Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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N.K. invites S. Korean aid staff to Pyongyang
North Korea invited representatives of an association of South Korean charity groups to Pyongyang, an association official said Tuesday, the first such invitation since the two Koreas exchanged fire near their tense sea border last year. North Korea sent the invitation to the Korea NGO Council for Cooperation, a collaboration of some 50 non-governmental aid groups, suggesting a meeting in its capital city to discuss aid from Wednesday through Saturday, Park Hyun-seok, secretary general of the as
North KoreaOct. 25, 2011
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Rights panel urges end to police conscription
The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday advised the administration to abolish police conscription and hire professional police officers to replace draftees. It also advised the Ministry of National Defense to cooperate with the National Police Agency in replacing personnel. The panel recommended the Ministry of Public Administration and Security increase recruitment of police officers and that the Ministry of Strategy and Finance allocate sufficient funds for it.According to the independ
Social AffairsOct. 25, 2011
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WHO bans staff from using N.K. airline
The World Health Organization has asked its officials not to use North Korean airliners in the latest such move by an international organization prompted by safety concerns, a U.S.-funded radio station reported Tuesday. The WHO Southeast Asia office recently gave Pyongyang’s Air Koryo a “C” rating for safety in May, which means officials are banned from using the airliners unless special approval is given by the body’s travel officer, according to Voice of America. Air Koryo was rated the lowest
North KoreaOct. 25, 2011
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Korea eases rules on residency for foreign investors
More foreigners who have made large corporate investments will be able to obtain temporary residency visas, while a new visa class will be opened for foreign spouses, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday.According to ministry officials, foreigners currently holding a corporate investment (D-8) visa may now obtain an F-2 visa if they have spent three continuous years here.The revised bill passed by the Cabinet Tuesday also states foreigners who have invested over $300,000 and employ at least two Kor
Social AffairsOct. 25, 2011
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Concern rises over T-50 export after U.S. deferral
The U.S. Defense Acquisition Board’s deferral last week of its decision on whether to acquire new trainer jets from overseas has prompted concern here about the export of Korea’s T-50 supersonic aircraft.The Korean aviation industry and government officials paid keen attention to what decision the DAB would make at its Oct. 21 session. They believe that the T-50 is one of the strongest contenders for the U.S. trainer procurement project. With technological assistance from U.S. defense giant Lock
DefenseOct. 25, 2011
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New visa to stabilize marriage immigrants' lives in Korea
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- A new visa reserved for foreigners living in the country after marrying South Koreans will be introduced as part of efforts to guarantee their stable stay and better deal with their growing numbers, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday.Under the legal revisions to the immigra
Social AffairsOct. 25, 2011
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Police chief declares war against organized crime
Police chief Cho Hyun-oh declared war against organized crime Tuesday amid growing criticism of officers’ bungled response to a clash among gangsters in Incheon last week. He said police will use all means necessary, including guns, to control violent crime. “Police will wage a war against crime rings. In cracking down on them, I will have police mobilize all devices and equipment,” he told a news conference.More than 130 members of two rival criminal factions in Incheon fought at a funeral cere
Social AffairsOct. 25, 2011
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Lawmakers move to raise penalties on rapes of children, disabled
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Lawmakers on Tuesday moved to raise penalties for rapes of children and disabled people in a bid to curb sex crimes against the most vulnerable.A sub-committee of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed a revision bill lifting the statute of limita
PoliticsOct. 25, 2011
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N. Korea, U.S. in 'businesslike, useful' talks in Geneva
GENEVA/WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and the United States on Monday opened another round of direct talks in a "businesslike and useful" manner, U.S. officials said, but they remained guarded about whether there will be progress this time."I would say that they have been ongoing in a b
North KoreaOct. 25, 2011
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U.N. says aid to N.K. should be separate from politics
With four in every 10 North Korean children suffering from severe malnutrition, donor states should keep the issue of humanitarian aid to the country completely separate from political agendas related to the nuclear-armed state, the visiting top relief official of the United Nations said. Speaking in Seoul after her recent trip to North Korea and China, Valerie Amos, U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said some 6 million North Koreans, particul
North KoreaOct. 24, 2011
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Despite some progress, parties still split on FTA
Opposition rejects proposal for special parliamentary address by LeePolitical parties made some progress Monday in talks over the proposed free trade agreement with the U.S., but key differences remained. Two committees of the National Assembly began the handling of all 14 bills that need to be approved for the FTA to take effect. The bills would revise local rules to abolish tariffs and import barriers between the two countries.Members of the National Assembly’s foreign affairs and trade commit
PoliticsOct. 24, 2011
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Foreigners learn Korean ways at work
Seoul City’s classes teach Korea’s unique social, organizational cultureJune Acuna from the Philippines has been working at an ink cartridge factory in Seongsudong, eastern Seoul, for two and a half years. Still, he has to guess the hidden meaning of what his boss or Korean colleagues say to him, and is often offended by direct commands from superiors. “I am here to learn Korean ways at work and appropriate ways to deal with them,” said Acuna at the fifth lecture on the Whys and Hows of Korean W
Social AffairsOct. 24, 2011
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Will Ahn’s backing be decisive factor in Seoul election?
DP predicts win, while GNP denies Ahn effect on raceProfessor Ahn Cheol-soo finally responded to the liberal bloc’s repeated calls on Sunday and announced he would campaign for candidate Park Won-soon ahead of Wednesday’s Seoul mayoral election.The Seoul National University professor expressed his intent to support the civic activist, according to sources in Park’s camp. “Ahn called Park this evening and offered his hand, saying that he shall specify and confirm his decision tomorrow,” said Park
PoliticsOct. 24, 2011
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S. Korea ranks 28th among OECD nations in ‘social quality’: survey
South Korea lags far behind other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) economies in “social quality,” a survey said Monday.South Korea ranked 28th among 30 OECD member nations in the survey conducted by the Seoul National University Institute for Social Development and Policy Research.The survey showed Korean society was relatively good in education and an ability to provide jobs, but one of the bottom-ranked nations in social cohesion (23rd), people’s participation in po
Social AffairsOct. 24, 2011
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Foreigners learn Korean ways at work
Ranks, titles meaningful; communication with Koreans is importantJune Acuna from the Philippines has been working at an ink cartridge factory in Seongsudong, eastern Seoul, for two and a half years. Still, he has to guess the hidden meaning of what his boss or Korean colleagues say to him, and is often offended by direct commands from superiors. “I am here to learn Korean ways at work and appropriate way to deal with them,” said Acuna at the fifth lecture on the Whys and Hows of Korean Ways last
Social AffairsOct. 24, 2011
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No S. Korean casualties in Turkey quake, ministry says
No South Korean casualties have so far been reported in Turkey where a massive earthquake struck its southeastern region killing at least 100 people, the Foreign Ministry here said Monday. A 7.2-magnitude quake hit the Turkish province of Van on Sunday, killing some 140 people and injuring another 350, according to overseas news reports that quoted Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The death toll could reach 1,000, reports say. Two South Korean nationals, who reside in Van Province,
Foreign AffairsOct. 24, 2011
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Half of non-regular workers hired for less than 6 months
Half of non-regular workers in Korea were employed for less than six months, earning about half the wages of regular staff during that time. According to a report released Monday by the Korea Labor Institute, the average duration of employment for non-regular workers, including temporary, part-time and subcontract workers, came in at 23.6 months as of August last year, less than a third of that for regular workers, which was 77.3 months. Employment lasted for less than six months for 50.6 percen
Social AffairsOct. 24, 2011
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Lee promotes career bureaucrat to vice unification minister
President Lee Myung-bak on Monday promoted Kim Chun-sig, one of his chief negotiators with North Korea, to vice minister of unification, on the advice of his close friend who became minister a month ago.Lee is also expected to name later this week, after Wednesday’s by-elections, successors to the knowledge economy minister and chief of the Presidential Security Service who resigned last month and last week, respectively. Lee was mulling former and incumbent police chiefs, one of his aides said
PoliticsOct. 24, 2011
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Independence fighter acquitted after 49 years
A Seoul court has acquitted South Korea’s oldest living independence fighter of sympathizing with North Korea, overturning a 49-year-old conviction.Along with four other members of his now-defunct Unification Society Party, Gu Ik-gyun, 103, was convicted of supporting the North by opposing the then anti-communist law and espousing “ideologically neutral reunification.”Gu was given a suspended sentence as the court took into account his previous fight against Japan’s colonial rule (1910-45) of th
Social AffairsOct. 24, 2011
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Speculation rises over possible reduction of U.S. troops here
Attention is being drawn to whether there would be any U.S. troop drawdown here on the Korean Peninsula should the U.S. slash its defense budget as part of a deficit reduction plan.As U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is to come here for the annual South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting slated for Friday, speculations abound that discussions over it could take place.The U.S. defense budget faces cuts of up to $350 billion over the next decade. Observers have thought that Washington mig
DefenseOct. 24, 2011