Most Popular
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
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With Indonesia unable to pay full share, what’s next for KF-21 fighter project?
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Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
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Korean history exam now mandatory
The Korean history test will become mandatory for college entrance exam takers starting this year, officials said Tuesday. The Education Ministry said the score of the College Scholastic Aptitude Test, or Suneung, will be invalid if test-takers do not sit for the Korean history exam. The new rule is part of the ministry’s guidelines and plans for the CSAT this year. The ministry annually releases the basic scheme for the national college entrance exam at the start of the school year. The test wi
March 29, 2016
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'Subway masseur’ to be retried as sex offender
Korea’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that a man who “massaged” an inebriated woman in a late night train fits the profile of a sex offender and he must be retried accordingly. The man, previously acquitted on grounds that he lacked intent, will be tried again at the Seoul Central Court, according to Justice Park Bo-young of the Supreme Court. (123RF)Justice Park’s announcement said the “act of semi-coercive molestation does not require deliberate objective for sexual gratification” and that “layin
March 29, 2016
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Divorce-seeking wife tortured by husband
A woman pursuing divorce was locked up for over 24 hours and tortured by her husband, Seoul’s Seocho Police Station said Monday. (123RF)The husband, whose identity was withheld by the police, met with his estranged wife at his bar in Seocho-gu to discuss custody rights. When she turned up, he locked her in an underground storage house where he is suspected of torturing her with a hot iron. He then took the victim to a hospital for emergency treatment and kept watch to prevent her from contactin
March 29, 2016
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Wait time for foreigners' alien registration, extension of stay slashed
The wait time for foreigners filing for alien registration or extension of stay has been sharply decreased with the extended implementation of the online reservation system, the government said Tuesday.The Ministry of Justice said since it adopted the full-scale online reservation system at six immigration offices in the Seoul metropolitan area in February, 45,635 cases have been processed via the Internet as of last week, accounting for 44.4 percent of the total. The online system allows foreig
March 29, 2016
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Korea‘s air passenger traffic jumps 15.3% in Feb.
South Korea's air passenger traffic jumped 15.3 percent in February from a year earlier on an increase in domestic and international travelers amid reduced fuel costs, government data showed Tuesday.The number of people entering and leaving the country by plane reached 8.13 million last month, up from 7.05 million tallied a year ago, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Outbound travelers rose 15.7 percent on-year to 5.85 million, with inbound air passeng
March 29, 2016
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9 in 10 immigrant investors are Chinese
About 9 out of 10 foreigners who obtained residency visas in South Korea through the immigrant investor program were from China, the government said Monday. The Justice Ministry said that 123, or 88.5 percent, of the 139 investments were made by Chinese citizens, followed by three from Hong Kong and Iran, respectively. (Yonahp)Amid the need for capital to boost the economy, the government has granted residency to foreign nationals in return for investment in public development projects since May
March 28, 2016
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Daredevils unwelcome in Korea
Daredevils Vitaliy Raskalov and Vadim Makhorov, whose unprotected skyscraper-scaling photographs would give any acrophobic person an immediate heart attack, are apparently not welcome in Korea. After the 20-year-old Raskalov updated his Instagram account with a photo of his feet precariously atop Seoul’s Lotte World Tower, Sunday, the Korean public responded with fierce criticism of his “reckless” and “irresponsible” behavior. (Raskalov's Instagram)In the shot captioned “Get ready for the new vi
March 28, 2016
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Number of foreign students hit record high
The number of foreign students in South Korea has hit a record high, topping 100,000, the Justice Ministry said Monday. According to the ministry’s statistics, the number of foreign students studying in Korea was 105,193 in March, up 10.6 percent from January. The number saw a gradual decrease from 88,468 in 2011 to 81,847 in 2013, but started to bounce back in 2015 at 96,357. Graduates of Konkuk University in Seoul attend a graduation ceremony on Feb. 22. (Yonhap)By nationality, there were 62,
March 28, 2016
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Korean female expats happiest in Brazil: study
Ethnic Korean women living in Brazil are the most satisfied with life, while those in Guatemala are the least content, a study showed Monday. Those who live overseas also face difficulties in dealing with language barriers, cultural differences, racism and financial problems.The research, written and published by the Korean Women’s Development Institute, surveyed 1,360 ethnic Korean women living in 20 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Russia, and Germany.South Koreans attend an exhib
March 28, 2016
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Spouses' employment status affects South Korean women's mental health
South Korean women were found to be emotionally dependent on the employment status of their spouses, with more women likely to suffer from depression when their partners retire, a study showed Monday.The results were also connected to the low employment rate of women in South Korea, with only 55.7 percent of women aged 15-65 in the workforce. This is lower than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.123rfThe study on depression researched a total of 5,
March 28, 2016
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South Korea's foreign worker policy founders
Foreign workers in South Korea are concentrated in labor-intensive industries despite growing calls for a “comprehensive” immigration policy to encourage more skilled workers from abroad, according to a recent report. The study by Hyundai Research Institute, commissioned by the Justice Ministry, suggested that the government fix its immigration system that is heavily focused on low-skilled workers and more effectively make use of foreign workers on a long-term basis in the wake of aging populati
March 28, 2016
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Spurned lover takes ex's new man hostage
A Korean man in his 20s took his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend hostage for five hours while brandishing a knife, before giving in to the police on Monday.Incheon Namdong Police Station said the perpetrator, whose identity has been withheld, waited for his former girlfriend in front of her studio apartment in Ganseok-dong, Namdong-gu, from as early as 8 a.m. (YouTube Capture)When the woman saw the man who had been waiting in front of her door, she pushed past him and ran next door for shelter. Co
March 28, 2016
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Single largest group of Chinese tourists visits Incheon and Seoul
The single largest group of Chinese tourists to ever come by plane are on a tour of Incheon on Monday driven by the Asia-wide boom of Korean pop culture.Approximately 6,000 Chinese tourists -- all employees of Aolan International Beauty Group, a cosmetics and health supplements company based in the south China province of Guangzhou -- will make a week-long trip to Incheon and Seoul until Saturday to visit various tourist attractions in those cities, according to organizers of the tour.Included i
March 28, 2016
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Korea to expand fund for African cooperation by $600 mln
South Korea will inject a fresh $600 million into its overseas cooperation fund by 2018 to help African countries launch massive infrastructure-building projects, the finance ministry said Monday.In a Seoul meeting with Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho discussed ways to enhance cooperation between South Korea and the African continent, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.Yoo said South Korea is ready to share its experience and
March 28, 2016
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Gov't to beef up corporate supervision over demeaning treatment of employees
South Korea will strengthen work environment monitoring amid a series of scandals over local firms' demeaning treatment of their employees, the labor minister said Monday."If companies debased their employees, such practices must be corrected," Labor Minister Lee Ki-kweon told reporters, referring to recent news reports on local firms' misconduct. Doosan Corporation Mottrol, a hydraulic components manufacturer affiliated with Doosan Group, has been at the center of controversy because its manage
March 28, 2016
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Makgeolli baptism -- only in Korea
Busan’s Dong-a University became the center of controversy Monday, after a photo of mass hazing was leaked online by the family member of an admitted freshman.In the shot that immediately went viral, a group of students were shown lined up with hands politely clasped in front while an older-looking student poured makgeolli, milky fermented alcohol, over their bowed heads.Pieces of unidentifiable filth were blended in with the drink.Leaked photo shows Dong-a University students pouring alcohol ov
March 28, 2016
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Gov't cancels licenses of substandard travel agencies
South Korea has canceled the licenses of 68 tour operators that lure Chinese travelers with cheap, low-quality packages or hire unqualified guides to improve the tourism industry's competitiveness, the culture ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has conducted reviews on 170 tour agencies specializing in Chinese travelers, and revoked licenses of 40 percent of them for failing to meet the requirements. Most of them offered unreasonably cheap prices and employed unqua
March 28, 2016
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Anti-child abuse curriculum compulsory for divorcing parents
Amid the soaring number of reported cases of child abuse, parents in Seoul will not be allowed to divorce unless they complete a child abuse prevention course.The Seoul Family Court said Sunday it will start from May a compulsory education course on child abuse prevention for divorcing parents, aiming to protect children from potential abuse in a stepfamily.The curriculum will warn divorcing couples that any form of abuse, either physical or emotional, may lead to the deprivation of custody or p
March 27, 2016
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Cost of child abuse skyrockets to W76tr
The direct and indirect social costs caused by child abuse in South Korea total up to 76 trillion won ($65 billion) per year, data showed.The amount includes basic medical expenses for abused children, as well as long-term social and economic costs triggered by the victims’ psychological disorder, loss of labor capacity and potential crimes.According to a report by Ewha Womans University’s Department of Social Welfare, the annual social and economic costs are estimated to stand at 390 billion wo
March 27, 2016
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Korea to toughen preventive measures against MERS
South Korea will toughen its preventive measures against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome(MERS) amid a recent spike in cases in the Middle East, the government said Sunday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government advised people returning from Middle Eastern countries in the past 14 days who show symptoms of fever and respiratory disease to contact health workers at an emergency hotline before visiting hospitals.The government earlier set up the MERS hotline to provide quick and accurate information
March 27, 2016