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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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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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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New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Another victim of Japan’s wartime sex slavery dies
Another South Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese military during World War II died Saturday, bringing the number of Korean survivors to 46. Choi Gab-soon died at age 96, after years of suffering from chronic conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia, said the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Choi was the ninth Korean victim of slavery to die this year. The late victim was born in 1919 in Gurye, South Jeolla Province. When she was 15, Ch
Dec. 6, 2015
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S. Korea, U.N. agree on anti-corruption effort
South Korea’s Anticorruption and Civil Rights Commission agreed to share its corruption-fighting know-how with developing countries, in an MOU signed with the United Nations Development Program on Friday. “With this MOU, we want to increase our strategic opportunities to help increase the anticorruption capacity of developing countries by combining the UNDP’s policy expertise and country-level presence, with ACRC’s anticorruption technical expertise and innovative tools, such as the Anticorrupt
Dec. 4, 2015
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[Weekender] The police officer's daily grind
With the setting sun, darkness seeps into the harbor city of Incheon. As people unwind after a hectic day of work with bottles of soju, some beer and ample amounts of Korean barbecue in the local popular hangout, things start to get a little rough around a clearly-drunk 50-something man. Uniformed police officers arrive on the scene and attempt to calm things down, but are welcomed with a slap and violent behavior with rants of “How dare you lecture me when you’re just my son’s age!” Cops specia
Dec. 4, 2015
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Backlash intensifies over bar exam retention
The government’s decision to delay the abolishment of the state-run bar exam has stoked vehement opposition, as students from 24 of 25 law schools in Korea agreed Friday to hand in dropout letters and refused to attend classes. The University of Seoul Law School, one institute which did not participate in the movement, held a general meeting later in the day to discuss the matter. “The Justice Ministry broke its promise in 2007 to abolish the bar exam, which is a nearsighted decision that is ag
Dec. 4, 2015
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[Weekender] Closer to the people
In light of the deadly terror attack in Paris last month and the fear it sparked around the globe, many in South Korea also began reconsidering everyday safety.Granted, amid the constant threat from the reclusive North Korea, coping with looming fear has become somewhat usual for Koreans for decades. And various global indexes, including the Better Life Index 2015 by OECD, placed South Korea as one of the safest places to live, at No. 6. Behind the unorthodox sense of security enjoyed by the pub
Dec. 4, 2015
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[Weekender] Portraying police in Korean cinema
“We may not have money, but we have our pride.”This year’s smashing box-office hit “Veteran” -- a cathartic action thriller following a detective trying to arrest a sociopathic young chaebol scion on criminal charges -- offered arguably one of the most positive portrayals of Korean cops. The detective Do-cheol (played by Hwang Jeong-min), as reflected in the above famous quote, is fierce, righteous, capable and, most of all, ethical. He does not exchange his dignity for his own safety, comfort
Dec. 4, 2015
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[Weekender] After K-pop, Korea eyes ‘K-cop wave’
With Korean pop culture, known as K-pop, enjoying steady popularity around the globe, South Korea is looking to export its homegrown policing tactics and equipment in the hope that it can spur what they call the “K-cop wave.”Putting aside controversy at home over the excessive use of police equipment such as water cannons and pepper spray at rallies, South Korean police’s security capabilities have received the spotlight given its long years of experience in keeping public order through turbulen
Dec. 4, 2015
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[Weekender] Tech plays bigger role in fighting crime
As crimes become more complex, the role of technology has been ever more crucial in nabbing and indicting suspects. From autopsies and fingerprint recognition to DNA and psychological analyses, the Korean police have improved over the years.Korea Crime Scene Investigation agents demonstrate how they secure evidence and investigate a crime scene. (Yonhap) Among the technologies that have been developed, the advancement of fingerprint analysis is especially noticeable since its introduction to Ko
Dec. 4, 2015
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S. Korea to offer US$3 mln in refugee aid
South Korea will offer a total of US$3 million in aid to Greece, Serbia and Croatia to help them cope with the growing refugee crisis in the region, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.The number of people fleeing to Europe from conflict-torn nations, such as Syria and Iraq, has reached 850,000 this year, according to the ministry. In 2012, that number was 330,000, while in 2013, it was 430,000. Last year, 620,000 refugees crossed the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.South Korea will provide Greec
Dec. 4, 2015
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Massive anti-gov't rally to be staged this weekend
An association of 118 civic groups will hold a street demonstration in central Seoul this weekend, police said Friday, following a court ruling that overturned the police ban on the rally.It is the second rally after one in mid-November, which brought tens of thousands of demonstrators to the streets in downtown Seoul to protest the government's decision to adopt state history textbooks for secondary students and push for labor reforms. The rally turned violent as some protesters brandished meta
Dec. 4, 2015
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Gov't to sponsor unification education at universities
The government plans to choose a handful of universities to lead education on inter-Korean reunification, a Unification Ministry official said Friday.The ministry will allocate 1.8 billion won ($1.56 million) to the new project under next year's government budget plan passed by the National Assembly on Thursday, according to the official. The project was not originally part of the budget plan."We plan to receive applications from universities in the first half of next year and then choose three
Dec. 4, 2015
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Top court rejects unfaithful spouse's divorce claim
The nation's top court dismissed a suit filed by an unfaithful spouse seeking a divorce from his wife, officials said Friday.Upholding a lower court's ruling, the Supreme Court ruled against the 70-year-old man, whose identity was withheld, for being responsible for the shattered marriage. The couple tied the knot 42 years ago but has been separated since 1984, following the plaintiff's series of affairs. He started to live with his mistress in the mid-1990s.Without any economic support from the
Dec. 4, 2015
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Court allows second mass rally this weekend
The court ruled on Thursday that the police ban on the second mass anti-government rally planned for this weekend is "unjust," giving the event the greenlight.The Seoul Administrative Court said that one cannot assure that the protest will pose a threat to the public safety simply because the event will be led by some of the groups who were in charge of last month's violent protest.Following the ruling, police said that it will respect the court decision but will take stern measures if the rally
Dec. 3, 2015
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Korea to maintain bar exam until 2021
The government announced Thursday it would hold off on plans to abolish the state-run bar exam until 2021, as controversy persists over the current law school system that was originally introduced to widen the pool of legal professionals. But the decision was scorned by both proponents and opponents of the bar exam, who said it would only extend confusion in the judiciary sector.The Ministry of Justice said it would delay scrapping the bar exam, initially set to be abolished in 2017, citing publ
Dec. 3, 2015
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Korea targets 500,000 foreign patients
With the latest passage of a set of bills to support easier overseas advances of the medical industry, the government said Thursday it will aim to attract some 500,000 foreign patients in 2017, while also creating new jobs for young Koreans. The National Assembly late Wednesday night passed a string of medical-related bills that would, among other things, allow distance consultations between Korean doctors and overseas patients and job training programs for interpreters and medical coordinators
Dec. 3, 2015
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Korean police team launched for joint probe in Philippines
A special police team of 63 officers has been formed to help with criminal cases involving South Koreans in the Philippines as a bilateral effort to better protect Korean citizens there, officials said Tuesday.The National Police Agency said the special team, comprised of police officers and forensic experts, would be sent to Manila whenever Koreans are victims of crimes such as murder, kidnapping, robbery or rape. All are capable of speaking English, the authorities said.Public concerns have es
Dec. 3, 2015
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Police to ban another massive rally
Police said Thursday that they have decided to prohibit civic groups from staging a massive rally in downtown Seoul this weekend, as it appears to be led by the same groups who were in charge of last month's violent protest. In mid-November, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in downtown Seoul to protest the government's decision to adopt state history textbooks for secondary students and reform the labor market. The rally later turned violent as some protesters brandished m
Dec. 3, 2015
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Korea to suspend abolition of state bar exam until 2021
The government announced Thursday it will delay the abolition of the state-run bar exam until 2021, amid continued controversy over the recently adopted law school system. The Ministry of Justice decided to delay the abolition for four years from the planned 2017, citing public opinion poll results that called for improvement of the current law school system and retention of the state-run exam, its officials said during a press briefing. Law schools were first introduced at universities seven
Dec. 3, 2015
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Life expectancy of Koreans tops 82 years in 2014
South Korean babies born in 2014 are expected to live more than 82 years as medical advances and efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle reduce death risks, a government report showed Thursday. According to the report by Statistics Korea, the life expectancy of babies born last year averages 82.4 years, up from the previous year's 81.9 years. Male and female babies are expected to live 79 years and 85.5 years, respectively. The figures are higher than the previous year's tally of 78.5 years a
Dec. 3, 2015
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Korea to start work on airports on 2 remote islands in 2017
South Korea will start building two small airports on two remote islands starting in 2017 that will greatly improve convenience for residents and fuel tourism, the government said Thursday.Once built, the two airports can connect Ulleung and Heuksan, located in the East Sea and Yellow Sea, respectively, to Seoul, with a travel time of about one hour, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.At present, travelers from the capital city can expect to spend 5-9 hours transferring from
Dec. 3, 2015