Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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Seoul sees further jump in cost of dining out
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Human rights commission urges Korea to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights
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Ewha gets first directly elected president
Ewha Womans University has elected its new president through its first-ever direct vote of all students, faculty members and administrative staff, ending months of allegations and internal turmoil that were tied to the scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye. Kim Hei-sook, new president of Ewha Womans University. (Yonhap)Philosophy professor Kim Hei-sook was formally appointed Friday by the board of directors as the new president, the Seoul-based school said. She received 57.3 percent
May 26, 2017
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No. of foreigners staying illegally in Korea increasing
The number of foreigners illegally staying in the country rose for the fourth month in a row last month, coming to nearly 11 percent of all foreign nationals here, monthly data from the Justice Ministry showed Friday. According to the data, the figure was at 220,510 in April, or 10.8 percent of 2,024,818 foreigners here, up 3.1 percent from a year ago. The corresponding figures were 208,971 in December, 211,320 in January, 214,615 in February and 217,141 in March. “The fourth consecutive month o
May 26, 2017
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South Korea’s most notorious serial killers
Nowadays, serial killers seem to exist only in movies or fiction. It’s not because the society has become more caring and does not produce them anymore. “It is more that serial of murders are prevented from the beginning. A murderer would be caught before they killed again,” said Kwon Il-yong, the nation’s first criminal profiler who recently retired. But South Korea has in the past had some notorious serial killers. Kwon explained that these “monsters” are born from suppressed anger. “Everybody
May 26, 2017
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[Eye Interview] Inside criminal minds
When Jeong Nam-kyu was first arrested for housebreaking and attempted murder in 2006, few imagined that the diminuitive, 37-year-old man would turn out to have been the perpetrator of a string of murders that shook the country for years. The man, showing no remorse, signs of being intimidated or fear for his own fate, confessed to killing two boys in 2004 and more. His cool-headed confession made investigators shudder. It was then that criminal profiler Kwon Il-yong was brought in. Former crimi
May 26, 2017
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Korea to tighten rules on unisex restrooms
South Korea will tighten rules on unisex public bathrooms over safety and privacy issues, the Ministry of Interior said Friday. Under the revised Public Toilets Act, slated to take effect later this year, the owner of a building with a place of business of over 2,000 square meters must build toilets separately for men and women.The same will apply to public institutions such as hospitals and schools of over 1,000 square meters. Many public bathrooms in crowded downtown areas are shared by men an
May 26, 2017
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Cold cases unfrozen
A defining cold case that left a bloody stain in South Korean history is a series of rapes and murders that happened in the late 1980s, when the country did not even have a lab capable of DNA analysis. “The Hwaseong killings is the most devastating cold case South Korea has failed to solve,” said Kwon Il-yong, who is considered South Korea’s first criminal profiler. “I wish I was a part of its investigative process, so I could have solved it.”Between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province,
May 26, 2017
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Law enforcement bodies vow to redress human rights violations
Police will refrain from using excessive physical force at street rallies, a ranking officer at the National Police Agency said Friday, in line with President Moon Jae-in's calls for better protection of human rights.Lee Dae-hyung, an NPA officer in charge of human rights protection, said at a workshop in Busan that in principle, police will no longer deploy riot troops, water cannon vehicles and bus barricades in places of rallies and demonstrations. This file photo taken on Nov. 26, 2016, show
May 26, 2017
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Navy officer to be court-martialed on rape charges
South Korea's military prosecutors said Friday they sought an arrest warrant for a Navy captain accused of sexually assaulting a female subordinate."(The prosecutors) applied for an arrest warrant today for the captain" who has been in temporary detention on charges of sexual assault against a lieutenant found dead on Wednesday, a defense official said. (Yonhap)She apparently committed suicide, the Navy said, citing notes alluding to her ultimate choice. She also reportedly told a civilian frien
May 26, 2017
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No. of foreigners staying illegally in Korea on continuous increase
The number of foreigners illegally staying in the country rose for the fourth month a row last month, coming to nearly 11 percent of all foreign nationals here, monthly data from the Justice Ministry said Friday. According to the data, the figure was tabulated at 220,510 in April, or 10.8 percent of 2,024,818 foreigners here, up 3.1 percent from a year ago. This file photo shows foreign nationals in the country illegally at a police station on South Korea's Jeju Island. (Yonhap)Comparable figur
May 26, 2017
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Investigators restore media files from ferry victims' smartphones
A committee investigating the body of the salvaged Sewol ferry said Friday that it has successfully restored media files and other data from at least two mobile phones found inside the wrecked ship.The Sewol Ferry Investigation Committee convened a sub-committee meeting on the remains and belongings in the port of Mokpo, 410 km south of Seoul, and discussed how to handle photo, video, voice and text message files restored from two smartphones recovered from the wreck, officials said. A mobile ph
May 26, 2017
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Seoul eying Malaysian tourists
The Seoul metropolitan city has been staging aggressive tour promotion activities in Malaysia as its nationals have been increasingly touring the country in recent years, a city official said Thursday. The number of Malaysians who have come to South Korea has doubled over the past five years, recording 310,000 in 2016. Vice Seoul Mayor Liu Gyoung-gee, who is now on a trip to Southeast Asia, met with Ten Hoy Chin, CEO of Mayflower Holidays, the Southeast Asian country's biggest travel agency, the
May 25, 2017
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Expats decry military for gay sex conviction
Following the military court‘s conviction Wednesday of a gay soldier for having sex, many expatriates living in South Korea reacted with a mixture of shock, disappointment and anger toward what they said was a violation of basic human rights. “These men are serving their country and their country repays them with prison?” said Amanda Melgarejo Bastos, a 28-year-old English teacher from the United States. “Seeing how racism and sexism are big issues here, I can’t say I am surprised, but I am stil
May 25, 2017
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Third Sewol victim identified
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that a human bone discovered from inside the ferry Sewol on May 10 was identified to be from Danwon High School student Cho Eun-hwa, one of the nine passengers missing from the disaster in April 2014.Cho is the third victim to be identified since a search of the recovered wreckage began in April. The two already identified are Danwon High School teacher Go Chang-suk and student Heo Da-yoon.Danwon High School student Cho Eun-hwa (Yonhap)The searc
May 25, 2017
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Activist fined for protesting at Japanese Embassy against comfort women deal
A South Korean activist was ordered to pay a 2 million won ($1,800) fine Thursday on charges of trespassing into the Japanese Embassy in Seoul while protesting against a controversial deal between the two countries over Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women.Kim Sam was indicted in August last year for entering the embassy building in central Seoul in December 2015, along with members of a student group she leads in support of the former sex slaves. A weekly rally is under way in fro
May 25, 2017
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Fall in Japanese tourists adds woes to sagging local tourism
The drop in Japanese tourists last month is adding concerns to the faltering local tourism industry already reeling from a dearth of Chinese visitors amid diplomatic jitters with neighboring country, industry and government sources said Thursday. Some 165,700 visitors from Japan came to South Korea in April, down 5.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the latest data release by the Korea Tourism Organization. (Yonhap)The tally on Japanese travelers had been on an upturn since February la
May 25, 2017
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S. Korea reviewing 19 civic groups' request for NK contact
South Korea said Thursday that 19 civic groups have asked the government to approve their request for contact with North Koreans over inter-Korean exchanges since the inauguration of President Moon Jae-in.They are seeking to provide humanitarian assistance and pursue projects in development and exchanges in the social and cultural sectors, according to the Ministry of Unification.South Koreans require government approval to contact North Korea or visit. This photo taken on May 24, 2017, shows of
May 25, 2017
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Local builders jittery about new govt. eco-friendly energy policy
Environment-friendly energy policies pledged by the Moon Jae-in administration are raising concerns among local builders, which fear power plant construction projects may take a hit, industry officials said Thursday.The chief executive said during his campaign that he will stop all new construction of coal-fired power plants and review from scratch those that are less than 10 percent complete. He also promised to cease and cancel nuclear power plant construction and shut down older reactors, whi
May 25, 2017
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Choi Soon-sil's daughter in Denmark drops appeal, to face probe in Seoul
A key figure in a political corruption scandal that led to the ousting of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday dropped the appeal of her extradition case from Denmark to Seoul.Danish prosecutors confirmed on Twitter that Chung Yoo-ra will be extradited to South Korea after she dropped her appeal to the High Court of Western Denmark pertaining to her lower court ruling of extradition to Seoul.(Yonhap)Chung is accused of receiving inappropriate academic and financial favors bas
May 25, 2017
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[Graphic News] 4 rivers project
The South Korean government has injected almost 22 trillion won ($19.6 billion) into a massive rivers development project since its launch in 2008, data showed Wednesday.According to government data, 11.85 trillion won, about half of the cost poured into the project, was spent on works on the Nakdong River, the longest river in Korea. About 3.67 trillion won was used on the Han River, while 3.4 trillion won was spent on the Geum River and 3.36 trillion won on the Youngsan River. The money was sp
May 24, 2017
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Ex-diplomat stationed in Chile indicted over sexual abuse
GWANGJU -- Prosecutors said Wednesday they have indicted a former diplomat for sexually abusing a teenage girl in Chile.The former embassy official in Chile, identified only by his last name Park, is accused of hugging a 12-year-old girl against her will and sending her filthy text messages in September last year while teaching her Korean, according to the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office. (Yonhap)Tipped off by the girl, a Chilean television channel filmed and broadcasted the man sexually ha
May 24, 2017