Most Popular
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Yoon apologizes for first lady Dior bag scandal, calls push for special probe ‘political’
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South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments
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Korea forecast to overtake Taiwan in chip production by 2032: report
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Girl hanging on bridge, police trying to rescue her both fall off; rescued immediately
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[K-pop’s dilemma] Can K-pop break free from ‘fandom’ model?
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YouTuber fatally stabbed on livestream by another YouTuber in Busan
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Yoon rebuffs opposition's call for special probe into wife
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Arrest warrant issued for medical student for allegedly killing girlfriend after breakup
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S. Korea to let doctors with foreign licenses practice
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Stray Kids hit with racism in Met Gala photo line
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Runaway teen lies about kidnapping
A runaway teenager lied about being kidnapped to avoid getting in trouble with her mother, according to police. The 18-year-old surnamed Kim, who had left home 8 months ago, called her mother early on Monday morning to tell her that she was locked in a room in Busan, South Gyeonsang Province. “I’m on the third floor of a red brick four-story building in Moradong, Busan. There are three rooms in the hallway,” said Kim to her mother on the phone.Some 80 police officers searched Moradong area build
Jan. 31, 2013
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Naju rapist receives life imprisonment
A district court on Thursday sentenced a 24-year-old man to life in prison for kidnapping and raping an eight-year-old girl in the southern city of Naju.The defendant, only identified by his surname Koh, was found guilty of abducting the sleeping elementary school first-grader from her home and brutally raping her before trying to kill her in August in Naju, 350 kilometers south of Seoul.The Gwangju District Court also ordered that Koh be subject to hormonal treatment that suppresses sexual impu
Jan. 31, 2013
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Civic groups step up criticism of Samsung over deadly chemical leak
Civic groups and politicians on Wednesday stepped up criticism of Samsung Electronics over a toxic chemical leak at one of its semiconductor lines that killed one worker and injured four others. The workers were from a subcontractor.Approximately two to 10 liters of hydrofluoric acid leaked in the incident that took place on Sunday.According to the Industrial Safety and Health Law, business operators that deal with toxic chemicals are legally responsible for safety matters.“The accident occurred
Jan. 30, 2013
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Samsung to be fined over lax response to gas leak
Samsung Electronics Co. will be fined up to 1 million won ($923) for belatedly reporting last week's fatal hydrofluoric acid gas leak at its chip plant that killed one worker and injured four others, police said Wednesday. Police said they plan to impose the fine on Samsung and its subcontractor, named STI Service, for violating the Toxic Chemicals Control Act that stipulates the firms to notify the authorities promptly when such an incident breaks out. Up to 10 liters of diluted hydrofluor
Jan. 30, 2013
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New email-hacking phishing spreading
A new form of phishing crime, stealing a victim’s accredited certificates by hacking into email accounts, has been spreading, the police reported.Phishing is a compound word of “private data” and “fishing” and was first reported in Korea in 2004. Scammers have been refining fraud techniques to steal personal data over the last 8 years and a variety of tricks like voice-phishing and smishing, one by text message, have hit many unsuspecting users.“Offenders of the new phishing fraud break into vic
Jan. 30, 2013
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College president arrested in money-for-student scheme
Officials from a college in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, were accused of misappropriating school funds and state subsides and bribing high school teachers to increase its enrollment, prosecutors said. The Daegu District Public Prosecutors’ Office said it has charged the president and six high-ranking officials of Pohang College Friday with embezzlement, bribery, fraud and other offenses.They were suspected of falsely increasing the number of students to secure more government subsidies.Its
Jan. 29, 2013
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Drug offenders increase in 2012
The number of drug offenders in 2012 came to 9,225, up by 0.9 percent from a year earlier according to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.Of them, 359 were foreign nationals, a 38.6 percent increase from 2011.The total number of drug offenders had been on the decrease since 2009 but 2012 saw an upturn, according to the data.The authorities confiscated a total of 50.1 kilograms of illegal drugs last year, down from the previous year’s 110.9 kilograms. But the weight of drugs smuggled into the countr
Jan. 29, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Samsung under fire for clumsy response
Samsung Electronics came under fire for its clumsy response to a toxic gas leak in its semiconductor line, which killed one subcontract worker and injured four others on Monday.The world’s largest technology company was accused of failing to take proper safety measures and even attempting to conceal the incident to minimize damage to its reputation.The plant is located less than 4 kilometers from Dongtan New Town in Hwaseong City and Suwon City, where 1.3 million residents live in both areas. T
Jan. 29, 2013
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Female doctorate holders have lower incomes: survey
Female doctorate degree holders earn less than their male counterparts, due mainly to a larger number of women majoring in lower-paying fields such as human studies and natural science, a survey showed Tuesday.According to the survey of 2,638 men and 1,089 women who got their Ph.D. in South Korea for the academic year in 2012, the rate of men with doctorates who earn more than 50 million won ($45,913) per year came to 63.2 percent, nearly double that of women, which came to 36.2 percent.But 28.6
Jan. 29, 2013
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Recommendations of rights watchdog often neglected
Some 30 percent of policy recommendations issued by the human rights commission have been partly or wholly rejected, the watchdog said Tuesday, raising questions over the efficacy of its role.The National Human Rights Commission said it has made a total of 2,768 recommendations to government agencies and private entities since its establishment in 2001 until last year upon receiving petitions, and some 68.7 percent have been accepted so far.By type, government organizations, including the police
Jan. 29, 2013
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OECD urges Korea to increase grants to poor nations
Members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Tuesday recommended that South Korea increase the size of grants it offers as development aid to nations with high levels of poverty and debt. The recommendation by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, which groups donor nations in the northern hemisphere, was a result of the first “peer review” of South Korea’s development aid policies since the committee endorsed Seoul as its 24th member in 2009. Wrapping up the ei
Jan. 29, 2013
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Asia’s gambling apartheid via foreigner-only access
The casino industry is booming across Asia, offering anyone looking for high-stakes action a wide choice of venues, from high-tech South Korea to the Himalayan nation of Nepal and communist Vietnam.Anyone, that is, except South Koreans, Nepalese or Vietnamese.For conservative Asian countries, the financial pros and social cons of casino gambling pose something of a dilemma ― one that several have chosen to resolve by adopting a foreigner-only access policy.The upsides are obvious in a region whe
Jan. 29, 2013
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Korea to honor Japanese-born scholar for Dokdo research
South Korea has decided to give a state medal to a Japanese-born scholar who is one of the vocal critics of Japan’s claim to the South’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, an official said Tuesday. Yuji Hosaka, a naturalized Korean and head of the Dokdo Research Institute of Sejong University in Seoul, has been credited with having helped South Korea increase awareness of its sovereign control of Dokdo worldwide, the Foreign Ministry official said. “The government decided to award a state medal to Pro
Jan. 29, 2013
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Korea awards medal to ex-U.S. Sen. Lieberman
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The South Korean government bestowed a medal Monday on former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman in recognition of his works for the alliance between the two nations.He received the Gwanghwa Medal, South Korea’s highest order of diplomatic service merit, in a ceremony held at the official residence of the South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Choi Young-jin, according to the embassy.Lieberman retired from more than two decades of service at the Senate early this month.He was ini
Jan. 29, 2013
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Probe launched into Samsung chip plant gas leak
Police said Tuesday they have launched a probe into the cause of a fatal hydrofluoric acid gas leak that killed one worker and injured four others at the main plant of the world's largest memory chip maker Samsung Electronics Co. Up to 10 liters of hydrofluoric acid, an acute poison that can damage lungs and bones and even affect the nervous system, leaked from one of the pipes at the Samsung plant in Hwaseong, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday, officers said.The leak occurred around 1:30
Jan. 29, 2013
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Conscientious objection remains social conundrum
Son In-cheol, a 27-year-old freelance translator, feels hopeless and scared at the thought of having to live in prison with those convicted of homicide, rape, drug abuse, fraud and other crimes unthinkable for him.While awaiting a Supreme Court decision over his refusal to serve in the military due to his religious beliefs, he is also frustrated about social disadvantages and prejudice against so-called “conscientious objectors.”“I feel like I’m leading a limited life as it is certain that unles
Jan. 28, 2013
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Number of men taking paternity leave soars
The number of male workers taking paternity leave surged nearly 30 percent last year, government data showed Monday.A total of 1,790 male employees took paternity leave last year, a 27.6 percent increase from the previous year, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said in its report.The number of men temporarily leaving the office to take care of their children, however, was far below that of female workers. Of 64,069 workers taking parental leave, men accounted for just 2.8 percent in 2012. The
Jan. 28, 2013
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Gas leak kills worker at Samsung plant
SUWON (Yonhap News) -- Highly poisonous hydrofluoric acid gas leaked at the main plant of the world‘s largest memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co., killing one worker and injuring four others, police said Monday.Some 2 to 10 liters of hydrofluoric acid, an acute poison that can damage lungs and bones and affect the nervous system, leaked from one of the pipes at the Samsung plant in Hwaseong, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday, they said.The leaks affected five subcontracted workers who
Jan. 28, 2013
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Labor Ministry to expand E-Mart probe
The Ministry of Employment and Labor will expand its probe of E-Mart over its alleged abuses of labor rights to 24 branches across the country, officials said Monday.E-Mart, the country’s largest supermarket chain, is facing allegations that it had illegally monitored its workers to prevent them from joining labor unions.The Labor Ministry conducted its probe into the head office of E-Mart last week, but decided to look into 24 branches nationwide to see whether they had also violated labor-rela
Jan. 28, 2013
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Hydrofluoric acid gas leak kills one at Samsung chip plant
SUWON (Yonhap News) -- Highly poisonous hydrofluoric acid gas leaked at the main plant of the world's largest memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co., killing one worker and injuring four others, police said Monday.Some 2 to 10 liters of hydrofluoric acid, an acute poison that can damage lungs and bones and affect the nervous system, leaked from one of the pipes at the Samsung plant in Hwaseong, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday, they said.The leaks affected five subcontracted workers who
Jan. 28, 2013