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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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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Samsung expected to introduce new Exynos processor in next Galaxy series
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Rush to walk in pilgrim’s path ends in abrupt tragedy in Egypt
The three Korean tourists killed Monday in a suspected terrorist attack in Egypt turned out to be churchgoers on a “pilgrimage” to Christian holy sites. The Sinai Peninsula, where the tragic incident had taken place, is considered one of the most volatile places in a country already mired in violence in the aftermath of political strife. But many Korean Christians go on trips that pass through Egypt and Israel to visit biblical landmarks. Mount Sinai is presumed to be the place where ancient bib
Feb. 17, 2014
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Seoul City suspends construction of Lotte skyscraper after fire
Seoul City ordered the suspension of the construction of the nation’s highest skyscraper on Monday after a fire over the weekend escalated concerns over safety, officials said. The city directed Lotte Engineering and Construction to stop work on the Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul until an investigation into the fire is completed. The fire erupted in the steel container of a welding machine on the 47th floor on Sunday at midnight. The fire was extinguished in 25 minutes and no causalities we
Feb. 17, 2014
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SNU investigates sexual harassment case
Seoul National University said Monday it has launched an investigation into claims that one of its professors sexually harassed a female student.According to SNU, a 22-year-old student on Friday told the SNU Human Rights Center that she had been sexually harassed by a 49-year-old male music professor. She claimed that the professor demanded she send him photos of her breasts, while sending sexual comments to her via mobile messages as well as explicit photos of himself. He even drove her to a mo
Feb. 17, 2014
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Prosecution raids STX Group over corruption allegations
Prosecutors on Monday raided the offices of STX Group and its affiliates as part of their probe into corruption allegations against the ailing group.A team of prosecutors and investigators obtained computer hard drives and confidential documents such as accounting books from the offices, including the group’s headquarters in central Seoul, to corroborate the charges, prosecutors said.“The raid was conducted after the company requested the investigation regarding inside corruption,” said an inves
Feb. 17, 2014
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Leftist lawmaker gets 12-year prison term for rebellion plot
In a landmark ruling, a district court Monday sentenced a left-wing lawmaker to 12 years in prison for plotting an armed rebellion against the South Korean government in case of an inter-Korean war.Rep. Lee Seok-ki, affiliated with the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party , was found guilty of conspiring with members of a clandestine organization to topple the Seoul government if a war with North Korea broke out.The Suwon District Court in Suwon, south of Seoul, also stripped the 52-year-o
Feb. 17, 2014
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Explosion kills 3 Korean tourists in Sinai
A bomb attack on a tourist bus in Egypt has killed three South Koreans, along with one Egyptian, and injured 13 others, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.The bus, carrying 31 South Korean churchgoers and two Korean tour guides, was hit by the suspected suicide attack on the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday, when it was preparing to cross into Israel, according to the ministry.The blast killed one South Korean female tourist and two South Korean tour guides, along with the Egyptian driver, the minist
Feb. 16, 2014
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S. Korea's newly appointed cardinal Yeom leaves for Vatican
South Korea's newly appointed cardinal, Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, left for the Vatican on Sunday for a formal ceremony this weekend to make his new title official."I feel a big responsibility," Yeom said ahead of his trip to the Holy See. "I would appreciate if you pray for me."Yeom is set to attend a Vatican ceremony on Saturday, in which Pope Francis will install Yeom and 18 other churchmen as new cardinals. The 71-year-old, who served as archbishop of Seoul, will be South Korea's third cardinal,
Feb. 16, 2014
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Massive oil spill hits near Busan
Concerns escalated over environmental damage following another large oil spill off Korea’s southeastern coast after an 88,000-ton bulk carrier collided with an oil tanker on Saturday.Officials said Sunday that at least 237 kiloliters of oil was found to have leaked into the water near Busan from a hole, about 20 centimeters by 30 centimeters, in the hull of the Liberian-registered freighter Captain Vangelis L. caused by the accident. The amount of oil that spilled was over 70 kiloliters more tha
Feb. 16, 2014
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Korea examines textbooks for possible errors on Dokdo
The Seoul government is examining all school textbooks to ensure that their descriptions of the country’s easternmost islets of Dokdo are accurate, the Education Ministry said Sunday.The move is part of an aim to strengthen public education about the islets amid Tokyo’s stepped-up claim to them.“With Dokdo becoming an issue between Korea and Japan, (the ministry) felt the need for a unified voice among Koreans concerning the islets and began examining textbooks for possible errors,” a ministry o
Feb. 16, 2014
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3 in 10 teens exposed to secondhand smoke
More than 3 out of every 10 middle and high school students are being exposed to secondhand smoke, a state-run health promotion agency said in a report Sunday.The Korea Health Promotion Foundation said 31.8 percent of male students and 35.6 percent of female students were found to have experienced passive smoking in their daily lives. On average, teenage boys were exposed to secondhand smoke 3.41 days a week while girls experienced it 3.6 days a week. The study was based on health data of 74,186
Feb. 16, 2014
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Chinese become majority of foreign medical tourists
Nearly 160,000 foreigners came to South Korea in 2012 on medical tours and spent 267.3 billion won ($252.17 million), with visitors from China outnumbering those from the United States for the first time, health industry records showed Sunday.According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, 159,464 foreign patients from 188 countries came to South Korea in 2012, marking a 30.4 percent increase from the previous year. Their total medical-related spending increased 47.9 percent.The nu
Feb. 16, 2014
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Prosecution resumes probe on Japanese rock band for defaming sex
South Korean prosecutors said Sunday they have resumed their investigation of a Japanese band accused of defaming victims of Japanese colonial-era sexual slavery.In February 2013, former "comfort women," an euphemistic term for women sexually enslaved for Japanese soldiers during World War II, received music CDs and song lyrics from Japanese band "Scramble" that called them prostitutes and said they should die. The CDs were sent to a shelter for the victims in Gwangju, south of Seoul, a day befo
Feb. 16, 2014
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CJ chairman sentenced to 4 years in jail
A Seoul court on Friday sentenced CJ Group chairman Lee Jay-hyun to four years in prison for embezzlement and tax evasion. Lee Jay-hyun was found guilty of misappropriating 165.7 billion won ($156 million) in company assets to offshore slush funds and dodging taxes in the process. In the same ruling, the Seoul Central District Court also ordered the 54-year-old tycoon to pay a fine of 26 billion won.“With his influence, (the defendant committed crimes that) resulted in hindering the group’s imag
Feb. 14, 2014
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Broker in nuke reactor graft scandal gets prison term
BUSAN (Yonhap) ― A district court on Friday sentenced a broker in a high-profile corruption scandal surrounding nuclear reactors to three years and six months in prison for taking bribes from a local builder.Oh Hee-taek was found guilty of accepting 1.78 billion won ($1.5 million) in kickbacks from Hankook Jungsoo Industries Co. in exchange for helping the local water treatment firm win its bid to take part in the government’s project to build nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates.The eas
Feb. 14, 2014
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Cartoons on former sex slaves to go on show in Korea
Dozens of cartoons that portray Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese military during World War II will be displayed in South Korea following a successful exhibition in France, organizers said Friday.The Korea Manhwa Contents Agency will hold the exhibition in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, from Feb. 18-March 16, featuring more than 20 cartoons and videos narrating the story of the victims of Japan’s sexual enslavement, according to the organizers. The cartoons were drawn by e
Feb. 14, 2014
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S. Korea to boost safety measures for nuclear reactors
South Korea‘s nuclear safety commission on Friday reported a set of measures to enhance the safety of the country’s reactors that will include heavier fines for safety-related crimes.In an annual report to the president, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it will expand the scope of its inspection from nuclear power plant operators to all related firms that design, manufacture, supply and/or test reactor parts.“As a way of strengthening the authority of its inspectors, the commissi
Feb. 14, 2014
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Cartoons on former sex slaves to go on display in Korea
Dozens of local cartoons that portray Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese military during World War II will be displayed in South Korea following a successful exhibition in France, organizers said Friday.The exhibition will be held at the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency in Bucheon, just southwest of Seoul, on Feb. 18-March 1, featuring more than 20 cartoons, illustrations and videos telling the tragic stories of former sex slaves, a municipal cultural agency said.The agency
Feb. 14, 2014
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Korea to make English easier on college entrance test
South Korea’s Education Ministry said Thursday that it would lower the level of difficulty of English tests in the annual college entrance exam as part of its effort to curb surging private education fees.The plan was announced at the ministry’s policy briefing to President Park Geun-hye, who called for fundamental changes to the demand for “excessive English education” in Korea. “I believe that we need to have a fundamental solution to the education reality where excessive English education is
Feb. 13, 2014
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Binggrae ammonia tank explosion leaves one dead, three injured
An explosion of an ammonia tank pipeline at a dairy and ice cream production and storage plant resulted in one death and three injuries, local emergency services said Thursday.The explosion took place at a plant owned by Binggrae Co. at around 1:05 p.m. that caused at least 1.5 tons of ammonia be released into the environment."Emergency efforts to contain the explosion and the subsequent leak of the chemical compound by the fire department and the military produced limited results," one official
Feb. 13, 2014
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Museum promises better working conditions for foreign performers
A controversial African museum promised on Thursday to improve wages and working conditions for their artists, according to the Democratic Party’s Euljiro Committee. The move comes two days after local media reported that African performers at the Africa Museum of Original Art in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, are working under problematic, abusive conditions.“The museum didn’t even guarantee the basic human rights of the workers. They were basically treated like slaves,” Cho Young-min, an Euljiro
Feb. 13, 2014