Most Popular
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Controversy rekindled over when to name criminals, suspects
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Seoul transit pass for travelers to be available starting July
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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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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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[KH Explains] Hyundai Motor’s plan for new landmark keeps hitting bumps
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Loans of self-employed swell 50% in four years
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Bodies of mother and son found inside refrigerator at fire scene
The bodies of a 62-year-old woman and her 35-year-old son were discovered Wednesday inside a fridge at an apartment that was burned down in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. No one else was injured in the fire. Local police said the fire erupted around 5:22 a.m. the same day, following an explosion at the unit located on the fifth floor of the apartment. In extinguishing the fire in about 40 minutes, firefighters found the two burnt bodies inside each compartment of the two-door refrigerator,
Sept. 11, 2019
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Activists decry state human rights watchdog for shoddy probe
A group of activist lawyers continued to decry Wednesday a state human rights watchdog’s probe of the high-profile defection of North Korean restaurant workers in 2016, the results of which were shared with relevant authorities this week.Lawyers for a Democratic Society, more widely known by the Korean acronym Minbyun, staged a protest outside the National Human Rights Commission of Korea headquarters, accusing it of “deliberately equivocated account on ‘the waitresses cas
Sept. 11, 2019
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Tension mounts between prosecution and Justice Ministry
Tension is mounting between the prosecution and Justice Ministry, with embattled Justice Minister Cho Kuk pushing for an overhaul of the powerful law enforcement agency and prosecutors accelerating a probe into corruption allegations involving his family. Controversy surfaced Wednesday after Justice Ministry’s senior officials were reported to have suggested high-ranking officials from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office set up an investigation team excluding Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok
Sept. 11, 2019
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Lawyers slam human rights commission probe of NK waitresses’ case
A group of South Korean lawyers said Tuesday it would challenge the National Human Rights Commission probe on 12 North Korean waitresses who reportedly defected here in 2016. The public human rights watchdog said Monday it found insufficient evidence to suspect state agencies intervened in the mass defection.Lawyers for a Democratic Society, more widely known by the Korean acronym Minbyun, had filed a petition with the human rights body Feb. 8 to look into the actions of South Korean authorities
Sept. 10, 2019
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Three foreign workers dead, another in coma after accident
Three migrant workers were found dead, and another one is in a coma, following an accident inside an underground tank at a fishery products processing factory in the eastern county of Yeongdeok on Tuesday, local fire authorities said. The four -- three Thais and one Vietnamese -- were found at the bottom of the tank at 2:30 p.m., according to the North Gyeongsang Province Fire Service Headquarters. The workers, whose names have yet to be made public, are believed to have suffocated while do
Sept. 10, 2019
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Lawmaker’s son grilled in DUI case; man booked for allegedly helping him flee
Chang Yong-jun, the 19-year-old son of opposition Liberty Korea Party Rep. Chang Je-won, admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and attempting to pretend someone else was driving the vehicle, according to his lawyer on Tuesday.Chang, a rapper who performs under the name NO:EL, was booked and questioned by the police Monday for allegedly crashing his car into a moving motorcycle while driving under the influence of alcohol. The motorcyclist was reported to have sustained minor injurie
Sept. 10, 2019
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Heavy rains forecast for central region
More than 200 millimeters of rain is expected to hit the country's central region between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a state-run weather agency said. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, some parts of the region had already seen rain due to a stationary front, the Korea Meteorological Administration said."A precipitation zone is expected to form at night as the front is forecast to clash with dry air approaching from the west," the agency said. As a consequence, 30-50 mm of rain per
Sept. 10, 2019
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‘Madness drug’ yaba hits record high in S. Korea
Yaba, a psychotropic narcotic referred to as the “madness drug,” has shown a steep rise in the amount trafficked to Korea, reaching its highest known figure, prosecution data showed. According to the prosecution on Tuesday, this year, 10.015 kilograms of yaba had been smuggled into South Korea by July. The number is almost a sevenfold increase from 1.267 kg in 2013, and almost double the 5.465 kg brought in the same period last year.The illegal substance, sold in tablet form, is a co
Sept. 10, 2019
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Police seek help from Interpol to track down man who threatened Moon
Police said they had suspended indictment procedures for a man suspected of issuing an online threat to assassinate President Moon Jae-in. The decision was made owing to the man’s foreign citizenship, and police have enlisted the help of international authorities in tracking him down. Seoul Gangbuk Police Station said Monday that the man, who allegedly posted the threat last month, turned out to be a foreign national living overseas. Police did not release additional information about the
Sept. 10, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Patients check out of strike-hit National Cancer Center
With a labor union strike continuing at the National Cancer Center, more patients are deciding to leave the state-run hospital.Workers at the hospital went on strike over pay conditions on Sept. 6, marking the first strike at the center since it opened in 2001. “Throughout its 18 years of existence, there have never been wage negotiations at the National Cancer Center,” the NCC branch of the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union said. Nurses and nurse aides make up the
Sept. 10, 2019
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Cabinet approves bill to support job seekers
The Cabinet on Tuesday passed a bill on government support for job seekers in the low-income bracket who do not have employment insurance. Under the new program, the government will provide 500,000 won ($420) per month for up to six months to job seekers between 34 and 64 years old from households that earn less than 60 percent of the median income and have less than 600 million won in assets. For those between 18 and 34 years old, the condition is less than 120 percent of the median income
Sept. 10, 2019
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Sexual assaults against children up 17.9%: report
The number of sexual crimes committed against children jumped 17.9 percent in 2018 compared with two years earlier, police data showed Tuesday, highlighting the need to strengthen policies to protect children. Sexual assault cases in which children under the age of 13 were victims totaled 1,277 cases last year, compared with 1,083 cases in 2016, according to the data police provided to independent lawmaker Jeong In-hwa.By category, rape and sexual abuse accounted for 1,081 cases, up by 179 cases
Sept. 10, 2019
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[News Focus] Korea ranked 28th among 36 OECD members in employment
SEJONG -- The government is claiming that the nation’s index on employment has improved, compared to past months.But the situation is still bleak when it comes to the comparison with the 36 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which measures employment as a proportion of the working age population -- those aged between 15 and 64. In the latest data held by the OECD, South Korea ranked 28th out of the 36 OECD countries in terms of this employment rate,
Sept. 10, 2019
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All 4 Korean crew members rescued from capsized vessel off US coast
All four Korean crew members trapped inside a capsized vessel off the US east coast have been rescued, the US Coast Guard said.News of Monday's rescue came more than 30 hours after the Golden Ray cargo vessel flipped onto its side as it left the Port of Brunswick, Georgia, on Sunday.Three were rescued first in "relatively good" condition and taken to a hospital for emergency medical care, Capt. John Reed of the Coast Guard said at a press briefing near the site of the incident.The four
Sept. 10, 2019
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[Graphic News] Nearly half of S. Korean population to be aged 65 or older by 2067
The proportion of people in South Korea aged 65 years or older could increase sharply amid a rapidly aging population, the country’s statistics agency said. Statistics Korea forecast that the country’s population is likely to fall to 39 million in 2067, sharply down from 51.7 million in 2019. It said people aged 65 years or older could account for 46.5 percent of the country’s population, which marks a sharp rise from the current 14.9 percent. In comparison, the world’s
Sept. 9, 2019
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Drug smuggling in Korea doubles in 2018: data
The amount of illegal drugs confiscated by the South Korean investigative authorities doubled over the year in 2018, according to prosecution figures released on Monday.The prosecution seized a total of 517.2 kilogram narcotics last year, a 99.8 percent jump from 258.9 kg in 2017, a report released by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office showed. The report showed that the amount of drugs smuggled increased as more suppliers inside Korea have become involved in international drug trade, sn
Sept. 9, 2019
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S. Korea recovering from typhoon amid new torrential rain warning
South Korea is making all-out efforts Monday to recover from the damage incurred by Typhoon Lingling that smashed the Korean Peninsula over the weekend, which killed three, injured 24 others and damaged more than 9,400 facilities. To make things worse, a new torrential rain warning, issued nationwide following the retreat of the typhoon, is feared to slow the recovery work and cause additional damage. According to the interior ministry, Lingling, whose winds were the fifth strongest ever r
Sept. 9, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Prison term confirmed for ex-governor found guilty of rape
The top court on Monday confirmed the 3 1/2-year prison sentence for former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung for raping his female aide, in the country’s highest-profile #MeToo movement case.The Supreme Court acknowledged “invisible power” held by 54-year-old An -- at one time a strong presidential contender in the liberal bloc -- in using his authority and sexually assaulting the victim -- An’s secretary -- upholding an appeal court’s ruling. The la
Sept. 9, 2019
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Incheon gears up for 2020 ADB annual meeting
Incheon is gearing up for the 53rd Asia Development Bank annual meeting slated for May 2020, the city office said Monday.South Korea, an ADB member since its establishment in 1966, is now a contributing country after having been a beneficiary of its assistance during postwar economic reconstruction.Incheon will be the third Korean city to host the event, following the third meeting held in Seoul in 1970 and the 37th meeting held in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, in 2004. The decision to designate Incheo
Sept. 9, 2019
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Lawmaker’s son arrested in DUI case
The 19-year-old son of Liberty Party Korea Rep. Chang Je-won is accused of driving drunk and causing an accident, police said Monday. Rapper NO:EL, whose real name is Chang Yong-jun, was arrested Saturday after crashing into a motorcycle with his car in Mapo-gu, Seoul, between 2 and 3 a.m. the same day. Police say Chang’s blood alcohol level was 0.08 percent, which means he could lose his driver’s license. “He (Chang) seems to have admitted to driving after the police started t
Sept. 9, 2019