Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
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Sexual harassment cases rock top private university
The country’s leading private university is in hot water amid lingering charges of sexual abuse that have gravely damaged its reputation.Police announced Wednesday that they were investigating a Korea University student for sexually harassing some 19 women, most of whom attend the same school. The news came only months after the university fired a professor who was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct. The 25-year-old male student, whose name was not revealed, is accused of secretly takin
Aug. 1, 2013
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Key man in SK Group embezzlement case detained in Taiwan
Former SK Shipping Co. advisor Kim Won-hong has been arrested in Taiwan in connection to SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won’s slush fund case. Kim was singled out as a key figure in Chey’s alleged embezzlement activities, but has avoided prosecution by refusing to return to Korea from Taiwan. According to Korean authorities, Kim was arrested by Taiwanese authorities for violating immigration laws. The two countries’ authorities are said to be working closely together regarding Kim’s extradition to K
Aug. 1, 2013
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Netizens raise money for suit on behalf of late activist
South Korean netizens recently held an online fund-raiser to collect money for a lawsuit by late pro-democracy activist Chang Chun-ha’s family, Chang’s son Ho-gwon said Thursday. His family plans to take a civil suit against the state for compensation for Chang’s wrongful conviction in the 1970s.“Thanks to support of the citizens, we are pursuing legal action against the country,” the junior Chang said. “When I saw all those people who supported and encouraged us, the thought that crossed my min
Aug. 1, 2013
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Businessman summoned for ex-president's secret funds probe
A local businessman close to a son of former President Chun Doo-hwan has undergone prosecution questioning over his suspected role in helping Chun's family manage massive slush funds, prosecution sources said Thursday.The recent summons of Ryu Chang-hee, known as a long-time business partner of Chun's second son Jae-yong, is part of the prosecution's extensive search for unpaid fines of some 167.2 billion won (US$149.3 million) levied on the former president for amassing large ill-gotten money d
Aug. 1, 2013
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Former tax chief appears for questioning over bribery
An embattled former chief of the national tax agency appeared before prosecutors Thursday to face questioning over suspicions that he took kickbacks from CJ Group in return for providing favors during a tax audit into the local food and entertainment conglomerate in 2006.Jeon Goon-pyo, 59, arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul around 9:40 a.m. after receiving notice of the summons earlier this week.Jeon is under suspicion of taking US$300,000 in U.S. bills a
Aug. 1, 2013
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The meaning of happiness in our children’s education
A friend of mine told me one day that there has been an increase in the number of students, ranging from elementary to high school, who have been paying visits to child psychiatrists. Completely appalled by this news, I researched deeper to find that the number of students visiting professionals for mental treatment within the last two years has tripled and approximately 14.8 percent of the total student population in Korea is relying on professional assistance, according to the research done by
July 31, 2013
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Jeju aims to become Asia’s education hub
The government will extend its support to Jeju to establish an international education city on the island, officials announced.In 2008, Jeju launched the Jeju Global Education City project to absorb demand for overseas study by creating a world-class educational environment for both Korean and foreign students.The project, which started with a budget of 1.78 trillion won ($1.6 billion), was originally due for completion in 2015. But the government decided recently to extend it until 2021, follow
July 31, 2013
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Concerns mount over school history education
The government and ruling party on Tuesday vowed to enhance history education at public schools by making the subject compulsory for college admission.A number of ways discussed at the government-ruling party meeting include making the subject compulsory on the College Scholastic Ability Test or asking students to submit scores from the National Korea History Test when applying to colleges.The government is also looking to extend history classes at schools and develop a new national history test
July 31, 2013
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Court confirms N.K. residents’ rights as children of S. Korean
The South Korean Supreme Court set a new precedent Wednesday in confirming a group of North Koreans’ legal rights as the children of a deceased South Korean.The four North Koreans were seeking legal recognition as children of their father, a deceased South Korean identified by the surname Yoon. In earlier rulings, the courts had recognized the North Koreans’ claims that they were Yoon’s children based on DNA analysis using fingernail and hair samples. The prosecution, however, argued that as Nor
July 31, 2013
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Ex-tax chief faces summons over CJ lobbying scandal
A former chief of the national tax agency will be summoned this week over suspicions that he took bribes from CJ Group in return for providing favors during a tax audit into the local food and entertainment conglomerate in 2006, prosecutors said Wednesday.Jeon Goon-pyo, who headed the National Tax Service from July 2006 to November 2007, has been notified to show up for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul on Thursday morning, they said.Jeon is under su
July 31, 2013
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Japanese firm appeals WWII compensation order
A Japanese steelmaker has appealed a South Korean court’s ruling against the firm to pay compensation to its former Korean employees who were conscripted decades ago during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, court officials said Wednesday.Earlier this month, the Seoul High Court, in a landmark ruling, ordered Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. to pay 100 million won ($88,000) to each of the four South Korean forced laborers for their unpaid salaries and mental suffering.Legal repres
July 31, 2013
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Seoul’s local tax revenue falls by 4.3 percent
Seoul City’s local tax revenue decreased 4.3 percent on year to 5.3 trillion won ($4.75 billion) in the first half of the year due to an economic slowdown, officials said Wednesday.Its tax intake reached 42 percent of the original goal for the whole year.Income tax collection dropped by 180 billion won from the same period last year, mainly due to the reduction in corporate tax. Real estate acquisition tax revenue also decreased by 100 billion won to 1.2 trillion won due to the tax breaks aimed
July 31, 2013
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81 international marriage agencies punished
The government shut down or suspended over 80 international marriage agencies in the first half of the year, the Gender Equality and Family Ministry said Wednesday.The number of such firms dropped by 12 percent to 1,204 during the period, slightly declining since last year. The ministry closed 27 for failing to meet qualifications and halted operations of 54 firms for not writing out contracts with their clients. (rene@heraldcorp.com)
July 31, 2013
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IT businessman suspected of aiding North Korean hackers
The National Intelligence Service is reportedly investigating a venture businessman who allegedly helped North Korean hackers in China access South Korean internet servers. Intelligence agents on Tuesday searched the residence and three offices in Seoul of the suspect, head of an information technology company, identified only by the surname Kim, according to reports.Kim borrowed a server from another South Korean IT company and allegedly leaked some of the server’s IDs and passwords, as well as
July 31, 2013
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S. Korean NGOs start shipping humanitarian aid to N. Korea
South Korean non-governmental organizations (NGOs) started shipping out humanitarian aid to North Korea on Wednesday to help alleviate the plight of children and sick people in the impoverished country.The move comes after Seoul's unification ministry approved the shipment of goods earlier in the week as a sign that South Korea is open to offering urgent humanitarian assistance to the North in spite of sanctions on the North for its nuclear device detonation in February.The Korea Association of
July 31, 2013
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Spy agency raids IT firm involved in N.K. cyber attacks
South Korean intelligence officials are investigating a local IT company owner suspected of helping a North Korean hacker distribute malignant codes to South Korea, officials said Wednesday.The National Intelligence Service reportedly raided the home and offices of the South Korean businessman, identified only by his surname Kim, on Tuesday after obtaining a search warrant from a local court.Kim is suspected of sharing his office computer network with the North Korean hacker through which malici
July 31, 2013
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Ex-tax chief faces summons over CJ lobbying scandal
A former chief of the national tax agency will be summoned this week over suspicions that he took bribes from CJ Group in return for providing favors during a tax audit into the local food and entertainment conglomerate in 2006, prosecutors said Wednesday.Jeon Goon-pyo, who headed the National Tax Service (NTS) from July 2006 to November 2007, has been notified to show up for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul on Thursday morning, they said.Jeon is un
July 31, 2013
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All high schools to offer free education by 2017
All South Korean high schools will offer free education by 2017, the government said Tuesday, in line with President Park Geun-hye's pledge to tackle education issues ahead of her inauguration.Under the plan, the government will gradually increase the number of local high schools providing free education starting next year, making all schools offer expense-free education by 2017, according to the presidential office and the ruling Saenuri Party.The move came as Park said her government will incr
July 30, 2013
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Four S. Korean climbers found dead in Japan's Central Alps
Nagano Prefecture, Japan (Yonhap) -- Four South Korean climbers who went missing in inclement weather during a group mountaineering trip in Japan were found dead Tuesday in the mountain range, officials said.Local police earlier found the bodies of the four near mountain trails connecting Mount Hinokio and Mount Hoken in the Nagano prefecture, officials at the South Korean consulate general in Niigata said.The area is part of a mountain range commonly known as the Central Alps.The four, who are
July 30, 2013
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Mitsubishi ordered to compensate Koreans for forced labor
An appellate court Tuesday ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to compensate the families of five former Korean employees who were subjected to forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule. In a retrial, the Busan High Court ruled that the engineering and aviation behemoth should provide each family with 80 million won ($72,000) in overdue salary and other damages. The ruling marked the second victory for former conscripted Korean laborers since they started litigation in the mid-1990s in Kore
July 30, 2013