Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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[Weekender] Fine dust, a force changing society
“The first thing I do when I wake up is check the weather report for fine dust and plan the day accordingly,” said Choi Ju-yeon, a 40-year old resident of Paju in northwest Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)Despite being in a relatively rural area, Paju is often affected by high levels of fine and ultrafine dust. “When levels are high, I try to stay indoors as much as possible. I also have air quality monitoring devices at home.”While Choi may be more sensitive than others, it seems undeniable that fin
Feb. 14, 2019
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Fire breaks out at Euljiro
A fire broke out at a hardware store in a building near the Euljiro 4-ga Subway Station in downtown Seoul at 12:35 p.m.The fire caused a large cloud of smoke to cover the Jung-gu and nearby Jongno areas. (Yonhap)Fire officials are currently trying to put out the fire. There have been no reports of casualties so far.After the blaze began, the government sent out an emergency text to nearby residents at around 1:40 p.m., alerting them of the fire and asking them to exercise caution.By Lee Tae-hee
Feb. 14, 2019
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What is S. Korea doing to combat fine dust pollution?
South Korea’s Special Act on the Reduction and Management of Fine Dust went into effect across the country Friday to tackle fine dust pollution amid growing concerns over public health. This comes as Korea grapples with massive air pollution; it ranked bottom in air quality among 35 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The government is working on a range of measures -- including artificial rain -- which center on cutting emissions produced domestically an
Feb. 14, 2019
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‘Suneung was too hard’: parents and students sue state organization
Parents and students have filed a lawsuit against the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation, claiming some questions from the 2019 college scholastic ability test, or Suneung, were beyond the level of high school.A civic education group held a press conference Wednesday asserting that some questions from the 2019 Suneung were taken from outside the national curriculum, making it more difficult for students who did not attend cram schools or receive private tutoring and instead relying sol
Feb. 14, 2019
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[Breaking] Fire at Hanwha factory in Daejeon kills 3
An explosion occurred at a Hanwha plant in Daejeon at around 8:42 a.m., killing three people. The casualties are believed to be workers from the factory, the fire authority said.The fire was extinguished at around 9:27 a.m.(Yonhap)Fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire.A fire in May 2018 at the same plant, which handles explosives, killed two people and injured five. By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)
Feb. 14, 2019
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[Feature] ‘Smart’ restaurants challenge for elderly
When 71-year-old YouTuber Park Mak-rye tried a fast-food restaurant’s self-ordering service for the first time, the challenging process took longer than anticipated to complete.Park first pushed the “order” button on the screen, then slowly read the menu’s tiny letters and scrolled down. As she struggled to find the bulgogi burger combo she wanted for lunch, the ordering session reached its time limit.“What’s wrong with this machine?” Park shouted, saying she would never use the kiosk again.YouT
Feb. 13, 2019
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Indonesian arrested for mining cryptocurrency at college
A 22-year-old Indonesian man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly setting up and operating a virtual money mining program on dozens of college computers. (Yonhap)The man is suspected of having set up HoneyMiner, a program used to mine Bitcoin and Monero, on 27 computers in the common computer room of a college at the end of January, and of operating it for several days.Song Young-seung, chief prosecuting attorney of the Ulsan District Court, issued an arrest warrant for the suspect as he was a fli
Feb. 13, 2019
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96-year-old driver kills pedestrian in Seoul
A 30-year old pedestrian was killed by a 96-year-old driver on Tuesday in Seoul, sparking concerns over elderly drivers. According to police, the driver surnamed Yoo caused the accident in front of the parking garage of a hotel in Cheongdam-dong at around 6:20 p.m. (Yonhap)Yoo hit a wall of the garage by accident before crashing into a vehicle behind while backing up. However, the driver did not stop reversing and the car rammed into a 30-year-old woman. The victim was sent to a hospital but she
Feb. 13, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Drunk driver in fatal car crash gets 6-year jail term
A drunk driver in a highly publicized fatal car crash that killed a young college student in a southern port city was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday. The Busan District Court handed down the verdict to the 27-year-old defendant, identified by his last name Park, ruling that "the degree to which the crime has been committed is very grave and the result is as devastating."Park was charged for hitting Yoon Chang-ho, a KATUSA conscript and Korea University student, with his vehicle wh
Feb. 13, 2019
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Widow to remain sole Dokdo resident, authorities confirm
Since the death in October of Kim Seong-do, who had lived on Dokdo with his wife since November 1991 as one of the islets’ two official residents, numerous people have expressed interest in taking his place. However, Ulleung-gun has clarified that it has no plans to accept new residents and the late Kim’s widow, Kim Sin-yeol, will remain there as the sole resident. Local media reported on Tuesday that the late Kim’s son-in-law Kim Kyung-chul would officially reside on Dokdo starting in April. Ac
Feb. 13, 2019
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President Moon says Korea will seek to export 'smart cities'
South Korea will seek to export its smart cities following the construction of two test-bed cities here, President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday, calling for all-out efforts to make the new cities a success."Our possibilities and capacities are enough. South Korean smart cities are globally recognized for the country's advanced information and communication technology, including the Internet of Things (IoT), and its experience in building many successful new cities," the president said. (Yonhap)Moo
Feb. 13, 2019
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11 Maltese dogs found dead at studio apartment in Cheonan
Eleven dog carcasses were found at a studio apartment in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, local media outlets reported Tuesday.According to Cheonan city government and police on Tuesday, a manager of the building first spotted the dead dogs at the studio apartment on Jan. 21 while he visited to meet the tenant who had long overdue rent. (Yonhap)The 11 Maltese carcasses were scattered in the apartment, while one dog was found still alive. The dog was rushed to an animal hospital, but is suffe
Feb. 12, 2019
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Human rights watchdog vows to root out abuse in sports, hate speech
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea will proactively seek to eradicate physical and sexual abuse in the sports community and hate speech this year, the human rights watchdog agency said Tuesday. “One of our goals for this year is to make public the issue of hate speech and set up a special committee to raise awareness about hatred and discrimination,” Choi Young-ae, the chief of National Human Rights Commission of Korea, said during a New Year’s press conference held at the commission
Feb. 12, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Grief-filled graduation ceremony held for Sewol victims
A long-delayed commencement ceremony was held Tuesday for 250 Danwon High School students who died in the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014. (Yonhap)The students were on a school trip to Jeju Island when the ferry carrying 476 passengers sank off the southwestern coast near Jindo, killing 304 aboard. Only 75 students survived, and they graduated in 2016. The victims’ families had asked the school to postpone the honorary commencement ceremony until all the bodies of the victims had been rec
Feb. 12, 2019
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Fire damages paint shop in Yeosu; no one hurt
A fire broke out Tuesday at 5:44 a.m. at a paint shop in Singi-dong, Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The fire was extinguished within about an hour and 20 minutes and no casualties were reported. (Yeosu Fire Station/Yonhap)Three people at the paint shop were evacuated. Then a container of paint exploded, causing the fire to get bigger, and another 15 other people had to be quickly evacuated from nearby buildings. About 300 people gathered at the scene, where firefighters from the Yeosu Fire Statio
Feb. 12, 2019
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[News Focus] Jeju, Gimhae airport projects stir renewed controversy
SEJONG -- The administration of President Moon Jae-in is facing a tough test with regard to two government projects planned by the previous administration, which would see new airports built in Jeju and South Gyeongsang provinces. The Jeju project -- announced in November 2015 by the government of former President Park Geun-hye -- would entail the establishment of a second airport in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo City, on the eastern part of the island as a way of dispersing visitors.The consensus was
Feb. 12, 2019
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Another taxi driver sets himself on fire
A taxi driver set himself on fire in his cab Monday in another apparent suicide attempt in protest at a commercial ride-sharing service. The 62-year-old, identified by the surname Kim, set his seat in the taxi ablaze in front of the National Assembly in western Seoul at about 3:50 p.m., after he was denied entry to the parliament. The fire was put out by rescue officials shortly afterwards. The photo, taken Feb. 11, 2019, shows a taxi after a fire set by the driver was put out by firefighters ne
Feb. 11, 2019
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Three men poisoned by pufferfish
Three men, including a man surnamed Kim, 57, who ate pufferfish in Jeju City, have been hospitalized for poisoning. The three reported symptoms of swellfish poisoning at 2:53 p.m. Sunday. They were taken to a hospital in Jeju City by ambulance. (Yonhap)Currently, two people, including Kim, are in intensive care in critical condition, while the third person is reportedly not in a life-threatening condition.The three men complained about nausea and dizziness after eating swellfish that they thems
Feb. 11, 2019
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KIS holds scientific technology seminar with MIT students
Korea International School announced that it invited students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to hold an MIT Science & Technology Seminar for one week, from Jan. 7 to 11, at its Pangyo campus in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. (Korea International School holds a seminar with MIT students. KIS)At the seminar, KIS students took the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge technology. Following the seminar, MIT students attended various classes at KIS for a month and held collaboration clas
Feb. 11, 2019
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New chief of natl training center vows to foster athlete-centered culture
The new chief of the main national athletic training center on Monday vowed to change the culture for athletes, after a series of sexual assault scandals rocked South Korea's sports community.Shin Chi-yong was officially introduced as the head of the National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, the main training ground for South Korean national team athletes.Shin, a legendary volleyball coach, said he will wipe out a malicious culture at the national training center. (Yonhap
Feb. 11, 2019