Most Popular
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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Iran’s president found dead at helicopter crash site
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‘Kim desperately wanted to denuclearize,’ Moon writes in memoirs
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Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
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N. Korea slams US subcritical nuclear test, vows measures to bolster nuclear deterrence
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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Korea set to finalize medical school expansion plans
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Seoul City to open 'hotel' on river bridge
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Korean builders nervous about possible setbacks in Middle East
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Protests intensify upon issuance of warrant for autopsy on farmer
Civic groups and opinion leaders Thursday vowed to block the police from executing an autopsy warrant on a farmer, who died Sunday after being knocked unconscious by a police water cannon last year.The Seoul Central District Court decided late Wednesday to issue a warrant for Baek Nam-gi’s autopsy, under condition that the police reach an agreement with the bereaved family on the location, observers and procedure. The warrant is valid until Oct. 25, and one or two members of Baek’s family, one o
Sept. 29, 2016
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Microbeads to be banned in cosmetics products
Microbeads will be banned from use in cosmetic products as concerns rise over them polluting the environment and damaging the marine ecosystem, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday.The tiny plastic pieces 5 millimeters or less in diameter can be found in facial cleaners, scrubs and other cosmetics for exfoliation effect.The ministry said that it has notified its revision to the law on safety standards on cosmetics to add microbeads to the list of banned base materials. From July ne
Sept. 29, 2016
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End of bar exam ruled constitutional
The Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the closure of a national bar examination that has long been a source of public debate over social mobility and individual freedom of career choices. The appeal was brought last March by a group of students who claim the current National Bar Examination Act, which calls for the “sasi” system to be terminated after 2017, is unconstitutional because it limits the freedom of occupational choices, and the rights to equality and hold public offi
Sept. 29, 2016
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SNU professor gets 2-year jail term for fabricating Oxy reports
A local professor was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday on charges of manipulating a report in favor of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, the first court ruling on the high-profile toxic humidifier disinfectant case. The Seoul Central District Court found the professor at Seoul National University, identified only by his surname Cho, guilty of writing a report between 2011 and 2012 that said there was no clear causal relation between the substances in Oxy's products and lung damage.The humidifier d
Sept. 29, 2016
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Senior prosecutor arrested over bribery allegations
A senior prosecutor was arrested Thursday on charges of receiving kickbacks in return for peddling his influence on an investigation, the latest in a series of corruption scandals in the country's legal sector.The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to formally arrest Kim Hyung-joon, citing the possibility of the suspect destroying evidence. Prosecutors accused the suspect of receiving some 50 million won ($45,700) from his high school friend, identified only by his surname Kim, in ret
Sept. 29, 2016
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Most Koreans have more than one insurance policy
More than 9 out of every 10 South Koreans have more than one insurance policy, a survey showed Wednesday.The survey on 1,200 South Korean adults released by the Korea Insurance Research Institute showed that 93.8 percent of people had individual life insurance coverage, down from 96.7 percent last year.It also showed that 73.4 percent had individual life insurance while 76.2 percent owned individual non-life insurance.The survey said that 81.8 percent of South Korean households had life insuranc
Sept. 28, 2016
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Most divorces involve childless couples’
The proportion of divorces that involve couples without children has risen sharply to 51 percent in 2015 from 46 percent in 2010, a report showed Wednesday.According to the Judicial Yearbook 2016 published by the National Court Administration, among the 108,397 divorced couples in 2015, 55,600 were childless.The proportion of divorces involving those without children exceeded 50 percent for the first time in 2014. In 2015, 26 percent of those who divorced had one child, while 20 percent had two
Sept. 28, 2016
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Woman kills ex-husband for denying responsibility for divorce
A woman is being charged for the murder of her ex-husband, who allegedly said he was not responsible for their divorce. The ex-wife claims the divorce was due to the victim’s extramarital affair. The Gyeonggi Uijeongbu Police said Wednesday that the 54-year-old accused had turned herself in after stabbing and killing the 56-year-old victim at 12.30 a.m. on Tuesday night in their house. (Yonhap)Following their divorce last year, the two had recently started living together again. The woman told
Sept. 28, 2016
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12-year sentence confirmed for US envoy attacker
The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed the lower court rulings of 12-year imprisonment for Kim Ki-jong for attempting to murder the top US envoy to South Korea.Kim, 56, was found guilty of attacking Ambassador Mark Lippert with a knife during a breakfast seminar in Seoul in March last year.The ambassador suffered deep gashes on his face and arm that required over 80 stitches. Kim Ki-jong (Yonhap)Kim was also convicted for attacking a jail guard during his incarceration.“Based on the details, m
Sept. 28, 2016
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Unregistered Samsung labor union plans Europe tour
Samsung General Labor Union plans to launch a 17-day tour through Europe in December as part of its campaign to condemn what they see as Samsung Group’s crackdown on labor unions. Kim Seong-hwan, head of Samsung General Labor Union, said in a press briefing Wednesday that the Euro tour aims to raise awareness around the world of Samsung Group’s unethical business practices, anti-union policy and human rights violation. The legally unauthorized union, along with volunteers, plan to stage rallie
Sept. 28, 2016
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[NEWS FOCUS] Questions linger over toxic material regulations
The revelation of toxic substances in toothpaste products, albeit at a minuscule level, has further fanned the fires of public frustration over the government’s lax regulations, amid ongoing safety concerns on the use of chemicals in everyday products in South Korea. On Monday, Rep. Lee Jeong-mi of the minor Justice Party said that a total of 11 toothpaste products sold by the local cosmetics company AmorePacific contained from 0.0022 to 0.0044 parts per million of Chloromethyl-methylisothiazolo
Sept. 28, 2016
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Anti-graft law ushers in ‘Dutch pay’ culture
The following is the first in a series of articles featuring the impact of the landmark anti-corruption law that took effect Wednesday. -- EdAs a watershed anti-graft act came into force Wednesday, Korea’s public officials, businesspeople and teachers alike were seen cautiously picking their lunch place. The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act bans members of civil agencies, private educational institutions and media from giving and receiving free meals, presents or monetary gifts respectively w
Sept. 28, 2016
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Missing 11-year-old found dead
The body of an 11-year-old boy, who had been missing since Sept. 15 in a suspected case of murder or fillicide-suicide, was found drowned along the riverside of Nakdong River in Daegu on Wednesday. The discovery came 13 days after the boy, named Ryu Jeong-min, was last seen leaving his house with his mother, 52, in Beommul-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu.Ryu Jeong-min's body was found on Wednesday (Yonhap)Police launched the search for the boy following the back-to-back discoveries of his mother and sis
Sept. 28, 2016
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Korea's childbirths drop in July
The number of childbirths in South Korea sank at the fastest clip in nearly three years in July amid a continued low birth rate and late marriage trend, government data showed Wednesday.About 33,900 babies were born in July, down 7.4 percent, or 2,700, from 36,600 a year earlier, marking the steepest monthly drop since November 2013, when it posted a 12.3 percent on-year plunge, according to the data from Statistics Korea.The number of marriages fell 10.2 percent on-year to a 10-month low of 21,
Sept. 28, 2016
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Bodies of crew members recovered from chopper crash: Korean Navy
South Korea's Navy said Wednesday it has recovered the bodies of all three crew members who were aboard a chopper that crashed into the sea off the country's east coast earlier this week.The Navy found one body at 12:21 a.m. and another at 4:28 a.m. Wednesday, after the first was pulled from the water at around 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Navy officials told reporters. It said a remotely operated underwater vehicle was used for the search operations. The three Navy personnel went missing after their Lynx
Sept. 28, 2016
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Body of naval chopper crew member found: South Korean Navy
South Korea's Navy said Tuesday that it had found the body of one of three crew members who were aboard a chopper that crashed into the sea off the country's east coast a day earlier.At around 6 p.m., the Navy found the body some 1,030 meters under the sea during its search operation that used a remotely operated underwater vehicle.The body was confirmed to be the Lynx antisubmarine helicopter's main pilot, identified only by his surname Kim. Along with Kim, a secondary pilot and a naval non-com
Sept. 27, 2016
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60% of companies say they consider gender when hiring
Six in 10 companies said they considered gender when recruiting, a survey showed Tuesday.The number of companies that favored men over women was double those who preferred women over men. This was based on a survey on 407 companies by job portal Saramin. It showed that 59.5 percent of them said they took an applicant’s gender into consideration.In terms of company size, 60 percent of conglomerates considered gender when hiring, while 59.9 percent of mid and small-sized companies did so.YonhapAs
Sept. 27, 2016
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Prosecution requests autopsy in water cannon death again
South Korean prosecution on Tuesday requested again for an autopsy of a farmer who had died after a police water cannon knocked him unconscious and presumably caused brain injury.Baek Nam-gi passed away Sunday after being hospitalized for 10 months, from what local doctors have assessed was an injury caused by a direct hit by the water cannon. But police and the prosecutors have denied that being struck by the water cannon caused the elderly farmer’s death. Former police Chief Kang Sin-myeong ha
Sept. 27, 2016
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Toxic substance used in toothpastes
Local toothpastes and personal care products were found to contain a toxic chemical substance also used in deadly humidifier disinfectants, albeit in small amounts, an opposition lawmaker said Tuesday. After a two-week investigation of various products, Rep. Lee Jeong-mi of the minor Justice Party found that some 3,000 tons of Chloromethyl-methylisothiazolone, a synthetic biocide and preservative commonly referred to as CMIT/MIT, were distributed to 30 local and foreign manufacturers through Miw
Sept. 27, 2016
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‘5,000 animals killed on Seoul roads each year'
Approximately 5,000 to 6,000 animals are hit and killed on the streets of Seoul every year, a lawmaker said Tuesday.According to the opposition The Minjoo Party Rep. Song Ok-joo, Seoul Metropolitan Government data showed that 17,036 animals were killed on the streets of Seoul over the past three years, with the number rising each year.A total of 7,465 animals were killed on Seoul streets in 2014, while the number jumped to 6,065 in 2015. Within the first half of 2016, 3,506 animals were found de
Sept. 27, 2016