Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Doctors' group picks new leader amid tense standoff over increased enrollment quota
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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[Kim Seong-kon] The April 2024 election will decide our future
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Korea enters full election mode
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Seoul’s bus union prepares for strike
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Weather agency to improve earthquake, heavy rain alerts
South Korea will upgrade its disaster warning system to better alert people in affected areas, while removing parts of the system that may inconvenience the public, the nation's weather agency said Tuesday. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent due to climate change, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced a set of plans in a press conference Tuesday to strengthen the effectiveness of the KMA’s information and improve the reliability of its response measures. Th
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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Seoul offers discount on monthly transit passes for young adults
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will offer a discount for adults aged between 19 to 34 on the monthly transit pass starting from Feb. 26, it said Wednesday. Those aged between 19 and 34 will be able to have unlimited access to public transportation for 58,000 won or 55,000 won, which is 7,000 won cheaper than the regular transit passes. Seoul’s monthly transit pass -- the “Climate Card” -- is a new pass that gives commuters unlimited access to public transportation systems wi
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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KBS producers urge documentary of Sewol tragedy to be aired
South Korean public broadcaster KBS' recent decision to pull a documentary about the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry has been sparking criticism from within the company's ranks. Eight KBS producers issued a joint statement urging that the episode of the channel's weekly documentary series "Docu Insight" on the tragedy should be aired as scheduled. The episode was slated to feature the tragedy and the post-traumatic stress survivors still suffer from, but KBS decided not
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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State urged to apologize for innocent man's imprisonment and torture
A state-run commission on Wednesday officially recommended that the South Korean government apologize to a 68-year-old man named Lee Sang-chul, who was falsely accused of being the culprit of a 1980 kidnap and murder case and tortured into a false confession. "We have verified the fact that police had imprisoned Lee without proper legal procedures, such as having an arrest warrant issued, and tortured him," the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea said, pointing out t
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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S. Korea to permit development in conservation area
South Korea is poised to ease regulations on greenfields protected by the government and permit land development projects in such conservation areas in provincial areas. President Yoon Suk Yeol said the eased rules related to protected areas designated as "greenbelt" could create economic value during the 13th session of the policy debate held in Ulsan on Wednesday. "The one-size-fits-all land regulations concerning the greenbelt designation will be addressed for the first time in
PoliticsFeb. 21, 2024
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S. Korea to designate July 14 as day for N. Korean defectors
The Yoon Suk Yeol government will officially designate July 14 as a day to commemorate North Korean defectors, symbolically coinciding with the day when the law ensuring support for their resettlement in South Korean society took effect in 1997. South Korean Unification Minister Kim Young-ho announced the official designation on Wednesday while attending the inauguration ceremony of the Special Committee for Accompanying Residents with Backgrounds from North Korea established under the auspices
North KoreaFeb. 21, 2024
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Number of surgeries halved as hospitals suffer from strike
The number of surgeries being performed at Seoul’s “Big Five” hospitals was reduced by 30 to 50 percent due to a staff shortage over junior doctors’ resignation en masse on Wednesday, putting patients’ health at risk amid escalating confrontation between doctors and the government. Severance Hospital reduced its operations by 50 percent, while Samsung Medical Center, Asan Medical Center and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital said they had canceled around 30 percent of
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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Ruling party proposes new security council against NK threats
The ruling party's floor leader on Wednesday called for the establishment of a trilateral security council formed of members of the Cabinet and the two major parties to counter threats from North Korea. “North Korea is projected to step up its provocations ahead of our general election (scheduled for April 10) and the US presidential election (in November),” People Power Party Floor Leader Yun Jae-ok said in a keynote speech at a meeting of the National Assembly’s floor ne
PoliticsFeb. 21, 2024
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Past successes behind doctors' confidence
Despite the public's negative response and the government's stern warning against doctors leaving hospitals in protest of a drastic medical school quota expansion that would add 2,000 new spots per year, Korean doctors have remained adamant, expressing confidence that they would not back down until the plan is withdrawn. Among the doctors remaining steadfast over the government's threats of legal action is Noh Hwan-kyu, the former chair of the Korea Medical Association, an interes
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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Yoon calls German, Danish leaders over postponed trip
President Yoon Suk Yeol called by phone his counterparts in Germany and Denmark Tuesday to provide an explanation for postponing his trip to the two European countries, according to his office on Wednesday. Yoon asked German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for understanding for delaying his previously scheduled visit. Yoon had been set to depart Seoul this Sunday for a weeklong trip including a state visit to Germany. Yoon told Steinmeier and Frederi
PoliticsFeb. 21, 2024
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Teacher wears stab vest to class 'out of fear for life'
A South Korean teacher has been making headlines for wearing a stab-resistant vest to classes, which he relayed to local media on Wednesday as intended to defend himself from a student's threats. The teacher, working at a high school in North Jeolla Province, started wearing the protective vest after he was threatened by a student he had reprimanded in 2022. He got into an argument while disciplining a student for smoking at school, leading to a feud that has lasted for nearly two years. Th
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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Soccer star's sister-in-law apologizes for sex video blackmail
South Korean soccer star Hwang Ui-jo's sister-in-law, currently on trial accused of blackmailing Hwang and distributing his private videos, recently submitted a letter of apology to the court admitting that she did intentionally reveal the videos. The defendant surnamed Lee said that she committed the crime so she could punish her brother-in-law "for being ungrateful" to her and her husband. "We gave up everything in South Korea and looked after (Hwang) for five years as he
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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Airline reservations for Japan nearly full on March 1st Movement Day
Many Koreans are planning to travel to Japan during the three-day holiday starting on March 1, a national holiday commemorating the independence movement against Japanese rule, according to the aviation industry on Wednesday. Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said among the international routes departing from Incheon Airport from March 1 to March 3, the route to Matsuyama, Japan, has the highest reservation rate. As of Wednesday, the reservation rate is in the high 90 percent range. The overall averag
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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Concerns over public health heighten as trainee doctors walk off job for 2nd day
Surgeries have been canceled and some patients were forced to be transferred to other hospitals as trainee doctors stopped working for the second day in a row Wednesday in protest of the government's plan to boost the number of medical students. More than 6,400 trainee doctors nationwide, about 55 percent of the junior doctors, have submitted their resignations en masse so far, with about 1,600 of them walking off the job, according to the health ministry. Medical services at the five bigge
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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US restates its goal of 'full' Korean Peninsula denuclearization
The State Department on Tuesday reiterated the United States' goal to achieve the "full" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, after North Korea signaled openness to improving ties with Japan as long as Tokyo does not take issue with its "right to self-defense." Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida might be able to visit Pyongyang if Tokyo "drops its bad habit" of taking issue
North KoreaFeb. 21, 2024
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N. Korean missile used against Ukraine contained US, European parts: CNN
A North Korean ballistic missile that Russia fired against Ukraine last month contained many parts traced to companies in the United States and Europe, CNN reported Tuesday, citing a research report. The Britain-based organization, Conflict Armament Research, produced the report that examined 290 components from remnants of a North Korean missile retrieved from Kharkiv in Ukraine, and discovered that 75 percent of the components were designed and sold by companies incorporated in the US, accordi
North KoreaFeb. 21, 2024
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[Graphic News] 53% of Gen Z workers want 4-day workweek
Although the implementation of a four-day workweek is slowly on the rise globally, with new studies showing it to have overall positive effects on both the company and the workforce, it still remains a hot topic in South Korea where many businesses are hesitant to accept a change in the norm. According to a survey done by online employment platform Catch, 1,076 Generation Z job seekers were asked how they would feel about the four-day workweek system with pay cuts. Fifty-three percent of respond
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024
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Yoon accepts resignation of gender equality minister
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook, officials said, six months after she offered to step down over the failed Scout jamboree. Kim offered to resign in September to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree the previous month but was retained pending a replacement. Yoon had tapped Kim Haeng, a former member of the ruling People Power Party's interim leadership panel, as the new gender minister
PoliticsFeb. 20, 2024
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Yoon seeks German president's understanding on postponed state visit
President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke by phone with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday and asked for his understanding regarding his decision to postpone his state visit to the European country, Yoon's office said. Yoon was planning to visit Germany and Denmark this week but postponed the trip four days before his scheduled departure. The presidential office did not give an official reason, though there was speculation the decision reflected his need to focus on domestic issues and
PoliticsFeb. 20, 2024
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Yoon to soon accept resignation of gender equality minister: officials
President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to soon accept the resignation offer of Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook, officials said Tuesday. Kim offered to resign in September to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree the previous month but was retained pending a replacement. Yoon had tapped Kim Haeng, a former member of the ruling People Power Party's interim leadership panel, as the new gender minister, but she withdrew herself from consideration during
PoliticsFeb. 20, 2024