Most Popular
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Do Korean doctors make too much money?
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Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
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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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Is FTC's conglomerate listing a boon or bane for Hybe?
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NewJeans to headline palace show
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Coupang's Kim Bom escapes chaebol chief designation again
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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Another court rules in favor of conscientious objector
A local court acquitted a South Korean man, who refused to fulfill the country’s mandatory military service due to religious reasons, of draft dodging in yet another ruling in favor of conscientious objectors.The Jeonju District Court found a 23-year-old Jehovah's Witness, surnamed Park, not guilty saying his refusal constitutes a "conscientious freedom."“His refusal to serve in the military based on his conscientious choice is a justifiable reason,” the court said in the verdict. The ruling com
Jan. 10, 2017
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Lawyers defend Park's actions in 2014 ferry disaster
President Park Geun-hye's lawyers set out to defend her actions during a 2014 ferry disaster Tuesday as the Constitutional Court opened its third hearing on her impeachment. Park was impeached by parliament last month over a corruption scandal and allegations that she neglected her duty during the sinking that killed more than 300 people in April 2014. "(Park) received numerous phone calls from the chief of the National Security Office and gave orders," Lee Joong-hwan, a lawyer repre
Jan. 10, 2017
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Court opens 3rd hearing in Park's impeachment trial
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday opened its third formal hearing to review the legitimacy of President Park Geun-hye's impeachment amid keen attention on the testimony of a key former aide. The court earlier summoned three suspects involved in the political scandal leading to Park's impeachment on Dec. 9, but only An Chong-bum, former senior presidential secretary for policy coordination, appeared set to testify. The two others -- Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil and former secretary for priva
Jan. 10, 2017
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Korea to grant Ban merit for contribution to nation
South Korea's Cabinet is set to approve a plan to confer one of the highest orders of merit on former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his contribution to enhancing national stature, officials said Tuesday. Ban, who is set to return to his home country Thursday after serving as the UN helmsman for a decade, is to receive the Order of Mugunghwa, a national merit named after the Rose of Sharon, Korea's national flower. (Yonhap)The decision is set to be approved during a Cabinet meeting headed
Jan. 10, 2017
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Monk pronounced dead 2 days after setting himself on fire
A South Korean monk was pronounced dead on Monday, two days after he set himself on fire during a mass rally in central Seoul against the country's impeached president, hospital officials said.The monk identified by his surname Seo had been in serious condition since he poured inflammables on his body and burned himself at around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday during the weekly candlelight vigil joined by tens of thousands of people, according to the officials. He, who sustained serious burns all over h
Jan. 9, 2017
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Govt mulls nine-day 'golden' holiday in May: minister
The government will consider designating temporary holidays in May this year to create a nine-day "golden" holiday week designed to encourage spending at home, the labor minister said Monday.Lee Ki-kweon unveiled the plan to reporters at the government complex in Sejong, saying the government could designate May 2 and 4 as temporary holidays to bridge Labor Day (May 1), Buddha's Birthday (May 3) and Children's Day (May 5). Under the plan, the May holidays would last from April 29 to May 7. "In
Jan. 9, 2017
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Foreign-origin family names on rise in South Korea
In South Korea, there is a famous saying that if a stone is thrown from Namsan, located at the heart of Seoul, it is bound to hit a person surnamed Kim, Lee or Park.However, the latest Population and Housing Census, conducted every 15 years, has revealed a diversifying trend in Korean names. Some 4,800 new family names were created within the past 15 years. (Yonhap)There were a total of 5,582 different family names as of 2015, and about 73 percent of them do not have matching Chinese characters,
Jan. 9, 2017
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83 percent of five-year-olds in Korea go to hagwon
More than 83 percent of 5-year-olds and 36 percent of 2-year-olds in South Korea receive private education, a study revealed Monday.According to the report published by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, a typical 5-year-old Korean kid receives private education 5.2 times a week for a duration of 50 minutes per session. For 2-year-olds, the average is 2.6 times a week and 47.6 minutes per session. The findings are based on a survey conducted between August and October last year on
Jan. 9, 2017
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Govt to focus on tackling low birth rate in 2017
The South Korean government will implement plans to boost the nation’s persistently low birth rate this year, with a focus on creating favorable conditions for child-rearing, it announced Monday.In a briefing to Prime Minister and acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on their policy direction for 2017, the relevant ministries released a set of measures to raise the birth rate, though many of them are already in place.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will provide incentives, such as preferent
Jan. 9, 2017
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Samsung executives grilled over influence-peddling scandal
Two senior executives of South Korea's largest business group Samsung were questioned by investigators Monday as they accelerated the probe into allegations surrounding the influence-peddling scandal that has led to President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. Choi Gee-sung, a vice chairman, and Chang Choong-ki, a president at the conglomerate, appeared in the office of the independent counsel team. They lead the group's future strategy planning division believed to be the de facto control tower that
Jan. 9, 2017
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Parliament hands in document supporting Park's impeachment to top court
South Korea's National Assembly handed in a 1,600-page document to the Constitutional Court on Monday, supporting its argument that President Park Geun-hye's whereabouts during the sinking of a ferry in 2014 also establish legal grounds for her impeachment. The Sewol ferry, which sunk in 2014, claimed more than 300 lives, most of whom were high school students on a field trip. Opposition parties have been claiming that Park failed to properly handle the disaster, adding that more lives could hav
Jan. 9, 2017
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2 dead after motel under construction collapses in Seoul
The body of a worker trapped under rubble after a building undergoing demolition work collapsed was found Monday, raising the death toll to two, rescuers said. The motel in central Seoul collapsed Saturday, while workers were dismantling it. Two workers sustained minor injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital, and two others were buried. Rescue units continue searching for the trapped workers under rubble (Yonhap)One of the trapped workers, identified only by his last name Cho, 49, was fou
Jan. 9, 2017
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Govt. strengthens criminal penalty for shoddy work by construction contractors
Construction planners and supervisors will be held responsible with the builders for any faulty work as the government strengthens criminal liability for not abiding by the full required construction procedures, the land ministry said Monday. Law revisions proposed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport allow up to three years of imprisonment or a maximum 30 million won ($25,000) in fines for construction service contractors who cause losses or damages by not entirely carrying out
Jan. 9, 2017
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Korea to intensify inspection of imported food, drugs
The South Korean food safety watchdog said Monday that it will hold off inspection of imported food and drugs that are deemed to pose harm to human health starting in NovemberIn a policy plan briefing of Prime Minister and Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on its policy direction for 2017, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced a set of measures to intensify the inspection and monitoring of imported food and drugs.Under the plan, imported products such as medicine and medical supplies for a
Jan. 9, 2017
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Plan to stop military duty exemption halted by inter-agency conflict
The defense ministry's proposal to repeal military duty exemptions for science and engineering majors has not made any significant progress since it was first introduced in May last year, making it likely that the controversial matter will be tossed to the next administration, officials said Monday. The ministry had recommended that the special exemptions be aborted to make up for the expected shortage in the number of active-duty manpower due to the declining birthrate. While all able-bodied So
Jan. 9, 2017
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1,000 days on, ‘Sewol’ is still there
“One thousand days or 900 days, it’s all the same to me. I am a grieving mother who is still living that day, begging for the life of my child,” said Lee Geum-hee. A new year has arrived, but Lee is still stuck on the disaster that took place on April 16, 2014. As of Monday, 1,000 days have passed since the ferry Sewol sank with 304 people on board. However, Lee has still not left Paengmok port, the area close to the sea that claimed the life of her daughter, Cho Eun-hwa.Cho is among nine victi
Jan. 8, 2017
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Korean envoy asks Denmark for swift decision on Chung Yoo-ra's extradition
South Korea's top diplomat in Denmark has urged the Danish prosecution to speed up its decision on whether to extradite Chung Yoo-ra, a high-profile criminal suspect long wanted by Seoul's special counsel investigators, officials at the South Korean Embassy here said Saturday.The request was made when Ambassador Choi Jai-chul met with Mohammad Ahsan, deputy director at Denmark's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, at the latter's office in Copenhagen on Saturday, the officials said.At
Jan. 8, 2017
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S. Koreans stage weekly rally demanding Park's resignation
Crowds of South Koreans took to streets across the country on Saturday, demanding that scandal-tainted President Park Geun-hye step down.It was the 11th consecutive Saturday rally, which first started on Oct. 29 over an influence-peddling scandal centered on Park and her long-time friend Choi Soon-sil. Together the two allegedly extracted 77.4 billion won ($64.7 million) from conglomerates to set up private foundations controlled by Choi. With some 1,500 civic groups involved, the first rally of
Jan. 8, 2017
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2 workers buried after motel under construction collapses in Seoul
Two workers have been trapped under rubble after a building that was being demolished collapsed on Saturday, rescuers said.The motel in central Seoul collapsed at around 11:30 a.m. while the workers were dismantling it, they said. A rescue operation is underway for the two who are known to be trapped underground, according to the rescuers. "The two were sprinkling water on the construction site to avoid raising dust," a firefighter said.Two other workers sustained minor injures and were taken to
Jan. 7, 2017
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Ex-vice minister, ex-presidential aide questioned over blacklist
Special prosecutors on Saturday grilled a former vice culture minister and an ex-presidential secretary as they accelerated their probe into suspicions the presidential office created a blacklist of cultural figures deemed critical of the government. Former Vice Culture Minister Chung Kwan-joo and ex-presidential aide Shin Dong-churl appeared before the office of the investigation team looking into an influence-peddling scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her friend.There have been a
Jan. 7, 2017