Most Popular
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Controversy rekindled over when to name criminals, suspects
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Hybe-Ador CEO conflict gets messier
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Battery makers ramp up efforts to diversify graphite supply chain
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[KH Explains] Hyundai Motor’s plan for new landmark keeps hitting bumps
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Seoul vows action over Naver's Line, Yahoo dispute
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Prosecutors to summon pastor who allegedly gave Dior bag to first lady
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‘Monk’ DJ spreading Buddhism goes global
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[LLG] Unseen inheritance: Trauma of transnational adoption 'trickles down' to adoptees' children
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Court's ruling set to shape path of medical school expansion
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Loans of self-employed swell 50% in four years
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Seoul City offers honorary citizenship to ‘bridgebuilders’
Seoul City will confer honorary citizen certificates to 16 people from a dozen countries for their contribution in developing the capital and promoting Korea’s culture around the world, officials said Thursday.Among the beneficiaries is Benjamin Hughes, 46, an international arbitrations expert and Christopher Vaia, 65, a soldier-turned-“Bridgebuilder.”A retired Sergeant Major for the U.S. Forces Korea, Vaia has been an important figure in bridging the gap between the U.S. and Korean communities
Oct. 27, 2011
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World cities vie for LivCom Awards in Songpa
The International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom), given to local communities to recognize the best management of environment, kicked off its five-day event at Lotte Hotel in the Seoul district of Songpa, Thursday.It is the first time for Songpa to host the event in Korea since the award was launched in 1997 in partnership with the U.N. Environment Program.About 80 countries selected from 330 applicants will compete for the award this year and share their environment practices with othe
Oct. 27, 2011
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New mayor signs off on free school meal expansion
Park expected to halt civil engineering projectsSigning off on a plan to finance free lunches for all elementary school students starting next month was the first thing new Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon did as he began his job Thursday.With his signing, the free school meal program, currently offered to first through fourth graders, will be extended to fifth and sixth graders, two months after ex-mayor Oh Se-hoon resigned over his failure to thwart the free meal expansion plan pushed by the oppositi
Oct. 27, 2011
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[PROFILE} Park Won-soon, ‘People’s champion’
Newly elected Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was the unified candidate of the liberal bloc.The 55-year-old civic activist and human rights lawyer made his political debut through this high-profile by-election. It is the first time that a civil society leader without any political party membership has taken the helm of the Seoul municipality.Park has said that he joined the mayoral race after “seeing my fellow people suffer and the country going backward” under the leadership of the preceding GNP-affi
Oct. 27, 2011
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No time for Park to adapt for new Seoul mayor
The new Seoul mayor’s term begins Thursday without a transition period to get accustomed to the job, the Seoul Election Commission said on Wednesday. The newly elected Park Won-soon will not have time to arrange the transfer of duties before inauguration because the race was decided in a by-election, called after the resignation of former mayor Oh Se-hoon. Oh had spent a month getting used to the job.“A mayor selected in a regular election is given a month to understand city affairs because ther
Oct. 27, 2011
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Police chief takes fire over gun use
The chief of police here is facing heated opposition from human rights organizations and even some officers after telling front line police to use their firearms more often. This will be the third time that the National Police Agency Commissioner-General Cho Hyun-oh has ordered his officers to more readily use their firearms after officers simply watched a massive gang fight unfold. “Police will wage war against organized gangsters by the end of this year,” said Cho.“I will allow all kinds of eq
Oct. 27, 2011
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Samsung to dismantle medical center
Samsung Group revamped its healthcare unit Wednesday by splitting Samsung Medical Center into three independent hospitals for the sake of management efficiency, officials said.Currently, Samsung Medical Center includes Samsung Seoul Hospital in Ilwon-dong in southern Seoul, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in northern Seoul and Samsung Changwon Hospital in South Gyeongsang Province. The group headquarters appointed Yoon Soon-bong, former CEO of the group’s petrochemical unit, as president of Samsung Seo
Oct. 26, 2011
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Konkuk University opens animal stem cell center
Konkuk University opened an animal stem cell research institute Wednesday to treat rare or hard-to-cure animal diseases.Professor Jung Pyung-hyun of the school’s veterinary department said the Animal Stem Cell Center will treat animals by using stem cells extracted from fat tissue.The center said it has enhanced efficiency because it takes less than three hours for veterinary surgeons to extract stem cells from fat tissue, refine them and use them for treatment. Fat cells contain 1,000 times mor
Oct. 26, 2011
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Election watchdog’s website attacked by DDoS
Police are investigating what and who caused the state election watchdog’s website to crash for about two hours on Wednesday morning, keeping in mind the possibility of a so-called “distributed-denial-of-service” attack, officials said.The website of the National Election Commission crashed between 6:15 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. when many voters visited it to locate polling stations where they could cast their ballots for the by-elections for Seoul mayor.Investigators suspect that the website crashed d
Oct. 26, 2011
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Five new online universities to open next year
The Education Ministry has authorized five new online universities, which are expected to open next year, officials said Wednesday. Konyang University in South Chungcheong Province has been approved by the ministry to provide undergraduate online courses, which will be available next March. For graduate courses, four universities, Daegu, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Sejong and Hanyang, were given permission to open special purpose online graduate schools.The Konyang online university wi
Oct. 26, 2011
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Police chief takes fire for authorizing firearms
The chief of police here is facing heated opposition from human rights organizations and even some officers after telling front line police to use their firearms more often. This will be the third time that the National Police Agency Commissioner-General Cho Hyun-oh has ordered his officers to more readily use their firearms after officers simply watched a massive gang fight unfold. “Police will wage war against organized gangsters by the end of this year,” said Cho.“I will allow all kinds of eq
Oct. 26, 2011
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Drive against ‘excess education’ to focus on high school graduate jobs
The government and businesses have stepped up efforts to create job opportunities for vocational high school students in a country where too many college graduates compete for too few jobs. The education, labor and economy ministries signed a memorandum of understanding Monday with five major business organizations including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Korean Industries and Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business to make efforts to provide more job opportu
Oct. 25, 2011
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Parties move to toughen sex crime law
Rival parties are pushing to abolish the statute of limitations for those charged with sexual assault against disabled people or children under 13.The bill review subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee examined and passed the so-called “Dogani” bill regarding sexual assault on children and the disabled. The bill is now awaiting approval by the National Assembly. Dogani is the title of a film based on the true story of teachers who committed sex crimes against
Oct. 25, 2011
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Rights panel urges end to police conscription
The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday advised the administration to abolish police conscription and hire professional police officers to replace draftees. It also advised the Ministry of National Defense to cooperate with the National Police Agency in replacing personnel. The panel recommended the Ministry of Public Administration and Security increase recruitment of police officers and that the Ministry of Strategy and Finance allocate sufficient funds for it.According to the independ
Oct. 25, 2011
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Korea eases rules on residency for foreign investors
More foreigners who have made large corporate investments will be able to obtain temporary residency visas, while a new visa class will be opened for foreign spouses, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday.According to ministry officials, foreigners currently holding a corporate investment (D-8) visa may now obtain an F-2 visa if they have spent three continuous years here.The revised bill passed by the Cabinet Tuesday also states foreigners who have invested over $300,000 and employ at least two Kor
Oct. 25, 2011
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New visa to stabilize marriage immigrants' lives in Korea
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- A new visa reserved for foreigners living in the country after marrying South Koreans will be introduced as part of efforts to guarantee their stable stay and better deal with their growing numbers, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday.Under the legal revisions to the immigra
Oct. 25, 2011
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Police chief declares war against organized crime
Police chief Cho Hyun-oh declared war against organized crime Tuesday amid growing criticism of officers’ bungled response to a clash among gangsters in Incheon last week. He said police will use all means necessary, including guns, to control violent crime. “Police will wage a war against crime rings. In cracking down on them, I will have police mobilize all devices and equipment,” he told a news conference.More than 130 members of two rival criminal factions in Incheon fought at a funeral cere
Oct. 25, 2011
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Foreigners learn Korean ways at work
Seoul City’s classes teach Korea’s unique social, organizational cultureJune Acuna from the Philippines has been working at an ink cartridge factory in Seongsudong, eastern Seoul, for two and a half years. Still, he has to guess the hidden meaning of what his boss or Korean colleagues say to him, and is often offended by direct commands from superiors. “I am here to learn Korean ways at work and appropriate ways to deal with them,” said Acuna at the fifth lecture on the Whys and Hows of Korean W
Oct. 24, 2011
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S. Korea ranks 28th among OECD nations in ‘social quality’: survey
South Korea lags far behind other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) economies in “social quality,” a survey said Monday.South Korea ranked 28th among 30 OECD member nations in the survey conducted by the Seoul National University Institute for Social Development and Policy Research.The survey showed Korean society was relatively good in education and an ability to provide jobs, but one of the bottom-ranked nations in social cohesion (23rd), people’s participation in po
Oct. 24, 2011
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Foreigners learn Korean ways at work
Ranks, titles meaningful; communication with Koreans is importantJune Acuna from the Philippines has been working at an ink cartridge factory in Seongsudong, eastern Seoul, for two and a half years. Still, he has to guess the hidden meaning of what his boss or Korean colleagues say to him, and is often offended by direct commands from superiors. “I am here to learn Korean ways at work and appropriate way to deal with them,” said Acuna at the fifth lecture on the Whys and Hows of Korean Ways last
Oct. 24, 2011