Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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Seoul to promote luxurious side of the city
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Age and politics (2)
Across cultures and political systems, a common trait is that those in decision-making roles, particularly in politics and state governance, are often older than the average voter. This observation holds true in the context of South Korea’s unicameral parliament and central government, where the decision-making process is predominantly controlled by people in their 50s and 60s. Before delving into age representations in the parliament and government, here's a quick overview of Korea
Jan. 23, 2024
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2 police officers indicted over deadly Itaewon crowd crush
Prosecutors have indicted two police officers over the bungled response to the deadly 2022 crowd crush in the district of Itaewon, officials said Monday. The indictment of the two officers who were overseeing patrol duties at a precinct station in Itaewon came a year and three months after the crowd crush on Oct. 29, 2022, which killed 159 people on a Halloween weekend in the district's entertainment neighborhood. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office has charged them with professio
Jan. 22, 2024
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[Campus Now] Seoul vs. the rest: University pyramid crumbling at the bottom
“I would rather give up another year of my youth studying and trying again if I don’t make it ‘in-Seoul.'” Kim Tae-yoo, is set to graduate high school in just a month, but he says he would rather endure another year of studying if he is not accepted to a Seoul university. Koreans divide the country's 335 colleges in two: those "in-Seoul," and the rest. “Going to university outside of Seoul has never been an option. Even if the schools in other pr
Jan. 22, 2024
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Asking about applicant's disability during hiring process discriminatory: Supreme Court
South Korea's Supreme Court on Monday confirmed a lower court ruling that asking person with a disability if that disability made them "extra sleepy" is an act of discrimination. In a recently-confirmed ruling, the Supreme Court stated that the plaintiff had been discriminated against by the Hwaseong city government by being asked if his mental disability, or the medication he takes because of it, makes him particularly prone to sleepiness. The plaintiff applied in 2020 for a grad
Jan. 22, 2024
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Every baby in 2024 comes with W29.6m cash support
With the South Korean government's drive to combat the low birth rate, financial incentives for childbearing and rearing have expanded this year. For a baby born in 2024, a single child can benefit from a total of 29.6 million won ($22,100) in cash support over the course of eight years from the moment of birth, according to the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy. The cash aid, dubbed "First Encounter Vouchers," provides a lump sum of 2 million won to th
Jan. 22, 2024
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Buoyed by high citizen support, Yongin mayor eyes next level
Lee Sang-il was elected mayor of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in July 2022, and has demonstrated several achievements that earned him the nickname, “President of Yongin,” according to observers and insiders. While South Korea is divided into central and local governments, Lee excelled across all categories in terms of his authority, personal connections and performance results, insiders said, quoting Lee's office. Korea designates cities with a population of 1 million or more as s
Jan. 22, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Yongin aims to become special city of semiconductors
Out of the many policies the city of Yongin announced last year, the news about the city’s semiconductor cluster being selected as a specialized complex by the government was selected as Yongin’s top news report of 2023 among citizens, city government officials and reporters based in the city. In a survey conducted by Yongin Special City, 12,140 survey respondents chose the top five best news reports about the city’s policies out of 26 reports that were selected previously by t
Jan. 22, 2024
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Barefoot hero helps save 95 in apartment fire: report
A 23-year-old South Korean man alerted his neighbors in an apartment fire in Seoul last week, helping all 95 residents to escape to safety, local media reported Monday. On Thursday a fire broke out on the 14th floor of an apartment building in Banghwa-dong of Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, at 6:30 a.m., with no casualties except four minor cases of smoke inhalation. A report from local daily Dong-A Ilbo revealed that this was thanks to heroic efforts by a resident named Woo Il-yeong. According to th
Jan. 22, 2024
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After couple's fight led to deadly highway accident, boyfriend cleared of charges
A Gwangju court acquitted a 30-year-old South Korean man for the death of his girlfriend, who had tried to cross a highway while drunk after their argument, officials said Monday. Gwangju District Court recently ruled the defendant not guilty of death by negligence charges, regarding the November 2022 death of his girlfriend. The victim and the defendant had gotten into an argument, which included a physical altercation, on the side of the Honam Expressway connecting South Jeolla and South Chung
Jan. 22, 2024
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Which item is lost the most among train users?
Train users are most prone to forgetting their bags on trains or at train stations, data showed on Monday. According to state-run railway operator Korea Railroad Corp., the total number of lost items found on trains and at train stations nationwide reached 247,225 last year, marking an on-year increase of 51.9 percent. The translates to an average of 677 lost belongings daily. Breaking down the list of lost property, bags topped the list, accounting for about 15 percent of the total, followed by
Jan. 22, 2024
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Drunk woman jumps on metro track, hit by train
South Korean police said Monday that a woman in her 20s was hit by a metro train, breaking her leg, after jumping onto the tracks at Hannam Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The woman, who was reportedly drunk at the time, climbed over a fence erected around the station and ran toward the platform at around 11:50 p.m., in what officials presume was an attempt to catch the Gyeongui–Jungang Line train. She was hit by the arriving train and fractured her leg, so was taken to a nearby hospital for
Jan. 22, 2024
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[Graphic News] 2023 warmest year of all time for S. Korea
The year 2023 was the warmest year of all time for South Korea, as global warming heated up the Korean Peninsula to reach an average temperature of 13.7 degrees Celsius last year, the state weather agency said. It marks the highest annual mean temperature since 1973, the year considered the starting point for weather records in South Korea when the country’s meteorological networks were significantly beefed up, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Last year’s tempera
Jan. 22, 2024
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[Newsmaker] Government neglect of single moms sends babies abroad despite S. Korea's low birth rate
Born as Yoon-hwa in South Korea in 1974, she became Petra Zwart of the Netherlands at the age of 1. Her adoptive Dutch family provided a warm and welcoming home to both Zwart and her biological brother, who was adopted at age 5. Even so, Zwart recalls finding it difficult to fit in as a child, due to her East Asian appearance being different, "like an ugly duckling." She and her brother were among the nearly 170,000 babies that Korea has sent overseas for adoption since 1953. Despite
Jan. 21, 2024
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Korea braces for cold snap as weather agency issues warnings
South Korea is bracing for a cold snap this week, with weather forecasts predicting a sharp plunge in temperatures. A cold wave advisory will take effect in central and northern areas including Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, and parts of Gangwon Province at 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. A cold wave advisory is issued when the lowest morning temperature is expected to fall below minus 12 degrees Celsius for more than two consecutive days, or when the temperatur
Jan. 21, 2024
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Wife sentenced to 10 years in prison after killing husband for having an affair
A 58-year-old woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday for the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of his extramarital partner. The trial was presided over by Judge Eo Jae-won in the 12th division of the Daegu District Court. The convict was found guilty of the premeditated murder of her husband (58), whom she stabbed several times as he was sitting in a massage chair at 10:45 p.m. on July 8. At 9:50 a.m. the next day, the woman stabbed her husband’s mistress (53),
Jan. 21, 2024
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Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Women in politics (1)
Half of Korea's population are women, yet in the realm of politics, women are a minority group. In the current 21st session of parliament, the representation of female lawmakers stands at 57 out of the total 300 members -- only 19.1 percent. This percentage places South Korea significantly below average in terms of gender diversity in politics compared to other nations. The average among the 38 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations is 33.8 percent, while the
Jan. 21, 2024
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President least trusted profession among students: survey
South Korean middle and high school students regard politicians and presidents as the least trusted professions, while they view teachers as the most, a survey showed Sunday. Although poor working conditions have taken a toll on waning teachers’ rights, some 86.8 percent of middle and high school students said they have trust for teachers when asked how much they trusted the profession, according to a poll conducted by the Korean Education Development Institute on students’ education
Jan. 21, 2024
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32 people indicted for posting online murder threats in H2
Prosecutors indicted a total of 32 individuals in connection with online murder threats between August and December 2023, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Sunday. Out of the 189 individuals referred to the public prosecutor's office on charges including attempted murder, intimidation and obstruction of justice, 32 have been formally indicted and are being held in custody. Most of those indicted had allegedly written online posts vowing to commit copycat crimes in the wake of a fata
Jan. 21, 2024
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Annual ice fishing fest in Hwacheon surpasses 1m visitors
A popular annual ice fishing festival taking place in the northeastern county of Hwacheon has topped 1 million visitors, organizers said Sunday. The 2024 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival had about 138,000 visitors on Saturday and reached 1.02 million in total visitors through 15 days, the event's organizers said. They also estimated that 39,000 of those visitors had come from overseas. Sancheoneo is a species of trout known to live only in very clean fresh water. The festival kicked off Jan
Jan. 21, 2024
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Police summon ex-Taekwang chief over allegations of embezzlement
Police on Saturday summoned former Taekwang Group Chairman Lee Ho-jin to look into allegations of embezzlement and breach of trust, officials said. Lee has been under investigation on suspicion of creating slush funds worth over 2 billion won ($1.5 million) through affiliates of the textile-to-media conglomerate. The summons comes after police raided Lee's home and Taekwaong Country Club in Yongin, south of Seoul, and placed an overseas travel ban on the former chairman. Lee had formerly se
Jan. 20, 2024