Most Popular
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Seoul vows action over Naver's Line, Yahoo dispute
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[KH Explains] Hyundai Motor’s plan for new landmark keeps hitting bumps
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[Grace Kao] American racism against Stray Kids
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Key S. Korean, USFK special operations officials to hold rare meeting amid NK threats
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Samsung doubles down on Vietnam
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NewJeans' members' parents complained to Hybe, email shows
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In Beijing, S. Korean top diplomat aims to jumpstart ties with China
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Controversy brews over shakeup of prosecutors amid probe of first lady
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Suspect behind murder of Korean tourist in Pattaya arrested
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Prosecutors summon pastor involved in Dior bag scandal
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Korea checking suspected bird flu case
South Korea's agriculture ministry said Wednesday that it is checking on a suspected case of bird flu at a duck farm in the northern part of the country.The farm ministry said a large duck farm in Icheon, 80 kilometers north of Seoul, reported symptoms that may indicate the birds have been infected
Jan. 4, 2012
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Female lawmakers rise in number, expand legislative activities
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- The rising number of female lawmakers has led to an expansion in their legislative activities, slowly introducing groundwork for gender equality at the male-dominated National Assembly, a government report showed on Wednesday.According to the report by the state-run Korean
Jan. 4, 2012
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Government invites foreign scientists
The Education and Science Ministry announced Wednesday they are inviting foreign scientists to take part in the research projects of local colleges, research centers and companies. The annual invitation program is offers them a chance to join local research projects. Foreign scientists and Korean scientists working overseas who have more than five years of experience or outstanding achievements are eligible to apply.The fields open for application are pure science, mechanical engineering, materi
Jan. 4, 2012
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Seoul police launch special anti-school violence squad
The police force in Seoul launched a special squad on Wednesday in a bid to root out school violence as a string of recent suicides by young bullied students drew attention to rampant violence in classrooms.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency commissioned the “School Police,” a squad that will work jointly with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, earlier in the day. The special team, composed of officers with backgrounds in adolescent education and psychology, will be dispatched to elem
Jan. 4, 2012
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Police row over call for chief’s resignation
Some urge unity in fighting for independent police investigation rightsThe nation’s police force is split on calls for their chief to resign after the lack of progress with prosecutors regarding the dispute over investigative authority.The National Police Agency is divided between those calling for Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh to step down, and those calling for unity within the agency. The latter see a united front as important in fighting the controversial presidential decree, which mandat
Jan. 4, 2012
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Male officials with newborns may work shorter hours
Male civil servants with newborns may be given an hour off their work day to attend to their children in a move to raise the country’s low birthrate and time spent with family, government officials said Wednesday.According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security’s 2012 plan, officials are discussing the feasibility of expanding the current measure which allows female civil servants with an infant an hour off their day to include fathers.The Seoul Metropolitan Government has also ru
Jan. 4, 2012
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Ministry seeks bill for disclosing cigarette toxins
The government is working on a bill that would require tobacco makers to disclose the harmful substances in their products in a bid to curb smoking.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that it also will come up with a roadmap for when and by how much to raise cigarette prices.Under the bill all tobacco makers would be required to notify consumers of the additives and other harmful substances contained in cigarettes. Currently, only major toxins such as tar and nicotine are listed on
Jan. 4, 2012
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Gov't to expand daily parental leave
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- The government said Wednesday it will expand beneficiaries of its daily one-hour parental leave to include pregnant public servants and male officials who have a baby younger than one year old, as part of efforts to boost the country's birthrate.Currently, only female offic
Jan. 4, 2012
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Ex-aide of KCC chief under bribery probe
Prosecutors said Tuesday they have launched an investigation into allegations that a former aide to the communications watchdog’s head received massive bribes from an operator of a local education institution, who is also suspected of embezzlement.The probe was opened to verify the allegations that the aide, surnamed Jeong, received nearly 200 million won ($173,800) from Kim Hak-in, the chairman of the board for Korea Broadcasting and Art School, a college-level vocational school focused on broa
Jan. 4, 2012
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‘School violence policies ineffective’
Experts call for long-term measures involving the whole of societyMeasures to deal with school violence have mostly been ineffective and short-sighted, the head of an anti-bullying group has said. Recent school bullying-related suicides have attracted media attention and the government has once again proposed a set of measures and held a series of high-level and school-level meetings to devise new ways to prevent bullying. But Kim Gun-chan, director of the School Violence Prevention Center, a ci
Jan. 4, 2012
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Probe launched into bribery allegations surrounding communications watchdog head
Prosecutors said Tuesday they have launched an investigation into allegations that a former aide to the communications watchdog's head received massive bribes from an operator of a local education institution, who is also suspected of embezzlement.The probe was opened to verify the allegations that
Jan. 3, 2012
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Conflict reemerges over investigative authority
Police agency sends out guidelines limiting prosecutors’ influenceThe controversial presidential decree on the enforcement of the Criminal Procedure Act hit a roadblock on Monday, only two days after its implementation. On Monday, Suseong Police Station in Daegu refused to carry out directives from the city’s prosecutors’ office to conduct an internal investigation, becoming the first police station to do so.“With the decree going into effect, the prosecutors can direct investigations, but an in
Jan. 3, 2012
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School dropouts on the rise
The number of students dropping out of primary and secondary education is on the rise, in turn highlighting the lack of alternative schools and facilities for troubled youths.According to the Seoul Development Institute and the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday, 6,885 students dropped out of elementary, middle, and high school in 2010. The research found only some 660 students are in alternative schools, shelters, and facilities, highlighting that the remaining 90 percent are left without
Jan. 3, 2012
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‘School violence policies ineffective, short-sighted’
Experts call for long-term effective measures involving the whole societySchool violence has drawn more attention every time school bullying cases are reported, prompting the government to come up with measures to resolve these problems. But experts say the measures have proven mostly ineffective and short-sighted. School violence incidents occur incessantly, leaving deep scars on the school community and society at large.Recently, the government has once again proposed a set of measures after a
Jan. 3, 2012
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More teachers look to retire early
The number of primary and secondary education teachers looking to retire early this year in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province has skyrocketed from last year, education officials said Tuesday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 920 teachers from elementary, middle and high schools have applied for early retirement this February, up 188 from February 2011.Of those, the greatest increase came from public school teachers as 691 applied for early retirement in February, com
Jan. 3, 2012
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119 crews called 569 times a day last year
The 119 rescue crew in Seoul were dispatched to deal with emergencies an average of 569 times a day, or every five minutes, last year. The majority of the cases were fire but a growing number of people asked for their help in searching for missing or runaway family members, the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters said Tuesday.In its report about last year’s activity, 119 emergency staffers were dispatched to a total of 94,738 rescue scenes, of which 77,634 cases concluded with the ag
Jan. 3, 2012
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Korail bashed over train's failure to stop at station
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- The national railroad operator received a flurry of passenger complaints after one of its high-speed trains missed a key station and made a dangerous return trip back to the missed stop late Monday.Korail said one of its Korea Train Express (KTX) trains, heading to Busan fr
Jan. 3, 2012
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Jogye Order Ven. Jigwan dies
Jan. 2, 2012
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P.M. calls for fair elections, economic vitality
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik said Monday the government will strive for “the fairest elections ever” this year, while seeking to maintain the economic vitality and stabilize the lives of the people.South Korea heads into its biggest election season in two decades this year as it prepares to select a new parliament and a new president. The general elections take place in April to change the 299-member unicameral National Assembly, and a presidential vote in December will select a successor to Pre
Jan. 2, 2012
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Podcast hosts sue Na Kyung-won
Reporter Joo Jin-wu and former lawmaker Chung Bong-ju on Monday sued former Grand National Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won for defamation and concealing irregularities during the Seoul mayoral by-election in October. The suit is the first of the year, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Joo and Chung shot to fame hosting the nation’s most popular podcast “Naneun Ggomsuda, (I am a slacker).”Police said Joo, a reporter for the weekly magazine SisaIn, filed the complaint claiming that Na
Jan. 2, 2012