Most Popular
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
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Yoon apologizes for first lady Dior bag scandal, calls push for special probe ‘political’
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments
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Korea forecast to overtake Taiwan in chip production by 2032: report
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Girl hanging on bridge, police trying to rescue her both fall off; rescued immediately
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Coupang earnings hit hard by losses from ailing Farfetch
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[K-pop’s dilemma] Time, profit pressures work against originality
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Why femicide and dating violence are growing issues in S. Korea
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[K-pop’s dilemma] Can K-pop break free from ‘fandom’ model?
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[Feature] How teen feminism is changing school uniforms in South Korea
When Jeong Ji-eun was in her high school, in the early 2000s, one of her close friends pierced her tongue. The friend, who had hated having to wear her school uniform all the time -- she especially found the stiff fabric of her blouse unbearable --, wore a red-color tongue ring, which almost looked like a candy in her mouth. “That’s what I first thought, too -- that she was having her candy,” Jeong, now a 32-year-old professional in Seoul, told The Korea Herald. “Until it was caught by our teac
Oct. 21, 2018
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Professor’s son enrolls in father’s courses, earns top grades
A professor at a public university allowed his son to enroll in his classes and gave him top grades, and the son received multiple scholarships worth about 5.4 million won ($4,776) from the institution, a lawmaker has revealed. According to Rep. Kim Hyun-ah of the main opposition Korea Liberty Party, the son, who had been enrolled in a different university, transferred to the Seoul National University of Science Technology, where his father is a faculty member, in 2014. SNUST is a public univer
Oct. 21, 2018
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Four Yemenis investigated for illegal drug use: police
Four Yemeni nationals are being investigated by police on suspicion of having consumed Khat, a plant classified as an illegal narcotic in Korea, according to the Jeju police. The four individuals, who entered Korea earlier this year, underwent a health examination as part of their application for refugee status. Authorities said cathinone, a stimulant that is illegal in Korea, was detected in their urine samples.South Koreans protest against asylum seekers in central Seoul. (Yonhap) Earlier thi
Oct. 21, 2018
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Sole resident on Dokdo islets dies
DAEGU -- The only remaining resident on Dokdo, South Korea's easternmost islets, died on Sunday.Kim Sung-do, 79, passed away at a Seoul hospital having suffered from liver cancer since September, according to the North Gyeongsang provincial government, which administers the islets.He will be laid to rest at the national cemetery in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. This photo shows a memorial to Kim Sung-do, the only remaining South Korean resident on Dokdo, the country`s easternmost islet
Oct. 21, 2018
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750,000 sign petition urging strong punishment for PC room murder
More than 750,000 people have signed an online petition at Cheong Wa Dae to toughen punishment for the suspect of a high-profile murder case.The petition was first filed on Wednesday, and the figure of signatures topped 750,000 in just four days, becoming the most signed petition since the online platform launched in 2017.On Oct. 14, a 21-year-old part-time worker at a PC room in Seoul was murdered by a man who said the worker was “not polite” to him. The suspect is currently being held in polic
Oct. 21, 2018
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[Weather] Korea’s weather to be chilly with fair skies nationwide
Weather in South Korea is expected to be generally fair nationwide due to high atmospheric pressure along the west coast, but early-morning temperatures will be in the single digits for the most part.According to the Korean Meteorological Administration, morning temperatures should be 1-12 degrees Celsius across the country, but are set to rebound to 19-22 C, with a wide temperature range between day and night. (Yonhap)Daytime temperatures in Seoul will reach 21 C, Incheon 19 C, Gangneung 20 C,
Oct. 21, 2018
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Education Ministry to disclose private kindergartens found with accounting fraud
The Education Ministry began operation of a corruption report center to monitor private kindergartens for irregularities Friday, after thousands of private institutes were found with accounting fraud. On Thursday, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae announced the ministry will open the results of past inspections conducted on private kindergartens across the nation from 2013 to 2017 and also reveal the names of institutes found to have committed accounting fraud. The results will become available on
Oct. 19, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Only 28% of school buildings reinforced for earthquake in Korea: lawmaker
Only 28 percent of schools in Korea have undergone earthquake-resistant construction, and it will take over a decade for all the buildings to be reinforced a lawmaker said Friday. According to the data Rep. Kim Hyun-ah of Liberty Korea Party received from the Education Ministry, only 28.1 percent of 61,670 schools have undergone seismic reinforcement in Korea.(Yonhap)By region, 17.2 percent of schools in Jeju were reinforced to withstand earthquakes; 20.3 percent in North Jeolla Province; 21.3 p
Oct. 19, 2018
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[Weather] Clear skies to follow brief fog
Friday will mostly be sunny with clear skies throughout the nation, except in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and Jeju Island, which are expected to remain cloudy. (Yonhap)Fog lingering from Thursday’s light rainfall will be seen in the morning, but soon reveal clear skies, the Korean Meteorological Administration said. Despite the sunny weather, the KMA advised people to pay attention to the wide gap between the high and low temperatures. Temperatures are to stay in a range of 7-12 degrees Celsius
Oct. 19, 2018
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Alcohol, private lender ads getting less TV airtime
The number of TV ads for alcoholic beverages and private lenders dropped last year from the year before, records from the communications watchdog showed Friday, apparently as the ads were more broadly distributed to other outlets, such as mobile platforms.Some 19,158 alcohol-related commercials aired on terrestrial and cable TV channels last year, down 20.3 percent from the previous year, according to the Korea Communications Commissionwho released the data for a parliamentary audit. (Yonhap)Alc
Oct. 19, 2018
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200 Vietnamese students come to learn Korean, end up with illicit jobs
Immigration authorities said Wednesday they uncovered the irregular practices of a Korean agency that illegally hired Vietnamese students who entered the country to learn the local language.Between November 2016 and August 2018, the agency, located in Gyeonggi Province, hired 262 Vietnamese university students and put them to work at various subcontractor firms for large-scale supermarkets’ distribution centers. The agency profiteered off the wages the students received. If a student earned 10,0
Oct. 18, 2018
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Man gets 1-year jail for assaulting convenience store clerk, civil servant
Incheon District Court on Thursday ordered a 47-year-old man to serve a one-year prison term for assaulting an employee at a convenience store and a civil servant in two separate incidents. The assailant was indicted on charges of “special violence, interference with business and obstruction of official duties,” according to authorities. (Yonhap)On July 20, the man assaulted a part-time convenience store employee in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, at around 2:40 p.m. after the worker reportedly refused t
Oct. 18, 2018
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[Weekender] Hiking a national pastime with benefits, consequences
Hiking is a hugely popular pastime in Korea, with 32 million of the 51.6 million population said to visit a mountain at least once a year. Hiking’s popularity, and older generations’ apparently love of hiking attire for everyday activities, has led to a massive market for “outdoor” clothing, peaking at over 6 trillion won ($5.2 billion) in 2014. The popularity of hiking also comes with a downside. The sheer number of hikers comes with environmental concerns, especially with trash left behind by
Oct. 18, 2018
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[Weekender] Keeping the mountain trails alive
Every autumn, a chunk of the population rushes to the mountains to enjoy the breathtaking hues of the fall foliage, but a number of environmentally unfriendly habits that they bring along have been polluting South Korea’s ancient slopes for more than a decade. In recent years, eating meals packed in plastic containers and drinking bottles of rice wine at the summit has become a ritual for the hikers of South Korea. Hikers climb Seoraksan or Mount Seorak in Yangyang in South Korea`s northeastern
Oct. 18, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Taxi drivers rise against Kakao’s new carpooling service
Tens of thousands of private and corporate taxi drivers took to the streets Thursday to protest Kakao Mobility, a new carpooling service to be launched by the end of the year. At Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, some 70,000 taxi drivers gathered, according to the rally organizers, to fight what they called “illegal carpooling services” to be offered by the mobile messaging giant Kakao. (Kim Sung-woo/The Korea Herald)“Let’s take down Kakao, which is stomping on the taxi industry,” chanted the p
Oct. 18, 2018
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10-year term sought for private institute owner in child rape case
Incheon prosecutors on Wednesday demanded a 10-year prison term for the owner of an after-school institute if he is found guilty in a rape case involving a 10-year-old girl he met via a mobile chatting app. Citing the nature of violence against a minor, prosecutors demanded the 34-year-old defendant, surnamed Lee, wear an ankle monitor for the next 20 years and be added on the registry of sex offenders against minors. (Yonhap)Lee is accused of sexually assaulting the child after making her drin
Oct. 18, 2018
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Court upholds refugee status of Ugandan lesbian
The Seoul High Court overturned a Supreme Court ruling in a remanded case by recognizing as a refugee a Ugandan lesbian woman who claims to face risks of persecution for her sexual orientation if she returns home.The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, saying she has already been persecuted in Uganda with threats to her life and body after her sexual orientation became known. (Yonhap)“Should she return to Uganda, there are risks that she may be persecuted by homophobic people or th
Oct. 18, 2018
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Government introduces measures to protect workers in service sector
Employers in the service and retail sectors who fail to take action after their workers are harassed or assaulted by customers can be fined as much as 10 million won ($8,817) starting Thursday, the Ministry of Labor said. Under the revised law, employers are required to grant breaks to employees who have been subjected either to verbal harassment or physical assault by customers at work, and to finance medical treatment and counseling if necessary. The law also requires employers to submit all a
Oct. 18, 2018
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Man steals W40 m by ripping off window guards in Seoul
A man in his 50s has been arrested for reportedly stealing money by ripping off window railings from old apartments.(Yonhap)The man faces a charge of stealing 40 million won ($35,300) worth of money and valuables in a total of 10 burglaries. The crimes occurred mainly in the Gangnam and Dongjak districts in Seoul.Many of the man’s thefts targeted vacant homes during Chuseok and other holidays. A police official encouraged people to “repair windows of old apartments and store valuables in safe pl
Oct. 18, 2018
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Taxi drivers' strike disturbs morning commutes
SUWON/INCHEON/SEOUL -- A walkout by thousands of taxi drivers in protest of a commercial carpool service created inconvenience for citizens heading to workplaces during the morning rush hour on Thursday.The stoppage began at 4 a.m. to protest against the recent launch of Kakao T Carpool, a ride-sharing service designed to connect ordinary drivers to passengers during the morning and evening rush hours. They claim the top mobile messaging company's service would kill the industry. No major distur
Oct. 18, 2018