Most Popular
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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Yoon apologizes over first lady’s Dior bag scandal, but accuses special probe attempt as political maneuvering
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Young Korean doctors seek plan B: cosmetic dermatology or overseas
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South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments
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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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Korea projected to outpace Taiwan in chip production by 2032: US report
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Why femicide and dating violence are growing issues in S. Korea
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Japan TV pulls Korean drama over Dokdo spat
TOKYO (AFP) ― A Japanese television station said Wednesday it was postponing the airing of a South Korean drama series starring an actor who took part in a swim to a group of islands at the center of a territorial row.BS Nippon Corporation said it would replace “A Man Called God,” which features popular actor Song Il-kook and was to due air from next week, with a re-run of another South Korean drama series.“We have decided to change our programming after considering the impact of the main actor
Aug. 15, 2012
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Lee: Japan's emperor should apologize if he wants to visit Korea
Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday Japan's emperor should sincerely apologize for his country's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula if he wants to visit Korea.The remark came on the eve of Liberation Day marking Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, and is expected to further raise tensions that have been running high following Lee's surprise visit to South Korea's ea
Aug. 14, 2012
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Seoul starts public-private partnership for overseas aid
South Korea established a public-private partnership on Monday to cultivate overseas development programs in a more comprehensive, diverse and effective way. The Development Alliance Korea, a first of its kind here, seeks to forge an extensive network between the government, corporations, universities and civic groups that are devoted to assisting developing countries. It will also be working with multinational agencies. Among the some 80 members are the Korea International Cooperation Agency,
Aug. 13, 2012
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Frustration over stalled reunions
Time is running out for elderly people in both Koreas longing to meet their long-lost relatives across the border.Family reunions have been on hold since October 2010 following North Korea’s sinking of a South Korean warship and artillery firing on a border island in the West Sea. Over the previous 10 years, the two countries held meetings for the families displaced by the Korean War around major holidays such as Liberation Day on Aug. 15 and Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving. Pyongyang effective
Aug. 13, 2012
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[Newsmaker] Peace Statue, symbol of Japan’s wartime atrocities
Facing the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, the bronze statue of a barefoot teenage girl appears to impart a poignant message to an unapologetic former colonial ruler: Return the purity, dignity and life that was trampled on. Tight security surrounding the “Peace Statue” highlights the tension between South Korea and Japan, rekindled since President Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo last Friday amid Tokyo’s growing territorial claim to the islets.The statue was established last December to mark the 1,000th
Aug. 13, 2012
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Lee strongly criticizes Japan for lack of efforts to resolve colonial-era issues
President Lee Myung-bak strongly criticized Japan for not doing enough to soothe hard feelings Koreans still harbor over its colonial rule, when he made a landmark visit to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo last week, an official said Monday.Friday's visit to Dokdo, which Tokyo has long claimed as its territory, was the first-ever by a South Korean president. It came days before South Kore
Aug. 13, 2012
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Canadian Embassy seeks blog editors
The Canadian Embassy said Friday that it is seeking university students in Korea to serve as editors for its blog.The students will be part of a six-month program that will coincide with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Canada. During the period, the blog editors will run “Inside Canada,” and be given the opportunity to cover Korea-Canada events.Hopeful “Celebration 2013 Online Ambassadors” can apply until Sept. 2. For more information, go to the Canadian Embassy bl
Aug. 12, 2012
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Chopin piano competition held in Daegu
The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw will hold its second annual piano competition dedicated to the Polish composer in Korea this month.According to the Polish Embassy, the contest will seek out talented pianists from the region at Keimyung University in Daegu from Aug. 23 to Oct. 26.The competition is organized by the Polish university and the Fryderyk Chopin Society with support from the embassy.Judges will include Piotr Paleczny, professor of piano at the Fryderyk Chopin Universi
Aug. 12, 2012
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Foreign minister hosts Iftar dinner
Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan honored Islam’s Ramadan fast by holding an Iftar dinner at his residence for ambassadors and other dignitaries on Thursday.Kim hosted some 40 ambassadors and dignitaries from the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Korea-Arab Society, and other leaders of the Islamic community.“I am happy to hold such a special event,” said Kim.“The Korean government is constantly working to maintain a cordial relationship with the Muslim world,” he said.This is the nint
Aug. 12, 2012
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U.K. Embassy holding English program for defectors
The British Embassy said on Friday that it will launch an English education service for North Korean defectors.The British Embassy is currently accepting applications from defectors for the “English for the Future” program which will provide a year of English education and a three-month internship.The embassy will also choose one student to receive a full-time postgraduate scholarship in the U.K.The program is intended to help North Korean defectors in a field that is widely known to be one of t
Aug. 12, 2012
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Ivory Coast marksnational day, ties
The Ivory Coast celebrated its national day in Seoul on Wednesday, marking the country’s 51st anniversary of ties with Korea.Ivorian Ambassador Kouassi Florent Ekra commemorated the event marking his country’s 52nd year of independence with a speech on the relations between the two countries in front of ambassadors and other dignitaries including Vice Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism Kwak Young-jin.“During that whole period, relations have remained excellent at the political level,” said E
Aug. 12, 2012
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U.K. issues first visas through new program
The United Kingdom awarded its first visas under the Youth Mobility Scheme to two Koreans in Seoul on Thursday.British Ambassador Scott Wightman presented the visas to 28-year-old Shin You-na and 26-year-old Park Soo-hyun who will be studying and working in the U.K. for the next two years.Under the new visa, young South Koreans can reside in the U.K. for up to two years, where they can study or work freely without concerns of sponsorship.“The Youth Mobility Scheme offers excellent opportunities
Aug. 12, 2012
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Swedish designers visit Korea
World-renowned Scandinavian designers Thomas Sandell and Lars Bolander discussed design with students, designers and professors in Seoul on Wednesday.The key to design is functionality, Sandell told a packed crowd of students, designers and professors at the Scandinavian Design House.The 53-year-old designer said that the trait he emphasized most was functionality, adding that it was the focus of most Scandinavian designers.The designer focuses on everything from the smallest piece of furniture
Aug. 12, 2012
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Saenuri slams Japanese move to take Dokdo issue to int'l court
South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party denounced Japan's move to take the issue of Dokdo to the International Court of Justice as an act of imprudence Sunday, calling for Tokyo's full repentance for its brutal colonial rule of Korea. A day after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made an unprecedented visit to the South Korean islets, long claimed by Japan as its own, Tokyo said Saturday it was cons
Aug. 12, 2012
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S. Korea won't accept Japan's move to take issue of Dokdo to int'l court
South Korea will never accept a move by Japan to take the issue of Dokdo to the International Court of Justice, a senior Seoul official said Saturday, as diplomatic tensions with Tokyo heightened over the unprecedented visit by President Lee Myung-bak to the islets. A day after Lee's visit to Dokdo, which Japan has long claimed as its own, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told reporters in
Aug. 11, 2012
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Japan protests strongly against Lee's visit to Dokdo
Japan strongly protested against South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's surprise visit to Dokdo.Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda expressed regrets and said the visit is unacceptable.Tokyo's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba recalled the country's ambassador to Seoul, Masatoshi Muto, filed official complaints with South Korean Ambassador to Japan Shin Kak-soo and made a protest call to South Korean Fore
Aug. 10, 2012
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China donates $1m for N.K. flood victims
HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― China has donated $1 million to aid victims in flood-ravaged North Korea, a U.N. agency said Friday, indicating China continues to support the isolated communist state.The World Food Program said the Chinese government has contributed the cash to a total amount of emergency food aid worth $18 million sent to flood-hit areas in the southern part of North Korea. Tropical storms and subsequent floods swept through the North in July, leaving at least 88 people dead and more
Aug. 10, 2012
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Lee’s visit sets off diplomatic brawl
Japan may replace ambassador to Seoul, transportation minister threatens to visit controversial shrinePresident Lee Myung-bak’s trip to Dokdo on Friday is precipitating one of the biggest diplomatic crises in recent years between Korea and Japan in the latest twist to their volatile history often snowed under in territorial brawls. Lee became Korea’s first leader to land on the easternmost islets of Dokdo. He dropped by the nearby Ulleungdo earlier in the day to meet with residents there. Analys
Aug. 10, 2012
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Lee makes unprecedented visit to Dokdo
Surprise move seen as reaffirming claim to islets; Japan protests stronglyPresident Lee Myung-bak visited Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo on Friday in an apparent bid to reassert the country’s control over the windswept outcrops that Japan has claimed for decades.Lee landed on Dokdo by helicopter at around 2 p.m. and took a long look around there. He stopped at nearby Ulleungdo earlier in the
Aug. 10, 2012
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Activists to appeal to U.N. over Chinese torture
Civic organizations plan to request a U.N. agency this month to investigate alleged torture of Kim Yong-hwan, a North Korea human rights activist, by Chinese investigators.The Committee on the Torture of Kim Young Hwan which launched on Thursday said it will submit a petition to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. They are also planning to refer the case to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Work
Aug. 9, 2012