Most Popular
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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Number of foreign tourists nose-dives in March amid coronavirus pandemic
The number of foreign arrivals in South Korea nose-dived nearly 95 percent last month due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Saturday. According to the data by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), 83,497 foreign people visited South Korea in March, down 94.6 percent from the same period last year. The number of Chinese visitors, in particular, tumbled 96.6 percent on-year to 16,595 last month, as the Beijing government has issued a travel alert for 15 countries inc
April 25, 2020
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10 new virus cases confirmed, no new deaths again
South Korea reported 10 additional coronavirus cases Saturday amid no new deaths linked with the disease. Ten more people in the country were diagnosed with COVID-19 the day before, bringing the total number of patients to 10,718, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Four of them arrived from foreign countries, including two foreigners. Among the 10 cases, three were reported in Daegu, which used to be at the heart of the rapid spread of the virus severa
April 25, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Quarantine violators to wear wrist bands starting April 27
Those who break compulsory home quarantine rules will be asked to wear electronic wristbands starting Monday, authorities said Friday, as part of efforts to curb violations. Due to privacy concerns, wearing it will not be mandatory, raising questions over the effectiveness of the policy. Violators who do not agree to wearing the location-tracking wristbands will be required to stay at state facilities during quarantine, instead of at their homes, the authorities said. They must also pay fo
April 24, 2020
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With no return to pre-virus normalcy, S. Korea releases ‘routine distancing’ rules
South Korea’s government on Friday released a detailed draft of “routine distancing” guidelines that the public should follow to fight the novel coronavirus, saying the pandemic could last as long as two years and there is no going back to pre-coronavirus normalcy. As Korea has seen a slowdown in new cases following social distancing campaign that began on March 22 across the country, the government is moving to transition to “routine distancing,” which will allo
April 24, 2020
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[Video] What is ‘Nth Room’ case and why it matters
The “Nth Room” refers to a massive digital sex crime that has shaken up the country due to its unprecedented scale and violence, involving dozens of victims, many of them minors. On mobile messenger Telegram, paying members joined secret chat rooms to watch videos in which women were sexually exploited and abused. Experts say the crime reflects how women, regardless of age, are viewed in Korean society. Victims were priced based on their perceived value as sexual objects. It&rsq
April 24, 2020
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S. Korea unveils detailed guidelines for 'everyday life quarantine'
South Korea on Friday unveiled a set of guidelines for each facility and occasion to better implement an "everyday life quarantine" amid a slowdown in new coronavirus cases. The latest guidelines are detailed virus prevention instructions introduced by the government earlier this week that communities and individuals should follow when the country initiates the "everyday life quarantine," a quarantine scheme allowing people to engage in a certain level of economic and soci
April 24, 2020
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Seoul City official under probe for alleged sexual assault
A Seoul City official is under investigation over allegations that he sexually assaulted a female colleague, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday. Shortly after the Seocho Police Station launched a formal investigation into the case, the Seoul City removed the official from post, citing the need to take stern measures against such acts. He allegedly took his drunken co-worker to a motel after a social gathering and sexually assaulted her on April 14. The city said that it would s
April 24, 2020
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New virus cases surely on downward trend, no additional death reported
South Korea reported another single-digit number of new coronavirus cases with no deaths Friday, but health authorities again urged citizens to abide by the social distancing campaign to further contain the virus outbreak. The country also decided to use electronic wristbands on self-isolation violators starting next week. The country added six new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,708, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The c
April 24, 2020
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Seoul shares COVID-19 playbook
Public officials stressed yet again on Thursday that South Korea stands united with its overseas partners against the novel coronavirus pandemic. In a Thursday press briefing, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 31 countries have asked Korea for tips on tackling the COVID-19 outbreak. Korean public health authorities have established regular contact with their counterparts in 10 countries via weekly calls and teleconferences, said the disease control agency’s Deput
April 23, 2020
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Court rules against banning teachers from joining political groups
In a gesture seen as widening the political freedom of teachers, the Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that banning teachers from creating or joining political organizations is unconstitutional. The nine-justice panel made the ruling in a 6-3 vote in response to a complaint filed by nine teachers over a public servant law. A vote of two-thirds is required to reverse a ruling. Article 65 of the State Public Officials Act mandates that "no public official may participate in an organiz
April 23, 2020
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Seoul beefing up equipment for second wave of COVID-19
Korean health authorities said Thursday they were beefing up medical equipment against a potential massive coronavirus outbreak, saying the country could face another round worse than the initial outbreak in Daegu. “Right now we have no shortage of ecmo (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) devices and quarantine beds,” Yoon Tae-ho, a senior Health Ministry official, said at a daily virus update. “But we’re preparing for the possibility of a bigger outbreak (than happe
April 23, 2020
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Domestic factors bigger than China in ultrafine dust emissions in Seoul: report
More than half of all particulate pollution in Seoul in 2018 resulted from domestic causes such as heating and vehicles, while China was responsible for 38 percent, a report showed Thursday. Some 58 percent of PM 2.5 emissions -- ultrafine airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter and harmful to the human body -- originated within South Korea, up from 45 percent in 2016, according to a study released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Seoul contributed 26 percent of t
April 23, 2020
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South Korea braces for long holiday amid flattening coronavirus infection curve
The upcoming "golden holiday" is bringing hopes of business revival to tourist towns in South Korea, long empty for fear of COVID-19, but it is also putting authorities on high alert over the danger of a new wave of infections. The nation is bracing for a long holiday from late this month to early May, including Buddha's Birthday (April 30), May Day (May 1), Children's Day (May 5) and a weekend in between. With the infection curve flattening and social distancing rules eased, major
April 23, 2020
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Seoul to subsidize 72% of city’s small businesses
Seoul Metropolitan Government will give 1.4 million won in cash subsidies to some 410,000 small business proprietors in the city to help them ride through the coronavirus-triggered business downturn, its mayor said Thursday. Mayor Park Won-soon, announcing the 57.4 billion-won support package, said about 72 percent of the city’s business owners would benefit. Eligibility will be determined by the past year’s business data, he said. “This plan has a different goal and targe
April 23, 2020
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Democratic Party, government agree to outlaw possession of child sex abuse material
The ruling party and the government said Thursday they agreed on legislation to punish those who possess, advertise or purchase sex abuse materials involving children or youth as part of measures to root out digital sex crimes. The Democratic Party and the government also plan to raise the age at which statutory rape applies from the current “under the age of 13” to “under the age of 16.” Rep. Baek Hye-ryun, head of the DP’s task force on eradication of digital
April 23, 2020
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Police clear Samsung heiress of drug abuse suspicions
Police said on Thursday they closed a yearlong preliminary investigation into allegations that Lee Boo-jin, eldest daughter of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee and chief executive of Hotel Shilla, abused a controlled substance, as they found no evidence that she did. “No evidence to prove Lee’s illegal injection (of propofol) has been found, so we closed the internal investigation,” the special detective division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. Police said that pro
April 23, 2020
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Health authorities on edge as tourist bookings to Jeju surge
Health authorities are nervously watching as tourist bookings to Jeju Island over the long weekend surge with loosened social distancing rules. Starting with Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on Thursday, April 30 this year, and Labor Day on May 1, many Koreans are to enjoy six days of holiday through Children’s Day on May 5. Daily booking rate of flights between Seoul’s Gimpo and Jeju during this period hovers above 80 percent. On the first day of the holidays, 93 percent of
April 23, 2020
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With slowdown in new virus cases, S. Korea prepares for another potential wave
South Korea reported another single-digit number of new coronavirus cases Thursday, as the country's strict social distancing campaign and enhanced quarantine measures have helped contain the spread of the virus. The country added eight new virus cases, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,702, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The figure marks a drastic drop from the Feb. 29 peak of 909 new cases. The country confirmed its first COVID-19 infect
April 23, 2020
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[Photo News] Earth Day, ‘Earth, Us’
Seoulites gathered in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday morning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which falls on April 22 annually. The Seoul Metropolitan Government held various commemorative events, such as the “Earth, Us, Ulssu” Korean traditional performance and the display of pickets that read, “daily climate action.” People wearing animal masks joined in, calling for action to “stop global warming” and t
April 23, 2020
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S. Korea struggles with unprecedented online learning
Faced with the novel coronavirus epidemic, South Korea’s schools began offering online classes this month in a step the education minister called a “new road we have never walked.” Distance learning, however, poses an unprecedented burden to parents and educators, with the quality of education for each student appearing to be closely linked to the level of preparedness of the schools, teachers and parents -- from teachers’ digital literacy to parents’ availability
April 22, 2020