, according to the data provided by Statistics Korea. Their employment rate reached 67.6 percent, down 0.7 percentage point from an year earlier.Their jobless rate stood at 4.2 percent in May, also down 0.7 percentage
Oct. 20, 2016
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Policeman killed in gunfight with criminal suspect
A police officer was killed in a gunfight with a criminal suspect in northern Seoul and the suspect involved in the shooting has been apprehended, law enforcement authorities said Wednesday.In the gunfight that began at around 6:30 p.m. in front of a tunnel near Beon-dong in northern Seoul, the 45-year-old suspect, identified only by his family name Seong, opened fire with a privately manufactured gun, according to the police.The police responded to a report that the suspect had attacked his nei
Oct. 19, 2016
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Man gets 17 years for raping daughter
A man who raped his underage daughter for more than six years was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Wednesday. Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court (Yonhap)The Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court said the 41-year-old convict had raped and sexually abused his underage daughter for a six-year period from 2009, when she was 7 years old. The victim, currently 14 years old, is undergoing treatment at a local children’s welfare center. By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)
Oct. 19, 2016
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[METRO] City plans to turn Samcheonggak into culture complex
Samcheonggak, a 43-year-old Korean traditional restaurant at the foot of Seoul’s Inwangsan, will turn into a Korean food and cultural complex by 2018.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, it plans to select a private operator for the 2017-2019 period, in an aim to refurbish the area as Seoul’s new landmark. It is currently run by the Seoul City’s Sejong Center for Performing Arts.The city government also plans to spend 10 billion won ($8 million) to renovate by the end of next year the
Oct. 19, 2016
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Ewha president quits amid scandals
The president of Ewha Womans University stepped down Tuesday amid snowballing allegations the school offered preferential treatment to the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s close friend. (Photo byLim Jee-song)“I decided to resign from the post in hope that members of the university continue to uphold the beautiful Ewha spirit of trust and harmony without being divided anymore,” she said in a statement.The pressure on Choi to step down intensified after allegations surfaced that Jeong Yoo-ra,
Oct. 19, 2016
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First anti-graft law violation case brought to court
Amid lingering confusion and doubts over a new anti-graft law, a member of the public who gave rice cakes worth 45,000 won ($40) to a police officer has become the first to face trial for a violation. According to Chuncheon District Court and local reports, the accused, identified only by surname Cho, sent a box of rice cakes to thank the officer for adjusting his or her summons on the first day of the law effectuation, Sept. 28, in the city located about 80 kilometers northeast of Seoul. The po
Oct. 19, 2016
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Commuter killed, trapped between subway door and train
A commuter died Wednesday morning after he was trapped between a subway platform door and a departing train, the third such fatality so far this year. According to local police, the accident occurred at 7:18 a.m. at Gimpo International Airport Subway Station on subway line No. 5, when the victim, a 36-year-old Korean Air employee, was trying to get off the train. A subway train is seen at Gimpo International Airport Subway Station in Seoul, with platform screen doors open. (Yonhap)He became trap
Oct. 19, 2016
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[Graphic News] Number of Seoul schoolchildren falling
The number of school pupils in Seoul are declining at a faster pace, a direct result of the country’s persistently low birth rates, data shows. According to Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, as of April 1 this year, the city’s kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools have 4.2 percent fewer students than a year earlier. The student tally stands at slightly over 1.07 million. That represents a steeper year-on-year drop than the 3.6 percent decline in 2015 and 3.7 percent in 2014. B
Oct. 18, 2016