Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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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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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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Human rights commission urges Korea to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights
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Teens banned from entering, working at 'hold 'em' pubs, cafes
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International forum on museums to kick off in Korea next week
An international forum on museums will be held in an eastern county in South Korea next week to explore social roles museums can play, its organizer said Tuesday.The Yeongwol International Museum Forum will take place in the county of the same name in Gangwon Province for a three-day run starting Oct. 28, according to the Korean Museum Association.Under the theme of "the national policy and role of museums in society," dozens of participants from 34 countries, including Japan, China, the United
Oct. 20, 2015
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Prosecutors seek 18-month jail term for Japanese journalist over libel charges
Prosecutors sought an 18-month jail term on Monday for a Japanese journalist charged with defaming President Park Geun-hye in print.Prosecutors argued that Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief for Sankei Shimbun, knowingly published groundless rumors in August last year that Park might have been with her former aide, Jeong Yun-hoe, at the time of the sinking of the Sewol ferry, one of South Korea's worst peacetime disasters on April 16, 2014, and that Kato had clearly intended to slander the
Oct. 19, 2015
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Chinese tourists disappear upon arrival
Over a dozen Chinese tourists disappeared during a sightseeing tour in the southern city of Busan, with the purpose remaining mysterious, police said Monday. Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said 13 Chinese visitors -- including seven men -- ran away while traveling to tourist spots in Busan on Sunday. They disembarked from 116,000-ton cruise ship Sapphire Princess in the morning for a day trip in Korea. “They gradually disappeared in small groups of two or three,” the tour guide was quoted as s
Oct. 19, 2015
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‘Single version of history is against nature of education’
The Education Ministry recently announced that it will take back publishing rights of history textbooks for secondary education in a bid to restore “balanced history education.”But Yang Jung-hyun, a history professor with experience authoring a state-published textbook, said granting the government exclusive rights to write textbooks is among the worst idea imaginable. Last week, he and 23 colleagues at Pusan National University joined a nationwide move by professors to refuse to participate in
Oct. 19, 2015
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Seoul Zoo to buy back sold animals
Days after a hunger strike by a U.S. civic activist, a public zoo caved in and agreed to buy back the animals that were sold in an auction upon concerns that some of them had been sold to a slaughterhouse.Seoul Zoo, which is run by Seoul Metropolitan Government, said Monday that it has decided to buy back the animals that the zoo had sold at an auction in August. A.J. Garcia, the U.S. branch president of civic group Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, had launched a hunger strike in front of
Oct. 19, 2015
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‘State history textbook will balance history education’
As criticism against the plan to revive state-authored history textbooks mounted over concerns that they will be biased in favor of conservatives, the government said it will rule out “far-right” scholars as authors, specifically those who participated in writing the controversial textbook by Kyohak Publishing Co.The Kyohak textbook has been accused of favorably depicting pro-Japanese figures and controversial politicians like former President Park Chung-hee, the father of incumbent leader Park
Oct. 19, 2015
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[Graphic News] South Korea’s life satisfaction among lowest in OECD
South Korea reported one of the lower levels of life satisfaction among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a recent report showed.According to the OECD’s How‘s Life 2015 report, South Korea ranked 27th among the 34 OECD countries, with a score of 5.8, substantially lower than the OECD average of 6.58. Denmark topped the list, followed by other Nordic countries -- Iceland, Switzerland and Finland. Japan came in 26th, a notch higher than Korea. The OECD
Oct. 19, 2015
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South Korea to offer matchmaking to boost fertility rate
After designating priority seats for pregnant women and offering free diapers and dried milk powder for all newborns for a year, the South Korean government has come up with yet another measure to boost its critically low fertility rate: matchmaking services. The plan was announced through a government report released Sunday, which stressed that the nation’s increasing number of delayed marriages is one of the biggest factors behind the low fertility rate, which currently stands at 1.21 childre
Oct. 19, 2015
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Korea to restrict inflow of ‘unskilled’ migrant workers
The Korean government has mapped out a mid-term plan to loosen immigration controls on highly skilled foreign workers amid the aging population, while vowing to restrict the inflow of unskilled migrant workers. In a package of comprehensive measures announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to cope with the falling birthrate, the government said it would accept more qualified overseas workers and make it easier for them to study, work and live in the nation. (Yonhap) For short-term goals,
Oct. 19, 2015
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Asiana Airlines seeks gov't license for new budget carrier
Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's No. 2 full service carrier, said Monday that it submitted a request to the government to launch a new budget airline.Asiana said the new low-cost carrier, Air Seoul, will use Incheon International Airport as its main hub. The company already operates Air Busan based out of Gimhae International Airport in the southeastern part of the country, which serves South Korea's second largest city and South Gyeongsang Province.Asiana set up a formal task force in March
Oct. 19, 2015
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International life festival draws 400,000 visitors
An international festival promoting healthy eating and an environment-friendly lifestyle ended its 10-day run in the outskirts of Seoul, luring some 400,000 visitors, its organizing group said Monday. Under the theme "Good Food, Good Life," the Namyangju Slow Life International Festival ran through last Saturday from Oct. 8 in the namesake city located about 30 kilometers east of the capital city. The organizer said around 400,000 people visited the event during the period, enjoying the opportun
Oct. 19, 2015
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Korean culture TV channel to be launched in China this year
A channel devoted to Korean culture will be launched as part of an Internet Protocol TV service in China in December, run by the country's state-run broadcaster, its operator said Monday.The Heilongjiang Newspaper, which is in charge of operating the Korean broadcast at China's CCTV.COM, said it is set to launch the channel on Dec. 1. The channel will only run South Korean cultural content."We will put up a total of 12 genres including Korean films, soap operas, fashion, games and leisure, with
Oct. 19, 2015
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1 in 10 Korean women in their 20s smoke: study
About 10 percent of Korean women in their 20s are smokers, accounting for the largest portion of all female smokers in South Korea, a government study showed Sunday. While Korean women’s smoking prevalence rates are quite low compared to other developed nations, research findings show that the rates may rise in the future if young women in their 20s as well as female teenagers continue to smoke as they grow older, according to the government report. As of last year, only 4.3 percent of all Kor
Oct. 18, 2015
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Korean TV networks move to oust discrimination against gender, race
In 2012, South Korea’s public broadcaster MBC sparked outrage among international viewers when it aired a segment of two Korean female comedians in blackface on its comedy show “Three Wheels.” The show received mounting criticism, mostly from overseas viewers, who claimed the particular scene was blatantly racist. The producer of the show eventually offered a public apology, explaining the two women were simply parodying Michol -- a black male character featured in Korea’s hugely popular 1987 TV
Oct. 18, 2015
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Court says no statute of limitations on illegal naturalization
South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled that the nationality law that allows the state to cancel an illegal naturalization process regardless of the date on which it was conducted is constitutional, officials said Sunday.Clause 21 of the country’s Nationality Act states that the Justice Minister is entitled to nullify naturalization if it was based on a lie or an illegal act. It does not state the statute of limitations for the nullification.In February, a Chinese-Korean man surnamed Yang chall
Oct. 18, 2015
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graphic - translation
Controversy is escalating over lowering the minimum age for criminal punishment after the suspect of the recent “Cat Mom” case was found to be a nine-year-old boy. Under the current law, offenders under 10 cannot be prosecuted. Those between 10 and 13 can only be subject to punitive measures that include community service and long-term or short-term probationary periods. According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, tens of thousands of juveniles annually face criminal punishments. Earlier this
Oct. 18, 2015
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Visa fee exemption extended for Chinese tourists
The temporary visa fee exemption for Chinese tourists will be further extended, officials said Sunday. The Justice Ministry said it would offer the visa fee waiver for Chinese tourists until the end of this year. As part of efforts to revive the Middle East respiratory syndrome-hit tourism industry, the ministry had temporarily exempted the visa fee waiver for Chinese visitors from July to September, and extended the measure to October. In order to get a visa, Chinese visitors usually pay $15. “
Oct. 18, 2015
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Police chiefs due in Seoul on crime prevention, crackdown cooperation
South Korea said Sunday it will host senior police officers and law enforcement officials from 17 countries this week to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in cracking down on transnational crime.Among the participants of the four-day meeting in Seoul that ends Thursday are Uzbekistan's interior minister, deputy heads of the public security departments of China and Vietnam, police chiefs from Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Guatemala, and senior officials from Interpol, the National Police Agenc
Oct. 18, 2015
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Smartphone users prefer free videos with ads: poll
Most South Koreans prefer to watch free video content with advertisements rather than paying for ad-free editions, a survey showed Sunday, with YouTube standing as the most-visited platform.Around 94 percent of respondents said they enjoy free video content that comes with advertisements, the survey conducted by entertainment giant CJ E&M Corp. showed.The study was conducted on 2,500 South Korean smartphone users aged from 15 to 49.U.S. video-sharing platform YouTube stood as the most favored vi
Oct. 18, 2015
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South Korean scholars boycott state-issued textbook project
Hundreds of South Korean scholars have declared they are boycotting the writing of state-issued history textbooks out of concern that that they will teach distorted views on the country's recent history.President Park Geun-hye's government plans to require middle and high schools to use textbooks edited by the government after 2017, instead of allowing schools to choose from eight private publishers, as is currently the case.South Korea's move toward state-issued textbooks is the latest in a ser
Oct. 17, 2015