Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Robert J. Fouser] Social attitudes toward language proficiency
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[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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U.S. Congressman Honda says Korea-Japan deal on comfort women
U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, who has been at the forefront of efforts to help victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, said this week's breakthrough deal on the issue between Seoul and Tokyo is far from perfect, but is still a "historic milestone."Honda, however, expressed disappointment that the agreement lacks a commitment by Japan to "ensure they will no longer whitewash history and educate future generations" and that Tokyo's apology as part of the deal is "not a formal, and official apolo
Foreign AffairsDec. 30, 2015
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U.S. calls for civil society support for Korea-Japan deal
Civil society support for the Korea-Japan agreement on resolving the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery will be crucial to the deal's success, the State Department said Tuesday."Everyone will make their own judgments about this agreement. But I do hope, we do hope, as the United States, that others, including here in the U.S., will support this agreement and its full implementation as we do," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said at a regular briefing."We believe it's an importa
Foreign AffairsDec. 30, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Top N.K. official in charge of Seoul ties dies
Kim Yang-gon, a top North Korean official in charge of cross-border affairs, was killed in a car accident, the North’s state media reported Wednesday, drawing attention to the impact of his death on inter-Korean relations. He was 73.Kim Yang-gon (Yonhap)The North’s Korea Central News Agency said that Kim, a secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party and director of the party’s United Front Department, died at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday following the accident, without elaborating.T
North KoreaDec. 30, 2015
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S. Korea returns 3 rescued N. Korean fishermen
The South Korean government said Tuesday it repatriated three North Korean fishermen who were rescued in the East Sea this week."Our Coast Guard found a North Korean boat drifting in the East Sea and rescued three crew members there," the unification ministry said in a release."We handed them over to the North at around 6:50 p.m. today through the truce village of Panmunjeom, as they all expressed their wish to return home," it added. The boat, which departed from the North's port city of Wonsan
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Soldier completes rehab after double amputation
Staff Sgt. Hah Jae-hun. YonhapAn Army staff sergeant who lost both legs in the North Korean landmine attack in early August was discharged from the hospital Tuesday after five months of treatment and rehabilitation that has enabled him to use prosthetic limbs.Twenty-one-year-old Staff Sgt. Hah Jae-hun was conducting a patrol mission on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone when landmines buried by North Korea exploded and maimed him and another soldier on Aug. 4. The landmine attack, f
DefenseDec. 29, 2015
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Political feud biggest obstacle to social cohesion: survey
Koreans pointed to political feuds as the biggest reason for deteriorating social conflicts in the country, a state-led survey showed Tuesday. According to the poll by the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, 51.8 percent of the respondents said that the political wrangling between the ruling party and opposition bloc contributed most to worsening social confrontations. In the multiple-choice survey of 2,000 Koreans aged 19 and over, the wealth gap was chosen as the second-biggest facto
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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High-ranking officials to face tougher evaluations
Lee Geun-myeon, minister of personnel management.The work performance evaluation of high-ranking public servants will be tightened, possibly even leading to their dismissal, officials said Tuesday.The Ministry of Personnel Management said starting next year the evaluation criteria and penalties will be strengthened to raise the work efficiency of civil servants who had thus far enjoyed great job security.The move came after public pressure to enhance the “superficial” performance evaluation.Unde
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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After accord, Seoul begins work on fund for former sex slaves
Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam meets victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery in Seoul on Tuesday. YonhapThe Seoul government on Tuesday set the ball rolling to execute Monday’s bilateral agreement with Tokyo to settle the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, despite escalating controversy over the ambiguity of the clauses and objections from the victims and civic groups.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry began its internal preparatory work for the establishment of a fund to support the Korean victi
Foreign AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Gov't seeks victims' understanding over 'comfort women' deal
South Korea's No. 2 diplomats met with victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery Tuesday to seek their understanding over a controversial deal aimed at ending the two countries' dispute over the crime.On Monday, Seoul and Tokyo reached a breakthrough agreement that centers on Japan's admission of responsibility for the atrocity and plans to pay reparations to the victims.Some of the victims, who are euphemistically called "comfort women," immediately denounced the deal as a political collusion b
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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U.S., U.N. commend sex slavery settlement
A day after Seoul and Tokyo pulled off a compromise in their sex slavery row, the U.S., the U.N. and other actors in the international community churned out praise and support, displaying hopes for an end to the decades-old historical animosity. While acknowledging the need for Japan to follow through on its promises, they stressed the significance of what is supposed to be a “final and irreversible” closure of the dispute that has long plagued relations between the two neighbors and staunch U.S
Foreign AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Rushed sex slavery deal blasted
Despite a much-touted breakthrough with Japan on sex slavery, criticism is simmering over Seoul’s apparently rushed negotiations that led to its failure to consult beforehand with the victims, leaving room for potential diplomatic blunders and political backlash at home. Monday’s announcement came as a surprise to many because the bilateral director-general-level talks had made little headway during the 11 rounds since April 2014. Even early this month, diplomatic sources remained skeptical of t
Foreign AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Political feuds biggest obstacle to social cohesion: survey
Koreans pointed to political feuds as the biggest reason for deteriorating social conflicts in the country, a state-led survey showed Tuesday. According to the poll by the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, 51.8 percent of the respondents said that the political wrangling between the ruling party and opposition bloc contributed most to worsening social confrontations. In the multiple-choice survey of 2,000 Koreans aged 19 and over, the wealth gap was chosen as the second-biggest fac
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Controversy grows over wartime sex slavery agreement
South Korea and Japan’s epochal agreement Monday to settle the comfort women issue drew angry reactions from surviving Korean victims, ethnic Koreans living overseas, activist groups and opposition politicians, who called for an unconstitutionality suit to invalidate the settlement and the resignation of South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. The deal, which included Tokyo’s apology for Korean victims and a fund of 1 billion yen ($8.29 million) for Seoul to establish a foundation to suppor
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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After accord, Seoul begins work on fund for former sex slaves
The Seoul government on Tuesday set the ball rolling to execute Monday’s bilateral agreement with Tokyo to settle the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, despite escalating controversy over the ambiguity of the clauses and objections from the victims and civic groups.Seoul’s Foreign Ministry began its internal preparatory work for the establishment of a fund to support the Korean victims. Under the agreement, the two countries are to form a fund with Tokyo providing 1 billion yen ($8.3 mill
Foreign AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Soldier completes rehab after double amputation by North Korean
An Army staff sergeant who lost both legs in the North Korean landmine attack in early August was discharged from the hospital Tuesday after five months of treatment and rehabilitation that has enabled him to use prosthetic limbs.Twenty-one-year-old Staff Sgt. Hah Jae-hun was conducting a patrol mission on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone when landmines buried by North Korea exploded and maimed him and another soldier on Aug. 4. The landmine attack, followed by North Korean artil
DefenseDec. 29, 2015
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Chinese media cast wary eye on Korea-Japan deal on wartime sex slaves
A newspaper published by China's ruling Communist Party on Tuesday took a wary and skeptic note on a landmark deal between South Korea and Japan on the issue of Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, insisting that the deal will have "little influence" in Northeast Asia. Both South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said their bilateral relations entered a new era with the Monday deal. The United States praised the deal on the issue that has seriousl
InternationalDec. 29, 2015
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Large businesses worry about destabilizing relations with labor next year
Three out of 10 large businesses in South Korea are voicing worries over the possibly of worsening relations with labor unions next year due in part to the ongoing controversy over the government-led labor reform drive, a poll showed Tuesday.In a survey conducted by the Korea Employers Federation of its 304 member companies, 67.1 percent of respondents expected labor-management relations to destabilize further next year.Of those polled, 46.2 percent cited the ongoing controversy over the governm
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Hyundai Motor workers approve annual wage deal
Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's leading carmaker, voted on Tuesday in favor of a tentative wage deal reached with the management that promises a pay raise, bonuses and other benefits.In a yes-or-no vote, 25,172 workers, or 59.72 percent of votes cast, supported the deal, wrapping up about six months of talks complicated by several labor strikes.Leaders of the labor union and management earlier agreed to raise the base salary by 4.2 percent, or 85,000 won ($72.7), along with
Social AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Japanese NGOs express disappointment over Seoul-Tokyo deal on sex slavery
Japanese civic groups said Tuesday that a South Korea-Japan deal on Tokyo's wartime sex slavery is insufficient to heal the pains of Korean victims, raising doubts about whether Japan has sincerely apologized for its atrocity.South Korea and Japan reached a rare deal Monday to resolve the issue of South Korean women coerced into sex slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II.The deal included Japan's apology for Korean victims and a 1 billion yen ($8.29 million) fund to be created with Ja
Foreign AffairsDec. 29, 2015
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Korea says deal on 'comfort women' reached with principle
Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that a landmark deal with Japan on the issue of Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II was reached in accordance with principle.On Monday, the two countries announced the agreement on the former sex slaves that centered on Japan's admission of responsibility for the wartime crime and plans to pay reparations to the victims."(The deal) was reached in accordance with the firm principle that victims' honor should be restored, and
Foreign AffairsDec. 29, 2015