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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Governor to be summoned this week
The prosecution will summon South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo for questioning this week as a probe into bribery allegations involving high-profile politicians picks up pace. Prosecutors said Tuesday they are currently looking through a schedule to call in Hong, who will become the first of the eight political heavyweights embroiled in the scandal to be questioned.Hong is suspected of receiving 100 million won ($93,000) from late business tycoon Sung Woan-jong in 2011 when the veteran
Social AffairsMay 5, 2015
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Government to revise agencies’ English names
Taking a cue from long-held views that many of the current English names of government agencies sound strange and incongruous, the Korean government has set out to review the names of the state bodies to sound more natural and accurate.The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs said Tuesday it would establish guidelines for translating the names of government ministries and their respective affiliated bodies into English. Specific plans on how to revise the existing names will al
Social AffairsMay 5, 2015
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[News Focus] N.K. human rights bill in limbo for decade
Ruling party lawmakers are putting last-ditch efforts on legislating a long-held bill to address North Korean human rights issues amid partisan differences over policies toward the reclusive regime.The Saenuri Party and the government said last week that they would consider fast-tracking the North Korean human rights bill in June to expedite the legislation unless they reach an agreement by the end of this month with the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy. “It is a shame that th
PoliticsMay 5, 2015
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Seoul to issue report on nuke victims in Japan
Seoul will release a report on Korean victims of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to raise awareness about the damage suffered by those who were forced into slave labor during World War II, officials said Tuesday.In December 2010, a committee under the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of investigating forced conscription during Japanese colonial rule issued a paper detailing the victims’ sufferings for the first time at the state level. It will translate the document into Ja
Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2015
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S. Korea to overhaul special pardon system
South Korea said Tuesday it plans to come up with measures to improve its special pardons by next month in a bid to ensure that they are granted in a more fair and transparent manner.In South Korea, presidents usually grant special pardons in commemoration of major national holidays, though the practice has long been under fire for being abused to give favors to their friends and business leaders who have been jailed for corruption.The government held a meeting earlier in the day to discuss how
PoliticsMay 5, 2015
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China tells N. Korea Silk Road initiative to bring chances for bilateral cooperation
China has told North Korea that its ambitious Silk Road project aimed at reviving the ancient trade route between Asia and Europe would bring a "historic" opportunity to advance bilateral cooperation between the two nations. The Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Li Jinjun, made the remarks at a meeting with the North's Vice Foreign Minister Ri Gil-song on Monday, the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang said in a statement. It was the second time in less than two weeks that the Chinese ambassador publi
North KoreaMay 5, 2015
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Prosecutors to quiz aide of politician involved in bribery scandal
A key aide of South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo will be summoned for questioning this week over allegations of bribery involving the high-profile politician, the prosecution said Monday.Hong is suspected of taking 100 million won (US$93,000) from late businessman Sung Wan-jong in 2011 through one of Hong's close aides when he ran for ruling party chief.Before hanging himself last month, Sung claimed in a memo that he gave hundreds of millions of won to eight politicians, including for
Social AffairsMay 4, 2015
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President blasts parties’ pension agreement
President Park Geun-hye on Monday criticized the scale of the latest deal on the public servants’ pension reform as falling short of public expectations, amid growing complaints that it was hastily reached by rival parties.“(The agreement on) pension reform has slightly reduced the financial burden (to operate the system), but it is regrettable that the scale of reform fell short of people’s expectations,” Park said at a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae. The remark came three day
PoliticsMay 4, 2015
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[News Focus] Debate on South Korea’s nuke armament reignited
Debate has resurfaced over the possibility of South Korea’s nuclear armament as North Korea’s nuclear threat remains unabated with growing security rivalry in the region most recently stoked by Japan’s push for heavier armament.Lingering doubts over the reliability of the U.S.’ nuclear umbrella has also added to the possibility that Seoul could seek a more viable way to bolster its self-defense capabilities to fend off Pyongyang’s security challenges, analysts said.Charles Ferguson, head of the
DefenseMay 4, 2015
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[Newsmaker] NPAD leader pledges drastic reforms
South Korea’s main opposition leader Monday vowed to “do anything” to win next year’s parliamentary elections in response to growing criticism from within his party for its crushing defeat in last week’s parliamentary by-elections.Rep. Moon Jae-in, chair of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, pledged to consider changing “everything from the party’s people to the party’s day-to-day functioning” to achieve victory in the 2016 general election. Next year’s nationwide polls will decide if the
PoliticsMay 4, 2015
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Abe missed his chance on history: Park
President Park Geun-hye on Monday said that Japan failed to “face up to history,” with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe coming under international fire for not apologizing to Korean women who suffered from sexual enslavement by the Japanese military during the World War II.“Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been under fire in the United States over his remarks on historic disputes,” Park said. “He lost a chance to build trust with neighboring countries by apologizing on their shared histo
Foreign AffairsMay 4, 2015
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N. Korea’s ceremonial leader to attend Moscow ceremony
North Korea’s ceremonial head of state will travel to Russia this week to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, state media said Monday, days after Moscow unveiled the revocation of an anticipated trip by leader Kim Jong-un.Kim Yong-nam, president of the Supreme People’s Assembly, will be among the more than two dozen world leaders that Moscow says will take part in the event slated for Saturday. The Korean Central News Agency’s report did not specify the tim
North KoreaMay 4, 2015
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Assembly resolution slams Japan’s UNESCO bid for wartime facilities
A resolution condemning the Japanese government’s attempt to list wartime facilities for conscripted Korean soldiers as World Heritage was passed by a parliamentary committee Monday. The resolution will be put to a final endorsement at the National Assembly’s plenary session Wednesday.“We strongly condemn Japanese attempts to list the wartime facilities as World Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. We believe it constitutes a diplomatic provocation an
PoliticsMay 4, 2015
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Ministry to fill day care workforce shortage
The Welfare Ministry on Monday said 30,000 more assisting nannies will be assigned to public day care centers suffering from a chronic workforce shortage, as part of the long-term measures to enhance child welfare and prevent abuses.Currently, a single assisting nanny is appointed for every four day care workers caring for children aged from 3 to 5 at state-run centers. Under the Child Welfare Law of Korea, a single day care worker is allowed to take care of a maximum of three babies aged less t
Social AffairsMay 4, 2015
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Concerns rise over aged cab drivers
More than half of Seoul’s private cab drivers choose not to drive taxis at night, Seoul City said Monday, attributing the low rate of night-time driving to drivers’ age.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that the average age of private taxi drivers was 60.4 as of this year. About 56 percent of the capital’s taxis are private, it said.Of them, about 31 percent of the drivers are over the age of 65, with 12 percent being 70 or older.While 35,000 of the private taxies are obligated to operate d
Social AffairsMay 4, 2015
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Seoul urges N.K. to free NYU student
South Korea urged North Korea on Monday to release a South Korean college student with a U.S. green card who has been detained for illegal entry.North Korea announced over the weekend that it has detained a 21-year-old man studying at New York University. He was arrested on April 22 for illegally entering the communist nation through a Chinese border city.Pyongyang identified him as Joo Won-moon, residing in New Jersey.“It is deeply regrettable that North Korea is detaining Joo Won-moon, who is
North KoreaMay 4, 2015
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[Herald Interview] ‘Diversity helps improve education’
At the student lounge of Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands, students of different nationalities, appearance and accents are often seen together, pitching their opinions as they participate in an animated debate about the latest class they attended.This scene is familiar in many universities across the Netherlands, representing one of the Dutch’s biggest strengths in education, said Han Dommers, head of the education promotion department at EP-Nuffic, which works for international
Social AffairsMay 4, 2015
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NGO urges Korea to revise sex education guidelines
South Korea should revise its sex education guidelines for schools to include lessons about homosexuality and other sexual minorities, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.The Education Ministry’s sex education guidelines ― distributed to schools across the country in March ― does not include any descriptions about homosexuals because it said “homosexuality is not common in terms of sexual orientation.” It was a step back from the ministry’s original position of banning any education related to homos
Social AffairsMay 4, 2015
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Chinese tourists cause headache for Ewha Womans University
A growing number of Chinese tourists are flocking to Ewha Womans University in Sinchon, Seoul, generating not only financial benefit to the school but also concerns over the privacy of students. Ewha Womans University has welcomed many tourists in the past, thanks to its beautiful campus, as well as the shopping street within the school’s vicinity. The main entrance of Ewha Womans University (Yonhap) But since China Central Television program selected the university as a must-see place in Se
Social AffairsMay 4, 2015
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POSCO E&C official nabbed over slush fund
An executive of POSCO Engineering & Construction, the construction arm of South Korea's largest steelmaker, was detained Monday for allegedly creating a private slush fund, prosecutors said, the latest in a string of arrests of the company officials.The executive director, identified only by his surname Lee, is suspected to have received hundreds of millions of won (hundreds of thousands of dollars) in kickbacks from a subcontractor from 2012 to 2013 in return for selecting the subcontractor for
Social AffairsMay 4, 2015