Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Construction accident kills 4 in Busan
A steel structure at a road construction site in Busan collapsed Thursday killing four workers. Three buried workers were unearthed and taken to hospital but died about an hour after the accident, the police said. The other worker was found dead later. According to witnesses, the structure buckled during the process of pouring concrete onto the road under construction. The police suspect that the structure failed due to the weight of the concrete. The authorities plan to question those in charg
Dec. 19, 2013
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Korean parents favor girls over boys: survey
The traditional preference of South Korean parents for boys over girls may be fading, a government survey showed on Thursday.According to the survey, 66.2 percent of respondents said they would want a girl if they could only have one child. A total of 2,537 men and women over 19-years old participated in the survey conducted by Korea Research at the request of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Those who favor sons stood at 33.8 percent, only the half of those who prefer girls, illustra
Dec. 19, 2013
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Prosecution indicts 12 in “celebrity” prostitution case
Prosecutors on Thursday indicted 12 individuals without detention in connection with an alleged celebrity prostitution ring. The Ansan branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office is reported to have delved into the case after securing related information during a drug-related case in May.Unlike earlier reports, none of the big-name celebrities rumored to be involved were among the three men and nine women indicted. Although the prosecution did not release any names, rumors circulated that a
Dec. 19, 2013
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Proportion of seniors in S. Korea grows to nearly 11 pct: data
The proportion of senior citizens in South Korea has increased to nearly 11 percent in 2010, data showed Thursday, indicating that the country's population is aging at a fast pace. According to the data by Statistics Korea, the proportion of those aged 65 or older accounted for 10.9 percent of the country's total population in 2010. It is higher than 7 percent in 2000 and 8.9 percent in 2005.The agency earlier expected the ratio will continue to rise to 15.7 percent in 2020 and 32.3 percent in 2
Dec. 19, 2013
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Opposition decides to introduce bill on special probe into election scandal
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) decided Thursday to initiate a bill calling for an independent counsel investigation into the alleged state tampering in last year's presidential election.The decision was made in a general meeting of DP lawmakers. Party officials said they would try to introduce the bill on the floor of the National Assembly this week jointly with independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo and the minor opposition Justice Party.Prospects of the bill's passage, however, are uncl
Dec. 19, 2013
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Former KT chief summoned over alleged graft
The former head of local telecom giant KT Corp. was called in by prosecutors Thursday over alleged managerial wrongdoings and slush fund creations.Lee Suk-chae, who resigned last month amid mounting suspicions, showed up at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul around 9:50 a.m. to undergo questioning.Prosecutors have alleged that Lee inflicted huge losses on KT, the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, by intentionally making poor investments and
Dec. 19, 2013
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Court denies arrest warrant for Hyosung Group chief
A Seoul district court on Thursday denied an arrest warrant for the head of a major family-run conglomerate suspected of creating large amounts of slush funds and evading taxes.Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Suck-rai, who underwent questioning by prosecutors twice last week, is facing multiple charges, including embezzlement, tax fraud and breach of trust, prosecutors said."There is not enough reason to detain (Cho) at the present stage considering the evidence, investigation process, and the defend
Dec. 19, 2013
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Truckers back rail workers’ strike
Thousands of truck drivers are likely to join the ongoing strike by railway workers soon, a move that could cripple the nation’s cargo transport and port operations.In a news conference Wednesday, the Korea Cargo Transport Workers’ Union pledged to refuse to deliver cargo in protest of the government’s clampdown on railway strikers.Police began manhunts for 10 strike leaders Monday with court warrants for detainment. Police said Wednesday it planned to request warrants for an additional 18 union
Dec. 18, 2013
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Freedoms for Saudi university girls end at gates
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) ― Within their female-only campuses, women at Saudi Arabia’s universities let loose. Trendy sneakers, colorful tops, a myriad of hairstyles. Some experiment with bleach blonde or even dip-dyed blue hair. The more adventurous ones have cropped their hair into short buzzes.In their bags, the textbooks vary, but one item is mandatory: a floor-length black abaya robe that each must cover herself with when she steps through the university gates back to the outside world of t
Dec. 18, 2013
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Big question mark over Korea’s public education
An article published in The Korea Herald on Oct. 6 caught my attention. The story cited a survey that shows the level of respect for teachers in South Korea ranked 4th among OECD member countries. It said only 10 percent of respondents answered that students really respect teachers. This figure is the lowest among 21 nations which participated in a study published by a non-profit global education organization, the Varkey GEMS Foundation.What I find particularly shocking is that we Koreans consid
Dec. 18, 2013
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Studying in Europe becomes more affordable for Koreans
Song Young-han always wanted to attend an MBA course overseas but could not afford the high tuition fees and the time off from work without financial assistance. He also did not even know where to apply until he found out about the Orange Tulip Scholarship. The Dutch scholarship program pays students ― even those who do not speak Dutch ― to study in the Netherlands. Under its support Song, 35, is now studying full-time at the TiasNimbas Business School. He said one of the best things about the s
Dec. 18, 2013
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Court rules bonuses as ordinary pay
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with employees, ruling that bonuses, if paid out regularly, constitute part of “ordinary wages” used as the basis for calculating various types of compensation and severance pay. The top court said in a landmark ruling that any labor-business agreement that excludes bonuses from ordinary wages will be regarded as invalid. The court, however, did not recognize welfare benefits such as vacation and birthday bonuses as part of ordinary pay.“The amount of paid bo
Dec. 18, 2013
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Park marks first anniversary of election victory in subdued mood
President Park Geun-hye marks the first anniversary of her election victory this week amid concerns about potential instability in North Korea, a standoff with striking rail workers and persisting allegations of state tampering in last year's election race.This Thursday is one year after Park won the dead-heat contest against her opposition rival, Moon Jae-in, a victory that made her South Korea's first-ever female president and the first child of a former president, Park Chung-hee, to assume th
Dec. 18, 2013
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Former KT chief faces summons over alleged graft
The former head of telecom giant KT Corp. will be summoned this week over alleged managerial wrongdoings and creating slush funds, prosecutors said Wednesday.Lee Suk-chae, who tendered his resignation last month, has been notified to show up for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul Thursday, they said.Prosecutors suspect Lee inflicted huge losses on KT, the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, by intentionally making poor investme
Dec. 18, 2013
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Seoul subway workers cancel planned strike
Unionized Seoul subway workers have called off plans to go on strike Wednesday after reaching a last-minute agreement with a Seoul subway operator on retirement age and severance pay, both sides said.Union members of Seoul Metro, a public corporation that runs Seoul subway lines No. 1 through 4, were scheduled to walk off the job from 9 a.m. Wednesday after repeatedly failing to find middle ground on various outstanding issues with the management.However, the two sides reached a final agreement
Dec. 18, 2013
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Student caught trying to hack into professor’s computer
A law school student who allegedly tried to steal exam questions by hacking into a professor’s computer is facing disciplinary measures.Yonsei University said the 24-year-old student, named Choi, sneaked into the professor’s office on the night of Dec. 10 and tried to embed hacking software on the computer.He was caught by a security official while installing software that can remotely monitor a computer, the school said. The university has reported the case to the school’s board and will hold a
Dec. 17, 2013
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Korea to expand support for firms introducing wage peak system
Starting next year, the government will pay more incentives to firms introducing a wage peak system in an effort to reduce financial burdens caused by extending the retirement age of their workers under a new law, the labor ministry said Tuesday.The plan is a key part of a revised enforcement decree to the employment and labor law which was approved by the Cabinet that day, the ministry said. In South Korea, no parliamentary endorsement is required for the revision of an enforcement decree.Under
Dec. 17, 2013
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Bookseller says Korean readers favor fiction titles in 2013
A Buddhist monk’s meditative title grabbed the top slot on the national bestseller list for two straight years, Kyobo Book Centre said on Tuesday. “Things You Can Finally See When You Stop,” authored by Ven. Haemin, ranked first on the list compiled by the country’s biggest bookseller. The Korean edition of Francois Lelord’s “Hector and the Search for Happiness” was the No. 2 bestseller this year. Kyobo said readers favored both offline and online novels this year. For digital books, novels acco
Dec. 17, 2013
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Police raid railway union offices as strike continues
Police raided the offices of the state-run rail operator’s labor union Tuesday, as its strike entered the ninth-day, taking a toll on passenger and cargo services.Korea Railroad Corp. has filed complaints against 190 unionists for impeding business with their “illegal” strike.Courts issued warrants to detain 10 union leaders including chairman Kim Myung-hwan after they refused to respond to a summons by prosecutors.About 30 investigators seized computer hard drives and documents at the two offic
Dec. 17, 2013
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Two POSCO employees found dead at Pohang plant
DAEGU -- Two POSCO employees were found dead Monday at the steelmaker's main plant in Pohang, southeastern South Korea, fire officials said.An accident of unknown cause occurred at an oxygen production facility of the Pohang plant about 380 kilometers southeast of Seoul at 8:30 p.m., said the officials, adding that fire fighters have rushed to the scene.The officials and the municipal government of Pohang said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the accident."The Pohang fir
Dec. 16, 2013