Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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Seoul to promote luxurious side of the city
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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U.N. chief praises Park‘s ’trustpolitik‘
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her “trustpolitik”toward North Korea on Friday, saying the policy and her principled approach to Pyongyang contributed to reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.Ban, who arrived in his native South Korea on Thursday for a home leave, made the remark during a meeting with Park, saying he came home light-hearted after Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to reopen a joint industrial complex and hold talks on setting up re
Aug. 23, 2013
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Teen killer gets 3-4 years
A judge sentenced a high school student on Friday to three to four years in prison for murdering a man who admonished him for his misbehavior.Suwon District Court took the 17-year-old, identified by his surname Kim, into custody after passing down the prison sentence.Kim beat the man in his 30s to death with his friend Shin on a street in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, when a quarrel erupted after the victim told Kim “not to spit on the street” on July 21, 2012.The victim allegedly fell on the ground durin
Aug. 23, 2013
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Seoul taxi fare to rise by Oct.
Seoul City’s cab fare is expected to increase by no later than October, as the city moves to help improve the taxi business despite lingering public concern over the heightened transportation cost and poor taxi service.The basic fare, which had remained unchanged since 2009, is expected to rise from the current 2,400 won ($2.14) to around 2,800 or 3,000 won. The city said negotiations over the fare increase are underway with the taxi union.Meanwhile, the labor and management representatives of t
Aug. 22, 2013
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Policy gap sees welfare budget hang in balance
The lack of means to raise funds for the new government’s massive welfare programs are fueling discord among the central and municipal governments as well as between the political parties, forcing some of the programs to be scaled back.President Park Geun-hye has promised the expansion of a wide range of welfare policies from reducing university tuition fees and increasing old-age pensions to providing a cheaper childcare system. To finance some of them, the central and municipal governments wou
Aug. 22, 2013
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Three Japanese Unification Church devotees set themselves on fire
Three Japanese people who are said to belong to the Unification Church, including a 53-year-old woman, set themselves on fire in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, at around 4 p.m., according to reports Thursday.The three reportedly burned themselves by spraying paint thinner. Reports said two of them were in critical condition. Friday marks the first anniversary of the passing of Moon Sun-myung, founder of the powerful religion. Tongil Foundation, the umbrella organization that controls Tongil Group
Aug. 22, 2013
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Crayon Pop’s alleged connection to far-right website touches nerve
K-pop girl group Crayon Pop on Wednesday denied rumors that its members were involved with “Ilbe (Daily Best),” in an apparent attempt to avoid backlash that is rooted in the public’s widespread discontent toward the controversial website.Chrome Entertainment, Crayon Pop’s agency, said via press release that the group’s members did not participate in any activities concerning Ilbe, a humor-centered community website well known for its members’ far-right political viewpoints. In June, members of
Aug. 22, 2013
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Man threatened to kill himself for conscription exemption
A 29-year-old man was charged without detention for allegedly threatening to commit suicide at the military recruitment agency, after his request for an exemption from military service was denied by officials, the police said on Thursday. According to the Suwon Jungbu Police Agency, a man identified by his surname Park visited Incheon Gyeonggi Regional Military Manpower Administration in Suwon for a consultation on his compulsory military duty on Tuesday. He demanded the exemption, saying that
Aug. 22, 2013
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Seoul under fire over response to Fukushima radiation
Concerns are rising that the Korean government may be treating radioactive pollution from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant with dangerous complacency. The plant has generated massive amounts of radioactive pollutants since the 2011 earthquake, significant amounts of which have been released into the environment. On Tuesday, it was revealed that about 300 tons of water containing highly radioactive materials, including strontium 90, had leaked from storage tanks at the plant, and tha
Aug. 21, 2013
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[Graphic News] Defendants in global anti-dumping suits
South Korea faced the second-most anti-dumping lawsuits in the global market last year.By country, Korean firms were defendants in 10.71 percent of the world’s total anti-dumping litigations in 2012.China topped the list with 28.57 percent, while the U.S.’ and Japan’s rates stood much lower at 3.57 percent and 3.06 percent, respectively.(kys@heraldcorp.com)
Aug. 21, 2013
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Panel suggests gradual hike in pension contribution by 2017
An advisory panel on pension reform on Wednesday suggested the government gradually increase the pension contribution rate by 2017 for sustainable management of the public fund. The National Pension Fund is projected to sustain losses beginning in 2044 and be fully depleted by 2060, according to a recent finance estimation.In an alternative to the pension hike scheme, the panel also proposed freezing the contribution rate at the current level of 9 percent by the year 2040 by diversifying the rev
Aug. 21, 2013
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Korea trains Afghan teachers
Korea is aiming to help improve the quality of education in Afghanistan by offering Afghan teachers a chance to learn the education system here.Thirty-two educators, including three women, from Afghanistan are currently participating in a teacher-training program at Hanyang University in Seoul, the school said.The training is part of a larger program run jointly by the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the university’s Research Institute for Global Education and Leadership as the govern
Aug. 21, 2013
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Ministry to offer scholarships to high school graduates
The government plans to offer state scholarships and benefits to high school graduates for overseas training in an effort to provide more job opportunities for young people.Under the current system, only college and university graduates can apply for the state overseas scholarships.The Ministry of Education said Monday that it would revise the rule to make it possible for vocational high school graduates and extend the overseas scholarship term to up to three years from the current six months.Vo
Aug. 21, 2013
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Ministry reconsiders NEAT for college admission
Criticism is mounting over the efficiency and quality of the new state-administered English proficiency test, putting a strain on the government’s initial plan to use it for college admission.By introducing the National English Ability Test in 2012, the government sought to substitute the English section of the state-run College Scholastic Ability Test from 2016.The plan, however, has been met with criticism from teachers and parents groups, who claim the government is implementing the new test
Aug. 21, 2013
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Namyang Dairy asks police to investigate ‘frog formula’ incident
Namyang Dairy on Wednesday said it has asked the police to look into a recent incident in which a dead frog was found in one of its baby formula cans, claiming that the frog in question “could not have been put there” during the production process.“The production process is completely automated, making it impossible for other substances to be put inside a product. We have requested local police to determine exactly how it happened,” the company said via press release.It added that the Ministry o
Aug. 21, 2013
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S. Korea's Internet access ranks 21st in 2012
South Korea ranked 21st among global peers in terms of the percentage of population with Internet access last year, a United Nations agency for information and communication technologies said Wednesday.According to a report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 84.1 percent of South Koreans had access to the Internet in 2012, edging up from 83.8 percent tallied a year earlier. The research was conducted on 211 countries.Although South Korea ranked 5th in 2004 at 72.7 percent, its r
Aug. 21, 2013
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S. Korea's social friction ranks 2nd highest in key economies: study
South Korea has the second-highest level of social friction in major economies and its economic costs are estimated at up to 246 trillion won ($220 billion), a research fellow said Wednesday.South Korea's social friction index stood at 0.72 as of 2010, the highest level only behind Turkey whose index stood at 1.27, said Park Jun, a research fellow for the Samsung Economic Research Institute, a private think tank of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group.Park made the comment in a public sy
Aug. 21, 2013
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U.S. county asks schools to teach the East Sea
A U.S. county has instructed teachers in local schools to explain why the body of water between Korea and Japan should be called both the "East Sea" and the "Sea of Japan." "The National Geographic Society and many other cartographic institutions, atlases and textbooks are now labeling maps of the region of East Sea with both names -- Sea of Japan and East Sea,"Andrea M. Kane, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for Anne Arundel County, said in a recent letter to the principa
Aug. 21, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Nation’s suicide scourge weighs on youth
South Korea’s infamously high suicide rate is taking a toll on the youth, with more than 100 of them taking their own lives every year.A total of 139 primary and secondary students committed suicide last year, according to education office data released by Rep. An Min-suk of the Democratic Party.High school students accounted for the greatest number of youth suicides, at 88 deaths. The figure has, however, been on the decline since 2009 ― the number of student suicides stood at 150 in 2011 and
Aug. 20, 2013
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Seoul City to increase car-free days
A monthly car-free day on the main street in Sejongno, central Seoul will be expanded to twice a month starting September, as part of efforts to create a pedestrian-friendly environment, a city official said on Tuesday. The Sejongno main road ― spanning 550 meters from the intersection in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace to the four-way intersection of Gwanghwamun Subway Station ― has been cleared for pedestrians every third Sunday of each month since March. The city is planning to try out a pedest
Aug. 20, 2013
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Prosecution speeds up probe into Chun’s hidden assets
The prosecution is speeding up its investigation into ex-president Chun Doo-hwan’s hidden assets by formally detaining his brother-in-law over his alleged role in helping Chun’s children illegally gain their inheritance. The Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant against Lee Chang-seok on Monday evening, saying the suspect may attempt to “destroy evidence or flee.” The 62-year-old was put under detention immediately. By putting Lee, who is thought t
Aug. 20, 2013