Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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N.K. currency sustains steep fluctuations
The North Korean currency has recently gained 20 percent against the Chinese yuan, a rare development blamed on rumors of the North’s counterfeiting, a source familiar with the issue said Friday.The North Korean won was traded at 1,000 won to 1 Chinese yuan a week ago, but 1 yuan is now worth only 800 won in the country’s major northeastern city of Chongjin.The source said, on condition of anonymity, that the demand for foreign currencies has surged on rumors a week ago that a lot of North Korea
Dec. 16, 2011
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SK chairman to be summoned next week
The chairman of SK Group will be summoned next week for interrogation over allegations that he embezzled a massive amount of company funds in collusion with his younger brother, prosecutors said Friday. Prosecutors have given notice to Chairman Chey Tae-won to appear at the prosecutors’ office in southern Seoul around 9:30 a.m. on Monday for questioning, they said.Chey had initially been scheduled to undergo interrogation last week, but prosecutors postponed the summons so they could better prep
Dec. 16, 2011
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Foreign residents make up 3 pct of S. Korean population
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- The number of foreign residents living in South Korea reached an all-time high this year, accounting for 3 percent of the country's total population, with Chinese residents forming the largest group, government data showed Friday. According to the statistics compiled by th
Dec. 16, 2011
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SK Group chairman to be summoned next week
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- The chairman of SK Group will be summoned next week for interrogation over allegations that he embezzled a massive amount of company funds in collusion with his younger brother, prosecutors said Friday. Prosecutors have given notice to Chairman Chey Tae-won to appear at th
Dec. 16, 2011
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Nine Chinese fishermen arrested
South Korea's Coast Guard said Thursday it has formally arrested the Chinese fishing boat captain accused of murdering a law enforcement officer earlier in the week.Authorities said the Incheon District Court issued a formal warrant of arrest for the captain, who has been in custody since Monday. Th
Dec. 15, 2011
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Korean school meals exempt from WTO gov't procurement deal
South Korean school meals have been exempted from the World Trade Organization's (WTO) landmark public sector procurement liberalization pact, the country's diplomatic mission here said Thursday.Seoul's Permanent Mission to the UN Secretariat and International Organizations said other member countri
Dec. 15, 2011
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81 percent of separated families are over 70
Eight out of 10 South Koreans whose families were divided by the 1950-53 Korean War are over 70, indicating that time is fast running out for them to meet their families in the North, a government report showed Thursday.According to the Unification Ministry’s first-ever report on separated families, the government confirmed 66,611 survivors out of the 81,800 separated families registered with the ministry since 1999 through visits to their houses, phone calls and visits to their workplaces.Out o
Dec. 15, 2011
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Mother gets 7 years in prison for beating adopted infant
A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced the adoptive mother of an infant to seven years in prison for frequently beating the baby girl, causing brain death.The 28-year-old mother, identified only by her surname Lee, was indicted in September on charges of habitually beating her three-month-old daughter after illegally adopting her. The girl is now brain dead.Lee, who had worked for a nursery school, decided to adopt the baby in August upon an impulsive desire to raise a daughter as she had two biolo
Dec. 15, 2011
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POSCO’s Park to be buried at Seoul national cemetery
The recently deceased founder and honorary chairman of South Korea’s top steelmaker POSCO will be buried in the national cemetery in Seoul, a commission in charge of the funeral said Thursday.The remains of Park Tae-joon will be laid to rest at Seoul National Cemetery in the southern part of the South Korean capital in recognition of his contribution to the country and the society, according to the commission.Park Tae-joon died Tuesday of lung disease at the age of 84.Park was regarded as the go
Dec. 15, 2011
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Election cyber-attack accomplice identified
Prosecutors raid GNP lawmaker’s office as speaker’s aide emerges as suspectThe prosecution on Thursday raided the office of ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Choi Gu-sik to investigate whether he had been involved in the National Election Commission website hacking on Oct. 26 when by-elections for Seoul mayor and other offices took place. The raid came a day after the prosecutors said they found evidence suggesting a former aide to National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae may have been involved
Dec. 15, 2011
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Professor Jeong appointed as Yonsei University head
Jeong Kap-young, an economics professor at Yonsei University, has been appointed president of the university, the school said Thursday. The school board appointed Jeong as the 17th president after he received 86.6 percent of the vote from faculty members during the three-day meeting of professors that kicked off Nov. 28.Jeong was one of five presidential candidates selected early last month through interviews and a career examination by criteria such as research ethics and financial status. “I
Dec. 15, 2011
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Mother gets 7 yrs in prison for beating adoptive infant
SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced the adoptive mother of an infant to seven years in prison for frequently beating the baby girl, causing brain death.The 28-year-old mother, identified only by her surname Lee, was indicted in September on charges of habitually beating he
Dec. 15, 2011
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Gay conscientious objector gets Canada asylum
A gay man who avoided military service became the first South Korean to be granted asylum abroad on grounds of conscientious objection in 2009, a military human rights group belatedly announced on Thursday.According to the group, Canadian immigration officials granted asylum to Kim Kyung-hwan in 200
Dec. 15, 2011
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Sex slavery victims set up monument at 1,000th rally
An estimated 1,000 citizens gathered in front of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul Wednesday, calling for the Japanese government’s apology and compensation for the wartime sex slaves during the Japanese colonial rules (1910-1945).The day was the 1,000th weekly Wednesday Protest, first held in 1992. Participants included five survivors of Japan’s sexual enslavement, activists, politicians, foreign residents and journalists. Protesters including Chung Mong-joon, former chairman of the ruling
Dec. 14, 2011
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Workers to get half of salary during forced non-paid leave
Labor Ministry plans to focus on creating youth jobs in 2012 Workers forced to take non-paid leave will receive up to half of their regular salary for a maximum of six months starting from the second half of next year, the government said Wednesday. The Ministry of Labor also said it aims to create some 71,000 new jobs for youth workers and provide cash incentives to companies which reduce working hours and hire more staff in 2012. “With low growth forecast for the domestic economy in 2012 and
Dec. 14, 2011
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Seoul’s carbon emissions to peak in 2020
Seoul’s greenhouse gas emissions will peak in 2020 but are expected to fall from 2030, a report showed Wednesday. The city’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen over the past 20 years from about 44 million tons a year in 1990 to an estimated 51 million tons in 2010, according the report by the Seoul Development Institute. In 2020 emissions are expected to reach about 54 million tons, then fall from 2030 as the city population decreases and energy efficiency improves. Energy consumption takes up
Dec. 14, 2011
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Park, L.A. mayor talk teamwork
Seoul and Los Angeles mayors met on Wednesday to discuss economic cooperation opportunities between their two cities.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon met early Wednesday morning to discuss developments in investment and tourism.“As important as it is for mayors to meet, it is equally important for citizens to meet so there needs to be a plan for that to happen,” said Park“There needs to be cheap accommodation for Seoul
Dec. 14, 2011
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Korean nuclear reactor stops operation
A nuclear reactor in South Korea stopped operating Tuesday for unknown reasons, a state-run nuclear power plant operator said.The Unit-1 reactor with a capacity of 1-million kilowatt in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, came to a standstill at around 8 p.m., according to the Korea Hydro & Nu
Dec. 13, 2011
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US soldier in S. Korea indicted on rape charge
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors said Tuesday that they have indicted a U.S. soldier on charges of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old South Korean girl and stealing her laptop.The 21-year-old private from a communications brigade of the 8th U.S. Army is accused of raping the girl in her rented
Dec. 13, 2011
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Seoul installs west coast CCTV to forecast snowfall
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has placed weather-observing video cameras along the nation’s western coast to help the capital brace for snowstorms, officials said Tuesday.According to the capital, five closed-circuit television cameras were installed to detect early warning signs and give officials adequate preparation time, after a major snowstorm paralyzed Seoul last year. The CCTV cameras were placed at two meteorological observatories in Munsan, Ganghwa and Incheon, and in Yeongheung-do
Dec. 13, 2011