Most Popular
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South Korea confirms North Korea’s latest spy satellite launch failed
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Financially active women bear fewer children, report finds
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Leaders agree to revive 3-way cooperation, reaffirm security efforts
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N. Korea notifies Japan of plan to launch satellite before June 4: Kyodo
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S. Korea's exports set to maintain growth in May: trade minister
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[Feature] Ignorance about Africa still rampant in Korea
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Aespa breaks silence on Hybe chairman’s remark to ‘crush’ them
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Korea ushers in new space era with KASA launch
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South Korea flies fighters near border over North Korean spy satellite alarm
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Yoon, Kishida agree on close communication over Naver's Line app row
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Korea names new envoy for global security ties
South Korea has appointed Paik Ji-ah, an envoy to the United Nations, as its new ambassador for international security affairs, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.Paik will handle the country's international coordination largely in efforts to fight terror and promote cyber security.She joined the ministry in 1985 and has worked in Thailand and Malaysia. She has also served as deputy permanent representative to the South Korean mission to the U.N. in New York from 2013.Her predecessor Choi Su
PoliticsNov. 10, 2015
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Chief of Korea military nurse academy awarded U.S. order of merit
The chief of South Korea's Armed Forces Nursing Academy has been awarded an order of merit from the U.S. for her contributions to expanded bilateral relations in the military medical sector, the academy said Tuesday.The U.S. Army Medical Command conferred the Order of Military Medical Merit also known as O2M3, to Brig. Gen. Choi Kyung-hye, the superintendent of the local nursing academy, during her visit to the U.S. in July.The award was in recognition of Choi's contributions to the development
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2015
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U.S. advised to be alert for North Korea's signals of willingness for engagement: expert
North Korea could send signals of willingness to re-engage the United States as the communist nation appears to have realized that all of its diplomatic efforts to break out of isolation have failed, a former senior American diplomat said Monday.Stapleton Roy, who served as ambassador to Beijing, made the remark during a Wilson Center discussion, citing "a prominent former" Chinese official he met when he visited China as a member of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy delegation."
North KoreaNov. 10, 2015
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U.S. human rights envoy to visit Korea
The U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues will visit Seoul later this week for meetings with South Korean officials, the State Department announced Monday.Amb. Robert King will be in Seoul Nov. 11-18 "as part of regular consultations with senior Republic of Korea officials on a range of human rights and humanitarian issues," the department said in a release without elaborating.The visit comes as the international community is gearing up to increase pressure on Pyongyang over it
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2015
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Koreans less concerned about climate change than five years ago: U.S. survey
South Koreans are less concerned about climate change now than they were five years ago, though nearly 90 percent of them think the global challenge will affect them personally at some point in the future, a U.S. survey showed Monday.The Pew Research survey of 45,435 people in 40 countries around the world showed that 48 percent of the South Korean respondents believe that climate change is a very serious problem, a sharp drop compared with 68 percent who thought the same way in 2010.South Korea
Nov. 10, 2015
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World in 'uncharted territory' as greenhouse gases hit new high: UN
GENEVA (AFP) – Concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a new high in 2014, the UN said Monday, warning the resulting climate change was moving the world into "uncharted territory".In its annual report on Earth-warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the World Meteorological Organization said concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide once again broke records last year."Concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are no
Nov. 9, 2015
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North Korean marshal’s death indicates more personnel shake-ups
North Korean state media said Monday that leader Kim Jong-un had on Sunday conveyed his condolences for a deceased military marshal whose funeral committee set off speculation over the political health of ranking officials. Ri Ul-sol, also a close assistant to the sitting ruler’s late grandfather Kim Il-sung, died from lung cancer Saturday at age 94. The young Kim, who presides over his 170-member funeral committee, visited the Central Hall of Workers in Pyongyang housing Ri’s body, met with his
North KoreaNov. 9, 2015
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History spat roils education scene
Seoul City plans to provide students in middle and high schools with books that chronicle the names of those who sympathized with imperial Japan during its colonial rule of Korea, stoking opposition from the conservatives who claim it is a move to thwart the government’s reinstatement of state-authored history textbooks. Kim Moon-soo, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, said Monday that the Seoul Metropolitan Education Office would distribute the “Register of Sympathizers of Imperial Jap
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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Childhood obesity in Korea twice as common in boys: OECD
Boys in South Korea are nearly twice as likely to be obese than girls, a new report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed. According to the report Health at a Glance 2015, 26.4 percent of boys aged 5-17 were either overweight or obese as of 2013. Meanwhile, only 14.1 percent of girls had the same health condition. The gender disparity in Korea was significantly high considering the OECD average for childhood obesity was 24.3 percent for boys and 22.1 perce
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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Police ramp up arrests of hit-and-run drivers
The police said Monday they had arrested all those accused in hit-and-run murders nationwide so far this year, prompted by public furor that erupted in January over the killing of a young father-to-be who was hit by a car and left on the street to die.As a result of stepped-up initial response to reports of hit-and-run, the police arrested a total of 125 people from January to October across the nation who have hit and killed somebody and then left the scene of a car accident.The total arrest ra
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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Ex-NIS chief announces bid to run in April elections
Former National Intelligence Service director Kim Man-bok said Monday that he plans to run in an open primary to appear on the ruling Saenuri Party’s ticket to run in Gijang, Busan, his hometown, on April 13 next year.His announcement came on the heels of Home Affairs Minister Chong Jong-sup’s press conference Sunday to resign from his post, with heavy indications that he would be running in the parliamentary race. Kim Man-bok (Yonhap)The two join a host of other former Cabinet and Cheong Wa Dae
PoliticsNov. 9, 2015
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5 major disputes surrounding state textbooks
Last Friday, Choi Mong-lyong -- the government’s choice as one of the main authors for a new set of state-issued history textbooks -- resigned after allegations surfaced that he had sexual harassed a female reporter.While denying any wrongdoing, the professor emeritus of Seoul National University said he did not want to bog down the publication process.Professor Choi Mong-lyong is surrounded by the press as he heads to his home in Yeouido, Friday. (Yonhap)The resignation of the seasoned scholar
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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More Koreans cremated
South Korea’s funeral culture is fast changing with four out of five deceased being cremated rather than buried, government data showed Monday.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the country’s cremation rate accounted for 79 percent of funerals last year, surging fourfold compared to two decades ago. This is a 2 percentage point rise over last year. By region, eight metropolitan cities including the capital recorded 85.2 percent on average, 10 percent more than non-metropolitan and
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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Ceremony at Busan U.N. park to commemorate Korean War heroes
An annual ceremony will be held at the United Nations park in the southern port city of Busan this week to commemorate the fallen heroes from the 1950-53 Korean War, where millions of foreign soldiers fought for South Korea, the war veterans ministry said Monday.Nearly 2 million soldiers from 21 countries as far as way as Ethiopia were dispatched to fight alongside South Korean soldiers under the U.N. flag against the invading North and China. More than 150,000 of them were killed, wounded, went
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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Park's approval rating edges up over positive coverage of Park's summits
President Park Geun-hye's job approval rating edged up slightly due to positive media coverage of her recent summits with the leaders of China and Japan, as well as a meeting meant to cut red tape, a poll showed Monday.A poll released by polling agency Realmeter showed 46 percent of people approved of the job Park is doing, up 1.5 percentage points from a week earlier.Those who disapproved of Park's job performance came to 48.3 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from a week earlier.Earlier this
PoliticsNov. 9, 2015
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Korea dedicates 2 new nuclear reactors
South Korea on Monday dedicated two new nuclear reactors that will account for 3 percent of the country's electricity output.South Korea's 23rd and 24th nuclear reactors, built at a cost of 5.31 trillion won ($4.58 billion), can generate 158 million kilowatt hour of power per year, according to the commerce ministry.The nuclear reactors -- the Shin-Wolsong 1 and 2 units in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul -- can allow the country to push up its electricity reserve ratio by some 3.4 pe
Nov. 9, 2015
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Korea, Iceland agree to strengthen cooperation on Arctic region
South Korea and Iceland agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation on the Arctic region, Cheong Wa Dae said, a move that could help explore the northern polar route that holds large potential for cost and saving time for shipping companies.The agreement was reached during the summit between President Park Geun-hye and her Iceland counterpart, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, at the South Korean presidential office.The two sides also agreed to push for a consultative meeting to discuss their policies on the
Foreign AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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KCS helps uncover major int'l drug bust
South Korea's customs service said Monday that it helped best trafficking of 8.8 tons of drugs in October in collaboration with international organizations and national agencies.The global effort, led by the Korea Customs Services and code named CATalyst, was carried out from Oct. 10 through Oct. 30 and disrupted illegal drugs being moved across borders. The clampdown received official endorsement from the World Customs Organization, which set up an operational command post at its headquarters i
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015
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Japan Regular Wages Increase for a Seventh Straight Month
Regular wages in Japan rose for a seventh consecutive month as the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presses businesses to boost salaries.Base pay climbed 0.4 percent in September from a year earlier, the labor ministry said Monday. Overall labor cash earnings, which include overtime and special payments, increased by 0.6 percent and wages adjusted for inflation advanced 0.5 percent.The central bank needs to see higher earnings so Japanese consumers can buy more to help sustain price gains
InternationalNov. 9, 2015
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Education minister vows to protect textbook authors
Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea vowed that the government will protect the panel of authors for state history textbooks, who face criticism on the Internet.Last week, the government announced that it will revise the current textbook publication system so that middle and high school students will learn Korean history through national textbooks starting in the 2017 school year.The government also said that a total of 36 historians with expertise in different periods and fields of history will par
Social AffairsNov. 9, 2015