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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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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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 slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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S. Korean gov't to expand benefits under public health insurance
The South Korean health ministry said Tuesday it will add more benefits to the public health insurance program that will expand medical services for the elderly while reducing medical expenses for all patients.The move, however, will likely lead to a rise in insurance premiums as it is expected to cost up to 4.6 trillion won ($4.28 billion) over the next four years.In an annual report to the president, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will expand medical services to include not only th
Feb. 11, 2014
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Heavy snow disrupts traffic, schools
Over a hundred schools were temporarily shut down, farm facilities were destroyed and roads were blocked on Monday as days of snow nearly paralyzed eastern parts of Korea.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, provinces along the east coast have been hit with 100 centimeters or more of snow since last Thursday. Gangwon Province received the heaviest blow, with coastal cities Gangneung and Sokcho receiving 107.5 centimeters and 72.5 centimeters of snow, respectively. Jinburyeong ―
Feb. 10, 2014
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Heavy snow hits eastern Korea
The heavy snowfalls affecting the country’s east coast are to continue until the early hours of Monday, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday. The eastern part of Gangwon Province, which continued to be under the heavy snow advisory throughout Sunday, is expected to be hardest hit, with some areas receiving as much as 30 centimeters of additional snow. Eastern areas of the country in Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces have been affected by heavy snow since Thursday.Gangwon Prov
Feb. 9, 2014
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[Graphic News] Public satisfaction in education on decline
Public satisfaction in school education is declining while concerns over students’ weakening ethics are on the rise, a survey showed Sunday. On the Korean Educational Development Institute’s survey of 2,000 citizens, public education received 2.49 out of a possible 5 points in overall satisfaction, a 0.41-point drop from 2012. The rate has been on the decline since 2010, when it was 3.09. About 13 percent of the surveyed answered that education was underperforming, double from 2012. Respondents
Feb. 9, 2014
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Pope may stay as long as week in Korea
Pope Francis may hold a special Mass dedicated to North Korea during his visit here this summer, a news report from the Vatican said Sunday. According to AsiaNews, a Vatican-affiliated missionary news agency, it is highly likely that the pope will travel to South Korea for the Aug. 10-17 Asian Youth Day event and that the visit could last as long as a week.Among the events being planned for his Korean journey is a special Mass for North Korea in a direct appeal to the reclusive communist state f
Feb. 9, 2014
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Two more cases of AI confirmed
Two more cases of bird flu were confirmed on Saturday despite quarantine efforts, raising further concerns over the virus spreading, officials said.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, more than 10,000 fowl at two farms, in Yeongam-gun, South Jeolla Province, and Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, were found to have been infected with the highly pathogenic strain of H5N8. The virus suspicions were reported last Thursday from the two farms after a large number of poultry wa
Feb. 9, 2014
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Seoul citizens see noise among worst environment issues
About 1 in 3 Seoul citizens considers noise to be one of the worst environmental problems in the city, a report showed Sunday. According to Seoul Institute’s survey conducted on 1,032 citizens, 33.6 percent picked noise as the second-most serious environmental issue after air pollution. By type, traffic noise led with 42.4 percent, followed by noise from apartment neighbors and from construction, with 23.1 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively.A total of 1,271 cases of loud sounds heard from up
Feb. 9, 2014
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Public firms' spending on welfare remains high despite heavy debt: data
Twelve debt-ridden public organizations in South Korea have spent more than 300 billion won ($279.3 million) over the past five years on providing welfare benefits, including financial support for health and education, data showed Sunday.According to the data offered by government information portal Alio, the most indebted public firms, which include LH Corp., Korea Electric Power Corp. and Korea Coal Corp., spent a combined 317.4 billion won from 2009 to 2013 on four major welfare benefits.The
Feb. 9, 2014
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Cheap labor costs, low rent key advantages of Kaesong complex: poll
Cheap labor costs and low rent are some of the advantages associated with the inter-Korean business complex in Kaesong, a poll conducted on 215 foreign investment companies in South Korea and overseas firms showed Sunday. The survey carried out by the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) showed 33 percent of the respondents saying the competitive labor cost is the top attraction of the industrial park, located just north of the demilitarized zone that separates the two Ko
Feb. 9, 2014
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Korea's airlines to reduce Japan-bound flights due to declining passengers
South Korea's major airlines plan to suspend or reduce their flights bound for Japan as the number of passengers visiting the country is declining, company and industry sources said Sunday.Asiana Airlines Inc. plans to suspend its twice-a-day flights linking the southeastern port city of Busan to Osaka starting on Feb. 21. It recently received approval from the transportation ministry for the flight suspension, according to the sources. An Asiana Airlines official said that the decision was made
Feb. 9, 2014
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[Weekender] Rise of sharing economy
In the wake of the financial crisis in 1997, a frugality campaign swept the country under the motto of “anabana,” or “save, share, swap and reuse goods.” The movement spread through flea markets, charities and local communities, helping reduce the pains of the economic meltdown and change the mindset and behavior of consumers. About fifteen years later, the grassroot movement is being revived magnificently. A myriad of enterprises and organizations are jumping on the “sharing economy” bandwagon,
Feb. 7, 2014
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[Weekender] Seoul eyes shareable metropolis
More and more Seoul citizens are engaging in a new lifestyle by sharing everything from their talent to parking lots to houses.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon introduced the “Share Seoul” project in September 2012 to provide better welfare and services to people at a low cost. The movement is not only aimed at helping people save money but also to solve environmental and employment problems and bring community spirit to modern life.“Calls for better welfare, a cleaner environment and more jobs are soa
Feb. 7, 2014
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[Weekender] Social media network boosts knowledge exchange
On Wisdome, a social networking site, people can open offline classes to provide their knowledge, experience and skills for a small fee. Lectures on a range of topics like overseas travel, calligraphy, asset management and cookie-making are offered by practitioners eager to share their know-how and time. “What changes one’s life is not advice from famous figures on TV or somewhere else, but advice from people around us including family members, colleagues and friends at school,” said Han Sang-ye
Feb. 7, 2014
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[Weekender] Sharing economy drives sustainable development
The sharing economy can contribute to sustainable development and has plenty of room to develop further in diverse fields of business, society and life, says Harald Heinrichs, a leading sharing economy theorist. The professor of sustainability politics at Luneburg University in Germany offered his views on a range of issues regarding the sharing economy in a recent email interview with The Korea Herald. The following are excerpts from the interview.Korea Herald: What are the possible benefits of
Feb. 7, 2014
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[Weekender] Shared housing takes root
An upscale apartment overlooking the Hangang River in Mapo, Seoul, is home to eight women who have a special interest in films. Rent on a flat of a similar size averages 3.5 million won ($3,230) per month with a 100 million won deposit. But they pay only a fifth of the market price as they share facilities including bathrooms, kitchen and living room.It is one of the nine apartment units leased by Woozoo, a shared housing company. Each unit has a particular theme for tenants, such as “start-up h
Feb. 7, 2014
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Appeals court nullifies Ssangyong Motor layoff
An appellate court on Friday ordered Ssangyong Motor to reinstate 153 fired workers, overturning a lower court ruling which backed the carmaker’s mass layoff in 2009. The Seoul High Court said that the company’s decision should be invalidated citing its failure to make every effort to avoid the dismissal. The court also said it was based on an incorrect audit report. The nation’s smallest carmaker was also ordered to pay 1 million won in compensation to each of the former employees. The firm con
Feb. 7, 2014
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YoungNam Flour CEO gets 2-year prison term in murder case
A Seoul court on Friday meted out a two-year jail term to YoungNam Flour Mill Co. CEO Ryu Won-ki on charges of embezzlement and collusion in a high-profile contract killing case implicating his wife.The Seoul Western District Court also sentenced Park Byung-woo, a doctor at Severance Hospital in Seoul, to eight months in prison for concocting three medical statements to help Ryu’s wife Yun Gil-ja receive treatment in a posh hospital room away from her prison.Yun was convicted of hiring a hit man
Feb. 7, 2014
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Appeals court annuls dismissal of Ssangyong workers
A Seoul appeals court on Friday annulled the dismissal of 153 former employees of Ssangyong Motor Co. who were part of the company's mass layoff plan in 2009.Overturning a lower court's decision to rule in favor of the country's smallest carmaker, the Seoul High Court declared invalid the management's decision and ordered the reinstatement of the former employees."The court deems that the (management) did not make enough efforts to avoid the layoffs," judge Cho Hae-hyeon said in his ruling.The p
Feb. 7, 2014
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Hanul nuclear reactor resumes operation in eight days
SEJONG (Yonhap) -- South Korea's nuclear safety commission on Thursday resumed the operation of a nuclear reactor in the southeastern region that was shut down eight days ago due to what has been identified as damaged parts. "It has been confirmed that the reactor had been shut down as two of the 73 control cards that operate control rods were damaged," the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said in a released statement. The Reactor Unit 5 at the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin, 33
Feb. 6, 2014
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Elite high schools dominate admission to top university
South Korea’s elite high schools widened their lead over regular high schools in sending students to the country’s top university, a report showed Thursday, renewing concerns about the sagging competitiveness of the broader education system for students who belong to low and mid-income households. Of the 17 high schools that sent 30 or more graduates to Seoul National University this year, five were autonomous private high schools and 13 others were special-purpose schools like foreign language
Feb. 6, 2014