Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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Thousands of sex offenders roam free as arrest rate falls
The authorities failed to arrest the suspects in more than 9,000 cases of sexual assault between 2007 and 2011, data showed Wednesday.According to National Police Agency data, 81,860 sex crimes including rape were investigated during the five-year period.A protestor demanding tougher measures against sex offenders holds a sign that says “Protect our children” in Seoul. (Yonhap News)However, law en
Sept. 5, 2012
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Subway screen door boosts cancer-causing substance in cars: research
The installation of platform screen doors (PSD) in Seoul’s subway stations resulted in the increased concentration of cancer-causing substance in subway cars, a survey showed Wednesday.According to the research by the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment, the concentration of radon rose by an average of 53 percent in the city’s subway lines No. 2 through 8 after the safety device between the train and the platform was put in place in 2008.The comparable figures were measured in 2008 and 201
Sept. 5, 2012
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Crimes rekindle debate over capital punishment
Saenuri nominee Park supports maintaining death penaltyA recent spate of heinous crimes against children and women has ignited calls for the execution of the offenders, which Korea has shied away from for the past 15 years.The brutal incidents, including the rape last week of a 7-year-old girl, have shocked the entire country and forced the government to strengthen related measures, including a wider use of chemical castration and a stepped-up clampdown on child pornography.The Justice Ministry
Sept. 4, 2012
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‘Lee’s visit to Dokdo makes landing drill unnecessary’
South Korea decided to exclude landing maneuvers on the country’s easternmost islets of Dokdo from upcoming defense drills as the main purpose of such exercises has already been fulfilled through President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to the islets, a senior official said Tuesday.The Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are scheduled to kick off biannual Dokdo defense exercises on Friday. The drills previously involved Marine Corps landing on the East Sea islets, but the government decided to exclude
Sept. 4, 2012
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Drivers face heavier fines for tossing cigarette butts
The home affairs ministry said Tuesday the government will toughen the punishment for motorists throwing cigarette butts out of car windows as part of efforts to boost public safety.Under the revised bill approved by the Cabinet in the day, those who throw such objects deemed dangerous as cigarette butts and pieces of glass out of car windows will face a fine of 50,000 won ($44), up from the current amount of 30,000 won.The revised rule will take effect starting Sept. 12, according to the Minist
Sept. 4, 2012
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State ordered to compensate fisherman in forged spy case
A Seoul court has ordered the state to compensate a South Korean fisherman who was falsely accused of spying for North Korea and spent 15 years behind bars in the 1980s and 1990s, court officials said Tuesday.The fisherman, identified only by his surname Cheong, was abducted in 1965 by the communist state along with 109 other fishermen while fishing in the Yellow Sea and released one month later.In 1982, Cheong was taken into custody by Seoul’s intelligence agency without an arrest warrant and t
Sept. 4, 2012
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Hepatitis C mechanism identified
A group of South Korean scientists claimed Tuesday they have identified how hepatitis C damages the liver for the first time in the world, opening the way for the development of cures without serious side effects.Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by a virus that primarily affects the liver. There already exists treatment for the disease, but the existing medication comes with serious side effects that include damage to the liver, according to the research team from the Korea Advanced I
Sept. 4, 2012
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Two arrested for espionage for N. Korea
A man and woman have recently been arrested for delivering classified military information to North Korea, the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday. The man identified only by his surname Jang, 58, went to China to meet a North Korean agent operating missions there. He told the agent that he had been running a business to unify the two Koreas, according to prosecutors. With a 57-year-old woman surnamed Yu, he visited China 30 times since 2008 and both underwent training. In return the
Sept. 4, 2012
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Delayed TOEFL results leave test takers fuming
An unexpected delay in the release of results for the Test of English as a Foreign Language has baffled and upset its Korean takers, many of whom are college applicants.The Educational Testing Service, a U.S.-based developer of one of the most popular English tests, notified participants through email and its website on Aug. 28 that the release of results for the Aug. 19 test, scheduled for that day, would be postponed. The ETS did not reveal the reasons, but said that it sincerely apologizes to
Sept. 4, 2012
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2 out of 5 students want to quit school: survey
More than 40 percent of students in Korea feel like quitting school due to stress over school records and boredom with school life, a government survey showed Tuesday.In an online poll of 31,364 elementary, middle and high school students conducted in July, some 40.3 percent said they wished to leave school.As the main reason, 41.8 percent cited stress over their school records, followed by boredom with 22.1 percent, relationship with peers with 13.5 percent, and problems with teachers with 6.1
Sept. 4, 2012
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Diversity and sense of community in schools
Education in South Korea is attracting increasing attention worldwide. South Korean students’ excellent performance on the Program for International Students Assessment is often taken as an indicator of the achievement of South Korean education. President Barack Obama of the United States likes to point to Korea as an example that American schools should emulate in order to solve the pressing problems facing their educational system. The astonishing pace at which the Korean school system grew mi
Sept. 4, 2012
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Sungkyunkwan rises in business, high tech fields
Reforms, international programs drive success of Korea’s oldest schoolArchaic buildings and tranquil gardens greet visitors to Sungkyunkwan University to the side of the entrance. Founded in 1398, it was the place of study and repose for king’s scholars of Joseon Dynasty. Confucianism is still the guiding principle of the longest-running higher education institute in Korea nestled beside a royal court of the medieval dynasty in central Seoul.Surviving over 600 years of checkered history includi
Sept. 4, 2012
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Porn-addict father jailed for raping daughter
(123rf)A 38-year-old man addicted to pornography was given a hefty prison term for raping his daughter, the latest in a string of unnerving sex crimes in Korean society.The Busan District Court on Tuesday sentenced the father, whose identity was withheld, to seven years in prison for raping his 13-year-old daughter in August 2010 and again in February 2011.The court also ordered that his personal
Sept. 4, 2012
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Seoul City to continue to restrict large stores
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Monday that the city government would continue to restrict the operation of so-called super-supermarkets and large retail stores run by conglomerates. He said on a radio program that the city would restart the compulsory holidays for SSMs and large retailers again from November, after revisions to related bills by each district office are finished. “The court rulings did not completely nullify the restriction on the operation of SSMs and large stores on the second
Sept. 3, 2012
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Online pedophile communities operate unchecked
The recent kidnapping and rape of a 7-year-old girl has highlighted the danger of online communities of possible pedophiles running unchecked on the Internet.On Aug. 30, a 23-year-old man kidnapped and raped a 7-year-old girl in Naju, Jeolla Province. During the police interrogation, the man revealed that he was in the habit of watching pornographic material involving children and that he developed a desire to engage in similar acts.There are more than 10 online communities of people who claim t
Sept. 3, 2012
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Elevator institute to raise fund for accident victims
The Korea Elevator Safety Institute has announced that it will raise funds for victims of elevator accidents after signing an agreement with the Community Chest of Korea.KESI, a state-run agency specializing in technical inspections concerning elevator safety, agreed last Thursday with the charity organization and other civic groups to help victims of elevator accidents.According to the agreement, KESI will open a special bank account and operate promotional activities to raise funds for the vic
Sept. 3, 2012
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Lee pledges to consider all possible measures to deter sex crimes
President Lee Myung-bak pledged Monday to make electronic anklets more effective, expand the personal information disclosure of sex offenders and consider all possible measures against rapists, including chemical castration, as public outrage runs high over the recent kidnapping and rape of a seven-year-old girl.Lee made the pledge during a biweekly radio address, calling last week's brutal rape,
Sept. 3, 2012
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Unification Church founder dies at 92
Controversial religious leader oversaw a vast business empireRev. Moon Sun-myung, the founder of the Unification Church and a business mogul, died shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday morning. He was 92.Moon died at a church-owned hospital in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. His wife, Han Hak-ja, and children were at his side, the church said.Rev. Moon Sun-myung (Yonhap News)Moon was admitted to the intens
Sept. 3, 2012
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Business travelers spend $332 a night in Seoul
How much does a night’s stay in Seoul cost globe-trotting business travelers? About 390,000 won ($332), according to data released Sunday by a lawmaker’s office here.The expenses covered a room for two at a five-star hotel ($175) and dining out ($157). This made Seoul the world’s 57th-most expensive city to visit among 100 world cities outside the U.S. and the 7th among Asian destinations. The data, compiled by the Korea Tourism Organization for Saenuri Party Rep. Cho Hae-jin, are based on a sur
Sept. 2, 2012
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Meth seizures rise 98 percent in 2011
The amount of methamphetamine seized by law enforcement authorities almost doubled in 2011, prosecutorial data showed Sunday, while seizures of other drugs also rose. The statistics from the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office showed that the overall number of drug offenses in Korea declined 5.7 percent to 9,174 last year, remaining below the 10,000 bar for a second consecutive year. That was low enough to put Korea among “drug-free countries” internationally. Yet the data revealed a noticeable a
Sept. 2, 2012