Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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US Air Force blames power loss, weather for F-16 crash in S. Korea in May 2023
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Samsung expected to introduce new Exynos processor in next Galaxy series
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[Reporter’s Column] Getting it so wrong in fighting low birthrate
Last month, there was a news article with the story of a young university graduate who landed a coveted internship position at a state-run company, only to find out her main task was to do school assignments for her boss’s daughter. She would volunteer to do late-night shifts to make PowerPoint presentations and other school projects for her boss’s grown child. In this era with a critically low fertility rate and record-high youth unemployment, we constantly hear about how the children of those
Oct. 22, 2015
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Textbook feud debates global benchmarks
In emphasizing the necessity for state-led history education, Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea told local university chiefs Tuesday that “countries suffering from social conflict such as Turkey and Greece use state-authored textbooks.”The Park Geun-hye administration, which has recently repossessed the publishing rights for secondary education history textbooks from local publishers, has also emphasized the importance of “learning a unified version of history to dissolve disputes in the society.
Oct. 22, 2015
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Korea confirms new bird flu case
South Korea confirmed a new case of bird flu on Thursday, bringing the total to eight over the last one-month period.The Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said ducks at a poultry farm in Yeongam, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive for the H5N8 strain of avian influenza.All 27,000 ducks were culled on Monday as a precautionary measure, after some birds showed signs of being sick before they were to be shipped out, it said."The farm has been under quarantine ever since w
Oct. 22, 2015
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Education civic groups divided on single history textbooks
Two education civic groups were divided Thursday on the government's decision to reintroduce a single set of history textbooks for secondary school students.A conservative education civic group criticized current authors of different history textbooks for middle and high school students as mostly left-leaning and opportunists.Currently, secondary school history textbooks are published by eight private publishing companies after being approved by an independent textbook review committee of expert
Oct. 22, 2015
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Painter rumored dead passed away months ago: museum
A famed artist, who has long been rumored to be dead, passed away several months ago, with her daughter having been seen carrying an urn containing the painter's remains, a head of a local museum said Thursday.Kim Hong-hee, general director of the Seoul Museum of Art, said the daughter of Chun Kyung-ja visited the museum several months ago with the urn of her mother's ashes. Kim added that she didn't get a chance to meet the daughter Lee Hye-seon."I was told Lee visited our museum, and she asked
Oct. 22, 2015
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Korean Audi owners file class action suit against Volkswagen
A group of South Koreans who drive Volkswagen's luxury brand, Audi, have filed a class action suit against the German automaker to retract their contracts after it admitted to cheating on U.S. emission tests, industry sources said Thursday. A total of 101 Audi owners filed the suit with a Seoul district court against Volkswagen Group, Audi Volkswagen Korea and local dealers to demand their purchasing contracts of cars in question be annulled and they be given a full refund. "If Volkswagen Group
Oct. 22, 2015
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Prosecutors raid home, office of conman’s dead nephew
Prosecutors raided the home and office of the dead nephew of the nation’s largest pyramid schemer on Wednesday as they try to find evidence that the conman may be alive.Cho Hee-pal has been at large since 2008 and is suspected of swindling about 4 trillion won ($3.5 billion) from an estimated 50,000 people, according to prosecutors in Daegu, South Gyeongsang Province, where Cho started the scheme.Cho, who would be 58 if alive, allegedly asked people to invest in a medical device business from 20
Oct. 21, 2015
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Debate brews over talks of new retirement age in Korea
The Korean government’s proposal to raise the state pension age from 65 to 70 in its attempt to save on the cost of welfare programs is facing fierce opposition from the elderly population as well as local experts and critics. Once the proposal is implemented, those aged 65-69 will become ineligible to receive all state welfare benefits for the elderly, including state pension payments and free public transportation. The proposal was recently released after the Korea Senior Citizens’ Associatio
Oct. 21, 2015
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Education minister’s comments add fuel to textbook dispute
Controversy over the reintroduction of state-authored history textbooks further escalated Wednesday upon reports that Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea told presidents of universities that the nationwide student protests in the past prohibited the government from investing in history education.“Hwang said that even though history is the most important subject, students of history related majors have conducted numerous protests in the past so the universities didn’t pay too much attention to the h
Oct. 21, 2015
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Hotels to provide amenities for underprivileged
About a dozen major hotels in Seoul will provide amenities for the unprivileged to better support their living conditions, city officials said. Seoul Metropolitan Government and 11 hotels made an agreement last week to provide 32 hotel items, including amenities, electronics and linens, for those in need when the hotels replace them. This will benefit about 8,000 low-income residents living in public rental houses, shelters and temporary single-room units, the city said. The participating hotels
Oct. 21, 2015
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Global fashion conference to be held next year
Seoul City will host an international fashion conference next year in a bid to boost the local fashion industry, officials said Wednesday. The 2nd Conde Nast International Luxury Conference will be held in April. The global annual event, led by international Vogue editor Suzy Menkes, covers the Asian luxury industry and examines the role of Northeast Asia as a hub for fashion. Over 500 global fashion figures and creative directors will participate in the event, officials said. This is part of Se
Oct. 21, 2015
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City to hold kimchi festival next month
Seoul City will hold its annual kimchi festival early next month as part of its efforts to promote traditional culture and help those in need, officials said Wednesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the second Seoul Kimchi Festival will be held in the city center with various programs from Nov. 6-8. Kimchi-making, or “gimjang,” is a Korean tradition in which families and neighbors make and share the spicy fermented dish in bulk in preparation of the full-fledged winter. The gimjang cust
Oct. 21, 2015
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Seoul City’s new bike-sharing service promotes greener capital
Seoul City launched last week a new public bike-sharing service as part of its initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, although the project still faces the tasks of ensuring safety and promoting wider public participation. Since Oct. 15, Seoul Metropolitan Government has offered a total of 1,200 public bikes called “Ddaleungee” at 140 docking stations in five major regions including Yeouido, Sinchon, Seongsu and central Seoul near Gwanghwamun. Ddaleungee bikes are parked at a docking station nea
Oct. 21, 2015
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Main exhibition of craft biennale highlights the 'making process'
The main exhibition of the ongoing international craft biennale in Cheonju shed light on the new paradigm of craft: the creation process.The exhibition, called "The Making Process," is under way at the Biennale Exhibition Hall as part of the Cheongju International Craft Biennale. It features 595 items presented by 46 teams from 12 countries, the organizing committee said in a release.As a crucial issue in the craft field across the world, the creation process "has well reflected the history of a
Oct. 21, 2015
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Cosmetics brand chief indicated over overseas gambling
Prosecutors said Wednesday they have indicted the head of a South Korean cosmetics brand, Nature Republic, on charges of gambling in Asian countries.Jeong Un-ho is suspected to have gambled between 2012 and 2014 in billiard halls in several Asian countries, including the Philippines and Macao.Some 10 billion won ($8.57 million) was involved, with Jeong having connections with local gangsters and taking part in the illegal activities, according to the prosecution.Since 2010, the 50-year-old has l
Oct. 21, 2015
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Xi Jinping's book published in Korean
The Korean version of the book on Chinese leader Xi Jinping's governing philosophy has been released, its publishing company said Wednesday.The compilation of the Chinese leader's major works between November 2012 and June 2014, titled "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," contains a total of 79 speeches, talks and interviews.It also showcases photos taken at different stages of his life, providing readers with a glimpse into his personal life.The book first published last year has been transla
Oct. 21, 2015
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Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin wins Chopin competition
Pianist Cho Seong-jin has become the first South Korean to win the world-renowned Chopin competition, its organizer said Wednesday.The 21-year-old pianist won the first prize at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, after the final round of competition, which lasted for three days, ended Tuesday (Warsaw time). The second prize went to Charles Richard-Hamelin of Canada and the third to Kate Liu of the United States, according to the jury's verdict.Along with the firs
Oct. 21, 2015
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No. of inbound travelers near pre-MERS level
The number of foreign travelers to South Korea slipped for the fourth consecutive month in September, but it moved closer to the level seen before the MERS outbreak in the country, data showed Wednesday. South Korea was hit hard by the MERS outbreak since the first confirmed case in late May, with the number of foreign visitors plunging 41 percent and 53.5 percent year-on-year in June and July, respectively.The tourism industry has been reeling from the aftermath since late summer as inbound tra
Oct. 21, 2015
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Korea kicks off state history textbook publication process
The South Korean government has initiated the first stage of its plan to publish state-authored history textbooks for secondary education by allocating the budget, officials said Tuesday.The plans to designate the 4.4 billion won ($3.9 million) budget needed to publish the textbooks were passed at last week’s Cabinet meeting, according to the Ministry of Education. It includes the publishing and promotion costs, author fees and research expenses. About 1.7 billion won was allocated to the state-
Oct. 20, 2015
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Japan angered as Seoul seeks jail term for reporter
The prosecution sought an 18-month jail term for a Japanese journalist accused of defaming South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday, a decision that sparked fury from Japan.Prosecutors said that Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief for Japanese right-wing paper Sankei Shimbun, intended to libel the South Korean president by reporting false rumors about her whereabouts at the time of the sinking of the Sewol ferry in April last year. Tatsuya Kato (Yonhap)Kato was indicted last October f
Oct. 20, 2015