Most Popular
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Is NewJeans headed for a long 'break'?
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[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
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Teen drug abuse almost triples
South Korea has seen a threefold increase in the number of teenagers caught taking drugs over the past three years, according to the police. (Yonhap)In the report submitted to Rep. Kim Jang-sil of the ruling Saenuri Party by the National Police Agency, the number of teenagers captured for taking drugs nearly tripled from 27 in 2012 to 75 last year. The number for this year will likely hit a record high, with 65 having been nabbed by the police as of July. A total of 210 juvenile offenders we
Social AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Ex-chairman of POSCO to face summons
The prosecution will summon former POSCO chairman Chung Joon-yang for questioning this week as part of the ongoing probe into alleged corruption involving the nation’s No. 1 steelmaker and its affiliates. Prosecutors said Monday they are looking at the schedule to call in the 67-year-old chairman for questioning. (Yonhap)The summon comes six months after the prosecution launched its probe into POSCO’s alleged corruption cases including suspicious mergers and acquisitions, tax evasion and setti
Social AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Korean bill seeks to prevent latter-day Lears
In Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear,” the protagonist loses everything after disposing his kingdom to his children, who betray and mistreat him once obtaining his wealth and power. In South Korea, a new controversial bill is being introduced to prevent Korean parents from becoming modern-day King Lears, some of whom reportedly get abused or neglected by their adult children after handing down most of their wealth and possessions. The bill, which is being introduced by the main opposition New Po
Social AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Park-Xi summit to focus on N.K
Leaders of South Korea and China are set to discuss ways to curb North Korea‘s nuclear ambitions and boost peace in Northeast Asia at a bilateral summit planned for Wednesday amid tension abating on the Korean Peninsula after breakthrough talks last week.President Park Geun-hye will leave for China for a three-day trip to attend a celebration to mark the end of World War II, but she will hold a summit with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as soon as she arrives in Beijing, Park’s senior foreig
PoliticsAug. 31, 2015
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Easy driving test attracts Chinese
Acquiring a Korean driver’s license has become a new phenomenon among an increasing number of Chinese tourists here in recent years, a lawmaker‘s report showed Monday.According to Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the Saenuri Party, the number of Chinese nationals obtaining Korean driver’s licenses surged to about 4,700 last year, jumping by 30-fold in two years. The rate of car accidents involving foreigners also rose by 2.6 times to nearly 2,000, the report said. A driver’s license test agency is crowded w
Social AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Military deserters down 40% in three years
The number of South Korean servicemen who deserted from the military has steadily declined by more than 40 percent over the past three years, a report said Monday, reflecting ongoing efforts to improve barrack lives. According to the report submitted by the High Court for Armed Forces to Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, 415 people broke barracks last year, up about 41.4 percent from 708 in 2011. The annual figures have been nudging downward, albeit w
DefenseAug. 31, 2015
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Unification minister not to attend Russia forum
Seoul's point man on North Korea will not attend an upcoming forum in Russia as Pyongyang has not indicated its willingness to hold talks there, government officials said Monday. Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo was considering attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok this week but dropped the plan as North Korea has not confirmed the participation of its foreign trade minister, Ri Ryong-nam, in a trilateral session also involving Russia, one official said on condition of anonymit
North KoreaAug. 31, 2015
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Koreas to discuss ways on holding separated family reunion on regular basis
The Unification Ministry said Monday that next week South and North Korea plan to discuss ways to hold reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on a regular basis. In a landmark deal, the two Koreas agreed last week to resume the much-anticipated reunions of separated families on the occasion of Korea's fall harvest holiday slated for September. The family reunions have not been held since early 2014. Officials from the two Korea's Red Cross are scheduled to have working-level
North KoreaAug. 31, 2015
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Park's approval rating jumps to yearly high
President Park Geun-hye's job approval rating hit the highest level this year following a deal that defused military tensions with North Korea, a poll showed Monday. A poll released by polling agency Realmeter showed 49.2 percent approved of the job Park is doing, up 8.2 percentage points from a week earlier. Those who disapproved of Park's job performance came to 45.4 percent, down 8.8 percentage points from a week earlier. Last week, a separate poll conducted by polling agency Gallup Korea
PoliticsAug. 31, 2015
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S. Korea resumes search for remains of war dead
South Korea's military launched another round of massive excavation work Monday in search of remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. More than 40,000 troops from 14 units will be mobilized for the months-long project, a team in charge of the operation at the Defense Ministry said. They will excavate two dozen sites across the country including the Suribong area in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. Nicknamed "Bloody Ridge Line," it was a Korean War battlefield where around 20,000 Sout
DefenseAug. 31, 2015
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Ex-Seo Taiji and Boys member under probe for fraud
Lee Juno, a member of the defunct boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, is under investigation for fraud, local news outlets reported Monday. Seo Taiji and Boys was one of the biggest acts of the 1990s, and Lee’s colleagues -- Seo Taiji and Yang Hyun-suk -- have since become major players in the local entertainment industry.According to reports, Lee borrowed 100 million won ($85,000) from an acquaintance, but failed to repay the debt, leading the lender to file a criminal complaint against the singer-pro
Social AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Park gives appointment letter to new health minister
President Park Geun-hye presented letters of appointment to the new health minister and the new chief of South Korea's human rights watchdog, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. The ceremony took place six days after Chung Chin-youb, a professor at Seoul National University hospital, won parliamentary approval as the new health minister. The Health Ministry was under fire for its poor response to the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which has killed 36 South Koreans. On July 28, South Kor
PoliticsAug. 31, 2015
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Canadian literature showcased at Seoul Metropolitan Library
The Canadian Embassy in Seoul is hosting a book exhibition at the Seoul Metropolitan Library in partnership with the city government, introducing renowned Canadian literature to the public. The exhibition titled “Seoul Meets Canadian Books” is part of cultural promotion events organized by the embassy and the Seoul government, dubbed, “Seoul Meets Canada,” from Aug. 25-Sept. 17. One-hundred books by authors ― including Nobel Prize in literature winner Alice Munro, author of “Anne of Green Gables
Foreign AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Afghan visitors seek advice, investment on Korea trip
Afghan opinion leaders visited Korea last week to take back home inspiration from its development experience and elicit investment. Nine people ― including a parliamentarian, a presidential adviser, a journalist and bankers ― came as the first private sector delegation, visiting various industrial facilities in Korea and sites in Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province affiliated with the Saemaul Undong rural development movement. The training program was organized by Nutrition and Educatio
Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2015
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World opinion leaders to support Korean culture
For opinion leaders who want to join Korea’s social nexus, the Korea Cultural Quotient Club has provided opportunities weaving diplomacy, business, education, gastronomy and the arts for the last 10 years. Launched by the Corea Image Communications Institute in 2006, the club has acted as a platform for promoting Korean culture, exchanging ideas and fostering friendships among its members. At Malaysian Ambassador Rohana Ramli’s residence in Seoul, the club’s 20th class was launched for the 25 ne
Foreign AffairsAug. 30, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Cable car approval touches off dispute
The government’s decision to allow the construction of a second cable car route on Mount Seoraksan last week drew mixed reactions over the weekend, with civic groups blasting authorities for ignoring its potential environmental impact and local residents calling it a business opportunity.The Environment Ministry’s national park committee on Friday agreed to allow Yangyang County Office of Gangwon Province to construct a 3.5-kilometer cable car on Mount Seoraksan, one of the country’s best-preser
Aug. 30, 2015
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South Korea still has top OECD suicide rate
South Korea’s suicide rate remained highest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, while its health status was among the lowest, a recent OECD data showed.According to the OECD Health Statistics 2015, an average of 29.1 people per 100,000 committed suicide in 2012, about 2 1/2 times the OECD average of 11.9, based on data compiled for 25 of 34 OECD members in the same year. Data from 2012 on Austria, Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Slovak Repub
Social AffairsAug. 30, 2015
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Cross-border tensions fade
Cross-border tensions further abated over the weekend as North Korea accepted the South’s offer to hold bilateral Red Cross talks on Sept. 7 to arrange the reunions of separated families, with each military seen readjusting their readiness posture to a precrisis level.The DMZ train traveling along the border areas comes to a halt at Daemari Station in Cheolwon, Gangwon Province, on Sunday. Its operations had been stopped for some time due to cross-border tensions. (Yonhap)On Saturday, a day afte
North KoreaAug. 30, 2015
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Police nab 100 illegal marriage brokers
More than 100 international marriage brokers have been caught illegally offering matchmaking services, the police said Sunday. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency booked 111 brokers belonging to 72 international matchmaking agencies without detention for violating the Marriage Brokers Business Management Act.The brokers were accused of receiving an average of 15 million won ($12,700) from Korean men in return for arranging marriages with underage girls, offering a list of foreign women from which t
Social AffairsAug. 30, 2015
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Assembly's regular session to kick off Tuesday
The National Assembly’s 100-day regular session is set to begin Tuesday with the two major parties seeking to gain an advantage ahead of next year’s elections.The ruling and main opposition parties are expected to clash over bills being pushed by the Park Geun-hye administration to reform the nation’s labor, education and finance sectors.Two rounds of parliamentary inspections are also set to kick off in the second week of September and the first week of October to assess Park’s state agendas an
NationalAug. 30, 2015