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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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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Court overturns conviction for ‘murder without corpse’
An appellant court on Wednesday found not guilty a woman formerly convicted of homicide in a sensational case known as “the murder without a corpse.” The 40-year-old woman was arrested in June last year for killing a 26-year-old woman and cremating the body in Busan. She disguised the corpse as hers to receive money from her life insurance, which would have amounted to 2.4 billion won ($2.1 million). She signed up to the insurance policy two months before the alleged crime.She admitted she faked
Feb. 8, 2012
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Over 5,000 cases of alien objects in food detected
The state food safety agency detected a total of 5,631 cases of alien objects including mold, metals, bugs or plastic materials in food last year. It marked a 34.5 percent decrease from the previous year, according to the Korea Food and Drug Administration. Bugs accounted for 50.3 percent of the incidents, followed by mold at 9.9 percent, metals at 9.8 percent and plastics at 5.5 percent.Processed noodle products made up 24.4 percent of the total with 10.3 percent of detections in coffee, 10.1 p
Feb. 8, 2012
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Military to screen all mobile apps
The Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday that it would screen all smartphone applications and renew the blacklist of pro-North Korean or anti-government mobile apps.It will be the first full-scale crackdown by military authorities on smartphone programs. The ministry said it would base its list on the Korea Telecommunications Commission’s guidelines. It will either have to find technological methods to block soldiers from accessing such applications or forcibly delete the applications from
Feb. 7, 2012
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Average Korean child starts English studies at age 4.3
Korean children start learning English at age 4.3 on average, and the more educated the mother the earlier a child begins, according to a survey by Yoon’s English School, a local private English institute, on Tuesday. A poll of 667 mothers conducted from Dec. 28 to Jan. 5 found that 42.7 percent said they started their children’s English education when they were between the ages of three and four.About 28.6 percent said they had their children begin learning English at between five and six years
Feb. 7, 2012
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Seoul mayor seeks pardon for evictees
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon asked President Lee Myung-bak to pardon residents arrested for violently defying eviction in Yongsan in 2009, city officials said Tuesday. Park sent an official letter to President Lee, asking for the pardon of all eight people arrested amid a deadly standoff between then-tenants and police over the forced eviction from Yongsan District 4 three years ago. The conforontation led to a fire that killed five evictees and one police officer. Park, who took office last year,
Feb. 7, 2012
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S. Korean hotels ignorant of ban on shark fin dishes
South Korean hotels are not heeding international calls to ban shark fin dishes on their menus that may cause local animal rights groups to stage a boycott, sources said Tuesday.The country’s top-rated hotels including the Lotte, Shilla, Westin Chosun, Sheraton Walker Hill and Plaza all serve the delicacy at their respective Chinese restaurants, a source in the hotel industry said.He said the ingredients are all imported from Hong Kong with some non-soup dishes costing up to 100,000 won ($90) pe
Feb. 7, 2012
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Seoul to build public hobby farm on Han River island
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday it will create public farmland on the central Seoul island of Nodeul, overturning its earlier plan to build an opera house there.Under the new plan, the municipal government will transform about one third of the uninhabited island located in the middle of the Han River into farmland before renting it out to the public starting in May. The island, covering 60,818 square meters, has long been deserted with some part of it once used as a tennis court.
Feb. 7, 2012
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Teacher booked for neglecting bullied student until suicide
Education authorities and teachers‘ associations raised skepticism on Tuesday over an unprecedented police investigation into a local teacher on suspicions of neglecting a bullied middle school student until she jumped to her death. The Yangcheon Police Station in western Seoul said a day earlier they booked a 40-year-old middle school teacher in order to begin an official investigation into suspicions that the teacher, whose identity was withdrawn, did not take proper action to stop continued s
Feb. 7, 2012
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Tough measures set on school violence
The government announced a wide range of measures against school violence Monday, focused on united action by all members of society.The measures call for strengthening the role of teachers and headmasters in resolving school violence, zero-tolerance toward bullying and more protection of and care for victims, as well as expanding character education for all school ages.“Every member of society including teachers, schools, parents and the government should act to eradicate school violence. The g
Feb. 6, 2012
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English institute caught copying exam questions
Prosecutors are investigating Hackers Education Group, a local English education franchise, on suspicion of illegally copying and redistributing copyrighted English test questions.Investigators of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Monday that they had indicted six management members of the company including chairman identified by his surname Cho without detention on charges of copyright violation. The group’s language education and research units have also been indicted on the
Feb. 6, 2012
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Carcinogens found in chip factories
Trace amounts of leukemia-linked carcinogens were found in semiconductor-producing factories of Samsung Electronics Co. and other chipmakers, a governmental authority said Monday. “We found that cancer-causing substances are present inside the chip factories,” said Park Jung-sun, head of the state-run Korea Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, announcing the results of its three-year study of potential cancer risks at chip-manufacturing lines. The study, conducted between 2009 and
Feb. 6, 2012
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Robert Redford cries out against Jeju naval base construction
By Robert LeeU.S. actor Robert Redford spoke out against Korea’s plan to build a naval base on Jeju, urging international support against it.The 75-year-old Golden Globe and Oscar-winner wrote an online contribution for the environmental magazine “OnEarth” titled “The Battle for Jeju Island: How the Arms Race is Threatening a Korean Paradise.”In the article published Friday, the director and environmental activist argues that the Defense Ministry’s plan to construct a naval base in Gangjeong, a
Feb. 6, 2012
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OTC drug sales bill put in doubt
Pharmacists’ opposition gives politicians cold feet over planA plan to allow the sale of over-the-counter drugs outside pharmacies is in doubt as politicians show cold feet toward a relevant bill at the National Assembly. The plan, directed by President Lee Myung-bak, is supported by the majority of the public in opinion polls, but is facing strong opposition from pharmacists afraid of losing profits. The bill makes 48 drugs available at supermarkets and discount stores for easier and wider acce
Feb. 6, 2012
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Seoul demands return of land used by former president
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday demanded the return of land currently used to house security guards for former President Chun Doo-hwan, city officials said.The municipal government filed the request with the police, asking them to find an alternative location before the land grant expires on April 30, according to a city official who spoke on condition of anonymity.Under South Korean law, former presidents are guarded by the presidential security service for the first 10 years after
Feb. 6, 2012
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China top destination of leaked trade secrets
Police arrested 311 people last year for selling trade secrets, with most information going abroad ending up in China, said police officials Monday.According to the National Police Agency, the numbers are up from 154 people in 40 cases in 2010.Police report that secrets going abroad increased by 167 percent during the same period.Of the total cases 29 percent involved secrets being sold abroad, with 58.3 percent of those going to China, followed by the U.S., Germany, Spain and England.Medium and
Feb. 6, 2012
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Koreans spend W12m a year before death
Koreans spend more than 12 million won ($10,430) on medical treatments in their last year of life, a national research center reported Monday. According to a study of 209,004 subscribers who died in 2010 by Health Insurance Policy Research Institute, a think tank under the National Health Insurance Corporation, men spend an average of 12.8 million won in medical fees in the year before their death. Women spend 12.1 million won during the same period. Teens spend the highest amount of 17.8 millio
Feb. 6, 2012
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English language education group caught for TOEIC, TEPS exam leak
Prosecutors are investigating Hackers Education Group, a local English education franchise, on suspicion of illegally recording and copying copyrighted English test questions.Investigators of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Monday that they had indicted six management members of
Feb. 6, 2012
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U.S. soldier’s wife booked for DUI hit-and-run accident
The wife of a U.S. soldier stationed in South Korea has been booked without detention for causing a hit-and-run car accident while driving under the influence of alcohol, police said Monday.The unnamed woman allegedly swerved her Sonata sedan and rammed it into an SUV driving in the next lane around 9:50 p.m. on Friday in a residential area in Jamsil, southern Seoul, Songpa Police Station said. After hitting the SUV, the woman drove away from the accident scene but was hunted down by the SUV dri
Feb. 6, 2012
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Reference booklet for asylum seekers
A human rights reference booklet was released on Monday for asylum seekers living in Korea, according to an NGO here specializing in migrant women affairs.Ecofemme and the National Human Rights Commission teamed up to create “Human Rights in My Pocket,” a booklet that contains essential information for asylum seekers living in the country.The booklet describes different scenarios and offers detailed responses in a wide range of issues including applying for refugee status, health insurance and c
Feb. 6, 2012
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Government toughens against school violence
The government announced a wide range of measures against school violence Monday, focused on united tough action by all members of society.The measures called for strengthening the role of teachers and headmasters in resolving school violence, zero-tolerance towards bullying and more protection of a
Feb. 6, 2012