Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Man gets 25-year prison term for raping niece
A 58-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for raping his underage niece as well as impregnating her, a Suwon court said Wednesday, amid growing calls for tougher punishments for brutal sex crimes against minors. The Suwon District Court handed down the hefty prison term to the man, only identified by his surname Cheong, convicted of raping his niece on multiple occasions between September 2005 and July this year in his house in Pyongtaek, south of Seoul. The niece, who is now 16 y
Nov. 14, 2012
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Prime Minister warns prosecution and police to end feud
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik on Tuesday called on the prosecution and police to resolve their bitter feud over investigative powers or face government arbitration. The two sides have been at odds recently over a corruption case involving a senior prosecutor accused of taking bribes from a conman and a mid-sized conglomerate. Kim expressed regret to Justice Minister Kwon Jae-jin and Public Administration and Security Minister Maeng Hyung-kyu, who are in charge of supervising the respective agenci
Nov. 13, 2012
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FM to attend Middle East security forum in UAE
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will visit the United Arab Emirates later this week to attend an annual forum on peace and security in the Middle East, a ministry official said Tuesday. At the invitation of UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Kim is to make a three-day visit to the UAE from Friday and will be the first Asian foreign minister to join the Sir Bani Yas Forum in Abu Dhabi, the official said. The forum is aimed at discussing pending issues for peace
Nov. 13, 2012
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Foreigner, overseas Korean registration fees to double
The fees for foreigner registration and domestic residence registration for overseas Koreans are set to be doubled starting Jan.1.The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday made the public notice of legislation of the revised enforcement decrees on the Act on the Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans and the Immigration Control Act entailing the changes.Under the revised regulations, the foreigner registration fee will be raised to 20,000 won from the current 10,000 won. The fee for domestic
Nov. 13, 2012
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Police arrest illegal silicone implant makers
Police have caught a group of manufacturers of illegal breast implants which were filled with industrial silicone, normally used as a raw material for paint. The implants were sold below market price to more than 100 hospitals nationwide including some in Cheongdam-dong, a Gangnam district famous for plastic surgery in Korea, the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency said on Tuesday. There are some patients suffering from skin inflammation and bedsores since getting the implants, officers said. The
Nov. 13, 2012
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Life on wheels getting harder and tighter
Just over a year ago, Kim Young-gil’s wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, leading him to decide that after years of operating a room salon and working in bars, he needed to find a steadier way of earning a living. At age 34, he wrote his first resume and acquired a license to work as a taxi driver. He now drives for 12 hours a day ferrying passengers all over the Seoul area. His new career as a cabbie has brought with it a range of challenges, but little of the stability or respectabili
Nov. 13, 2012
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Counsel may charge President Lee’s son, aides
The independent counsel is considering charging President Lee Myung-bak’s son and several aides as the team wraps up its one-month inquiry into alleged irregularities in a canceled property deal.Lee Kwang-bum plans to announce the result of the investigation Wednesday after Lee refused extend the investigation period by an additional 15 days.Sources said Tuesday the special prosecutor is weighing indicting the president’s son Lee Si-hyung without detention. It may also file charges against sever
Nov. 13, 2012
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General appointed to lead UNC armistice panel
A South Korean major general was appointed to lead the United Nations Command’s military armistice commission, which supervises the implementation of the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) said Tuesday.Maj. Gen. Jang Kyung-wook will lead the UNC’s five-member military armistice commission team in the truce village of Panmunjom on the southern section of the demilitarized zone, which is co-supervised by five representatives on the northern side of the DMZ. With
Nov. 13, 2012
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Seoul mayor’s trip to Europe focuses on social enterprise, cooperatives
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Monday met with leaders of social business and cooperatives in Barcelona, Spain, the first leg of his seven-day trip to Europe.He met with Sandro Rosell, chairman of FC Barcelona, a football club, and the club’s vice president Carles Vilarrubi to share management skills of the football club, which is run in the form of a cooperative. The football club, which Lionell Messi plays for, has more than 170,000 investors and is owned by 1,343 fan clubs. The chairman and the
Nov. 13, 2012
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Seoul to ban smoking in all indoor facilities by 2020
The Seoul government aims to make the capital a smoke-free city by 2020 in line with the World Health Organization’s policy encouraging its members to reduce smoking.The Seoul office plans to ban smoking in all public and multi-purpose facilities, in addition to bus stops, and restaurants and bars whose size exceeds 150 square meters, officials said.Seoul made the announcement with Dr. Susan Mercado, team leader of the tobacco free initiative for WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, and Domilyn
Nov. 13, 2012
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Police-prosecution feud reignites over corruption case
The long-standing feud between the prosecution and the police has burst to the forefront again ahead of the December presidential election.The two law enforcement agencies have been at odds for years over their respective powers.The government responded by implementing a new ordinance in January that allows the prosecutors to take over cases when they deem a police investigation problematic.In the lead up to the presidential election, police have protested the rule, which they claim to be an inf
Nov. 12, 2012
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WHO chief calls for global action to fight tobacco industry
The chief of the World Health Organization denounced the tobacco industry Sunday for maneuvering to undermine global efforts to fight smoking and protect the public health. Director-general Margaret Chan called for action by governments, civil societies and individuals against tobacco companies which have been lobbying consumer groups and hiding the facts that their products have taken millions of lives. “This is the industry that you should never trust because it has been hiding scientific info
Nov. 12, 2012
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Korean plans to set up university in Philippines
A Korean businessman who runs a four-year college in the Philippines is planning to set up a university in the country. “We’re now in talks with the authorities to upgrade our college as a full-scale university,” said Kim Nang-kyu, the chairman of Ebenezer International College in the Philippines.“We’re planning to open engineering and physical education courses next year. We’re also in talks with American schools to open an international law school here,” he added.The 58-year-old Kim, who emigr
Nov. 12, 2012
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From good to great: What’s next for Korean higher education
Over the last 30 years, Korea has experienced unmatched progress in higher education. The percentage of high-school graduates attending higher education institutions has steadily increased, with Korea now ranking first among 25 OECD countries in terms of the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who have tertiary degrees. This boom in higher education has led to an increasingly well-educated population. Much of this success is due to the firm foundation laid by K-12 education. Universities have four
Nov. 12, 2012
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Microsoft to help N.K. defectors
The South Korean unit of U.S. computer software maker Microsoft will sign an agreement with the Unification Ministry to provide support for Seoul’s efforts to educate North Korean defectors on information technology, the ministry said Monday.Graig Shank, the general manager for Microsoft’s international affairs team, will meet with Minister Yu Woo-ik on Tuesday to sign the deal, according to the ministry.Under the agreement, the software maker will provide 100 million won ($91,869) worth of PCs,
Nov. 12, 2012
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Elite education not a surefire path to success
To parents who want their children to excel in school and have successful careers, she might be the perfect role model. Yoon Seon-joo graduated from the prestigious Seoul National University and worked as a producer at SBS, one of the country’s three major broadcasters. She then studied at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School, and worked as a lawyer with an international law firm.However, she doesn’t believe Korea’s elite education was a surefire path to success.“I don’t think I’m a per
Nov. 12, 2012
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Special counsel team begins raid on presidential office at third-party place
A team led by special counsel Lee Kwang-bum raided Cheong Wa Dae's Presidential Security Service (PSS) at a third-party place in connection with the presidential retirement home deal that critics say misused taxpayer money, officials said Monday.At a training institute of the country's financial regulator located near the presidential office in central Seoul, five members of the special counsel team began at 2:00 p.m. to search and seize relevant data and proof randomly submitted by the PSS, the
Nov. 12, 2012
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Next president should prioritize economic stimulus: poll
More than a third of South Korean companies think that the country‘s next president should put the top priority of his or her economic policy on revitalizing the flagging economy, a poll showed Monday.The survey of 500 companies conducted by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) found that 35.6 percent of the respondents said that the next president should make “economic stimulus” a top priority.Economic stimulus was followed by price stabilization with 27.6 percent, job creation wi
Nov. 12, 2012
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Prosecutors, police clash over investigation rights
The prosecution and police are on a collision course over the right to investigate a senior prosecutor accused of taking bribes from a con artist and a business group. An ad hoc team at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday raided the homes and offices of the official, Eugene Group and others involved.“Five groups of investigators including forensic experts began the search at 10 a.m.,” Kim Su-chang, chief of the special investigation team, told reporters. The team, consisting of 10 prosecut
Nov. 11, 2012
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Court rejects naturalization of ‘misbehaving’ Chinese woman
A Seoul court has rejected the naturalization of a Chinese woman, citing her record of “misbehavior,” court records showed Sunday.The Seoul High Court recently overturned a lower court’s ruling, which had ordered the Justice Ministry to cancel its decision to deny the 38-year-old Chinese woman a chance to become a naturalized South Korean citizen. She does not meet naturalization requirements, as her sham marriage and an illegal entry into the country are not in accordance with the naturalizatio
Nov. 11, 2012