Most Popular
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No plan to let doctors with foreign licenses practice here anytime soon: PM
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Ador CEO's dismissal to be decided on last day of May
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[Graphic News] Beer the most favored alcoholic drink by Koreans
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Science Ministry expresses regret over Japan’s pressure on Naver
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Haeundae Beach to become sand art museum in late May
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Hostilities get out of hand as YouTuber murders another outside courthouse
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Medical professors set to take day off amid protracted walkouts by junior doctors
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Police officer jumps barefoot into drainage tunnel to save man
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Yoon interacts with public for 1st time since election defeat
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Lee Sun-kyun's posthumuous film to hit theaters in August
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[Graphic News] Koreans spent about $250 each on cultural activities in 2018: survey
South Koreans spent an average of around 287,000 won ($253) each on cultural activities this year, according to a recent survey commissioned by a KBS radio program. The survey of 800 respondents between 15 and 69 years old was conducted by World Research & Consulting from Dec. 1-9. It found that 93,211 won was spent on books, 86,855 won on watching movies and 72,246 won on attending music concerts or performances. In addition, 51.5 percent said they spent a similar amount on cultural activiti
Dec. 18, 2018
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Part-time lecturers in Busan go on strike to protest dismissals
Part-time lecturers in Busan went on strike Tuesday, protesting their dismissals less than a month after a revision bill aimed at improving their treatment passed the National Assembly.In a press conference held in front of the university building, members of the Pusan National University branch of the Korean Irregular Professors’ Union denounced the university’s decision to dismiss part-time lecturers and announced a walkout. (Yonhap)“The law amendment made (last month) to improve the poor tre
Dec. 18, 2018
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Sunchang to give W5m to newlyweds, W2m to college freshmen
Sunchang County, North Jeolla Province, will grant 5 million won ($4,400) to newlyweds and 2 million won to college freshman residing in the region, the county office announced Tuesday. The welfare policy is part of the county’s efforts to promote marriage and childbirth in Sunchang. (Yonhap - Sunchang County)The marriage grant will be provided to a newlywed couple if the groom or bride has lived in Sunchang for more than one year before the marriage registration. The person must be under 39 yea
Dec. 18, 2018
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[News Focus] Who benefits from Seoul apartment application system?
SEJONG -- Apartment prices in Seoul recorded an all-time high this year. Some complexes in southern districts saw prices shoot up 30 to 50 percent in only two or three years, which made ordinary households scrap their plans to purchase apartments in the capital.As housing lease prices in Seoul also skyrocketed, many Seoul citizens moved instead to satellite cities in Gyeonggi Province, according to data from real estate information providers. They suffer difficulties in commuting due to the long
Dec. 18, 2018
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Police found girl who killed herself had been victim of sexual violence
Police have discovered that a teenage girl who took her life in July had been sexually assaulted by her male peers.One of the perpetrators posted sexually disparaging remarks about the victim on social media, police say. (Yonhap)The Incheon Michuholl Police Station said on Tuesday that it had referred a 15-year-old suspect to the prosecution with a recommendation that he be indicted on charges of rape.Police also referred to the prosecution an 18-year-old high school senior on charges of indecen
Dec. 18, 2018
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Seoul estimates W3.9tr needed to jointly host Olympics 2032 with Pyongyang
South Korea would need about 3.9 trillion won ($3.44 billion) to jointly host the Olympic Games in 2032 with North Korea, according to an estimate by the Seoul city government Tuesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it recently submitted a proposal with the projection to the city council, as part of its preparation for a joint bid with Pyongyang to host the international sports festival. The Seoul Metropolitan Council is expected to discuss the proposal and to refer it to a plenary sessio
Dec. 18, 2018
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3 dead, 7 unconscious at pension in Gangneung
Ten male students staying in rented lodgings in Gangeung, Gangwon Province, were found unconscious at around 1:14 p.m. on Tuesday. Three of the 10 were pronounced dead. Firefighters and police gather at a pension in the city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Tuesday (Yonhap)According to fire authorities, the owner of the accommodations found the students lying in the living room and another room with foam coming from their mouths. The seven unconscious students were transferred to three area hospi
Dec. 18, 2018
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EU steps up pressure on Korea to ratify ILO conventions
The European Union requested formal consultations with the Korean government on labor issues Monday, urging Korea to ratify the International Labor Organization conventions.Under the EU-Korea free trade agreement implemented in 2011, both sides agreed to improve labor and environmental standards via a dispute settlement mechanism in the trade and sustainable development chapter. “As part of the agreement both sides made commitments on workers’ rights, but so far the actions taken by the Korean g
Dec. 18, 2018
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Korea ranks 115th in gender parity report by WEF
Korea ranked 115th out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum’s report on the global gender gap released Tuesday.According to the 2018 report, Korea’s gender gap index was 0.657, below China (0.673) and Japan (0.662). The closer the figure is to 1, the greater the gender parity. Korea ranked 118th in last year’s report, with a gender gap index of 0.650. (Yonhap)Since 2006, the WEF has measured the gender gap of nations in four categories: economic participation and opportunity; educational
Dec. 18, 2018
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Jailed ex-President Lee sues MBC chief over news report on alleged secret offshore account
Jailed former President Lee Myung-bak has filed a lawsuit against a major broadcast network and its chief over a recently aired investigative report on Lee's alleged offshore account and suspicious transactions, one of the program hosts said in a social media post on Monday.The lawsuit, seeking 350 million won ($309,270) in damages, was lodged with the Seoul Central District Court against MBC President Choi Seung-ho and two other journalists. The suit also demands the public broadcaster issue a
Dec. 17, 2018
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Government apologizes for Taean power plant tragedy, promises to prevent reoccurrence
The government on Monday announced measures to prevent accidents at coal power plants in the country, six days after an accident at Taean power plant claimed the life of a subcontracted worker. Past accidents at power plants will also be reviewed.The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a joint briefing on Monday and apologized for the death of Kim Yong-kyun, a 24-year-old subcontracted worker at the Taean thermal power plant.On Tuesday, Kim was fo
Dec. 17, 2018
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[Feature] Death of evictee raises call for action on resettlement
On Dec. 3, Park Jun-kyung, 37, a tenant in the Ahyeon-dong 2 reconstruction area in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was found dead in the Han River. His belongings and a note were found at a pavilion at Hangang Park in the Mangwon area.The note described how he had spent the last three days on the streets with nowhere to go after being forcibly evicted three times. He also asked that his mother be given rental housing so she would not suffer as he had.The late Park had moved to Ahyeon-dong, near Sinchon, known
Dec. 17, 2018
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Police chief admits lax handling of violence by unionized workers
Police are considering taking punitive measures against those responsible for lackadaisical response to violence by some union workers at an auto parts maker against an executive.Last month, some 40 union workers of Yoosung Enterprise in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, broke into the office of the company CEO, and some of them struck -- over a period of about 40 minutes -- a managing director in charge of wage talks. National Police Agency Commissioner Min Gab-ryong (Yonhap)The executive surn
Dec. 17, 2018
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[Feature] ‘Migrant workers are not consumables, we are humans!’
Tanka Lungeli, a Nepali who works at a factory in Korea, wants to change jobs because his employer does not pay him properly. But when he told his boss and requested the move, he says he received death threats and was treated as if he were a slave.“The employer deducted my wage for reasons I do not know. He also raised the dormitory fee arbitrarily, and it became hard for me to live and pay my debt with the salary,” Lungeli, 34, told The Korea Herald last week. “So I told him I wanted to work at
Dec. 17, 2018
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Welfare Ministry presents four pension reform options
The government on Friday announced four proposals on reforming the national pension scheme, mainly focused on maintaining a balance between reinforcing recipients’ benefits and securing the fund’s stability.The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s sudden announcement came amid concerns over fund shortfalls, as Korea’s declining birthrate and increasing life expectancy make for a society aging faster than ever. Under the current national pension system, the world’s third-largest fund could be deplete
Dec. 17, 2018
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Man caught for trespassing in dorm, attempted rape
A man in his 20s was caught trespassing in a female dormitory at Pusan National University on Sunday, according to police.The suspect, who is reported to be a student of the same university, is also accused of assault and the attempted rape of a female student residing in the dormitory. (Yonhap)The suspect, who was reported to be inebriated at the time, entered the dormitory by following a student who had opened the door with her student ID card. He reportedly knocked on several doors and dragge
Dec. 17, 2018
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[News Focus] 3 in 10 self-employed self-halt or close in 2018: report
SEJONG – More than 1 in 10 South Koreans, or 5.7 million among the population of 51.6 million, are engaging in self-employment. The proportion of self-employed is 20.3 percent among the 28 million economically active, which indicates people with jobs plus job seekers.And the ratio of self-employed among total employed excluding job seekers posted 25.4 percent at the end of 2017, according to data from Statistics Korea. The percentage is quite high compared to the European Union, at 15.8 percent,
Dec. 17, 2018
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Govt. to change rule for easier pension sharing after divorce
The welfare ministry said Monday it is reviewing a regulatory change that would allow divorcees to claim part of the national pension received by their ex-spouses after just one year of marriage.Eligibility for pension sharing currently comes with a number of prerequisites, including minimum five years in marriage and that the subscribed spouse live to the required recipient age of 60 to 65. The ex-spouse also needs to have subscribed to the pension for at least 10 years. (Yonhap)Ministry offici
Dec. 17, 2018
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'Original contractors should be responsible for subcontractor accidents'
Critics pointed out Sunday the mismanagement of safety by original contractors and dodgy safety inspections as major causes of an accident that killed a 24-year-old subcontract worker at a thermal power plant last week.Kim Yong-kyun, who was a temporary worker at the Taean thermal power plant in South Chungcheong Province, died Tuesday after getting stuck between a conveyer belt and machinery while working his night shift alone. His death sparked public outrage as his harsh working conditions we
Dec. 16, 2018
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New guideline on delaying school attendance to take effect in Seoul next month
A new guideline for delaying elementary and middle school admission for reasons such as studying abroad will come into force in Seoul starting next year.The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced Sunday that it has prepared a revised guideline on encouraging school attendance for children who are subjected to mandatory education, which will be implemented from January 2019. (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education website)The revised guideline requires parents or guardians to visit scho
Dec. 16, 2018