Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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S. Korea to issue travel ban on Haiti amid intensifying gang violence
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Leaders of S. Korea, Angola agree to boost economic, trade cooperation
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Court acquits Hahm Sung-deuk of Korea University
The Seoul Western District Court on Wednesday acquitted Korea University professor Hahm Sung-deuk of influence peddling charges.The Korea University professor, who is well known for his studies on the presidency, is accused of taking nearly 79 million won ($73,000) from an advertisement agency chief executive, identified by his surname Yoon, in 2008 and 2009.In return, Hahm was alleged to have lobbied a senior Fair Trade Commission official to allow the agency to maintain a contract with a major
Sept. 25, 2013
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Seoul City fumes at limited size of Park’s child care subsidy plan
Seoul City on Wednesday protested the central government’s planned increase of the subsidy for free child care, saying it falls far short of the city’s demand. The central government reiterated that it would raise its contribution to the local governments’ child welfare budgets from 20 percent to 30 percent for Seoul and from 50 percent to 60 percent for other major cities and provinces. The finance, administration and welfare ministries also announced that they would increase the share of value
Sept. 25, 2013
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Park drops universal pension pledge
The government will exclude the richest 30 percent of elderly citizens from its new pension program, officials said Wednesday, in a U-turn from President Park Geun-hye’s major campaign pledge to offer a universal and noncontributory benefit to all Korean nationals aged 65 and over.The Ministry of Health and Welfare unveiled the scaled-down basic pension scheme ahead of Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, during which Park is expected to offer a public apology for failing to keep her campaign pledge that
Sept. 25, 2013
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Nearly 1 in 10 youths in need of mental counseling
A study released Monday by the Ministry of Education shows that nearly 1 in 10 primary and secondary students have emotional problems and are in need of counseling. According to the survey of more than 2.11 million students conducted between May and July, 7.2 percent, or 152,640 students, were classified as “needing attention,” while 2.2 percent, or 46,104 students, were diagnosed as “needing priority care.” The “needing attention” group refers to those who have some form of emotional disorder a
Sept. 25, 2013
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University graduates struggle to find jobs
Having completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration and psychology at a prestigious university and several internships in Korea and overseas, Ahn Ye-chan believed his future should be secure. But the 27-year-old graduate’s confidence is quickly fading in the face of a tight job market, which has forced him to lower his expectations.At a recent job fair, he could not find one position that could fulfill his dream of working in international business.“There are few entry-level position
Sept. 25, 2013
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Why business schools need to look beyond business
When the global financial crisis hit in 2008, it caught the business world off-guard, to the extent that five years on we’re still recovering from it. However, there was one professional group which was perhaps not entirely surprised by the fiasco. It wasn’t mathematicians, financial analysts or industry watchdogs as you might expect, but anthropologists. In fact, some of the earliest warnings about the financial crisis came from Gillian Tett ― a writer for the Financial Times with a Ph.D. in an
Sept. 25, 2013
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KBS unionists to enter strike
The unionists of the state-run broadcaster KBS on Wednesday pledged to strike, citing an ad hoc parliamentary committee's failure to work out measures to guarantee fair broadcasting and to improve its corporate governance structure. Following a vote on the issue, the union said they plan to walk off the job at 5 a.m., Thursday, and some 2,500 unionists are expected to take part in the strike.The union criticized a special committee on fair broadcasting for failing to make any noticeable headway,
Sept. 25, 2013
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FTC sets guideline on social commerce discounts
South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission put out revised guidelines on Wednesday to prevent social commerce firms from exaggerating discount rates and misleading unsuspecting customers. “The newly modified guidelines will provide the stepping stones in enhancing wholesome growth of the industry as well as regaining the trust of consumers,” said an official from the FTC. The FTC said that the number of consumer complaints in connection with social commerce sites reached 7,138 last year, up from 7,03
Sept. 25, 2013
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Top prosecutor sues newspaper over love child report
The prosecution chief embroiled in a lovechild scandal sued the Chosun Ilbo on Tuesday, demanding the conservative daily correct recent reports of him concealing a son born out of wedlock. Breaking two weeks of silence, Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook requested Seoul Central District Court to order the Chosun to publish a retraction on its front page, saying the story of him having a son through an affair was “100 percent incorrect” and “groundless.”The prosecution chief said he would take eve
Sept. 24, 2013
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[Graphic News] Korea’s spending on child welfare among lowest in OECD
Korea spent only 0.8 percent of its gross domestic product on family benefits in 2009, placing the country at 32nd among 34 OECD member states in child welfare spending, according to a report by the Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs.OECD countries spent on average 2.3 percent of their GDP on child and family benefits in the same year.
Sept. 24, 2013
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Appointment of history panel chief draws fire
President Park Geun-hye’s appointment of Lew Young-ik, a senior conservative scholar, as the new head of the national history research agency is drawing strong backlash from progressive historians and politicians.Lew, 77, a chair professor from Handong Global University, was named Monday to head the National Institute of Korean History. His appointment came amid growing controversy over history textbooks recently approved by the state-run agency.Kyohak Publishing Co.’s textbook, authored by cons
Sept. 24, 2013
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Teachers’ union defies order to expel fired workers
A progressive teachers’ group pledged Tuesday to fight the government’s order to expel fired teachers or risk losing its status as a full-fledged trade union.The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday sent a one-month ultimatum to the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union to change a contentious bylaw which allows dismissed teachers to be members.Unless the group complies with the order by Oct. 23, the ministry said it would be deprived of its rights as a trade union, including the
Sept. 24, 2013
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30 years collecting recyclables to help neighbors in need
Hwang Hwa-ick starts her day at 4 a.m. sharp by collecting recyclable materials in her neighborhood. For the 78-year-old, empty bottles, used cans and old newspapers are not waste, but sources for helping those in need. For the past 30 years, she has worked with a local women’s community, gathering the recyclables, selling them and returning the proceeds to society.Her first day’s pay was a meager 7,700 won ($7.16). But she has made more than 10 million won from the job so far and saved the sum
Sept. 24, 2013
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Top prosecutor sues Chosun Ilbo over love child report
The prosecution chief embroiled in a lovechild scandal sued the Chosun Ilbo on Tuesday, demanding the conservative daily correct recent reports of him concealing a son born out of wedlock. Breaking two weeks of silence, Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook requested Seoul Central District Court to order the Chosun to publish a retraction on its front page, saying the story of him having a son through an affair was “100 percent incorrect” and “groundless.”The prosecution chief said he would take eve
Sept. 24, 2013
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Two killed, six injured in Daegu paint shop explosion
Two police officers were killed and six injured in an explosion at a store in this southeastern city suspected to have been caused by flammable paints and paint thinners, police and fire officials said Tuesday.The blast occurred around 11:45 a.m. Monday with a loud explosive sound at the store in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, they said. The huge explosion ripped through three nearby buildings and 10 cars, they added.The bodies of the two police officers -- only identified by th
Sept. 24, 2013
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Disgraced ex-president returns self-awarded medals
Former President Chun Doo-hwan has returned nine medals he awarded himself in order to justify his illegitimate power seized through a military coup, the government said Monday. The disgraced general-turned-president handed in the medals last month when he and his family were facing an intensive investigation by the prosecution over their concealed slush funds, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said. It took some seven years for the government to collect Chun’s medals after it c
Sept. 23, 2013
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Court orders indictment of two NIS figures on election meddling
A Seoul court ordered state prosecutors Monday to indict two figures from the state intelligence agency for their alleged involvement in a high-profile election meddling scandal.The scandal centers on allegations that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) launched an online smear campaign to sway public opinion in favor of President Park Geun-hye, the then ruling party candidate, ahead of last year's presidential election.Then NIS chief Won Sei-hoon was indicted in June on charges of interferi
Sept. 23, 2013
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New chiefs named for weather agency, history text panel
President Park Geun-hye on Monday named an environment technocrat to head the state weather agency and a Harvard-educated scholar to lead the state history agency, her spokeswoman announced.Ko Yun-hwa, 59, a former environment ministry official who also served as chief of the National Institute of Environmental Research, was named as head of the Korea Meteorological Administration, presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing said.History scholar Lew Young-ick, 77, who earned his doctorate from Harvard Un
Sept. 23, 2013
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Ex-president Chun returns nullified, self-awarded medals
In the midst of a prosecution probe into his huge slush funds last month, disgraced former President Chun Doo-hwan returned medals he awarded himself during his term but were later canceled, the home affairs ministry said Monday.In August, Chun turned in the nine medals that he gave himself while in office in the 1980s at the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, some seven years after the government canceled them as part of efforts to correct distorted history.The former military dict
Sept. 23, 2013
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[Graphic News] Declining marriage rate
As the annual marriage rate in Seoul has declined by over 30 percent in the past 20 years, the average age of men and women walking down the aisle for the first time has also markedly risen, a survey by Seoul Metropolitan City showed.
Sept. 22, 2013