Most Popular
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
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‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life
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Questions raised over fair promotion of RM, NewJeans
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[Newsmaker] Hwang Pyong-so new in N. Korean power circle
Over the last few weeks, a notable change was spotted within the core of the reclusive North Korean ruling elite: Hwang Pyong-so, formerly the first vice director of the ruling party’s organization guidance department, was elevated to the rank of four-star general and then to the rarefied, coveted rank of vice marshal. The decision was made Saturday by the powerful National Defense Commission and the Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission, the official Korean Central News Agency announced
North KoreaApril 28, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Resignation attempts to stem Sewol fallout
Chung Hong-won, the nation’s second-in-command, made a bombshell announcement early Sunday that he would step down as Korea’s prime minister. He said he wanted to take responsibility for the recent sinking of the ferry Sewol that claimed over 180 lives, and that he did not want to burden President Park Geun-hye’s administration by clinging on to his post. Later in the day, Park said she would accept his resignation, but only after the ferry disaster has been brought under control.Observers are s
PoliticsApril 27, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Volunteers share pain at Jindo
Jindo Island is being flooded with thousands of volunteers from across the country who have come to hold the hands, wipe the tears and share the pain of families still waiting for signs of their loved ones.From college students and parents to foreign residents, volunteers have set up kitchens, supply centers and clinics outside of Jindo Gymnasium, which is serving as a shelter for the families, and at Paengmok Port, where they are waiting for the bodies of the victims. Others have been washing d
Social AffairsApril 24, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Scandalous owner family of Sewol
The Sewol sinking has opened up a long, shady scandal surrounding the ferry operator’s de facto owner, a 73-year-old mysterious businessman Yoo Byung-eon.In the 1980s, Yoo established Semo Marine Co. after securing the business rights to operate ferries on the Hangang River, thanks to his reportedly close ties with then-President Chun Doo-hwan. But the business went bankrupt in 1997 in the wake of a series of highly publicized scandals, including the mass suicide of 32 followers of a Christian c
IndustryApril 23, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Thin line between G-men and Mafia
Government men and women ― affectionately called G-men in the past ― had once been looked upon with respect and often portrayed in movies as heroes and protagonists who take on bad guys such as gangsters and thieves to protect and serve the public.This no longer seems to be the case, as hostility grows and spreads toward the government following the devastating ferry accident that has so far claimed more than a hundred lives, mostly high school kids.The officials, especially including those work
Social AffairsApril 22, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Key suspects revealed in deadly Sewol sinking
Behind the tragic ferry tale engulfing the country and its people in despair lies two key characters wanted as suspects for questioning over the sunken ship off the southwest coast.They are the owners of a company that owns Chonghaejin Marine Co., the owner and operator of the Sewol ferry, in which hundreds of passengers, mostly high school students, remain trapped and missing.They are brothers, surnamed Yoo, who have a combined 38.88 percent stake in I-One-I Holdings, a management consulting fi
Social AffairsApril 21, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Divers risk lives to find, save missing passengers
Hundreds of civilian, Coast Guard and Navy divers are putting their lives on the line to search for the missing passengers of the capsized ferry Sewol.Late Saturday, divers successfully entered the wreckage after four days of efforts that were frustrated by dangerous conditions. The rescue divers are taking on the daunting task despite the potentially life-threatening circumstances, in the hopes of finding survivors inside the vessel.Many of the civilian divers view the matter as if the victims
Social AffairsApril 20, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Heroes risked their lives to save others
Amid screams and shouts for help and the fear of death, there were heroes who helped others escape first from the country’s worst maritime disaster since 1993.Park Ji-young, a 22-year-old crewmember of the Sewol, was among them. She lost her life while struggling to ensure that all passengers on the third and fourth floors of the vessel wore life jackets and found their way out.“I repeatedly asked her why she did not first wear a life jacket. Park just said that she would get out of the ship af
NationalApril 17, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Dispute flares on why game addict killed son
The Daegu District Court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for a 22-year-old surnamed Jeong, a day after he confessed to police that he suffocated his 28-month-old son to death. As the nation was shocked with the brutality of the crime, experts are debating the underlying factors.Jeong, who was known as a serious game addict, told the police he committed the murder because he grew angry at the child for not going to sleep as he prepared to go to an Internet cafe to play video games. He then
Social AffairsApril 16, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Opposition lawmaker touches off drone furor
A lawmaker of the main opposition party in South Korea has once again found himself at the center of a spiraling dispute ― this time over spy drones presumably from North Korea. Rep. Jung Cheong-rae of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, known as one of the party’s more prominent hard-liners, has taken a leading role in controversial issues such as the developments surrounding state agencies’ alleged meddling in elections. On Friday, Jung argued that there was a “high probability” that the
PoliticsApril 15, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Health agency kicks off tobacco lawsuit
The state-run health agency launched a high-profile lawsuit against three tobacco makers on Monday, aiming to cover rising medical costs that it claims stem from smoking-related diseases. The National Health Insurance Agency kicked off its legal fight with KT&G, Philip Morris Korea and British American Tobacco Korea, marking the first case in which a South Korean public agency is seeking compensation from tobacco makers. Japanese tobacco maker Japan Tobacco International ― originally included on
Social AffairsApril 14, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Samsung Financial arms face restructuring
It had long been obvious that the hard-pressed financial companies suffering from a continued fall in profits would drastically downsize at some point, and it was Samsung Group that triggered the restructuring tide in the financial sector. A rumor has been circulating that the nation’s top conglomerate is trying to slim down its financial sectors for the sake of heir apparent Lee Jay-yong, who is expected to take over the group’s financial affiliates, as well as the lucrative electronics busines
April 13, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Ahn Cheol-soo’s leadership totters
The main opposition leader Ahn Cheol-soo and his vision of new politics face an uphill battle in and out of the party as his key proposal to abolish the existing candidate nomination system ran aground without making progress.The maverick lawmaker along with the party’s cochairman Rep. Kim Han-gil said Tuesday they will conduct a survey and a party vote to decide on the candidate nomination system for the June 4 local election. The decision was widely seen as an “exit strategy” to curb growing i
PoliticsApril 9, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Animated character buses smash hit with kids
Buses covered in animated characters are growing so popular in Seoul City that policymakers are considering introducing additional character-covered public transportation. Marking the city’s public transportation day last month, Seoul Metropolitan Government released four buses covered in characters that appear in Korean animated series “Tayo, the Little Bus.” The program is a favorite among children, winning the best preschool education program award at the Asian Television Awards in 2012. Four
Social AffairsApril 8, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Rhythmic gymnast Son wins 4 World Cup titles
South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae earned four titles, including the individual all-around gold medal, at a World Cup stop in Portugal over the weekend.Son finished first in ball, clubs and ribbon events on Sunday at the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Lisbon, a day after claiming the all-around title. Son became the first South Korean rhythmic gymnast to win an individual all-around gold at a senior international event.In the ball competition, Son earned 17.500 points to beat out M
Olympic GamesApril 7, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Korea suffers youth unemployment blues
Key economic indicators seem to point toward Korea making a solid recovery.The country’s output has been growing thanks to exports. Its consumer spending has picked up on the back of growing welfare financing by the government.Still, Asia’s fourth-largest economy is finding it hard to create jobs for college graduates, even while they pull all-nighters at libraries to pass conglomerates’ corporate entrance exams.Korea’s youth joblessness, which passed 10 percent in February, has become a bigger
April 6, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Lotte Shopping chief faces kickbacks claims
It is a widely known fact that the retail sector is one of the least transparent segments in Korea.Kickbacks are ― or at least were ― rampant, mostly because there are simply too many vendors vying to get their products on the shelves. Lotte appears to have been no exception, as seen in the recent case involving Shin Heon, CEO of Lotte Shopping, who will soon be summoned for questioning over allegations he received cash kickbacks from a local subcontactor. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors
IndustryApril 3, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Drones emerging as core military assets
Unmanned aerial vehicles are emerging as core military assets for intelligence gathering, surveillance and combat missions with many countries pursuing low-risk and less costly weapons systems.The recent discovery of two crashed drones, presumably from North Korea, has drawn keen attention to the aircraft’s military capabilities and prompted calls for South Korea to strengthen its defense against Pyongyang’s drone-based military activities. In the development of combat drones, the U.S. is ahead
DefenseApril 2, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Samsung-Apple battle enters second round
The second round of a raging patent war between the world’s top two technology companies, Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc., resumed in a U.S. court in California on Monday. This time, Google’s Android mobile operation system has come into the spotlight, with a celebrated former Google executive ― Andy Rubin, who oversaw the development of the Android operating system ― expected to step up as a witness for both Samsung and Apple.What a coincidence. Two battling companies calling in the same wit
IndustryApril 1, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Attention turn to ‘new type’ of N.K. nukes
With Pyongyang having threatened to conduct a “new type” of nuclear test, attention is being drawn to what method it might employ for a fourth test and how far its military nuclear technology has come.Analysts argue that the communist state may carry out a more powerful nuclear experiment as it seeks to show off its “nuclear deterrence” capability and up the ante in future negotiations with the international community.For the fourth test, the North is most likely to carry out an experiment using
North KoreaMarch 31, 2014