Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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[Kim Seong-kon] Democracy and the future of South Korea
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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Church elder embezzles funds for 16 years, gets jail term
A church elder accused of embezzling some 420 million won ($310,000) of the congregation's funds was sentenced to two years in prison, the Chuncheon District Court said Sunday. The appellate division of the court upheld an earlier ruling that found the 73-year-old defendant guilty of violating Article 356 of the Criminal Act, which states that occupational embezzlement shall be punished by up to 10 years in prison or a 30 million won fine. The defendant, an elder at a church in Hoengseong-g
Feb. 4, 2024
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2 firefighters laid to rest at national cemetery
A funeral was held Saturday for two firefighters who died during a mission earlier this week to search for victims at a burning meat processing factory in the central city of Mungyeong. The two firefighters -- Kim Soo-kwang, 27, and Park Soo-hoon, 35 -- were laid to rest at Daejeon National Cemetery as their families and around 100 colleagues observed the funeral procession in deep sorrow and tears. Kim and Park were searching for possible victims at the fire scene in Mungyeong, 140 kilometers s
Feb. 4, 2024
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Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Disability in workplace (6)
Around the world, people with disabilities are less likely to be employed than people without disabilities. In South Korea, the employment rate stands at 36.1 percent for people with disabilities, while the figure for those without a disability is 63 percent. The Korean government and public organizations are required by law to retain 3.4 percent of jobs for individuals with disabilities. In the private sector, companies with more than 50 employees are mandated to fill 3.1 percent of the payro
Feb. 4, 2024
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1-year prison term sought for 'Squid Game' actor O Yeong-su on sexual abuse charges
Prosecutors on Friday sought a one-year prison sentence for O Yeong-su, the winner of a 2022 Golden Globe award for his role in "Squid Game," on charges of sexually harassing a woman in 2017. The 79-year-old O was indicted in November 2022 over allegations that he hugged a woman and kissed her on the cheek against her will between August and September in 2017 during his two-month tour to a regional area for a performance. In a hearing at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court
Feb. 2, 2024
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2 veteran judges nominated as Supreme Court justices
The Supreme Court on Friday nominated two veteran judges as new justices at the top court. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae recommended Eom Sang-phil, 55, and Shin Sook-hee, 54, for nomination by President Yoon Suk Yeol. Once Yoon approves their nomination, the National Assembly will hold a confirmation hearing. Eom began his judicial career in Seoul in 1997. He has been at the Seoul High Court since 2021. Shin started her career as a judge in 1996, also in Seoul. She has been working at
Feb. 2, 2024
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Women, old men in military? Korea debates solutions for looming conscript shortfall
Reforming military obligations for men in South Korea has always been a flashpoint for heated debate. But recently, fuel has been added to the fire with the emergence of two rather radical ideas. One idea came from professor Choi Young-jin of Chung-Ang University in Seoul, who proposed in an op-ed for a local daily the formation of a "senior army" composed of men aged 55 to 75 to address an anticipated shortfall in military personnel. In South Korea, which faces the nuclear-armed, bell
Feb. 2, 2024
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Court finds teacher guilty of abusing popular cartoonist’s son
A South Korean court on Thursday handed down the suspended sentence of a 2 million won ($1,500) fine to a special education teacher for abusing the autistic child of a popular cartoonist and internet celebrity, Joo Ho-min. Suwon District Court found the defendant guilty of child abuse, based on a tape recording of a conversation between the teacher and Joo's son. The defendant was recorded telling the 10-year-old child during class, "bad manners are nasty, that means you. Oh, I hate yo
Feb. 1, 2024
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Seohyeon Station killer sentenced to life in prison
Choi Won-jong, the 23-year-old man whose stabbing rampage near Seohyeon Station in Gyeonggi Province last year killed two and injured a dozen people, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday by the Suwon District Court. The court found Choi guilty on multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, and intent to commit murder, and ordered him to be tracked via an electronic ankle monitor for 30 years if he is released on parole. "(The defendant) sparked fear that anyone could be a victim of
Feb. 1, 2024
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Seoul's Han River water-bus service to launch in October
A water-bus service that runs along the Han River will commence in October, announced the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday. During its press briefing, the city government said that the “Hangang River Bus” will operate a water route through seven docks in Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Jamwon, Oksu, Ttukseom and Jamsil. The Seoul Metropolitan Government also added that it plans to add a route that connects Gimpo and Seoul next year after consulting with officials from Gimpo to impr
Feb. 1, 2024
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Growing number of young civil servants quit
South Korea has been seeing a consistent increase in the number of young government workers quitting, indicating a rapid change in the perception of what had once been considered a dream job. In 2021, 3,123 government employees quit in their first year, more than triple the 951 in 2018, according to the recent figures by the Government Employees Pension Service. A total of 12,076 civil servants who worked less than three years before resigning in 2021, which was more than double the 5,166 in 201
Feb. 1, 2024
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Teenager who attacked lawmaker claims to have thrown coffee at Yoo Ah-in
The 14-year-old middle school student suspected of attacking ruling party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin has claimed he was the person who threw coffee at actor Yoo Ah-in last year, according to local media reports, Wednesday. According to Yonhap News, the teenage suspect called the media outlet in December and said he was the one filmed throwing coffee and a bottle at Yoo in May 2023, as the 37-year-old actor exited a police station after being questioned over drug use allegations. The assailant, who wa
Feb. 1, 2024
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Seoul to transform 8-lane highway into floating park
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday unveiled a set of plans to overhaul a portion of Seoul city’s eight-lane highway, Olympicdaero, with a public park that covers a subterranean roadway by 2027. This proposal is part of a wider project to make the city more pedestrian-friendly. Currently, it is difficult to access Banpo Hangang Park on foot because it is blocked by Olympicdaero. People have to use a pedestrian flyover to reach the park by walking. “The plan is to create a p
Feb. 1, 2024
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2 firefighters die battling blaze at meat packing plant
Two firefighters who were trapped while responding to a fire at a four-story meat processing factory in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, late Wednesday were found dead early Thursday, fire authorities said. The Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters said that officials retrieved the bodies of the two firefighters at 1:01 a.m. and 4:14 a.m., respectively, adding that they were around five to seven meters from each other at the time of the discovery. The two firefighters -- reportedly a 27-year-
Feb. 1, 2024
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Midnight street race crash at Seoul highway injures 3
A recent street race between two drivers on the Olympicdaero highway in Seoul resulted in an accident injuring three people, Gangnam police officials said Thursday. According to Gangnam Police Station, a three-way collision involving a BMW, Mercedes sedan and taxi occurred on the Seoul highway near the southern end of Seongsu Bridge in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, at around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators found that the accident was caused by the drivers of the BMW and Mercedes, driven respecti
Feb. 1, 2024
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Earthquake hits waters off Jeju Island but no damage
A 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck waters off the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake occurred at 5:36 p.m. in waters about 62 kilometers northeast of Ieodo, a submerged rock south of Jeju Island, some 450 km south of Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a depth of 13 km. The quake is the strongest to occur on the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding waters since a 4.0-magnitude quake in t
Jan. 31, 2024
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Drunk driver who crippled soccer player appeals 4-year jail term
A drunk driver who hit a 25-year-old South Korean soccer player and inflicted injury that forced his retirement appealed his sentence of four years in prison, Jeju District Court said Wednesday. According to the court, the 36-year-old defendant filed for appeal on Tuesday, despite the sentence being lower than the five-year jail term requested by the prosecution. It is yet unclear what his reasons for the appeal were. The defendant, while driving under the influence, struck another vehicle carry
Jan. 31, 2024
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Business leaders demand deferral of workplace safety act
Hundreds of businessmen running small and medium-sized companies around the country held a rally at the National Assembly on Wednesday, urging parliament to pass a revision bill to defer the enforcement of a workplace safety act. Participants in the rally were mainly from 17 business community groups, including the Korea Federation of SMEs, the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise, and the Korea Food Service Industry Association, according to organizers. Two thousand officials from small and med
Jan. 31, 2024
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Sillim stabbing rampage suspect sentenced to life at first trial
Cho Sun, a 34-year-old who carried out a stabbing rampage near Seoul's Sillim Station, killing one person and injuring three others, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the first trial on Wednesday. “To make sure Cho reflects on his misdeeds and to maintain social safety and order, the court decided to sentence Cho with the heaviest punishment following the death penalty,” said Seoul Central District Court in its ruling. The court also ordered Cho to wear a GPS-equipped electr
Jan. 31, 2024
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Lawyer who lost teen death case says her mistakes 'will make the world remember the girl's death'
A South Korean lawyer, whose repeated failures to attend hearings lost the case of a death caused by school bullying, did not show up at her own court hearing Tuesday. A statement she submitted to the court said she hadn't shown up so that "the world wouldn't forget the victim's death." Lawyer Kwon Gyeong-ae is currently on trial for damages filed by the bereaved family of a bullying victim. The victim's family said that Kwon's absence in court caused them to l
Jan. 31, 2024
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Older man's death sparks concerns over abuse at nursing homes
The death of a man in his 70s at a nursing home in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in October has reignited concern over increasing incidents of abuse against older people at care facilities. The man's family on Wednesday pressed charges against the head of the facility where he was staying, accusing one of the nursing home's employees of abuse. The bereaved family members claim that the nursing home violated the Welfare of Senior Citizens Act through the alleged abuse of the p
Jan. 31, 2024