Most Popular
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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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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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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[Robert J. Fouser] Social attitudes toward language proficiency
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Korea, Japan FMs to meet over sex slave issue
The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan are to meet Monday for talks on the issue of Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II, a meeting that could set the tone for the future of bilateral ties.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, are scheduled to meet at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul later Monday, a day after the two sides concluded their 12th round of working-level talks on the issue.The meeting will be watch
Foreign AffairsDec. 28, 2015
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Military patents new diagnostic kits for weaponized viruses
The military has developed the technology to diagnose Brucellosis and the Ebola virus in the early stages of infection, a major step forward in boosting biodefense capabilities, the military said Monday.A medical center under the Armed Forces Medical Command has secured the technology using real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect the two viruses which are high-risk pathogens that can be weaponized in biological warfare.The medical command patented diagnostic kits created with the detection
DefenseDec. 28, 2015
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South Korea's rights watchdog eyes ways for better resettlement of North Korean defectors
South Korea's human rights watchdog is considering recommending the Unification Ministry improve resettlement programs for North Korean defectors to help ease social prejudice against them, officials said Monday.More than 28,000 North Korean defectors have moved to the South for freedom, but many are facing difficulties in finding jobs or resettling due to deep-rooted prejudice, according to the National Human Rights Commission.An official at the commission said that it is considering whether to
Social AffairsDec. 28, 2015
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U.S. to host PSI conference next month
The United States will host a meeting next month of countries committed to working together to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction from states like North Korea, the State Department said.The Mid-level Political Meeting of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative will be held in Washington on Jan. 27, with Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Thomas Countryman hosting the conference, the department said in a release."The Proliferation Se
Foreign AffairsDec. 28, 2015
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History of American rock ’n’ roll offers vision for K-pop’s future
A former Korean journalist has published a book that traces the holy grails of rock ‘n’ roll based on his journey across the musical heartlands of the U.S.“In Search of Rock ‘n’ Roll Heritage: American Rock Music Landmarks” is a travelogue highlighting the cultural and economic power of museums, monuments and memorials. The book was written by Cho Hyun-jin, a distinguished professor at Kookmin University and former journalist for YTN, Arirang TV and Billboard magazine, who is also credited with
Foreign AffairsDec. 28, 2015
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EU lauds Paris climate deal
The adoption of the historic agreement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris on Dec. 12 was an “unprecedented political victory” and “turning point” toward sustainable international development, the French Embassy announced last week. Publicizing a statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, the diplomatic mission stressed that the legally binding accord among 195 participating nations ― to cap global warming at 2 degrees Celsius above
Foreign AffairsDec. 28, 2015
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Syrian student on mission to help refugees
When the world mourned over dead Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi, who washed up on a Turkish beach in early September, one Syrian man was not tormented. He had lost three children in an air strike some time before. “The boy looked like a sleeping angel. I wish my children had died like that,” the grief-stricken father told Abdul Wahab Almohammad Agha, the director of humanitarian organization Help Syria, at a refugee camp in Jordan in September. “Aylan’s father is a lucky guy compared to me. I died e
Foreign AffairsDec. 28, 2015
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Ahn promises ‘rational reform’
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo said Sunday that his forthcoming political party would seek rational reform, further distancing himself from the established parties that he has vowed to challenge in next year’s general election.He also stepped up his attacks against the Park Geun-hye administration, lambasting its economic policies as “insufficient” and “uncreative.”“The new political party will embrace ‘rational reform’ instead of ‘old progressivism’ and ‘reactionary conservatism,’” the independent lawmaker
PoliticsDec. 27, 2015
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Park at the vanguard of cultural diplomacy
The strains of “Arirang,” Korea’s unofficial national anthem, filled the air as President Park Geun-hye smiled at the National Marionette Theatre in Prague early this month, followed by Czech folk song “Humoresques.“Titled “In the Attic,” the puppet show was the product of collaboration between the two countries’ artists ― traditional Korean pansori piece “Sugungga” formed the central music and story line under the command of a Korean director, while the rabbit and turtle marionettes playing the
Foreign AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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Korea, Japan strive to narrow gap on sex slavery
Seoul and Tokyo are inching toward a compromise on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women by holding a director-general-level meeting on Sunday, a day before the ministers were set to sit down for talks. Japese Foreign Ministry`s Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Kimihiro Ishikane walks into the building of Seoul`s Foreign Ministry on Sunday. (Yonhap)The 12th round of working-level talks were held for two hours to settle one of the thorniest issues that has lo
Foreign AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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Media watchdog restricts foreign language use in TV ads
South Korea’s state-appointed media monitoring agency said Sunday that it has set out specific guidelines to restrict the use of foreign languages in TV commercials. According to the guidelines for the nation’s broadcasters by the Korea Communications Standards Commission, TV advertisements are now banned from containing foreign languages or songs for more than 15 seconds -- half of the 30-second time slot. The regulation covers the narrative of product slogans, company names and catchphrases s
Social AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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1 in 4 young graduates not in work or education: report
One in four young Koreans with a bachelor’s degree is not pursuing education, employment or training, the third highest rate among OECD members, a report showed Sunday.According to the National Assembly Research Service’s interim report on education, 24.4 percent of those aged 15-29 who held bachelor’s degree in Korea as of 2012 were grouped as “NEET,” referring to those who are not pursuing any official educational or employment activities.This was double the OECD average of 12.9 percent and th
Social AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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Maestro Chung's wife booked on defamation charges
The wife of maestro Chung Myung-whun has been booked on defamation charges in a case that led to the resignation of the head of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, police said Sunday. Chung's wife, 67, identified by her family name Koo, is suspected of ordering Chung's secretary to write and spread an anonymous letter that Park Hyun-jung, then the chief of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, sexually and verbally harassed orchestra members, police said. Last December, 10 members of the Seoul Philh
Social AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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Ahn vows to pursue rational reform
A high-profile independent lawmaker seeking to create a new political party said Sunday that he will pursue rational reform and lashed out at political polarization. "There is no room for dialogue and compromise" in a political situation where politicians with biased views stigmatize and ostracize their opponents, Ahn Cheol-soo said in a news conference. "No country has succeeded with political polarization." For decades, local politics has been divided mainly along regional and ideological fa
PoliticsDec. 27, 2015
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Former Korean sex slaves urge court to open case against Japan
Ten former South Korean sex slaves for Japan's World War II soldiers have pressed a court to open their case against Japan seeking compensation over their ordeal. Kim Kang-won, a lawyer who represents the elderly women, submitted a document last week stating that the clients will not seek mediation over their case. South Korea and Japan are preparing to hold crucial talks on Monday to try to arrive at a deal on wartime sexual slavery. In October, Kim asked the Seoul Central District Court to
InternationalDec. 27, 2015
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Korea says up to 1.8 mln North Koreans use markets per day
South Korea's intelligence authorities said Sunday they estimate that up to 1.8 million North Koreans use markets a day, in the latest sign that North Koreans rely on markets for survival despite crackdowns. It means more than seven percent of North Korea's 24 million people use markets in a country where a decades-old food rationing system for ordinary people has collapsed. The authorities said the number of markets has grown to about 306 across the country, providing North Koreans access to
North KoreaDec. 27, 2015
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Korea, Japan to hold working-level talks on 'comfort women' issue
South Korea and Japan are set to hold a working-level meeting Sunday on the issue of former Korean sex slaves for Japan's World War II soldiers, officials said. Lee Sang-deok, director-general handling Northeast Asian affairs at the Foreign Ministry, is scheduled to meet with his Japanese counterpart, Kimihiro Ishikane, around 3 p.m. in Seoul, officials said. The two sides are expected to try to work out differences to ensure their top diplomats can produce a deal on wartime sexual slavery, th
Foreign AffairsDec. 27, 2015
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'Comfort women' photographer wins lawsuit against Nikon
TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese court on Friday ordered camera maker Nikon to pay damages to a South Korean photographer whose Tokyo exhibition on Japanese wartime sex slaves was temporarily cancelled, the company said.The Tokyo District Court ordered Nikon to pay 1.1 million yen ($9,100) to Japan-based cameraman Ahn Sehong, a company spokesman told AFP.Ahn filed a lawsuit in 2012, demanding compensation of 14 million yen, after Nikon abruptly cancelled his event scheduled to be held at Nikon Salon in
Social AffairsDec. 26, 2015
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N. Korean diplomat visits London to lobby against international pressure over human rights
A senior North Korean diplomat visited Britain earlier this month to lobby against international pressure on Pyongyang over its human rights record, an official said Friday.The Dec. 9-11 visit to London was part of a European trip that also took Kim Son-gyong, director-general for European affairs at the North's Foreign Ministry, to Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Poland.While in London, Kim held meetings with Fiona Bruce, a member of parliament who co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group
North KoreaDec. 26, 2015
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S. Korea, Japan set for showdown on 'comfort women'
Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida on Friday announces the ministerial talks with his Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se at his Tokyo office. YonhapSouth Korea announced Friday it will hold foreign ministerial talks with Japan next week on the "comfort women" issue, raising hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to clear one of the biggest hurdles to their closer diplomatic ties.Japan's top diplomat Fumio Kishida plans to visit Seoul for the meeting with his South Korean counterpart Y
PoliticsDec. 26, 2015