Most Popular
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Seoul transit pass for travelers to be available starting July
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Controversy rekindled over when to name criminals, suspects
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[Weekender] Pet food makers bet big on ‘recession-free’ pet food market
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N. Korea says to deploy new multiple rocket launcher starting this year
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[Drama Tour] Romantic trip to ‘Queen of Tears’ filming spots
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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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[LLG] Unseen inheritance: Trauma of transnational adoption 'trickles down' to adoptees' children
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‘Monk’ DJ spreading Buddhism goes global
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Prosecutors to summon pastor who allegedly gave Dior bag to first lady
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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
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Court orders govt. to grant Syrian asylum seeker humanitarian stay permit
The Seoul Administrative Court has ordered the government to issue a Syrian asylum seeker a humanitarian stay visa after his request for official refugee status was rejected, court officials said Sunday.The Syrian requested refugee status after entering South Korea on a short-term visit visa. He claimed that if sent back home, he would be conscripted into the army and die. But the government rejected the request, saying fears of conscription or combat do not constitute legitimate reasons for ref
Dec. 16, 2018
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Base fare for taxis set to rise 27% from Jan
The base fare for taxis is set to rise 27 percent in the capital city of Seoul from January, with a 28 percent increase in nighttime base fares, the Seoul city government said Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Council has approved the taxi fare hike plans submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government last month, according to the city government. (Yonhap)Under the plans, the base taxi fare will rise to 3,800 won ($3.40) from 3,000 won to help improve the welfare of taxi drivers. The nighttime base
Dec. 14, 2018
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Jordan Peterson’s book becomes a best-seller in Korea
Jordan Peterson’s self-help book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” has become one of the biggest best-sellers this winter in South Korea, after translated videos of the clinical psychologist’s lectures and interviews criticizing political correctness and feminism have gone viral here.Local publisher Maven said Friday that Peterson’s book had sold over 105,000 copies since its release in late October, topping major online retailer Yes24’s sales chart last week.The warm reception led Peter
Dec. 14, 2018
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Moon says forced labor rulings mean no termination of individual rights for damages claims
President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea's landmark court rulings against Japan's wartime forced labor mean individual rights to damage claims are not terminated under a pact between the two countries."The court ruling does not deny the (1965) pact between South Korea and Japan on normalizing diplomatic ties," Moon said in a meeting with a delegation of Japanese lawmakers led by Fukushiro Nukaga. President Moon Jae-in (L) meeting with the group of Japanese lawmakers seeking to promote
Dec. 14, 2018
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Govt., ruling party push for implementation of salary system for company taxi drivers
Officials from the government and the ruling Democratic Party decided Friday to push ahead with the full implementation of a salary system for drivers at taxi companies as part of measures to support the local taxi industry.The move is also seen as a way to deal with a backlash from taxi drivers that was sparked by the planned launch of a carpool service by IT giant Kakao Corp. (Yonhap)On Thursday, Kakao, which earlier kicked off a pilot run of the service, postponed its official release, orig
Dec. 14, 2018
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Former sex slave for Japanese soldiers dies at 92
A South Korean woman who was forced to work at a Japanese military brothel during World War II passed away at age 92, a Seoul-based civic group working for the rights of sex slavery victims said Friday.The woman, named Lee Gui-nyeo, died in the morning at a hospital in Yongin, a suburb of Seoul, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Lee Gui-nyeo (Justice for the Comfort Women-Yonhap)Born in 1926, Lee was taken to China in
Dec. 14, 2018
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Govt. announces state pension reform proposals
The government on Friday announced four different proposals for reforming the national pension scheme that center on strengthening support for beneficiaries going forward amid concerns over fund shortfalls.The Ministry of Health and Welfare, which oversees South Korea's National Pension Service, the world's third largest, with 630 trillion won ($564 billion) in assets, announced the differing drafts after President Moon Jae-in called for an overhaul of the ministry's draft on reforming the natio
Dec. 14, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Korea gives 2 Yemeni asylum seekers refugee status
The immigration office on the southern island of Jeju decided Friday to grant refugee status to two Yemeni asylum seekers, the first move of its kind since South Korea began to grapple with their inflow early this year. The immigration office also gave 50 other applicants humanitarian stay permits while denying refugee requests of 22 applicants, according to the Ministry of Justice. (Yonhap)Those who obtained refugee status and stay permits are allowed to leave the island for other parts of the
Dec. 14, 2018
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Minimum wage hike improves productivity in manufacturing sector
An increase in the minimum wage has helped improve productivity at South Korean manufacturing firms in general, but its impact varied by sector and size of business, a report said Friday.South Korea's minimum wage has gradually increased since the government first implemented the policy in 1988. (Yonhap)Between 2011-2016, the minimum wage rose to 6,030 won ($5.4) from 4,320 won, according to the report published by the Bank of Korea.The manufacturing industry saw its productivity improve over t
Dec. 14, 2018
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[New Focus] Moon to enter midterm year amid economic, social polarization
SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in has finished the first 19 months of his 60-month tenure and will enter his third administrative year in two weeks.About 70 to 80 percent of South Koreans supported his administrative affairs last year. But Moon’s current approval rating has fallen to a record low, staying under 50 percent, according to polls conducted in recent weeks. Surveys by Realmeter, Gallup Korea and R&Search showed approval ratings of 49.5 percent, 49 percent and 47.9 percent, respectively,
Dec. 13, 2018
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Korea ranks low in response to climate change: report
Despite worldwide calls for efforts to slow down climate change, a recent report revealed that Korea ranked lowly in terms of its response to climate change. According to the Climate Change Performance Index 2019, Korea ranked 57th out of 60 countries in terms of climate-related performance. The report looked at 56 countries and the European Union, which account for about 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. (Global Strategic Communications Council)The report was released Monday at COP
Dec. 13, 2018
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Government to conduct comprehensive facility checks as number of accidents rise
The government will conduct comprehensive safety inspections of public facilities following a recent spate of accidents, including a telecom network failure caused by a fire at a mobile carrier’s building and the derailment of a bullet train.In a meeting with ministries and regional governments, Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum expressed regret over the series of accidents and highlighted the need to come up with a safety system. Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum“As safety minis
Dec. 13, 2018
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YouTuber now among top 10 occupations desired by elementary students: survey
YouTuber is now one of the 10 occupations most desired by South Korean elementary school students, while scientist has been pushed out of the top 10, a government survey showed Thursday.In the survey of thousands of young students by government agencies earlier this year, professional athlete replaced teacher as the most popular profession desired by elementary students. (Yonhap)Teacher was the most-desired future career among young South Korean students over the past five years.The survey was c
Dec. 13, 2018
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16 spots on old hot water pipes found to have safety risks
An inspection on old heating pipes that run 686 kilometers nationwide found 16 spots with safety risks, the Korea District Heating Corp. said Thursday.An old hot water pipe burst near a subway station northwest of Seoul, killing one and injuring 45 on Dec. 4, prompting the KDHC to examine the hot water pipes that are more than 20 years old. Such pipelines account for 32 percent of the nation’s heating pipes that run a combined 2,164 kilometers in public areas. (Yonhap)In an inspection by 93 peop
Dec. 13, 2018