Most Popular
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Seoul vows strong action against NK trash balloons
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Controversy ignites over regulation of online entertainment shows
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N. Korea sends some 720 more trash-carrying balloons to S. Korea, continues GPS jamming for 5 days
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Yoon OKs exploratory drilling for 'massive' oil, gas reserve in East Sea
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Korea bets big on gas, oil prospects in East Sea
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China lands on moon's far side in historic sample retrieval mission
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Korea, US, Japan to kick off 1st trilateral exercises this year
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[Graphic news] S. Korea's children get taller
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Jin of BTS to meet fans on group's debut anniversary post-military discharge
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Jirisan bear sighting raises concerns: experts reassure public on low attack risk
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Professor gets 16-month jail term for fabricating Oxy report
A local professor was sentenced to 16 months in prison Friday on charges of manipulating a report in favor of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser over the high-profile toxic humidifier disinfectant case.The Seoul Central District Court found the professor at Hoseo University in Asan, some 100 kilometers south of Seoul, guilty of writing the report in return for money between October 2011 and September 2012.The court ordered the professor, identified only by his surname Yoo, to forfeit 24 million won ($21,200)
Oct. 14, 2016
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Korean conglomerates raise presence in offshore tax havens: data
South Korea's large businesses have continued to increase their direct investments in overseas tax havens, adding to concerns about possible tax evasion attempts, a lawmaker said Friday.Conglomerates here remitted a total of 441.5 trillion won to such countries as Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Panama between 2011 and 2015, according to Rep. Park Kwang-on of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea.The amount is based on the won-dollar exchange rate at the end of 2015. On Thursday morning, the
Oct. 14, 2016
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PM calls for clear guidelines on anti-graft law amid confusion
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Friday urged the civil rights commission and other legal bodies to come up with clear and well-defined guidelines on the anti-graft law which went into effect last month amid confusion over interpretation."As we are at the early stage, and as around 4 million people are affected by the law, it is natural that some confusion exists," Hwang said during a government meeting to discuss the anti-graft law."There are controversies about whether a certain action violates
Oct. 14, 2016
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Two-thirds of textbooks at int'l schools refer to East Sea as 'Sea of Japan'
Nearly two-thirds of textbooks used by international schools in South Korea solely use the name "Sea of Japan" to describe the East Sea, research showed Friday, triggering calls to get local authorities to take action. According to the research conducted by the Ministry of Education, 24 of 33 related textbooks used at international schools solely used the name "Sea of Japan," while the nine others used both terms.Ten schools adopted textbooks that stipulate both names, while 16 others used those
Oct. 14, 2016
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Tour bus fire kills 10
A tourist bus caught fire on an expressway near the southeastern city of Ulsan on Thursday, killing 10 people trapped inside, police said.The bus was carrying 20 people when one of its tires exploded, causing it to slam into the guardrail and catch fire on the Gyeongbu Expressway near Ulsan, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, at 10:11 p.m., police said. (Yonhap)The fire gutted the bus, leaving 10 people dead. The 10 others managed to escape from the bus and were taken to hospitals for smoke inhala
Oct. 14, 2016
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More S. Koreans embrace philosophy of 'living with less'
Getting rid of everything but the essentials in her home started from a simple source of motivation for Hwang Yun-jeong. The 47-year-old special education teacher, wife, mother of three children and dog owner no longer wanted to spend much time on cleaning, washing dishes and an endless list of household chores after returning home from work. What first caught her eye was a pile of clothes that she had not been wearing for years. Then she moved on to flowerpots and a fishbowl, which she had want
Oct. 13, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Jeonju, an intersection of tradition and innovation
In an era when a nation’s competitiveness has come to be defined by that of individual cities, it is crucial that each city preserves its uniqueness rather than mimic other major cities, according to the mayor of Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.The southwestern city, known for its traditional elements such as bibimbap, makgeolli, hanok, hanbok and local festivals, was selected by Lonely Planet in August this year as one of Asia’s top three tourist spots. US news broadcaster CNN also released a rep
Oct. 13, 2016
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Police to deploy team to investigate deaths of nationals in Philippines
South Korea decided Thursday to dispatch four police investigators to the Philippines to participate in the local authorities’ probe into the deaths of three Koreans in the country. “We decided to send four professional examiners to the country. The matter has been settled with the Philippines national police” an official at the Korean National Police Agency said. The investigation team includes three police detectives and a forensic expert for gun analysis, the official added.(Herald DB)Two man
Oct. 13, 2016
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3 S. Koreans shot to death in Philippines
Three South Koreans have been shot to death in the Philippines, a foreign ministry official said Thursday.The three -- two male, one female -- were found dead Tuesday with gunshot wounds in their heads, according to the official.Their bodies were found in a sugar cane field in Bacolor, a small city of around 30,000 people.One victim was found with his feet bound with tape, and the female body lying nearby had tied hands, he said. They have all been confirmed as South Korean nationals in their 40
Oct. 13, 2016
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K-dramas boost toasted seaweed sales
(Online) K-dramas boost toasted seaweed sales Sales of toasted seaweed are on the rise as more Chinese people are tuning into K-dramas. According to Lotte Mart, the discount chain operated by Lotte group, sales of the traditional snack sold to Chinese tourists at its wholesale supermarket chain near Seoul Station have jumped by 78 percent over the past three years. In 2012 sales of the product stood at 100, increasing to 178 in 2015.Among the different variations of the product, seasoned seaweed
Oct. 12, 2016
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[Newsmaker] Hospital illegally transferred blood samples
Employees at a well-known general hospital just outside Seoul handed over approximately 4,000 blood samples of patients to a local medical supplier without patients’ consent for two years, it was revealed Wednesday. The hospital, CHA Bundang Medical Center in Seongnam, wasn’t aware of the irregularity until a former staff member blew the whistle last month. It said it has fired the three employees involved in the illegal transfer of blood samples.“We will also improve the current medical waste d
Oct. 12, 2016
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Seoul metro proposes to raise age limit for free subway rides
Seoul’s metro operator is seeking to raise the age limit for free subway rides, citing the growing number of elderly passengers and its impact on the firm’s already-weak balance sheet, a lawmaker revealed Wednesday. In a petition submitted to the Finance Ministry on Sept. 7 and released by Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp. asked the government to adjust the minimum age of passengers entitled to free rides from the current 65 to 70. It also pr
Oct. 12, 2016
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Methanol poisoning victims speak out
When a 29-year-old worker was dispatched to a factory through a recruitment agency early last year, he never imagined the job would lead to sight loss. After completing his mandatory military service, the worker, who only wanted to be identified by his surname Kim, badly needed a job. Instead of going back to university, he started to work at a third-tier mobile parts supplier for Samsung Electronics. “I had no idea how dangerous a job it would be. I was told that I would have to handle alcoh
Oct. 12, 2016
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Men caught distributing 30,000 items of online child porn
Police have caught three men accused of distributing child pornography on the internet, according to cybercrime investigation authorities. The cybercrime agency of Busan Police Station said Wednesday that they were currently investigating the suspects who are charged with spreading around 30,000 videos containing illegal pornography, many of which involved underage teens. Busan Police StationAmong the suspects is a 31-year-old website operator who made the videos available on five different web
Oct. 12, 2016
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Samsung stops Note 7 production, but explosion continues
Another case of an explosion of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 replacement device was reported Tuesday, following an announcement that the firm would be halting its production. The incident took place at Chungbuk University in northern Chungcheong Province. A Note 7 belonging to a college student surnamed Kim, 21, became “overheated and blew up.” A college man says his phone blew up from his pocket.Kim who publicized the issue with video footage via social media said he “found it emitting smoke from h
Oct. 12, 2016
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Seoul vows tougher actions against illegal fishing boats
South Korea will introduce stronger measures, including naval gunfire and shock tactics, to combat illegal Chinese fishing in its waters, the government said Tuesday. The measures also involve the active usage of force and firearms such as cannons and crew-served weapons to deal with unauthorized vessels poaching in Korean waters, the government announced after an emergency meeting held at the government complex in Seoul earlier in the day. The move comes after a Chinese fishing vessel attacked
Oct. 11, 2016
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Korean companies’ role crucial in combating labor abuses in Asia
In recent years, various reports have shed light on the “modern-day slavery” behind the global supply chain of frozen prawns and cheap clothes -- how millions of workers in Asia are trafficked into forced labor and endure excruciatingly long hours for low, if any, pay. David Knight, an international migration expert, says in combating this, Korean companies have a role to play. “Companies may not be aware of human rights abuses in their supply chain and sometimes there is a gap between what the
Oct. 11, 2016
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Restaurants, hotels expect sales drop after anti-graft law: poll
Small business owners in Seoul expect a sales decline due to a sweeping anti-graft law that took effect two weeks ago, a poll shows. According to the survey, released Tuesday by the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, 15.6 percent of the small corporations and micro-enterprise owners polled said that their businesses would be affected by the law, with 70.2 percent of them forecasting a grim outlook.By industry, accommodation and restaurants had the highest number of respondents anticipating an im
Oct. 11, 2016
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Little help offered on anti-graft act
When Kim Sung-hyun, a 28-year-old reporter, went out with close journalists from other news outlets last week, no one knew exactly whether they had to split the bill in accordance with the newly enforced anti-graft act. “I made more than 10 calls to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission the next morning to clarify some of the clauses in the law,” Kim told The Korea Herald. “But I failed to reach the agency because the line was always busy.” Two weeks into the enforcement of the
Oct. 11, 2016
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Japanese railway says ‘too many foreigners’ are to blame for inconvenience
An announcement on a Japanese railway line has rekindled debate about discrimination against foreigners, following a recent case of a sushi restaurant accused of serving excessive amounts of wasabi to Korean customers in Osaka. According to Japan’s Kyodo news agency Monday, a Nankai Electric Railway conductor made an inappropriate comment about foreign passengers during an announcement aired on a train bound for Kansai International Airport Station.During the announcement, the conductor said, “W
Oct. 11, 2016