Most Popular
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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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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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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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Ex-president Moon recalls in memoir NK leader voiced will not to use nukes
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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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
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Gov't assures enough time for new history textbooks
Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea said Friday that there is enough time to author a single history textbook for secondary school students apparently to dispel public concerns over the lack of preparation.The Ministry of Education announced on Monday that history textbooks for middle and high school students nationwide will be written by the government-designated authors and in use by the 2017 academic year.Following the announcement, some raised concerns that there is only one year left, saying t
Oct. 16, 2015
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9-year-old suspect in ‘Cat Mom’ killing
The suspect for killing a middle-aged cat lover with a brick dropped from an apartment building turned out to be a schoolboy playing with friends, the police said Friday, quelling overheated speculation that the murder was the result of disdain for the stray cats. According to the police, the 9-year-old boy threw a 1.83-kilogram cement brick from the rooftop of his 18-story apartment building in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 8 as part of an experiment with two of his friends on how gravity
Oct. 16, 2015
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Google ordered to disclose personal data passed on to outsiders
Google Inc. was ordered by a Seoul court Friday to disclose the list of personal information it has shared with third parties, including a U.S. intelligence agency. Six South Korean activists filed a lawsuit against the global tech giant in July 2014, demanding to know whether it shared their personal information with a third party. Google failed to respond to their request for records of the information in February last year. Google is suspected of passing on the private information of it
Oct. 16, 2015
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Teachers' unions divided over history textbooks
Two teachers' unions were divided Friday on the government's decision to reintroduce a single set of history textbooks for secondary school students. On Monday, the Ministry of Education announced that history textbooks for middle and high school students nationwide will be authored by the government starting in the 2017 school year. "Teaching everyone the same truths is needed in order to establish the right view of history and the nation for our future generations," Ahn Yang-ok, chief of t
Oct. 16, 2015
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Head of electronics firm gets 23-year jail term for financial fraud
The chief of a mid-sized electronics firm received a 23-year jail term Friday for getting loans amounting to trillions of won based on fraudulent export contracts. The Seoul Central District Court convicted Park Hong-seok, head of Moneual Inc., a manufacturer of computers and small home appliances, of getting a total of 3.4 trillion won ($3 billion) from 10 local banks between October 2007 and September 2014 based on forged documents that falsely showed the company's computer export contracts.
Oct. 16, 2015
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Eco parks waste of tax money: auditor
South Korea’s audit agency warned Thursday that some municipalities’ push for creating ecological parks could lead to a massive waste of taxpayer money as their plan fails to follow necessary guidelines.In the audit report concerning the feasibility of local governments’ construction projects, the Board of Audit and Inspection noted that 34 local government offices had failed to reflect the river management guidelines in their plans to restore 42 rivers across the nation. (Yonhap)The budget for
Oct. 15, 2015
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Seoul to expand K-pop dance classes for tourists
Seoul City will expand its program offering free K-pop dance classes to tourists as part of its efforts to better boost the hallyu industry, officials said Thursday. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and SM Entertainment reached a deal to offer the free K-pop dance classes.Since August, renowned SM choreographers have run the dance programs for foreign visitors twice a week at Coex in the capital city. While the maximum number of participants is 450 a year, over 850 already applied for the program as of
Oct. 15, 2015
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U.S. activist stages hunger strike against animal sales to slaughterhouse
Wearing a winter coat and holding a picture of black sheep, a U.S. citizen has been staging a hunger strike in front of the Seoul mayor’s residence in central Seoul since last week. His demand to the mayor is simple: Stop selling public zoo animals to slaughterers. A.J. Garcia, U.S. branch president of civic group Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, argues that Seoul City is using the overpopulation of animals as a means to draw profits. The Seoul Metropolitan Government runs the Seoul Zoo t
Oct. 15, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Is Korea’s most-wanted conman really dead?
The purported death of Cho Hee-pal, the mastermind behind South Korea’s largest-ever fraud case, returned to the spotlight as his close aide was arrested in China last week, with fresh testimonies suggesting he is actually still alive. Cho is one of the most-wanted conmen in South Korea, having allegedly scammed up to 50,000 people out of an estimated 4 trillion won ($3.5 billion) in a pyramid marketing scheme.Cho Hee-pal (Yonhap) The 58-year-old established a medical equipment supply company a
Oct. 14, 2015
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Countries with more Internet users show longer life expectancy: study
Countries with more Internet users tend to have longer healthy life expectancies, a study showed Wednesday. According to a study conducted by the Institute for Longevity Sciences at Wonkwang University, developed countries with high Internet accessibility were found to have longer healthy life expectancies than developing countries with fewer Internet users. Healthy life expectancy refers to how long a person can be expected to live healthily without a disease.The research team analyzed the Worl
Oct. 14, 2015
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62 hours’ work weekly needed to escape poverty in Korea
South Korea’s single-income households earning minimum wage with two children must work at least 62 hours a week to live above the poverty line, a new research report showed. This means whoever is in charge of the household finances must work more than 12 hours daily, if he or she is allowed to work five days a week. The report, published by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, showed that such long work hours make it impossible for income earners of such households to balance wor
Oct. 14, 2015
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Challenges only beginning for state history textbook
The government’s path to reclaiming issuing rights for history textbooks from private publishers entails a myriad of tasks, such as procuring the authors and budget and getting the general education circles to fall in line. The Education Ministry on Monday announced that it would reinstate government-published history textbooks for secondary education starting in 2017. But history professors from Kyung Hee University on Wednesday announced that they would not participate as authors in the state-
Oct. 14, 2015
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KBS World Radio to hold walkathon on Oct. 24
KBS World Radio, the foreign-language radio service of KBS, will hold a walkathon event at the Peace Plaza in Olympic Park in Jamsil, southern Seoul, on Oct. 24 to mark the 40th anniversary of its Arabic service, officials said Wednesday.The event is open to anyone wishing to enhance his or her understanding of Arab countries and build friendship with them. It is expected to be attended by some 1,000 participants including Arab fans of Korea’s pop culture, the organizers said.The participants wi
Oct. 14, 2015
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Liberal civic group member indicted over security law violation
A 39-year-old man has been indicted for posting messages praising North Korea on his blog in violation of an anti-communism law, prosecutors said Wednesday.The defendant, identified only by his surname Cho, is suspected of posting content created by a local civic group, such as statements and video clips supporting the North's "Military First Politics" and nuclear weapons programs, on his personal blog from April 2009 to November 2010, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office saidThe group
Oct. 14, 2015
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State pension's exposure to top conglomerates excessive
South Korea's state pension fund has an overwhelming exposure to the country's top four conglomerates, data showed Wednesday, raising urgency for the fund to diversify its investment portfolio.The National Pension Service, the country's top institutional investor, allocated some 74 percent of its stock investment to the country's top four conglomerates -- Samsung Group, Hyundai Group, SK Group and LG Group, according to the data compiled by CEO Score.As of end-September, the NPS has 52 trillion
Oct. 14, 2015
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3 in 10 job seekers distressed by appearance: survey
Three out of 10 job seekers in South Korea think their appearance hurts their job prospects, with women being more conscious about it than men, a survey showed Tuesday. According to a multiple-choice survey of 872 job seekers by job search engine Saramin, 31.5 percent of respondents said that they have felt disadvantaged due to their looks while seeking a job. (Yonhap)The survey suggested that Korean women (38.4 percent) were more prone to feel frustrated by this than men (26.4 percent). Those
Oct. 13, 2015
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61 isolated after last MERS patient rediagnosed
A total of 61 people have been isolated after South Korea’s last Middle East respiratory syndrome patient, who had been recovering from the disease after being released Oct. 3, was rehospitalized Sunday and tested positive again for the virus, according to the Health Ministry. The quarantined individuals include the patient’s family members, hospital inpatients and their guardians and medical professionals. However, the chance of them being infected by the virus from the particular patient is “v
Oct. 13, 2015
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President warns against split over history education
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that history lessons should not “lead to division within people over ideological standoff,” in a rebuttal to the opposition’s criticism of the government’s decision to revive state history textbooks for secondary education. Members of a conservative civic group protest against NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in (right) and other party members who were holding a rally opposing the government’s revival of state-published history textbooks in Yeouido, T
Oct. 13, 2015