Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Robert J. Fouser] Social attitudes toward language proficiency
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[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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Plaintiff in forced labor lawsuit against Japanese company dies at 90
Lee Young-sook, a South Korean victim of wartime forced labor who filed a damage suit with a Korean court against Japanese companies, has died. She was 90.Lee died of old age on Sunday, relatives of the deceased said. She was one of hundreds of Korean victims of wartime forced labor who took legal action in April, seeking compensation from Japanese firms, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Koreans were mobilized as f
July 15, 2019
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[Graphic News] No. of Koreans with positive view of Japan falls to record low: poll
Japan’s restrictions on exports to South Korea seem to be having a significant impact on Koreans’ feelings toward Japan, a recent poll by Gallup Korea suggests. In the nationwide survey of 1,005 Korean adults, only 12 percent said they had favorable views of Japan, the lowest figure since polling on the topic began in 1991. Seventy-seven percent said they did not feel friendly toward the neighboring country, while another 10 percent refused to answer. (Yonhap)
July 15, 2019
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Driver’s license to include English info
Driver’s licenses will include personal information in English starting in September, which will enable Korea-issued licenses to be used abroad automatically, according to the government Monday. New licenses issued from September will have the driver’s name, address and gender on the back of each card in English, which will allow the holders to drive without special procedures in at least 35 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The move will boos
July 15, 2019
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UNESCO institute for documentary heritage slated to open late 2020 in Cheongju: ministry
The government has finalized an agreement with UNESCO to host an institute for its documentary heritage register in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.The ministry said, the South Korean Ambassador to UNESCO Lee Byung-hyun and Audrey Azoulay, director-general of the UN agency, signed the agreement at the its headquarters in Paris on Friday. The International Center for Documentary Heritage is designed to support UNESCO’s programs to conse
July 15, 2019
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Christian group chief who attacked Moon under probe for other charges
Jeon Gwang-hoon, a pastor and chief of the Christian Council of Korea who has been accused of seditious conspiracy for repeatedly calling for President Moon Jae-in to step down, is under investigation over other charges, including violation of the banking law and forgery of documents. According to police, Jeon was questioned at Hyehwa Police Station in Seoul on Friday over allegations that he walked away with money he collected from Christians for a “mission bank” that he established
July 15, 2019
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300 nabbed for drunk driving nationwide over weekend: police
Police caught 300 drunk drivers during a nationwide crackdown over the weekend.The National Police Agency said Monday that the drunk driving crackdown, conducted between 8 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday, resulted in the license suspensions of 122 drivers and revocations of 166. Five refused to take the field sobriety test and seven asked for a blood sample test for further confirmation of the breath test results.Police said 3,716 officers were mobilized at 914 checkpoints around the country in
July 15, 2019
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[Newsmaker] New law to bring to light widespread but overlooked problem of workplace bullying
A new law designed to prevent bullying in the workplace is set to go into effect in South Korea this week, setting the stage for victims of harassment at work to get some protection.A revised law on labor standards, commonly called the workplace anti-bullying law, will be effective starting Tuesday, after a six-month grace period.Physical assault and sexual abuse in the workplace are being handled in the legal domain, but harassment has been mostly overlooked as it is regarded as a personal rela
July 15, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Representatives of militant labor group to step down from minimum wage panel
A major umbrella labor union group said Monday its representatives will resign from the minimum wage panel in protest of last week's decision to hike the wage by the slowest pace in a decade.The Minimum Wage Commission, involving labor and business representatives and experts, set the minimum wage at 8,590 won ($7.32) per hour for next year Friday, up 2.9 percent from this year.The decision was a far cry from an initial demand of 10,000 won by the labor sector, a level that President Moon Jae-in
July 15, 2019
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Japanese man accused of illicitly filming athletes at FINA barred from leaving country
A Japanese spectator at the FINA World Championships has been barred from leaving the country following accusations he took illicit footage of women’s water polo players in a restricted area, according to police.Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station on Sunday booked the Japanese man, 37, on suspicion of violating laws on sex crimes. While the suspect was scheduled to return to Japan on Monday after undergoing police questioning, police requested immigration authorities prohibit him from de
July 15, 2019
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[From the Scene] Bombarded with deliveries, veteran postal worker asks for family time
HANAM, Gyeonggi Province -- Prospects of an all-out strike by mail delivery workers of the state-run Korea Post surprised the country last week. In a nation heavily reliant on fast-speed delivery services, postal workers’ first-ever strike in the 135 year history of the Korea Post would have brought 245 post offices nationwide to a standstill.Unlike most strikes here that call for a wage hike or an upgrade in employment status, the Korean Postal Workers’ Union urged for a bigger pool
July 14, 2019
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[News Focus] Seoul-Sejong Expressway to revamp Korea’s traffic map
SEJONG -- There are three major expressways linking the Seoul metropolitan area and the southern parts of the country.Along the western side of the peninsula, there is the Seohaean Expressway running between Seoul and Mokpo, South Jeolla Province. The oldest route, the Gyeongbu Expressway, runs between Seoul and Busan. Lastly, the Jungbu Expressway runs from Hanam, Gyeonggi Province to Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.Over the past decades, the highways have played a great part in the countr
July 14, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Exploiting disadvantaged teens for sex to be punished by law
People who incite suicides and adults who have “consensual” sex with teenagers under the age of 16 will be punished under newly revised laws, the police said Sunday. The Korean National Police Agency said it will strictly enforce violations of both laws -- on protecting juveniles from sexual abuse and preventing suicide. The amendments take effect Tuesday. Under the revised law on sexual abuse, adults who have sexual intercourse with teenagers aged between 13 and 16 by taking advant
July 14, 2019
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Expressway plans spark safety concerns for Namiseom tourist boats
People living and doing business on Namiseom, a popular tourist site in Gangwon Province, are voicing doubts about plans to build a new expressway to mitigate heavy traffic between Seoul and Chuncheon, the second-largest city in the province by population.Their main concern is that tourist boats could crash due to a new bridge that would be constructed over the Bukhan River, a Han River tributary that runs through both North and South Korea, then westward to the Yellow Sea. The bridge would cut
July 14, 2019
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Kim Basinger joins demonstration against dog meat consumption in Seoul
American actress and singer Kim Basinger on Friday urged South Korea to stop dog meat consumption, joining a protest organized by a local animal rights group.“It (South Korea) is the only country that raises dogs for consumption. You have companion animals here as well. … It boggles the mind that you can raise them to eat for human consumption and then you walk them,” Basinger said at a press conference Thursday.“I chose Seoul because you have a great opportunity to ring
July 12, 2019
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Two French tourists booked for burgling cafe to fund trip
Two tourists of French nationality have been booked without detention on suspicion of burglary, the police said Friday.According to Busan Jin Police Station, the French tourists are suspected of breaking and entering a cafe in Busan and stealing money from the cash register. Police said the suspects, aged 25 and 23, broke into the cafe at 4:12 a.m. on June 23, and stole some 300,000 won in cash. They were found and arrested near a nightclub in Itaewon.The two French nationals entered the country
July 12, 2019
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Umbrella unions oppose 2.9% minimum wage hike next year
Umbrella unions lambasted the Minimum Wage Commission’s decision on Friday to raise minimum wage by 2.9 percent next year to 8,590 won per hour.The Federation of Korean Trade Unions called it “a minimum wage disaster,” and said it was the lowest increase rate since 2.7 percent in 1998 during the Asian financial crisis and 2.75 percent in 2010 just after the global financial crisis. “If it continues like this, it would be difficult to reach a minimum wage of 10,000 won wit
July 12, 2019
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Smuggled drugs down 41% in H1: data
Drug smuggling caught by the South Korean authorities dropped sharply in terms of volume in the first half of 2019, customs data showed Friday, although illegal attempts for drug smuggling continued to rise. A total of 86.8 kilograms of drugs were confiscated in the Jan.-June period, down 41 percent from 146.9 kg posted a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.Despite the on-year decline, the agency said the figure is still the second highest in a decade. By type, the
July 12, 2019
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53,900 opt out of life-prolonging treatment since adoption of Death with Dignity Act
A year and five months since the enactment of Death with Dignity Act, nearly 54,000 have decided to opt out of life-prolonging treatments, according to government data.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday the number of individuals who either withheld or withdrew from receiving life-prolonging treatment totaled 53,900 as of June 30. The end-of-life care legislation allowing terminally ill patients to abandon life-prolonging medical care went into effect on Feb. 4, 2018.Life-prolongin
July 11, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Entry ban on Korean American singer illegal: top court
The top court ruled Thursday that an entry ban on a Korean American singer who obtained US citizenship in an apparent attempt to evade military conscription here is illegal, paving the way for him to come to South Korea 17 years after it was prohibited.The Supreme Court found that refusing an entry visa to Steve Yoo, 43, who was a highly popular singer until the early 2000s and is better known as Yoo Seung-jun, is in violation of “administrative procedures.” In 2002, the Ministry of
July 11, 2019
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Migrant woman can maintain residency after divorce: top court
The top court ruled Wednesday that a marriage migrant can maintain her residency status after divorcing her South Korean husband even if she is partly responsible for the breakup, overturning earlier rulings that required the Korean spouse to be 100 percent at fault. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Vietnamese woman, 23, who filed a suit against the immigration office that refused to authorize an extension of her stay in the country after a divorce, seeking a revocation of the ad
July 10, 2019