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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Korea to offer $700,000 in aid to quake-hit Ecuador
South Korea will offer $700,000 in aid to Ecuador in the wake of a deadly earthquake that has claimed hundreds of lives, the Foreign Ministry said WednesdayOn Saturday, a 7.8-magnitude quake hit the South American nation, leaving more than 400 people killed and thousands injured or missing. The Ecuadorian government has declared a state of national emergency, with about 40,000 people deemed to be in need of urgent humanitarian assistance."As a responsible middle power of the international commun
April 20, 2016
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Seoul ward office to snuff spread of smoke shops
The Seocho ward office in Seoul said Wednesday it plans to implement a new regulation in late October that would strengthen a distance requirement in a bid to reduce the number of tobacco retailers on par with the levels of advanced countries.Under the regulation, the distance of any future smoke shop from others would have to be widened to 100 meters from the current 50 meters. For tobacco shops to be installed in such large buildings as a bus terminal, the shops would most likely be within 50
April 20, 2016
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'Sewol' ribbon listed as standard unicode
A remembrance ribbon which commemorates the deadly ferry sinking that took more than 300 lives two years ago was designated as a computing text standard, the Unicode Consortium said Wednesday.The unicode refers to the industry computing text standard, which includes the English and Korean alphabets, that is displayed on computers around the globe. The yellow ribbon, previously called the "reminder ribbon" under the code "1F397," changed its title to "Remember 0416" after an anonymous sponsor mad
April 20, 2016
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Teenagers gang-rape middle school girl
Six middle school students were arrested Wednesday for sexually assaulting a girl who had only just graduated from primary school.The boys, aged 14, are being accused of having sexual intercourse with a minor who was incapacitated under alcoholic influence and unable to resist. This is a stock image. The girl in this photo is not the victim mentioned in the article. (123RF)The incident took place at a goshiwon -- low-cost single room accommodation -- rented by one of the boy’s parents, in Buche
April 20, 2016
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Disabled students suffer under reluctant education system
For Doh Woo-gyung in Busan, a mother of a 14-year-old with brain lesions, it was a daring decision to send him to a general public school instead of a special school for the disabled.“As soon as my son graduates high school, he will have to survive in the nondisabled society,” the 44-year old Doh told The Korea Herald. She said she wanted her child to have an opportunity to mingle with the nondisabled. But the mere task of going to school and spending a day there has become a challenge, as the s
April 19, 2016
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Expats blocked from benefits for disabled kids
About five years ago, Jessica Wood, a British expat living in South Korea, learned that her then 1-year-old daughter had cerebral palsy. Wood had been living in Korea for four years prior to having her child here. But even to this day, her daughter cannot be legally recognized as a disabled person in the country because she is not a South Korean national. 123rfWithout recognition of her daughter’s status, Wood and her husband -- who is also a British national -- cannot get a parking permit, even
April 19, 2016
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Korea, NASA to partner on air pollution study
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration will send two science planes to South Korea next week to conduct an air pollution study in cooperation with the Asian country's environment research body, government officials said Tuesday.The National Institute of Environmental Research said a DC-8 flying laboratory and a Beechcraft UC-12B King Air are scheduled to arrive at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, on April 27 as South Korean and U.S. scientists are set to begin the six-week joint st
April 19, 2016
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Mountain-path killer had mental disorder
The 49-year-old man who murdered a trekker on a well-beaten mountain path in Gwangju had a serious case of megalomania, according to the police on Tuesday. The killer, surnamed Kim, had wandered around a college campus and the adjacent Eodeungsan Mountain with a knife, before coming across a trekker and brutally murdering him at around 5 p.m. on Monday.The victim was a 63-year-old man surnamed Lee who had been resting on a rock with his mobile phone. Kim attempted to forcefully take the phone fr
April 19, 2016
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Taxi driver jailed for sexual assault of female passenger
A taxi driver who sexually assaulted an inebriated female passenger was sentenced to a year in prison without probation Tuesday. (Yonhap)According to the Ulsan District Court, the 57-year-old driver was charged last July for taking advantage of a passenger’s drunken state to commit indecent acts on her in a motel room.The court determined, “The defendant’s indecent act and harassment resulted in a considerable amount of sexual humiliation and psychological shock for the victim,” and slapped him
April 19, 2016
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Selling Louis Vuitton fried chicken? Not a good idea
A fried chicken restaurant owner in Korea was fined 14.5 million won ($12,500) on Sunday for refusing to stop taking advantage of luxury designer brand Louis Vuitton’s name. The restaurant owner, identified by his surname Kim, had named his restaurant in Seoul, “Louis Vuitton Dak.” The word “dak” means chicken in Korean. In addition to the restaurant name, he created a logo similar to that of the French fashion house and put it on the restaurant’s napkins as well as on its take-out boxes.Louis V
April 19, 2016
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Top court upholds damages payment over hostage killing
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the state to pay 96.16 million won ($84,000) in damages to the family of a murdered college student in a 2010 kidnapping incident, citing improper measures by the police.A man held the female student hostage in the southeastern city of Daegu in June 2010 and killed her in retaliation for the police's moves to arrest him after evading a police cordon.In handing down the ruling, the top court said, "The police had failed to take
April 19, 2016
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Released dolphin confirmed to have given birth in wild, set new precedent
A team of South Korean researchers said Monday an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin released into the wild is confirmed to have successfully given birth, heralding the unprecedented birth.The marine mammal, called Sampal and believed to be aged between 13 and 15, is presumed to have delivered and raised a calf after being released into waters off the South Korean island of Jeju in 2013."We have spotted Sampal and her baby swimming in a parent-child posture many times during the recent three weeks,
April 18, 2016
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Former, incumbent execs of Seoul taekwondo body indicted over corruption
Prosecutors indicted eight former and current executives of a Seoul-based taekwondo association and a former high-level official of a taekwondo association for the disabled on Monday on a string of charges related to corruption.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said former chief of the Seoul-based martial arts association, identified only by his surname Lim, is accused of helping his son-in-law, who had no experience with taekwondo, pass a belt test in March 2011. A former vice chie
April 18, 2016
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Pride Parade to be held on June 11 in central Seoul
This year’s Queer Cultural Festival will kick off on June 11 with a pride parade to be held in central Seoul, its organizing committee said Monday. The rainbow-studded pride parade will take place in Seoul Plaza for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender revelers and their supporters under the slogan “QUEER I AM.”During the nine-day Queer Festival, the main overnight party “Private Beach” will be hosted on June 11, after the parade. Films about sexual minorities will be played in major cinemas a
April 18, 2016
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[From the scene] Traders dig in heels at Noryangjin Fish Market
On a Sunday afternoon, fishmongers cheerfully call out to customers in several languages to lure them into buying seafood displayed in their small tanks and baskets lined up at the front -- a typical scene at the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market located in western Seoul. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)But in what is a usually vibrant and lively fish market drawing some 30,000 customers a day, tension is running high. Red ribbons reading “Opposition to relocation of fish market” or “Please sa
April 18, 2016
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Number of Korean languange test takers hits record high
The number of applicants that took the state-run Korean language proficiency test for non-native Korean speakers over the weekend reached a record high, the education ministry said Monday. A total of 72,295 applicants took the 46th Test of Proficiency administered on Saturday and Sunday at 164 locations in 45 countries across the world. Launched in 1997, TOPIK measures the ability to understand Korean language encompassing grammar, reading, listening and writing for those preparing to study or w
April 18, 2016
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Japanese reporter files suit against Korea government
A Japanese reporter cleared of defaming South Korean President Park Geun-hye last year filed a criminal compensation suit against the government recently, according to legal sources. Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief for Japanese right-wing daily Sankei Shimbun, on March 18 demanded financial compensation to cover legal costs and transport fees incurred while standing trial in Korea. Tatsuya Kato (Yonhap)Under the country’s criminal law, the wrongly accused, whose charges are cleared in co
April 18, 2016
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Jeju murder suspect caught
Jeju Seogwipo police on Monday arrested a Korean man on suspicion of the murder of a Chinese woman, whose body was found deserted in a field on Jejudo Island last week. A herb picker found the body last Wednesday and the police have investigated the case targeting people who were acquainted with the victim, a 22-year-old Chinese who entered the country on Oct. 7, 2015 and overstayed her visa-free period in order to work.The police had circulated this leaflet to verify the victim's identity. (Yon
April 18, 2016
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Stickers for transport payment
Lotte Card on Monday announced the launching of an adhesive sticker that can be used in making payments for public transportation rides. The Lotte Sticker Card is one-third the size of a common credit card and can be attached to the back of a mobile phone for convenient use. (Yonhap)The sticker card can also be used at SPC Group affiliates such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Paris Baguette and 7-Eleven. Those who already have a Lotte credit card can get this sticker issued. However, those who do not must s
April 18, 2016
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Married man impersonates lawyer to swindle W20m
A married man who impersonated a single lawyer to swindle more than 20 million won ($17,000) from a woman was given two years in prison on Monday. Seoul’s northern district court said it had determined the 37-year-old swindler surnamed Kim to be guilty of deceit as he had neither the intention nor the ability to pay back what he had “borrowed.” This is a stock image from 123RF (123RF)Kim had impersonated a chief lawyer at an existing law firm by using fake name cards.He duped a 34-year-old woman
April 18, 2016