Most Popular
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Is NewJeans headed for a long 'break'?
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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Gov't to expand merit pay to all public-sector workers
The government decided Thursday to expand a performance-based wage system to all public agency employees as part of its plan to improve efficiency in the public sector, the finance ministry said.The decision, made at a public agency management meeting in Seoul, calls for all public institutions to adopt the merit-based pay system by the end of 2016.Until now, the government has only implemented the performance-based system with executive members of public institutions since 2010.Under the merit
Jan. 28, 2016
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Wartime sex slave victims ask U.N. to determine legitimacy of Seoul-Tokyo deal
Elderly South Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II sent a petition to the United Nations on Thursday, asking the international body to determine the legitimacy of the recent deal between Seoul and Tokyo over the issue, their legal representatives said.South Korea and Japan reached a landmark deal last month to resolve the issue of the so-called comfort women.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave an apology and Japan agreed to offer 1 billion yen
Jan. 28, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Korean science prodigies seek sustainability in school
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Climate change has become a hot global issue of concern, with 195 countries adopting the first-ever legally binding global climate deal at the Paris climate conference in December.With each government contemplating measures to fulfill their pledge to limit global average temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, a group of Korean science prodigies have stepped up to the plate, boldly vowing to pursue sustainability starting from t
Jan. 28, 2016
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Abu Dhabi a model for sustainable urban city
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has long been a strategic business hub for foreigners with a zero-tax jurisdiction that offers 100 percent foreign ownership within free trade zones. Along with such a business-friendly environment, the city is taking ambitious initiatives to turn itself into a sustainable urban city with various renewable energy development projects for its next generations, including the signature project of Masdar City. L
Jan. 28, 2016
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Top court orders expenses to be paid for treatment after decision to die with dignity
South Korea’s top court Thursday ruled in favor of a hospital, ordering family members of a now deceased patient, who had refused life-extending treatments, to pay for related medical expenses.The Supreme Court ruled that the bereaved family of the patient -- the first patient allowed to “die with dignity” in South Korea -- should pay medical expenses totaling 86.4 million won ($71,500) to Yonsei Severance Hospital. She died at the age of 78 in 2010.This was the second legal dispute between the
Jan. 28, 2016
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Over 26,000 South Koreans decorated in 2015
The government said Thursday that it had awarded merits to 26,602 people last year – nearly double the number given out in 2013 and the highest number since 1954. According to the Ministry of Interior, the number of merits have been on the rise over the past few years. In 2013, 13,601 merits were awarded and 21,669 in 2014.Last year's figure -- 26,602 merits -- is the highest since the Korean government was established in 1948, with the exception of 1954 when the government decorated war veteran
Jan. 28, 2016
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Childhood exposure to domestic abuse has life-long effects
A brain scan study by a South Korean psychiatrist found specific changes in key circuits that process fear in the brains of Korean adults who were exposed to domestic violence as children. It claims that such experiences can have serious lifelong consequences on victims both emotionally and clinically. The study raises concerns about South Korea’s current child protection legislation, as well as child welfare policies that do not specifically include childhood exposure to domestic violence in de
Jan. 28, 2016
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Sewol salvage operations face month-long delay
The government said Thursday that the salvage operations of Sewol ferry are expected to conclude by around late July, a month behind schedule.According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, unfavorable work conditions have led to delays at nearly every step. The waters off the coast of Jindo, South Jeolla Province -- where the ill-fated vessel lies -- contain strong, volatile currents and murky water which hindered rescue efforts after the ship’s sinking on April 16, 2014. Divers from China’s
Jan. 28, 2016
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Court to review constitutionality of parliamentary act
The Constitutional Court will hold a public hearing Thursday to review the constitutionality of the contentious National Assembly Act amid a parliamentary speaker's move to revise it.The act, passed in May 2012, stipulates that a bill with contested issues can only be put up for a vote with the approval of more than 60 percent of sitting lawmakers and requires a bipartisan agreement for a parliamentary speaker to table a bill.The clause, however, has been criticized as the main culprit of paraly
Jan. 28, 2016
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Bus driver partially responsible for elderly woman's injury: court
A Seoul court ruled on Thursday that a bus driver is partially responsible for the injury an elderly female passenger sustained on a moving inter-city bus.The Seoul District Court said the bus driver should pay 3 million won (US$2,482) more than the compensation already paid to the 81-year-old woman, explaining that the driver is 70 percent responsible for the accident.The woman fractured her thighbone, when she stood up and walked toward the exit to get off while the bus was still running.Polic
Jan. 28, 2016
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Gov't to cultivate public servants with professionalism
The government said Thursday that it plans to adopt a system this year that would allow public servants to specialize in one area as part of its effort to enhance professionalism in the public sector."A system of cultivating public servants with specialty will be adopted," Minister of Personnel Management Lee Geun-myeon said.Under the current system, public officials are rotated to different departments while the new system allows certain officials with specialties to work in that position throu
Jan. 28, 2016
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No. of S. Korean visitors to Cuba jumps 50% in 2015
The number of South Koreans visiting Cuba jumped 50 percent last year compared with the previous year, a South Korean government agency said, citing official Cuban data.More than 7,500 South Koreans traveled to the Caribbean nation in 2015, up from some 5,000 in 2014 and 3,000 in 2010, the Havana office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said Wednesday (local time), citing Cuban government data.Most of the visitors were couples on honeymoon, families, members of academic bodi
Jan. 28, 2016
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Korea's air passenger traffic rises 9.8% in 2015
South Korea's air passenger traffic rose 9.8 percent last year from a year earlier on an increase in both inbound and outbound travelers, government data showed Thursday.The number of people entering and leaving the country by plane reached 89.41 million, up from 81.43 million the year before, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.International passengers gained 8.2 percent on-year to a record 61.43 million last year, while domestic air travelers ju
Jan. 28, 2016
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Chinese couple arrested for illegal entry
Two Chinese nationals were arrested Wednesday under charges of violating South Korea‘s immigration control law. They were apprehended for illegally entering the country through Incheon International Airport last week.The married couple was caught on Jan. 25 in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. They had gotten past four different stages of security at Korea’s largest airport on Jan. 21.The Justice Ministry’s Immigration Service said that the two individuals, who are both of Korean descent and
Jan. 27, 2016
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Avoiding psychiatric treatment linked to Korea’s high suicide rate
Avoidance of psychiatric treatment and alcohol abuse are significantly linked to South Korea’s high suicide rate, a government report showed on Wednesday. The research, which surveyed 151 family members of 121 suicide victims last year, raised concerns about the nation’s social stigma against people with mental disorders and substance abuse, which often discourages them to seek professional help. South Korea is notorious for its high suicide rate – the highest among countries within the Organiza
Jan. 27, 2016
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Seoul city to expand exchanges with Teheran
The Seoul metropolitan government will push to expand exchanges with the Iranian capital of Teheran, with the recent lifting of international sanctions on the Middle East country.Seoul city's plan is in line with the Iranian government's move to improve relations with South Korea by expanding exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.Although details of their exchange programs have not been made, Seoul city officials said the two cities will work out plans soon to increase their friend
Jan. 27, 2016
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[From the scene] Student sit-in shields ‘comfort woman’ statue
On Wednesday morning about 10 students in their 20s woke up to another morning in the biting cold, checking on the “comfort woman” statue next to them.For the past 29 days, an association of 16 university councils and students’ groups has staged a sit-in day and night to guard the life-size bronze statue symbolizing victims sexually enslaved by Japan during World War II. A team of about 10 to 20 students spend the night across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, taking turns watching
Jan. 27, 2016
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Korea seeks another lawsuit against Volkswagen
The South Korean government is pursuing another lawsuit against Volkswagen Korea over its emissions-rigging scandal, following a previous suit last week. The Ministry of Environment filed a second lawsuit against Volkswagen Korea managing director Johannes Thammer and Terence Bryce Johnson, the head of overseas sales with Audi at the Volkswagen Group, for failing to acquire car certifications from the government and not meeting the emissions requirements. YonhapSince the previous vehicle certif
Jan. 27, 2016
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City steps up bird flu measures
Seoul City will strengthen preemptive measures against avian influenza by keeping a close watch on the arrival of migratory birds, officials said Wednesday.Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would conduct virus tests on 60 migratory birds that inhabit the area around the Hangang River. It will attach location-tracking systems to half of them to monitor their travel routes. The location-tracking system is connected to a communications network, enabling the city government to track the birds’
Jan. 27, 2016
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Korea's power consumption up 1.3% in 2015
South Korea's electricity consumption moved up a modest 1.3 percent on-year in 2015, helped by a rise in demand from the industrial and private sectors, government data showed Wednesday.The country used 4,837 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of power last year, up from 4,776 kWh in 2014, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.Power usage is an important barometer of a country's economic health, with gains corresponding to improvements in the economy.Asia's fourth largest economy grew 2.6 percent in
Jan. 27, 2016