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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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul
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[Newsmaker] Defense Security Command mired in politics
The Defense Security Command is facing a sweeping reform after Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin reportedly directed it to abolish its practice of clandestinely reporting military intelligence to Cheong Wa Dae without his knowledge.Kim is said to have ordered the DSC to focus on supporting his leadership and carrying out its key missions to ensure security in the military and defense industry, and to prevent and investigate espionage and terrorism.Kim’s directives came after former DSC chief Jang Ky
DefenseNov. 3, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Korea’s jury system: Is it working?
Korea introduced a jury system six years ago as part of reforms to make court proceedings fair, transparent and more in tune with common sense. But the system has come under scrutiny following the separate jury acquittals in less than a week of progressive political satirists Ju Jin-u and Kim Eo-jun, and poet Ahn Do-hyun.They all were accused of spreading false information about President Park Geun-hye and her family members and charged with defamation.The verdicts troubled conservatives includi
Social AffairsOct. 30, 2013
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[Newsmaker] U.S. alienates world with spying
United States diplomacy appears to have been caught flat-footed this past week by an avalanche of anger from its closest allies, apoplectic over one report after another detailing vast American spying, including the tapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s personal cell phone and data on tens of millions of calls in Spain in a single month. The most recent revelations from classified documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden detail NSA snooping on the phone conversations of 35 world
PoliticsOct. 29, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Mongolian leader heads to Pyongyang
Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj arrived in Pyongyang on Monday as the first foreign head of state to enter the isolated country since Kim Jong-un took power in December 2011.The Rodong Sinmun, an official newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, expressed hopes that Elbegdorj’s trip would upgrade bilateral ties and boost cooperation in economy, culture and sports. He was officially invited not by Kim Jong-un, but by its titular head of state Kim Yong-nam, president of the Supreme Pe
North KoreaOct. 28, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Rocky road ahead of new chief prosecutor
Prosecutor-general nominee Kim Jin-tae is known inside the law enforcement agency by his piquant nickname: Bull Pen. He was an acting prosecutor general in late 2012 when then the prosecutor-general resigned, taking responsibility for a series of corruption and sex scandals involving some prosecutors, as well as a failed prosecution reform. Kim was the man who put immediate effort to settle the unprecedented crisis and quickly restore the tarnished image of corrupted prosecution. Kim is now give
PoliticsOct. 27, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Kimchi making for winter gets recognition
Kimjang, the traditional practice of making kimchi before winter, may soon be included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, government officials announced on Wednesday. Representatives of Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration submitted the recommendation for kimjang, categorized under the title “Kimjang; Making and Sharing Kimchi,” to be added to the UNESCO list. Kimjang refers to the process of preparing large vats of the spicy, fermented cabbage with a large gathering
CultureOct. 24, 2013
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[Newsmaker] KT CEO becomes yet another political target
KT Corp. has long been cut from the strings of the government apron, but it seems the fate of its chief executives remains in the hands of the administration. KT chairman Lee Seok-chae has been plagued with rumors of his imminent departure from the moment President Park Geun-hye took office.The allegations about his mismanagement aside, the biggest strike against Lee is that he started his term under former president Lee Myung-bak. “We thought the chairman would be able to carry out his term, bu
IndustryOct. 23, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Juncker, Europe’s longest-serving PM
Luxembourg’s embattled prime minister would likely not appreciate the comparison, but Jean-Claude Juncker shares something in common with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a man derided in the West as “Europe’s last dictator.” It might be unfair to describe the enduring Luxembourger as authoritarian, but now he certainly vies with the Belarusian strongman for Europe’s longest-lasting leader in power today. Though the party of Luxembourg’s prime minister emerged somewhat diminished from
PoliticsOct. 21, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Ousted prosecutor adds fuel to NIS row
Yoon Seok-yeol, a senior prosecutor who was leading an investigation into the spy agency’s alleged election interference last year, is in the political limelight after being ousted from the special probe team last week.His dismissal has sparked a backlash from the main opposition Democratic Party, which claims the government attempted to meddle in the high-profile probe.The probe team has looked into the allegations that former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon directed his operat
PoliticsOct. 20, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Daesung chief chairs global energy body
Daesung Group chairman Younghoon David Kim, 61, made an international debut as leader of the World Energy Council, the world’s largest independent network of global energy leaders and practitioners.Kim was chosen as a co-chair of the WEC last December and took office on the last day of the World Energy Congress in Daegu that closed Thursday.It is the first time for a Korean to take the top post of a global energy body. The London-based WEC, formed in 1923, is one of the most influential independ
IndustryOct. 17, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Ryu first Korean to win in MLB postseason
Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw seven shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, becoming the first South Korean to pick up a starting win in the Major League Baseball postseason. At Dodger Stadium on Monday night, he allowed just three singles and struck out four batters in seven innings, leading his team to a 3-0 win over the Cardinals.It was the second career postseason start for the 26-year-old left-hander, who signed with the Dodgers last December after seven s
BaseballOct. 16, 2013
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[Newsmaker] South Korea may freeze nuke energy at 22-29%
Wolsung Nuclear Power PlantsThe nation will most likely freeze the portion of nuclear power in its total energy generation at between 22 to 29 percent by 2035, based on recent recommendations from a joint working group on the second phase of the national energy framework on Monday. Although not a binding directive, the group is considered to have sway in energy policy. Monday’s recommendations mark a sharp turn around from the previous Lee Myung-bak government in 2008 when another working group
IndustryOct. 14, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Nobel Prize rewards watchdog’s perseverance
The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is a body that has spent years trying to rid the world of chemical weapons in relative obscurity and was recently thrust into the limelight by the Syrian crisis.From Russia to the U.S., Iraq and Libya, inspectors from the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, have been slowly but surely destroying the world’s most dangerous chemical stockpiles.Syria last month signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which the
World NewsOct. 13, 2013
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[Newsmaker] New Fed nominee advocates low interest rates
The White House has nominated Janet Yellen as the first woman to head the United States Federal Reserve, arguably the most important job in global finance. But the decision will likely face stiff opposition by extreme conservatives in the U.S. Senate.If she is confirmed by the Senate, President Barack Obama will make history by tapping the first woman to head the American central bank in its 100-year history. That will surely make Senate Republicans even angrier.Current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke
PoliticsOct. 10, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Former GE man tapped to salvage troubled CJ
CJ Korea Express vice chairman Lee Chae-wook has been appointed chief executive of CJ Corp., the de facto holding firm of the embattled CJ Group.The conglomerate’s Oct. 8 personnel overhaul is drawing wide interest as the 67-year-old businessman joined CJ Group only six months ago when CJ LNS merged with Korea Express.According to market insiders, the appointment comes as an emergency measure after group chairman Lee Jay-hyun was arrested in July on charges of amassing slush funds and evading ta
Oct. 9, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Elite school alumni dominate judiciary
A handful of elite high schools here produced more than 10 percent of the country’s judges, a new report showed Monday. Of 1,959 judges appointed from 2003-2013, about 11 percent or 227 judges were educated from five foreign language high schools in Seoul, according to Supreme Court data released by Rep. Kim Jin-tae of the Saenuri Party.Daewon Foreign Language High School in Gwangjin-gu produced by far the largest number of judges, with 97 graduates currently authorized for the court.Hanyoung Fo
Social AffairsOct. 7, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Progressives anxious about Sohn’s next move
For the beleaguered Democratic Party, its senior adviser Sohn Hak-kyu has become one of only a handful of members that hold the key for its political countermove against its rivals.Since losing last year’s presidential election, the DP has concentrated much of its resources on gaining leverage on the ruling party.However, despite numerous opportunities, the DP has so far managed only to paint itself into increasingly tighter corners.The issues surrounding the 2007 inter-Korean summit transcript
PoliticsOct. 6, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Saenuri picks Suh as by-election candidate
Internal conflict within the ruling Saenuri Party is escalating over its choice for a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary by-election. On Thursday evening, Saenuri picked Suh Chung-won, its former chairman and President Park Geun-hye’s longtime confidant, as the party’s candidate for the Oct. 30 election.The announcement came a day after the 70-year-old politician declared his candidacy bid “for the success of the Park Geun-hye government.”The return of the former six-term lawmaker, however,
PoliticsOct. 3, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Hanyang dean ousted over admission fraud
Park Moon-il, the dean of Hanyang University’s College of Medicine, is to be removed from office for allegedly committing academic fraud to aid his son in entering the institution’s graduate school of medicine.According to the findings of Hanyang University’s audit board, Park listed his son as the lead author of an academic paper while removing the name of an obstetrician who took part in the research. Park is also an author for the paper in question. Park’s son, who was a student of mechanical
Social AffairsOct. 2, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Record number seek Samsung jobs
The competition for jobs at Samsung companies in the second half of this year is expected to be the fiercest ever.The number of job seekers who applied for Samsung Group and its subsidiaries reached an all-time high during the regular recruiting session in the second half of this year, company officials said Tuesday. “We have some 100,000 applicants for 5,500 job vacancies although the exact number has not yet been calculated. (Because of the record-high number) we are having hard time securing
IndustryOct. 1, 2013