Most Popular
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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S. Korea's working-age population to dip nearly 10m by 2044 amid low births
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Doggy patrol team on the move to protect their cities
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Three booked for destroying controversial sculpture
Three college students who destroyed a controversial sculpture at Hongik University in Seoul were booked Wednesday. Seoul Mapo Police Station said it booked two Hongik University students and one public service worker for destroying an outdoor sculpture early Wednesday. Titled “It is Anywhere but Nowhere,” the artwork showed a hand gesture that symbolizes the ultra-right online community Ilbe. It was displayed from Tuesday as a graduation project of a 22-year-old arts major student surnamed Hong
June 1, 2016
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Women's groups slam crime prevention plan
A number of women’s groups expressed concerns over the government’s new measures to combat crimes against women, such as forced hospitalization of the mentally ill and getting rid of public unisex bathrooms, calling them impractical and even discriminatory. In a joint press release issued by nine agencies, including the ministries of gender equality and justice, the government on Wednesday introduced a number of measures to protect women against violent crimes.They included installing more surve
June 1, 2016
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Debate persists over redevelopment of Okbaraji Golmok
An old, narrow alley located in central Seoul’s Muhak-dong, Jongno-gu, known as Okbaraji Golmok or Inn Alley, is now 80 percent demolished, with very few buildings left to be knocked down in the area designated as a redevelopment zone in 2006.As is often the case with redevelopment plans, residents are split on its urban renewal. The alley was approved for redevelopment by Seoul Metropolitan Government in July 2015, citing it as “suitable for redevelopment considering the area’s poor infrastruct
June 1, 2016
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Seoul Metro apologizes, vows to strengthen safety
Seoul Subway operator Seoul Metro apologized for the fatal accident on Saturday admitting that it was due to lax safety standards and flawed management system, vowing to implement preventive measures.“It was Seoul Metro’s fault for the loss of 19-year-old employee Kim, who was just like one of our sons and brothers,” said Jeong Su-young, head of Seoul Metro’s Infrastructure Management department during a press conference Wednesday at subway line No. 2 Guui Station. Kim worked for a company that
June 1, 2016
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Explosion at subway construction site kills 4 workers, injures 10
Four people died and 10 others were injured after a subway construction site near Seoul collapsed Wednesday morning due to what is believed to be a gas explosion. The blast took place in the city of Namyangju, east of Seoul, at 7:20 a.m. while 17 workers were welding iron bars to drill a hole through the ground, police and fire department officials said. One worker died from the explosion, while three others were found dead after being trapped under the debris 15 meters underground.The 10 injure
June 1, 2016
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Middle school principal sentenced for inappropriate acts
A former middle school principal was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 80 hours of rehabilitation program after he was found to have made inappropriate physical contact with female pupils during his term in office. The 57-year-old has been indicted under charges of summoning a 14-year-old to his office and later stroking her face and kissing her on the lips. The student had returned to school during the vacation period for an extracurricular baking class. (Yonhap)Another victim said he had
June 1, 2016
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Busan to increase number of CCTV cameras
Busan City said Wednesday that it had proposed a budget of 1 billion won ($837,000) to install 80 additional surveillance cameras, in a bid to deal with a surge in unprovoked violent crime. A week ago on May 25, a man suffering psychological disorder had wielded a wooden club at women he chose apparently at random in Busan’s city center. (123RF)Once the bill is approved by the Busan City Committee at the end of this month, 80 high-resolution surveillance cameras will be purchased and distribut
June 1, 2016
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Seoul population falls under 10 mln
The population of Seoul fell under 10 million for the first time in nearly three decades, government data showed Wednesday, apparently due to soaring housing prices in the country's capital.Seoul's population came to 9,995,784 as of the end of May, down 7,195 from a month earlier, according to the data released by the Ministry of the Interior. It has not dropped below the 10-million mark since the capital became a mega city in 1988. The number has been decreasing for 15 consecutive months since
June 1, 2016
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Man killed by suicide jumper
Two men died Tuesday in Buk-gu, Gwangju, after one threw himself out a window to kill himself and landed on top of the other. Police said a 26-year-old university student, whose identity has been withheld, left a suicide note and jumped from the 12th floor of his apartment complex at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday. In an unfortunate coincidence he fell on top of a 40-year-old man returning home after work.This is a stock image. (123RF)The two were immediately taken to a hospital but neither survived
June 1, 2016
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3 Korean men arrested for gang raping Swedish tourist
Three men were arrested on charges of gang raping a Swedish tourist they met at a nightclub in Hongdae, Seoul, the Seoul Mapo police said Wednesday.The men, in their 20s, allegedly accosted the victim “to show her the Korean nightlife,” on May 14 in Hongdae area. (123RF)The four of them drank until the next morning, resulting in the victim becoming heavily intoxicated. The suspects are then alleged to have taken the victim to one of the men’s flat where they sexually assaulted her and photograph
June 1, 2016
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Subway construction site explodes, kills 4 workers, injures 10
Four workers were killed and 10 others were injured Wednesday, when a subway construction site near Seoul collapsed due to what is believed to be a gas explosion, police said.The victims, who were trapped under debris 15 meters underground, were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment, according to authorities. The accident, which occurred in the city of Namyangju, east of Seoul, around 7:30 a.m., took place when a total of 17 workers were on duty. One of the victims died after being throw
June 1, 2016
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Former chief of Oxy Korea indicted in toxic sterilizer probe
Prosecutors indicted a former chief of the South Korean unit of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser on Tuesday over the British firm‘s toxic humidifier sterilizers which resulted in numerous deaths and illnesses here. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it indicted Shin Hyun-woo over the snowballing case that has fueled public concerns over the safety of household chemicals. Third from left, former CEO of Oxy Korea Shin Hyun-woo (Yonhap) The 68-year-old, who headed the company between 1991 an
May 31, 2016
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Anti-LGBT pastor booked for violating election law
A 63-year-old female pastor was booked without detention on Tuesday for violation of an election law. Surnamed Choi, the pastor had spread fliers during the election period in April against candidates who had called for equal rights for homosexuals.(Yonhap)Those targeted by Choi for “defending and promoting” homosexuality include candidates who called for including homosexuals in an antidiscrimination law, and those who called for a revision of the military criminal act that would allow homosexu
May 31, 2016
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Attempted rapist gets 3 1/2 years in prison
Ulsan District court on Thursday sentenced a man who attempted to rape a woman to 3 1/2 years in prison, along with 80 hours in a rehabilitation program. The woman had been in the same class as the man in university and according to the court, the two had had a fairly close relationship until she began to draw the line. (123RF)The man had asked the woman out and drugged her coffee while the two of them were in his car, said the court. He then drove her to his house and attempted to rape her, ho
May 31, 2016
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Rights watchdog concerned over forced hospitalization of mentally ill people
National Human Rights Commission chairman Lee Sung-ho on Tuesday expressed concern over the police’s recent decision to hospitalize individuals with mental illness should they show signs of violent or criminal behavior. He said such a measure may trigger unnecessary stigmatization against the mentally ill. The police’s decision was announced last week following the recent Gangnam murder case, in which a 23-year-old woman was stabbed to death by a man with a history of schizophrenia who said he k
May 31, 2016
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Police blasted over management of ex-convicts
The police has came under fire for lax management of ex-convicts and their inability to prevent crimes by second offenders, as it was revealed Tuesday that they had failed to monitor an ex-convict suspected of murdering a 63-year-old woman on a mountain trail. The suspected killer, identified only by his surname Kim, was not included in the police’s monitoring list of ex-convicts for the past four months, which allegedly allowed him to dodge them and commit the crime. The victim was found dead i
May 31, 2016
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Pastor gets 3 years for raping churchgoer
A pastor was handed down three years in prison by the Incheon District Court on Tuesday for raping a female member of his congregation.He was identified only by his last name, Sim, in the sentencing. According to the Incheon District Court, 35-year-old Sim claimed innocence as he and the 23-year-old churchgoer had supposedly had an existing romantic extramarital affair which involved mutually agreed sex. (123RF)On Jan. 4, Sim invited the victim to his house while his wife was away and raped the
May 31, 2016
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Comfort women foundation to focus on healing scars, recovering dignity: committee chief
Head of the newly-launched preparation committee for a foundation to be tasked with helping former comfort women said Tuesday that her focus will be placed on healing their scars and helping them recover their dignity.Kim Tae-hyun, an honorary professor at Sungshin Women's University, added that she and other members of the committee will be all ears to what they really want, believing that genuine communication starts with listening to what people want to say. "I feel a heavy burden from taking
May 31, 2016
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Political parties vow to roll out safety measures following subway worker's death
South Korea's ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday vowed to roll out safety measures for subway workers, adding they will make efforts to conduct a thorough probe and come up with effective preventive measures.On Saturday, a 19-year-old maintenance worker surnamed Kim died while on duty when he was hit by a subway train in Seoul. Police cited the negligence of the subway operator as the main cause of the accident.The incident drew backlash from the public on the working environment for emplo
May 31, 2016
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Korean children start English education before turning five
South Korean mothers have their children start learning English before they turn five on average, an age some admit is probably too early, a survey showed Tuesday.Yoon's English School, a company that runs a chain of English language schools across the country, asked 466 members of an online mothers' community between May 25-29 and found that their children started learning English at an average age of 4.8. The survey said24.9 percent started at age 6, 21.7 percent at age 5 and 14.8 percent at a
May 31, 2016