Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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Yoon vows to advance freedom, welfare to uphold spirit of 1980 pro-democracy uprising
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Man gets 17 years for raping daughter
A man who raped his underage daughter for more than six years was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Wednesday. Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court (Yonhap)The Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court said the 41-year-old convict had raped and sexually abused his underage daughter for a six-year period from 2009, when she was 7 years old. The victim, currently 14 years old, is undergoing treatment at a local children’s welfare center. By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)
Oct. 19, 2016
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[METRO] City plans to turn Samcheonggak into culture complex
Samcheonggak, a 43-year-old Korean traditional restaurant at the foot of Seoul’s Inwangsan, will turn into a Korean food and cultural complex by 2018.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, it plans to select a private operator for the 2017-2019 period, in an aim to refurbish the area as Seoul’s new landmark. It is currently run by the Seoul City’s Sejong Center for Performing Arts.The city government also plans to spend 10 billion won ($8 million) to renovate by the end of next year the
Oct. 19, 2016
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Ewha president quits amid scandals
The president of Ewha Womans University stepped down Tuesday amid snowballing allegations the school offered preferential treatment to the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s close friend. (Photo byLim Jee-song)“I decided to resign from the post in hope that members of the university continue to uphold the beautiful Ewha spirit of trust and harmony without being divided anymore,” she said in a statement.The pressure on Choi to step down intensified after allegations surfaced that Jeong Yoo-ra,
Oct. 19, 2016
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First anti-graft law violation case brought to court
Amid lingering confusion and doubts over a new anti-graft law, a member of the public who gave rice cakes worth 45,000 won ($40) to a police officer has become the first to face trial for a violation. According to Chuncheon District Court and local reports, the accused, identified only by surname Cho, sent a box of rice cakes to thank the officer for adjusting his or her summons on the first day of the law effectuation, Sept. 28, in the city located about 80 kilometers northeast of Seoul. The po
Oct. 19, 2016
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Commuter killed, trapped between subway door and train
A commuter died Wednesday morning after he was trapped between a subway platform door and a departing train, the third such fatality so far this year. According to local police, the accident occurred at 7:18 a.m. at Gimpo International Airport Subway Station on subway line No. 5, when the victim, a 36-year-old Korean Air employee, was trying to get off the train. A subway train is seen at Gimpo International Airport Subway Station in Seoul, with platform screen doors open. (Yonhap)He became trap
Oct. 19, 2016
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[Graphic News] Number of Seoul schoolchildren falling
The number of school pupils in Seoul are declining at a faster pace, a direct result of the country’s persistently low birth rates, data shows. According to Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, as of April 1 this year, the city’s kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools have 4.2 percent fewer students than a year earlier. The student tally stands at slightly over 1.07 million. That represents a steeper year-on-year drop than the 3.6 percent decline in 2015 and 3.7 percent in 2014. B
Oct. 18, 2016
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Korean top streamer ditches AfreecaTV in favor of YouTube
South Korea’s top streamer, known as “Daedoseogwan” (‘Great Library’ in English), has left the country’s biggest video-sharing platform, AfreecaTV, over profit-sharing conflicts.The 38-year-old streamer, whose real name is Na Dong-hyun, gained fame by streaming online game plays on AfreecaTV. Na has so far attracted 113 million viewers on AfreecaTV since 2011, emerging as one of the most sought-after streamers here. He also has 1.3 million YouTube subscribers. Na Dong-hyun, who uses the alias “G
Oct. 18, 2016
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Russian men arrested for graffiti in Daegu
Two Russian men in their 20s were arrested Monday for vandalizing train cars in Daegu, southeastern Korea.The men are accused of trespassing and spraying graffiti on trains that belong to Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corp. at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. (Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corp.)Graffiti is illegal if done on public property.The police tracked down the suspects based on surveillance camera footage.The arrested men are also being accused of stealing clothes worth 7.5 million won ($6,600) fr
Oct. 18, 2016
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Man arrested for hiring foreign sex workers
A customer’s sudden death exposed a group of illegal foreign sex workers in Gwangju, southern Korea. According to the police, a man surnamed Oh, 37, was arrested for hiring women of foreign nationalities and making them have sex for money.(Yonhap)Two staff members who assisted in the recruitment and a 20-year-old woman from Kazakhstan, were also arrested. The act of buying, selling or facilitating sex in exchange for money is punishable by law. Oh hired women from Kazakhstan and Russia, who can
Oct. 18, 2016
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Law school student caught for taking upskirt photos
A law school student who had been caught three times for secretly taking upskirt photos was sentenced to one year in prison without probation, Seoul Central District Court said Tuesday. The court ruling came after the 32-year-old law school student, surnamed Han, was caught taking photographs of female shoppers in Seoul’s Jongno district on July 30. (Herald DB)He had used his smartphone to take photos of more than 100 women at a shopping mall. This is the third time Han has been indicted. He had
Oct. 18, 2016
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Chinese investors pin hopes at Seoul China Investment Week
Unlike worries here over a possible Chinese economic retaliation on Korean businesses over a defense issue, Chinese venture capitalists wish to see more active business cooperation between the two countries, market insiders said at the inaugural Seoul China Investment Week in Seoul on Tuesday. David Chen, a 10-year veteran venture capitalist and co-founder of Shanghai-based AngelVest venture capital firm, said Korea has “interesting assets” to attract more overseas investors.“There are various t
Oct. 18, 2016
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KIS nourishes design thinking in class
Last week, seventh and eighth grade engineering students from Korea International School finally tested how much weight their bridges could withstand after weeks-long efforts to construct them through real-world engineering techniques. In a departure from the traditional method of learning through textbooks, students from KIS were given a chance to research, plan and design the actual bridges in their own labs as a part of KIS’ school-wide Applied Learning initiative.Through such an assignment,
Oct. 18, 2016
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Seoul likely to scrap abortion clampdown plan
The Health Ministry said Tuesday it will reconsider its plan to toughen punishment on illegal abortions after strong condemnation from women and doctors. “After the preannouncement of the revised rule (about the penalty on illegal abortions), various sectors in society have given their opinions. We decided to consider possibly nullifying the tougher punishment plan,” a ministry official said. Participants shout slogans condemning the government’s plan to toughen punishment for illegal abortions
Oct. 18, 2016
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Unpaid leave planned for infertility treatments
Couples trying to have a baby through infertility procedures may become entitled to up to three days of unpaid leave from work from as early as mid-2017, according to a government plan unveiled Tuesday. The plan, approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday morning, entails a set of new measures to boost the country’s low birth rate, which stands at just 1.24 births per woman. 123rf.While encouraging couples to have more babies, the government has been rolling out various measures to support infertile cou
Oct. 18, 2016
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Paternity leave takers jump 53%
From news reportsThe number of fathers taking time off work to take care of their children has increased by more than 50 percent in South Korea, which Seoul officials say is a hopeful sign that the country’s rigid work culture is becoming more family friendly. According to data released by the Labor Ministry on Tuesday, 5,398 male workers took child care leave in the first nine months of this year, up 53.2 percent from the corresponding period in 2015. In the January-September period, the entire
Oct. 18, 2016
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One in 10 elderly people have suicidal thoughts: poll
One out of 10 senior citizens have had thoughts about attempting suicide in the past year, a survey showed Tuesday.According to the survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on 853 people aged over 65, 10.3 percent said they have felt an impulse to take their own lives. (Yonhap)The survey showed 10.1 percent of people aged between 65 and 74 have such an impulse, while 11.4 percent of people aged over 75 also said so. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 representing the m
Oct. 18, 2016
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Gov't designates 6 more typhoon-stricken regions as special disaster zones
The South Korean government on Monday designated six more regions in the southern part of the country that were hit hard by the latest typhoon as special disaster areas.The new designated areas hit hard by Typhoon Chaba were Busan's Saha district, Gyeongju, Tongyoung, Geoje, Yangsan and Jeju Island. With the announcement, the total number of areas designated as disaster zones reached eight. Soon after the typhoon hit the country, part of Ulsan and nearby Ulju County were marked as areas eligible
Oct. 17, 2016
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Boar sightings up in Seoul
The number of boar sightings here is on the rise, raising alarm throughout Seoul. Between Sunday and Monday, four boar sightings were reported in populous parts of Seoul. (Yonhap)Seoul Jongno Police said Monday that two boars were seen in Sajik-dong, central Seoul, on Sunday at around 10 p.m. One was shot down at around 11:30 p.m. while the other escaped to the nearby Bukhansan.At 1:30 a.m. on Monday, another boar was reported wandering around near Gyeongbokgung in the same district. It was shot
Oct. 17, 2016
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[WWF Special] South Korea at crossroads as ecological deficit continues
South Korea’s demands on natural resources have been outstripping supply for the past four decades or so. And the deficit has been widening at such an alarming pace that environmentalists both here and overseas call for immediate attention to the issue. Calculated by the Global Footprint Network, a country’s ecological balance shows how much natural resources a country has and how much it uses. The supply is measured by biocapacity, which is the capacity of a given biologically productive area t
Oct. 17, 2016
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President of Ewha Womans University under pressure to resign
The president of Ewha Womans University came under growing pressure to step down Monday, over allegations the school offered preferential treatment to the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s close friend. Calls for Choi Kyung-hee to resign come amid mounting controversy that Jeong Yoo-ra, daughter of Park’s long-term friend Choi Soon-sil, was given special favors in the admission process and her academic records at the nation’s longest-running women’s university. Jeong, whose father is Presid
Oct. 17, 2016