Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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[Ferry Disaster] Confusion continues in identifying victims
Confusion reigned in hospitals in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, as some recovered bodies of ferry victims were handed over to the wrong families due to a rushed identification process.Family members of a ferry victim had brought the recovered body of their son to their hometown of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, to prepare for the funeral. The maritime authorities, however, notified them Wednesday that the body was that of a classmate, according to DNA test results. This is the third case of the wrong
Social AffairsApril 24, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Opposition brands Blue House irresponsible over ferry disaster
The main opposition party blasted the office of President Park Geun-hye on Thursday for trying to dodge responsibility for the deadly sinking of the ferry Sewol after the national security adviser said he was not in charge of overseeing disaster management.National security adviser Kim Jang-soo made the remark Wednesday through presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook, after a local newspaper singled him and four other high-level officials out for failing to do their work properly in handling the a
PoliticsApril 24, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Despair sinks in over Sewol
It has been a long, silent week in South Korea since the fateful morning of April 16.Much of what happened inside the sunken ferry remains unknown, leaving the victims’ relatives, and South Koreans in general, struggling with despair and sadness.The word “regret” weighs heavily on the entire nation. Many Koreans feel horrified by the helplessness of those on board at the time of the sinking, the utter lack of rescue plans and the actions of the crew members. Worse, the government appears to have
Social AffairsApril 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Mogul’s home, offices raided in ferry probe
Prosecutors raided Wednesday the home of the family that owns Chonghaejin Marine Co., the operator of the sunken ferry Sewol, as well as the firm’s offices and those of its affiliates, as part of a widening probe into the cause of the disaster.Investigators from the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office visited the company’s headquarters in the western port city as well as some 20 offices of its affiliates and a religious group in Seoul believed to be connected to the owner family. Regulators als
April 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Investigation reveals holes in witness accounts
Most of the surviving crew of the sunken ferry Sewol is to be prosecuted for their part in the accident and failing to implement safety measures during the sinking. On Wednesday, investigators took three more crew members into custody for failing to implement safety measures for the Sewol’s passengers as they escaped the sinking ship. Of the 15 crew members who are directly involved in operating the ship, 11 are now in custody. The remaining four are also to be investigated as suspects in the ca
Social AffairsApril 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Yellow ribbons carry hopes for miracle
A growing number of South Koreans are joining a “yellow ribbon” online campaign, expressing their hope that there are still some survivors from the Sewol ferry disaster. As the death toll continued to rise eight days after the Sewol sank off the southwestern coast near Jindo Island, many Koreans showed their support for the families who are still waiting for the safe return of their loved ones. Facebook, Twitter and other social media users rushed to change their profile photos to the image of a
Social AffairsApril 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Crowd mourns ferry victims
Grief and anguish continued to overwhelm the city of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday as thousands of mourners visited a memorial altar for the victims of the ferry that sank off Korea’s southwestern coast on April 16.The memorial altar was set up temporarily inside a gymnasium by the local government from Wednesday for six days to accommodate the large number of mourners. The official memorial altar and a memorial monument will be installed at a park in Ansan next Tuesday. By the afternoo
Social AffairsApril 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] More irregularities emerge as Sewol death toll hits 139
The number of bodies recovered from the sunken ferry Sewol continued to rise Wednesday, further dampening hopes of finding survivors inside the wreck.The rescue workers resumed their search early Wednesday and recovered eight more victims from the ship, pushing the death toll up to 139.Of the 476 people aboard, 163 remain unaccounted for eight days since the vessel sank 20 kilometers off the coast of Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, on April 16.As the search continues, the authorities plan t
NationalApril 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] S. Korean official sacked over remarks on ferry rescue effort
A South Korean coast guard official was relieved of his duties on Tuesday for comments deemed insensitive to the grieving families of the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster.The official told reporters last week that "Is there anything the coast guard couldn't do? Wouldn't it be wonderful to rescue 80 people?"He made the comments when asked if the coast guard had poorly handled the accident.The official in the southwestern port city of Mokpo was not immediately available for comment.The coast gu
Social AffairsApril 23, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Travel ban slapped on ferry firm owner
Investigative agencies have begun looking into alleged financial irregularities of the de facto owner of Chonghaejin Marine Co., the operator of the sunken ferry Sewol.According to the Financial Supervisory Service and the National Tax Service, their main line of investigation is whether Yoo Byung-eon, a former chief of the now-defunct Semo Marine, and his two sons engaged in illicit foreign currency trading or tax evasion while investing in overseas properties. Yoo Byung-eon, a de facto owner
April 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Four ferry crew members issued arrest warrants
Investigators intensified their probe on Tuesday into what caused the ferry Sewol to list and capsize and arrested more crew members allegedly responsible for the tragic accident. Four crew members were issued arrest warrants on Tuesday evening on charges of neglect of duty and leaving hundreds of passengers trapped inside the sinking ship. The number of arrests has now reached a total of seven, including the ship’s 69-year-old captain, Lee Joon-seok, and two others who were arrested on Saturday
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Heroism highlighted at funerals
The grief escalated Tuesday as more relatives and friends bade farewell to loved ones in dozens of funerals held in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where most of the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol lived. The ferry that capsized off South Korea’s southwest coast on Wednesday was carrying 476 passengers, most of them students of Danwon High School in Ansan, south of Seoul. Of the 325 Danwon students, only 75 survived.Rage, sorrow and pain filled the funeral services held for five students at Korea Un
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Parents urge faster rescue, media restraint
The families of Sewol survivors urged the government to step up search and rescue efforts and the media to minimize their invasive reports on the families of victims and survivors in a statement made Tuesday. Around 20 relatives of the students rescued from the Sewol ferry, which sank last Wednesday, gathered at the Ansan Office of Education in Gyeonggi Province and called for cooperation from the government and the media in handling the tragic accident whose confirmed casualties exceeded 100 on
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Celebrities send donations, aid and condolences
As the entertainment industry remains effectively shut down and the nation continues to grieve for the victims of the Sewol ferry sinking, local and international celebrities have been stepping up efforts to help rescue and relief operations.High-profile actor Song Seung-heon donated 100 million won to the Red Cross on Saturday to aid relief work. Soon after, actor On Joo-wan donated 10 million won to the charity organization.“Song privately made his donation without notifying the agency. We fou
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Classes to resume after ferry tragedy
Danwon High School will attempt to resume classes starting Thursday, after many of its students lost their lives in last week’s ferry disaster, education officials said Wednesday. But concerns remain over whether students and teachers ― many of whom are still suffering trauma from the accident ― are ready to get back to the classroom after losing so many classmates and teachers. Authorities are mulling whether to allow students that survived the sinking to be taught at the hospital while being t
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Loophole could spare some Sewol culprits
A legal loophole created by a careless oversight may allow some people involved in the Sewol disaster to go unpunished.Investigators searching for the cause of the accident have determined that the Sewol is likely to have violated a number of safety clauses, the overseeing of which is the responsibility of vessel operations managers. However, the operations manager, who was questioned Tuesday, may escape punishment due to a mistake made in revising the Marine Transportation Act in 2012.Article 5
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] [Photo News] Rest in peace
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Death toll surpasses 150 as Sewol search speeds up
The death toll from the ferry accident off the country’s southern coast soared to over 150 Tuesday as rescue workers capitalized on the slowing currents. The search mission resumed early Tuesday, and divers continued to bring in bodies from the wreckage pushing the death toll to over 150 and the number of those unaccounted for to over 152 as of 11:00 a.m. Of the 476 who were on board when the Sewol sank 20 kilometers off the coast of Jindo Island on Wednesday, 325 were students of Danwon High Sc
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Sewol death toll rises to 108
The death toll from the ferry disaster rose to 113 Tuesday afternoon as the search mission continued.According to reports, the number of bodies recovered from the sunken ferry Sewol reached 113 as of about 7:02 p.m. The death toll, which stood at 87 at the end of Monday’s search, has been rising quickly since the early hours of Tuesday. The number of people unaccounted for now stands at 189.There were 476 crew and passengers onboard the ship, which sank Wednesday about 20 kilometers off the coa
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Ferry Disaster] Park calls crew actions ‘murderous’
President Park Geun-hye on Monday condemned the captain and crew of the doomed ferry Sewol who fled and abandoned hundreds of passengers in the sinking vessel, comparing what they did to an act of murder.“Above all, the actions of the captain and some of the crew members were unacceptable from the viewpoint of common sense. It was like an act of unpardonable murder,” she said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae.Park’s denouncement came a day after a radio transcript between
PoliticsApril 21, 2014