Most Popular
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Is NewJeans headed for a long 'break'?
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[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
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Korea to change passport design from 2020
The South Korean passport cover will shed its green color and change to a navy shade for the first time in 32 years. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Wednesday that it aims to launch the new passport design in 2020. The design, by Seoul National University professor Kim Soo-jung, was the winner of the 2007 contest to pick designs to improve the current Korean passport. The current Korean passport on the left, the new design on the right. (Yonhap)Opinions have abounded in the
May 3, 2018
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[Weather] Wind and rain bring down temperature, drive out fine dust
The sky cleared up in Seoul on Thursday morning, with the lowest fine dust levels seen in days. Thicker outerwear is recommended, as the previous day’s rain has cooled temperatures and strong winds are expected to continue throughout the day. Clear sky on Thursday morning in Korea (Yonhap)Light rainfall of no more than 5 millimeters is forecast across the nation in the afternoon in eastern and northern Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province and Northern Chungcheong Province. The rain will be spora
May 3, 2018
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Air pollution kills 7 million people a year: WHO
Toxic levels of pollution leads annually to the early death of an estimated 7 million people, according to a new World Health Organization report.Nine of 10 people around the world are exposed to dangerously high levels of pollutants that can lead to cancer and cardiovascular diseases, according to the study, which drew off the most-recent 2016 data. (Yonhap)Air pollution levels were the highest in the eastern Mediterranean and southeast Asia, where in some areas airborne toxins were five times
May 3, 2018
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Prosecutor who ignited #MeToo in Korea condemns prosecution’s sexual assault probe
Seo Ji-hyun, the prosecutor whose disclosure of sexual misconduct by a senior Justice Ministry official ignited a nationwide #MeToo movement here, strongly condemned the prosecution’s independent team for its lax investigation.Calling it cursory work, Seo said Tuesday the investigation team had lacked the will to look thoroughly into the sexual misconduct case she had brought against former senior Justice Ministry official Ahn Tae-geun in January. The prosecution last week indicted former senior
May 2, 2018
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Prosecution mulls forfeiture of gains from embezzlement
Prosecutors are looking at ways to forfeit criminal proceeds from embezzlement, in addition to bribes, drawing attention to whether more of former President Lee Myung-bak’s assets will be put on hold.The Seoul Central District Court last month approved the prosecution’s request to freeze 11.1 billion won ($10.3 million) worth of Lee’s assets, matching the amount of kickbacks he is accused of having received.The court said the decision forbids Lee from making any transactions on those assets, inc
May 2, 2018
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Hagwon chief booked for having sex with student
Police has launched a probe on the head of hagwon, or a private academy, in South Gyeongsang Province for having sex with a middle school student.Police said Wednesday that it has booked the suspect without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse. The hagwon head had sexual intercourse with the student in April. The student’s parents witnessed the scene and filed a report to police. (123RF)The student and the suspect claimed during
May 2, 2018
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80% of Koreans support #MeToo movement
Four in 5 Koreans said they support the #MeToo movement, according to survey results released Wednesday.In a poll of 1,013 citizens and 70 gender policy experts conducted last month by the Korea Women’s Development Institute, 79.8 percent of the citizens said they support the movement against sexual harassment and assault.Some 14.4 percent of the citizens said they did not support it.Over 7 in 10 citizens said the public’s level of interest in sexual harassment, sexual violence and gender discri
May 2, 2018
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Suwon to tackle heat, fine dust with ‘green curtains’
Suwon City has started its ‘Green Curtain’ project to cover building facades with plants, as a way to lower indoor temperatures and the level of fine dust in the atmosphere.The city government plans to install green curtains at 23 institutions in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province by the end of May, including the city hall building, district offices and several elementary schools. Pictured is an outer wall of a house with green curtains. (Yonhap)Green curtains refer to climbing plants which are planted o
May 2, 2018
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Ministry to announce new guidelines for high school history textbooks in July
The Ministry of Education plans to announce new guidelines for high school history textbooks in about two months, its officials said Wednesday, in what will likely stir another heated debate over some of the politically controversial events.The ministry released a draft proposal Wednesday made by its affiliated research institute on writing guidelines to be used for middle school and high school students starting 2020.The draft will be reviewed by a committee made up of government officials, edu
May 2, 2018
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1 in 4 Busan town buses violate maintenance rules
More than a quarter of local village buses in Busan violated maintenance rules, data showed Monday. Of 285 buses, the inspection identified 72 buses in violation of the related rules. The inspection was conducted by the Busan Metropolitan Government, Korea Transportation Safety Authority Busan Headquarters and Busan Village Bus Association. (123RF)Defects included malfunctions in door and lighting systems, wear and tear on tires, scratches and corrosion of vehicle frames, discoloration in painti
May 2, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Korean Air heiress denies assault allegations in 'water rage' probe
Cho Hyun-min, a former senior executive of South Korea's largest airline and a daughter of its chief, has denied allegations that she physically assaulted an advertising agency official during a business meeting in March, police said Wednesday.Cho Hyun-min, an heiress to Korean Air Lines Co., is surrounded by reporters on her way back from the Seoul Gangseo Police Station on May 2, 2018, after undergoing police questioning over assault allegations. (Yonhap)The 35-year-old is under police investi
May 2, 2018
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[Breaking] 8 dead, 11 injured in bus accident
Eight people were killed and 11 others injured after a bus clashed with a passenger vehicle, police said Tuesday. Local police said the bus carrying 14 workers and a driver collided with a Korando passenger vehicle about 5:21 p.m. in Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province. The 14 passengers on the bus were returning from their farm work and were mostly elderly. The police said the driver and three people of the passenger SUV vehicle was also injured in the accident. (Yonhap) Rescue crews work at
May 1, 2018
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Teacher under fire for ‘abusive’ punishment
An elementary school teacher in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, has come under fire for allegedly forcing two students to slap one another as part of a punishment, Gumi education authorities said Tuesday. According to the Gumi Office of Education, the physical education teacher is accused of telling two sixth-graders to play rock-paper-scissors and then making the winner slap the other person. The teacher had reportedly made the students do so whenever they lost a sports competition. Parents ha
May 1, 2018
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Fire sets packaging printer factory ablaze
A fire broke out late Monday night at a packaging printer factory in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province and was finally extinguished after six hours, fire authorities said Tuesday. It is said the fire started at approximately 11:26 p.m. Monday and extinguished at 5:50 a.m. Tuesday. No casualties were reported. Yeoju authorities issued a one-phase warning, calling on some 80 firefighters and 37 firefighting vehicles to the site. The fire department of the city said that the fire burnt through ten buildings
May 1, 2018
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Police, civic activists clash over statue for forced labor victims in Busan
BUSAN -- Police clashed Tuesday with activists who attempted to erect a statue symbolizing Korean victims of forced labor under Japan's colonial rule in front of the Japanese Consulate in the southern city of Busan.Some 100 activists began to move the statue of a gaunt Korean laborer toward the Japanese mission late Monday despite disapproval by the local government.About 500 police officers blocked them some 100 meters from the location and their standoff continued through the night.Early Monda
May 1, 2018
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'Father' of US taekwondo dies at 88
Rhee Jhoon-goo, known as the "Father of American taekwondo," died of acute pneumonia in the United States, a local group said Tuesday. He was 88.He died at a hospital in Virginia on Monday (local time), according to the International Leaders Union, which he headed. Taekwondo master Rhee Jhoon-goo demonstrates his skill at a US Congress building in Washington, D.C. in this undated file photo. (Yonhap)Rhee is credited with having introduced the Korean traditional martial art to the American people
May 1, 2018
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Hanjin founding family members to be grilled over smuggling allegation: customs chief
The chief of the country's customs office said Monday that founding family members of Korea Air Lines Co. are likely to be interrogated over their alleged smuggling.The office has been investigating allegations that family members of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho, also chairman of Korean Air, have smuggled luxury goods into the country without properly paying duties.Last week, the Korea Customs Service carried out a search of the airline's headquarters over the suspicion raised by some forme
April 30, 2018
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[Newsmaker] ‘Spycam porn’ victims support program launched in South Korea
The South Korean government’s first-ever measures to support victims of online and digital sexual violence, including those who have been affected by so-called “spycam porn” or “revenge porn,” took effect Monday. The measures include a government agency deleting, upon victims’ requests, spycam or revenge porn footage that has been illegally uploaded online. “We hope that victims of digital and online sexual violence can go back to their normal lives as soon as possible and no longer feel that th
April 30, 2018
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More medical disputes mediated under ‘Shin Hae-chul Act’
More medical disputes are being negotiated since the enactment of a revised law that allows a state-run agency to begin mediation for medical malpractice without the consent of hospitals or doctors.The “Shin Hae-chul law,” named after the singer who suddenly died following a controversial stomach surgery in 2014, went into effect in late 2016.The surgeon who did not provide proper care to singer Shin Hae-chul after an abdominal surgery in 2014 is arrested in this file photo. (Yonhap)According to
April 30, 2018
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Body found in septic tank appears to match that of Philippine worker
HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- The skeletal remains of a man found early this month in a septic tank at a coating plant south of Seoul appear to be those of a Philippine man in his early 30s who is believed to have been murdered by a compatriot colleague, police said Monday.The Western Police Station in Hwaseong, a city in Gyeonggi Province, has confirmed the man is a Philippine national, based on DNA samples obtained from his family via the Philippine Embassy in Seoul. This undated photo shows
April 30, 2018