Most Popular
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Controversy rekindled over when to name criminals, suspects
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Seoul transit pass for travelers to be available starting July
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Hybe-Ador CEO conflict gets messier
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Battery makers ramp up efforts to diversify graphite supply chain
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Prosecutors to summon pastor who allegedly gave Dior bag to first lady
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‘Monk’ DJ spreading Buddhism goes global
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[LLG] Unseen inheritance: Trauma of transnational adoption 'trickles down' to adoptees' children
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[KH Explains] Hyundai Motor’s plan for new landmark keeps hitting bumps
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Court's ruling set to shape path of medical school expansion
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Loans of self-employed swell 50% in four years
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[Graphic News] Smartphone use among school students
6.28 million students in 11,410 schools surveyed from June 28 to July 8
July 28, 2013
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Former deputy tax chief detained on CJ-bribery allegations
The investigation into illegality by CJ Group is expanding with former deputy chief of the National Tax Service Hur Byung-ik being detained on Saturday on charges of receiving a bribe from CJ chairman Lee Jay-hyun. Lee is currently in custody on multiple charges including tax evasion and embezzlement. Hur is suspected of having received money from CJ Group officials in return for shielding the conglomerate from the scrutiny of the tax authorities. Hur is denying that he was bribed by CJ Group, s
July 28, 2013
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Debate brews on age limits at public baths
Debate is brewing over the recent call by a group of public bathhouse owners for the government to lower the age limit on young male children entering female bathhouses.The Korea Federation of Public Bathhouses said that it was looking to lodge a formal complaint with the Ministry of Health and Welfare for the revision of the rule.The move comes amid growing debate about the age at which young children should be allowed to enter the baths of the opposite sex.In Korea, all public baths are separa
July 28, 2013
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Prosecutors target revenge attacks on crime victims
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Sunday it had prepared measures to curb rising retaliatory crimes in the country.The number of offenders who attacked their original victim again for reporting them reached 243 last year, a nearly twofold increase from 132 in 2011.A prosecutors’ survey found that 76 percent of the retaliatory offenses took place in the early stages of investigation or immediately after the suspect was released after questioning.The prosecution said that from now on, victims w
July 28, 2013
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S. Korea to offer 'final talks' with N. Korea on Gaeseong park
South Korea said Sunday it will extend a "final offer" for talks to North Korea to discuss thenormalization of a suspended inter-Korean industrial complex in the North's border town of Gaeseong. The Gaeseong Industrial Complex has remained shuttered since early April as the North unilaterally withdrew its workers from South Korean companies there amid heightened tensions on the peninsula. The two sides have held six rounds of negotiations to reopen the factory zone, but to no avail. Seoul ha
July 28, 2013
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Police continue search for missing men's rights activist
Police said Saturday that they are continuing the search for a missing 46-year-old man who jumped off a bridge into the Han River the previous day as part of a publicity stunt to garner donations for a men's rights activist group. Sung Jae-gi, head of the men's rights advocacy group, jumped off the Mapo Bridge into the river that bisects Seoul on Friday after posting a notice online about his intentions one day earlier. Police and rescue workers have been searching for him, but he is stil
July 27, 2013
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Three dead from explosion at Samsung Fine Chemicals construction site
Three workers were killed and 12 others injured Friday when a water tank burst during a stress test at a polysilicon plant construction site inside Samsung Fine Chemicals, police said.Hospital officials said the death toll could rise as some of the injured were in critical condition.According to the police, the 1,300-ton water tank was being filled for the third day to detect any cracks or defects in it. The steel tank exploded when about 1,000 tons of water were injected.Investigators suspected
July 26, 2013
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Male rights activist jumps off bridge after pleading for donation
Police said Friday they were searching for a male rights activist who jumped off a bridge into the Han River in Seoul in an apparent attempt to carry out his open threat to commit suicide if he failed to raise funds for his financially troubled organization.Citing witnesses, police said Sung Jae-gi, 45, jumped off the Mapo Bridge in western Seoul shortly after 3 p.m. Photographs soon appeared on Sung's Twitter showing him holding onto the outer side of the bridge, ready to jump. The photos also
July 26, 2013
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Stay young, stay fun
Lee Sung-ha builds Legos for hours after work. The tiny plastic bricks are not just a pastime for the 32-year-old copywriter. His mind flies back to the time when life was simple, joyful and free from stress. “That is the only moment when I can fully relax from all the stress factors like work and marriage concerns,” Lee says. Lee, unmarried, spends some 500,000 won ($448) on Legos and other toys every month and says the investment always pays off. The collections help him relive the pure childh
July 26, 2013
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Kids at heart make toy market soar
The Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, held a special event for the toy brand “Kinki Robot” in May. During the two-hour-long event, about 100 “kidult” customers gathered and purchased toys worth a combined 10 million won ($8,600). Inspired by the surprise success, the retailer opened a kidult toy chain store Replica in its luxury floor space. According to the store, the number of daily visitors is some 100 and most of them are adults.“Most of them are males in their 30s
July 26, 2013
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Law students petition against bar exam quota
A group of South Korean law school students said Friday that they have lodged a constitutional petition against a quota that limits the number of candidates allowed to pass the bar exam.In the petition filed with the Constitutional Court, third-year students at six graduate-level law schools nationwide claimed the quota violates their fundamental human rights, including freedom of occupation.“Anyone who successfully completes law school should be able to pass the exam without much difficulty,” t
July 26, 2013
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Former spy chief indicted for graft
A detained former intelligence chief has been indicted on charges of accepting kickbacks, including cash and gifts such as expensive jewelry, from a construction company, prosecutors said Friday.Won Sei-hoon, who served as the National Intelligence Service chief under then-President Lee Myung-bak until early this year, is suspected of receiving some 170 million won ($153,000) in bribes from a former head of now-bankrupt Hwangbo Construction since 2009, they said. In return, Hwang Bo-yeon, the fo
July 26, 2013
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Korea to kick off anti-suicide drive
South Korea will push for a set of measures to prevent suicide in an effort to shake off its stigma as the country with the top suicide rate among major nations, officials said Friday.South Korea is notorious for having the highest suicide rate among the countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with an average of 33.3 people per 100,000 taking their lives in 2012, far higher than the OECD average of 12.6.In 2011, more than 15,000 people took their own lives, and th
July 26, 2013
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Chinese official urges denuclearization in meeting with North Korean leader
Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, media reports said Friday.The meeting took place while Li visited the isolationist country as head of a Chinese delegation to mark the 60th anniversary of the truce of the Korean War (1950-53). The signing of the Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953, is celebrated as a holiday in the North as a day of victory in the “Fatherl
July 26, 2013
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N.Z. leader pressures Korea on FTA
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Friday pressured South Korea to move forward in their stalled talks for a free trade agreement. He sharply criticized Seoul for treating New Zealand unfairly, saying that it is time for Seoul to repay his country’s contribution to the Korean War which ended 60 years ago. Key is visiting Seoul to attend the 60th anniversary of the armistice. New Zealand sent more than 6,000 troops to fight for South Korea in the 1950-53 war.In a meeting with New Zealand vete
July 26, 2013
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Chinese VP reaffirms commitment to Korean Peninsula
Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao reaffirmed his country's commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, media reports said Friday.The meeting took place while Li visited the isolationist country as head of a Chinese delegation to mark the 60th anniversary of the truce of the Korean War (1950-53). The signing of the Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953 is celebrated as a holiday in the North as a day of victory in the "Fatherla
July 26, 2013
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Law students file constitutional petition against bar exam quota
A group of South Korean law school students said Friday that they have lodged a constitutional petition against a quota that limits the number of candidates allowed to pass the bar exam.In the petition filed with the Constitutional Court, third-year students at six graduate-level law schools nationwide claimed the quota violates their fundamental human rights, including freedom of occupation."Anyone who successfully completes law school should be able to pass the exam without much difficulty," t
July 26, 2013
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Former spy chief to stand trial over graft charges
A detained former intelligence chief has been indicted on charges of accepting kickbacks, including cash and gifts such as expensive jewelry, from a construction company, prosecutors said Friday.Won Sei-hoon, who served as the National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief under then-President Lee Myung-bak until early this year, is suspected of receiving some 170 million won (US$153,000) in bribes from a former head of now-bankrupt Hwangbo Construction since 2009, they said. In return, Hwang Bo-yeon
July 26, 2013
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Korea, U.S. fail to agree on sharing troop upkeep
South Korea and the United States failed Thursday to narrow differences over the sharing of the cost for stationing American troops here as Seoul rebutted Washington’s call for additional financial backing, a government source said.During their latest two-day meeting in Seoul, the allies were split over how much each side would contribute to the cost of maintaining the 28,500 U.S. troops here, said the source at Seoul’s foreign ministry.The countries may meet again in late August possibly in Seo
July 25, 2013
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Chun’s family, associates face travel ban
The prosecution has imposed overseas travel bans on 40 people including former President Chun Doo-hwan, his relatives and associates who allegedly helped him conceal his assets, officials said on Thursday. Investigators also said they were considering requesting authorities in the United States, Singapore and the British Virgin Islands for judicial cooperation. The former president and his family are suspected of hiding assets overseas under borrowed names and by other illegal means such as mone
July 25, 2013