Most Popular
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle
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Five vie for Seoul education chief
Five candidates officially kicked off their campaign to become Seoul’s education chief on Tuesday in a race shaping up to be yet another conservative vs. liberal battle. The election to pick the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will be held on Dec. 19, simultaneously with the presidential vote, to fill the post vacated by liberal education reformer Kwak No-hyun. Kwak, a former law professor, was jailed in September, convicted of a charge that he bought a fellow candid
Nov. 27, 2012
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Insa-dong loses cultural luster amid rising prices
It has been 10 years since Insa-dong was designated a culture district, but criticism is growing that it has lost its unique character due to overcommercialization.The area, famous for its traditional aesthetic, antique shops and art galleries, was the country’s first designated culture district in 2002. Daehangno, Incheon port and Paju Heiri are the other designated cultural districts in Korea.Created in 2000, the culture district designation is part of the Culture and Arts Promotion Act of the
Nov. 27, 2012
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S. Korean gov't to award medal to prominent activist
The South Korean government will award a medal to a prominent activist who claimed that he was tortured by the Chinese government earlier this year for his efforts to promote human rights there, the government said Tuesday.Kim Young-hwan, a 49-year-old activist, has said that he was arrested in China in March for helping North Korean defectors there and was tortured by Chinese security officers during his 114-day detention. Beijing flatly denied the accusation.During the Cabinet meeting presided
Nov. 27, 2012
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Law agencies ranked most corrupt
Prosecutors, police and judges scored the lowest points among state organizations in the transparency index compiled by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.The survey, which evaluated 627 government organizations, showed that the Ministry of Justice received the lowest grade on the five-level grading scale among the central administrative agencies. About 244,000 participants including citizens, public officers, reporters and civil activists were surveyed for the report. Administrativ
Nov. 27, 2012
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Warrant dismissed on prosecutor in sexual case
The Seoul Central District Court on Monday dismissed the application for the warrant to detain the public prosecutor accused of having sexual relations with a female suspect in return for favorable treatment.The junior prosecutor identified by his surname Jeon has been charged with bribery. “It is difficult to acknowledge the need to keep the suspect under detention as there is significant doubt about the crime,” the judge said when dismissing the warrant. “The possibility of destruction of evid
Nov. 27, 2012
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Continued violence on Koreans in Australia raises concern
Concerns are rising over the safety of Koreans in Australia after a series of what are claimed to be racial attacks.In the latest incident, a 28-year-old Korean man surnamed Cho was attacked by two white Australians around midnight Sunday in Brisbane, according to Cho and the police. The two young attackers struck his head with blunt instruments, leaving him bleeding from his head and face, they said. They first approached Cho asking for his mobile phone but started to beat him after he tried to
Nov. 26, 2012
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Ethical standards lowest at agencies that should be cleanest
Prosecutors, police and judges scored the lowest points among state organizations in the transparency index compiled by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.The survey, which evaluated 627 government organizations, showed that the Ministry of Justice received the lowest grade on the five-level grading scale among the central administrative agencies. About 244,000 participants including citizens, public officers, reporters and civil activists were surveyed for the report. Administrativ
Nov. 26, 2012
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Man nabbed for spreading sex videos
A 39-year-old man has been arrested without physical detention on charges of circulating sex videos with women whom he met online, police said Monday.The suspect, only identified by his surname Jin, is accused of having sex with dozens of women whom he met through a chat service and distributing online some 100 pieces of video footage of them engaged in sexual acts between 2003 and 2005, they said.Police investigators, however, said they would have difficulty in bringing charges against Jin, as
Nov. 26, 2012
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Only five expats work at central government
Foreigners are severely under-represented at all levels of government in Korea, with only five currently working in the central government, data showed Monday. As of June this year, central government ministries and agencies had five non-Korean nationals on its payroll, down from last year’s seven, the home administration ministry data showed. The total number of public servants in the central government is over 600,000. Foreign employees of 16 large municipal and provincial governments stood at
Nov. 26, 2012
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Childbirths grow 6.9% in Sept.: report
The number of babies born in South Korea grew at the fastest pace in nearly two years in September amid government efforts to boost the country’s chronically low birthrate, a government report showed Monday.Babies born in September came to some 41,700, up 6.9 percent or 2,700 from the same month a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea.The percentage growth was the largest since childbirths increased 10.8 percent on-year in January 2011, the report showed.The latest childbirth
Nov. 26, 2012
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Election chief pledges fair supervision of Dec. 19 vote
The head of South Korea’s national election office pledged Monday to supervise the Dec. 19 presidential election in a fair and impartial manner, and warned swift actions against any violations.In the statement released a day before the start of formal campaigning, National Election Commission (NEC) chairman Kim Nung-hwan made clear no favors will be given in the administration of the state agency’s duties.He stressed that resolute measures will be taken against any person or group that breaks th
Nov. 26, 2012
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One in five teens experience discrimination
About one in five teens living in Seoul has experienced discrimination based on their age, appearance, academic performance and family background over the last year, a poll showed Monday. Three out of 10 faced invasion of privacy and two out of five had thought of suicide due to poor grades and family conflicts, according to the survey by the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family. The foundation conducted a survey on a total of 2,163 students between June and July, including 1,649 fifth-grade ele
Nov. 26, 2012
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Positive changes in mathematical education
Exam, hagwon, workbook, answer, frustration, boring and mom: What comes into your mind when you see these words? Those are the most frequent words that were mentioned in a survey in which students were asked to write a list of words that strike them when they think about mathematics. The survey was conducted at the Math Clinic, where counseling service is offered to students in elementary, middle and high schools to help them with the difficulties and troubles faced while studying math. Korean s
Nov. 26, 2012
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Candidates differ on private education
Rising private education costs and mediocre education top the two main presidential candidates’ agenda for educational reforms.But experts raise questions about their ability to implement their commitment to drastic changes consistently while addressing likely side effects and resistance from vested interests.Education is a key battleground for the Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye and the Democratic United Party’s Moon Jae-in as they strive to win over middle-class voters, whose top concerns are ed
Nov. 26, 2012
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Community Chest of Korea begins annual fund-raiser
The Community Chest of Korea on Monday kicked off its two-month fund-raiser for this year, aiming to collect 267 billion won ($246 million), slightly more than last year’s donations. The “Hope 2013 Sharing Campaign” was launched in a ceremony in Myeong-dong, Seoul, with the campaign slogan “A United Korea through Sharing.” The campaign will last for 67 days until the end of January.Minister of Health and Welfare Lim Chae-min, Community Chest of Korea chairman Lee Dong-kurn and Community Chest Se
Nov. 26, 2012
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Man attempts to rape his bride’s friend on wedding day
A 33-year-old local man who tried to sexually assault a friend of his new wife on his wedding day has been arrested, police said Monday.According to Seoul Gangbuk Police, the suspect lured the unidentified victim by offering her a ride after the ceremony. He took the victim to an amusement park in Gyeonggi Province and tried to rape her in the car, police said.The victim offered to go to a motel in a bid to buy time, and she finally managed to escape.Investigations found that the suspect was a c
Nov. 26, 2012
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Man belatedly nabbed for spreading sex videos
A 39-year-old man has been arrested without physical detention on charges of circulating sex videos with women whom he met online, police said Monday.The suspect, only identified by his surname Jin, is accused of having sex with dozens of women whom he met through a chat service and distributing online some 100 pieces of video footage of them engaged in sexual acts between 2003 and 2005, they said.Police investigators, however, said they would have difficulty in bringing charges against Jin, as
Nov. 26, 2012
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Ministry to open two new ‘cross-disciplinary’ schools
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced Sunday it would set up two new secondary schools, in Incheon and Sejong City, offering cross-disciplinary education.The schools for the first time in Korea will offer students cross-disciplinary education opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. There will be no grade ranges for students, but they are required a certain number of course credits for graduation, the ministry said.The addition of the two schools is
Nov. 25, 2012
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Taxi-bus conflict deepens over controversial bill
Conflict between the nation’s taxi and bus operators is intensifying over a controversial bill aimed at redefining taxis as mass transit. As the ruling and opposition parties agreed on Thursday to postpone the bill from a plenary session for final approval, taxi drivers said they will stage a massive strike during the first week of December. About 250,000 taxis will gather in front of the National Assembly and launch a mass rally to press lawmakers to pass the bill, according to four major taxi
Nov. 25, 2012
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Calls mount for prosecution reform
The prosecution is under mounting pressure from both inside and outside to reform following a series of scandals involving bribes, sex and abuse of power. The elite law enforcement agency, which wields exclusive rights to indictment in the country’s criminal justice system, has for years been resisting moves to put them in check. However, the latest cases seem to be forcing them to bend, observers said. “The latest scandals were so embarrassing and made me think that we have passed the point of
Nov. 25, 2012