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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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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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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US says 'It's receptive to nuclear talks with North Korea'
After three years of diplomatic deadlock, the Obama administration says it is open to holding preliminary talks with North Korea to probe its intentions and assess the prospects of ridding the country of nuclear weapons.A senior South Korean envoy traveled to Washington and Beijing this past week as nations involved in long-stalled aid-for-disarmament negotiations consider their diplomatic options. Tensions have eased a little on the Korean Peninsula following the completion of annual U.S.-South
Foreign AffairsMay 9, 2015
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N. Korea test-fires underwater ballistic missile: KCNA
North Korea carried out an underwater test-fire of a submarine ballistic missile, watched by its leader Kim Jong-un, the state media said Saturday, in an apparent move to boost its underwater missile capabilities that could pose a fresh threat in the region. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the mouthpiece of the communist state, reported that Kim issued an order for the test-fire and watched the ballistic missile from the submarine "soar into the sky from underwater."The article did not s
DefenseMay 9, 2015
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NPAD hit by factional fight
A senior lawmaker of the main opposition party bowed out of its decision-making Supreme Council on Friday, urging the party leadership to resign en masse to take responsibility for its electoral debacle late last month. The resignation of Rep. Joo Seung-yong dealt yet another blow to the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, which has been faltering under deepening factional infighting that was aggravated by the party’s defeats in parliamentary by-elections on April 29. His decision to step down
PoliticsMay 8, 2015
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More elderly living alone
The number of elderly living alone increased over the past five years, a report showed Friday, adding to growing concerns over Korea’s rapidly aging population and its negative impact on the economy.The report said the number of senior citizens living alone in Korea hit almost 1.37 million in 2015, nearly a 20 percent increase from 2011, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s report, which was released by Rep. Hwang In-ja of the Saenuri Party. Senior citizens refer to those aged 65 or
Social AffairsMay 8, 2015
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Governor questioned in corruption scandal
South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo was questioned Friday by the prosecution in Seoul over his alleged involvement in a high-profile graft scandal, becoming the first to be questioned among eight political heavyweights mired in the case.The bribery allegations have dealt a serious blow to Hong’s reputation as a “corruption buster” that he built while working as a state prosecutor in the 1980s and 1990s. “I feel sorry for having caused public concern. I am here to offer my explanation (c
Social AffairsMay 8, 2015
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‘Korea’s Fabre’ dedicates life to saving endangered insects
It was some 18 years ago when Lee Kang-woon, then an employee of a top Seoul-based media firm, renounced his promising career to follow his heart and take an uncharted path: to become an entomologist, a rare profession in highly urbanized Korea.Mesmerized by the tantalizing movements of colorful insects, Lee developed an insatiable desire to live with them in a serene forest and dedicate his life to researching and preserving the endangered species.“I couldn’t resist my desire for insects. I jus
Social AffairsMay 8, 2015
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Park calls for unhindered probe of bribery scandal
President Park Geun-hye Friday called for a unhindered investigation into a bribery scandal as the prosecution summoned a provincial governor for questioning over the scandal involving some of Park's key aides."I am determined to capitalize on this opportunity to clear people's suspicions over the recent affairs through an investigation without sanctuary and to make our society and the political circle be born again completely," Park said during her meeting with representatives of volunteer orga
NationalMay 8, 2015
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S. Korea, Japan to hold talks on UNESCO
South Korea said Friday it will hold talks with Japan this month on Tokyo's attempt to win UNESCO's recognition for several industrial facilities where many Koreans were coerced into slave labor during the colonial era."The two sides will hold a meeting to discuss the matter in Tokyo on May 22," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.The level of chief delegates has yet to be decided, it added.Japan has applied for the listing of a package of 23 coal mines, shipyards and other early industrial zon
NationalMay 8, 2015
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S. Korea to punish wage-paying firms amid Kaesong income row
South Korea said Friday it will punish South Korean firms that have paid March wages to North Korean workers at a joint industrial park in the North in defiance of Seoul's guidance.The two Koreas have been embroiled in the wage dispute as North Korea unilaterally decided to hike the minimum monthly wage for about 53,000 North Korean workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the border city of the same name.Seoul has requested its companies not to send out March paychecks, vowing to punish vio
PoliticsMay 8, 2015
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S. Korea denounces Japan for politicizing UNESCO
South Korea criticized Japan Friday for politicizing UNESCO through a campaign to win its recognition for several industrial facilities where many Koreans were coerced into slave labor during the colonial era.Japan has applied for the listing of a package of 23 coal mines, shipyards and other early industrial zones as world heritage sites. It includes seven facilities where nearly 60,000 Koreans were forced to work during World War II. Japan colonized Korea from 1910-45.The International Council
InternationalMay 8, 2015
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Park to nurture global venture hub in S. Korea
President Park Geun-hye Friday pledged to develop South Korea as a global venture business hub, vowing her government's full support for start-ups."I plan to develop our country as the most dynamically advancing global hub for business ventures," Park said in a speech at the opening ceremony for a venture academy by tech giant Google Inc.Following a long stagnation for the past decade or so, the local venture sector is regaining vitality and vigor on the back of the increasing number of start-up
PoliticsMay 8, 2015
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Disputed Lotte skyscraper to reopen next week as city lifts ban
South Korean retail giant Lotte Group said Friday it plans to reopen its namesake skyscraper next week, about five months after the Seoul city government ordered its shutdown when a string of accidents stoked safety fears.The plan comes on the heels of an announcement by the city government that lifted the usage ban on Lotte World Mall's aquarium and movie theater upon consulting with industry and government officials. The municipal government also scrapped a construction ban on its concert hall
Social AffairsMay 8, 2015
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Government’s teaching aid for sex education under criticism
South Korea’s official teaching aid for sex education is under criticism for some of its content, including its definition of dating and a section on date rape. According to PowerPoint slides provided by the Education Ministry, which is currently available to the public online, dating is defined as “a process for young men and women in a relationship without any commitment for the future.” The teaching aid also states that teenage dating “does not lead to marriage” in another slide. Government’s
Social AffairsMay 8, 2015
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Two Koreas in verbal clash over Yellow Sea border
South and North Korea exchanged barbs on Friday over Pyongyang's claims of South Korean ships' violation of the western sea border. In what it called "an emergency special warning," the communist country's Command in Southwestern Sector of Front claimed that South Korean Navy speedboats made a "military provocation" by deeply intruding into the North's territorial waters in the Yellow Sea two or three times a day between May 1 and 7."From this moment, it will make a sighting strike without any p
North KoreaMay 8, 2015
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Koreas seek joint events this summer
South and North Korea agreed Friday to push for joint events to mark the 15th anniversary of a historic inter-Korean summit and the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule.The two sides will designate a two-month joint commemoration period from June 15 under a deal between representatives from the South's civilian groups and North Koreans. They had a meeting in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang earlier this week.A historic summit between then-South Korean Presid
North KoreaMay 8, 2015
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Top military chief calls for readiness against N. Korea threats
The top military officer called for a watertight readiness posture Friday against threats from North Korea's weapons of mass destruction.Adm. Choi Yun-hee, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the remarks during his visit to the Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Defense Command in southern Seoul."Our military has no luxury to loosen our readiness posture even for a moment facing the North Korean forces, which possess a large amount of CBR weapons," Choi said. "It is necessary to be f
North KoreaMay 8, 2015
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N. Korea threatens to attack S. Korean ships in Yellow Sea
North Korea threatened Friday to attack South Korean warships without warning if they continue to violate the western sea border.North Korea claimed that South Korean Navy speedboats made a "military provocation" by deeply intruding into the North's territorial waters two or three times a day between May 1 and 7, according to the Korean Central News Agency. In what it called an "emergency special warning," the North said the South's military claimed they were clamping down on illegal fishing by
North KoreaMay 8, 2015
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Governor appears for prosecution query over alleged bribery
A provincial governor appeared at the prosecution office here Friday for an interrogation into allegations he accepted bribes while campaigning for a party leadership election in 2011. Hong Joon-pyo, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, is among those presumed to have been bribed by the chairman of a construction company who committed suicide last month.Late businessman Sung Wan-jong left behind a note listing eight names, including those of former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and several of Pr
PoliticsMay 8, 2015
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Ex-presidential secretary detained in graft case
A former presidential secretary was arrested Friday on suspicion of exerting influence to provide business favors to a local university.(Yonhap)Park Beom-hun, senior presidential secretary for education and culture under the previous Lee Myung-bak administration, is accused of pressuring the Ministry of Education into approving illegal projects proposed by Chung-Ang University, his alma mater, in Seoul between 2011 and 2012.The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest writ, saying "the susp
Social AffairsMay 8, 2015
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N.K. official rejects alleged executions of senior officials as 'malicious slander'
A North Korean official rejected as "malicious slander" reports from South Korea's main intelligence agency that the North's autocratic leader, Kim Jong-un, executed 15 senior officials this year alone as he continued a reign of terror.Seoul's National Intelligence Service reported during a closed-door briefing to lawmakers late last week that Kim does not tolerate different views and punished officials for challenging his authority, including executing a vice forest minister for raising complai
North KoreaMay 8, 2015