Most Popular
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Yoon sorry for shortcomings but insists policies were right
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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S. Korea ‘strongly’ protests Japan’s claim over Dokdo in diplomatic bluebook
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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Korean won weakens amid heightened uncertainty
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Seoul says will cut power to porn festival planned on Han River
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Sewol victims commemorated on tragedy's 10th anniversary
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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Chanel, Louis Vuitton see muted growth in Korea
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Allies aim to wrap up talks on defense costs before US election
South Korea and the United States on Tuesday appointed veteran diplomats as their chief delegates for upcoming negotiations on the next defense-cost sharing agreement, clearly signaling an early initiation of the talks. The move stands out as it precedes the expiration of the current agreement by almost two years, scheduled to end in 2025, and gains significance in light of the looming US presidential election. Lee Tae-woo, a seasoned diplomat with a career at the Foreign Ministry since 1996, br
Foreign AffairsMarch 5, 2024
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What's next for protesting doctors?
South Korean government on Monday refused to give in to doctors' protests against its plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota, as the threat of the mass suspension of medical licenses for striking trainee doctors loomed over the country. Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said the government is moving to take "irreversible" measures against trainee doctors who left work, warning of suspensions of their medical licenses for at least three months. "If (the li
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024
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[From the Scene] Day of Rage: Doctors resist pressure to bend
Expressing frustration and anger at the South Korean government’s recent decision to increase the annual medical school quota by 2,000 starting in 2025, tens of thousands of doctors, interns, residents and medical students walked the picket line Sunday afternoon to urge a reversal of the planned hike. Chants of “Let’s fight together, let’s win together” reverberated through the crowd, reflecting determination even as the government has issued repeated warnings that
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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[KH explains] Why is S. Korea mulling ease on marriage ban between blood relatives?
The debate on consanguineous marriage is heating up, as the government appears to be moving toward easing laws related to intrafamily marriage. Currently, South Korea prohibits marriage between blood relatives within eight degrees of relations ("chon" in Korean), according to the Civil Act, Article 809 and Article 815. That means that Koreans may not marry third cousins -- their grandparents' cousins' grandchildren -- or closer relatives. Article 809, Section 1 states that &l
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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[EYE] A Buddhist temple where animal spirits find peace
GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- At a secluded temple tucked away on a snow-covered mountain, a Buddhist monk stood before a wooden altar, praying for a departed soul. On the altar, next to a spirit table, there was a framed photo of the deceased: a dog named after the temple itself, Hyundeok. “Hyundeok passed away recently,” said Venerable Hyunjong, the temple's founder and chief monk. “He was 8 years old.” In honor of the departed pup, which was one of two who live
Hashtag KoreaMarch 2, 2024
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Police raid striking doctors' homes, offices, after deadline passes on return-to-work order
As the Thursday deadline the government set for striking doctors to return to work passed, most residents stayed off work Friday, leading the government to introduce stronger measures. Police raided the offices of the Korean Medical Association in Seoul and Gangwon Province the same day, as doctors affiliated with the organization were accused of violating medical laws regarding the ongoing mass walkout by trainee doctors. The police reportedly seized mobile phones and computers from the homes o
Social AffairsMarch 1, 2024
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Bitcoin soars to record high in Korea
The price of bitcoin traded in Korea climbed to its highest ever Thursday, fueled by a global rally initiated from spot exchange-traded funds and an impending halving. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency, traded in Korea at up to 90 million won ($67,490) on the country’s largest crypto exchange, Upbit, at 3:47 p.m. On the previous day, it broke its previous high of 82.7 million won at around 6 p.m. for the first time since November 2021. After peaking at 90 million won, bitco
MarketFeb. 29, 2024
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More than half of people in 24 countries dissatisfied with their democracy: report
A survey by a US-based think tank on Thursday showed growing criticism of how democracy is working across 24 nations, with a median of 59 percent expressing dissatisfaction with how their democracy is functioning and a small minority even being open to a form of military rule. Between Feb. 20 and May 22, 2023, the Pew Research Center surveyed 30,861 adults in 24 countries including South Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Sweden,
PoliticsFeb. 29, 2024
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South Korea’s fertility rate drops to new low
South Korea's fertility rate continued its steep fall last year as it hit a record low of 0.72, darkening prospects for the country that already has the world's lowest fertility rate, data showed Wednesday. The country's fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman has during her lifetime -- came to 0.72 last year, down from 0.78 in the previous year, according to the preliminary data presented by Statistics Korea. It is the lowest level since 1970 when the state-run s
EconomyFeb. 28, 2024
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Sweden set to join NATO after Hungary approves bid
STOCKHOLM - Sweden on Monday cleared its final obstacle to joining NATO after Hungary's parliament ratified the bid in what Sweden's prime minister called a "historic day," while other alliance members expressed relief at the move spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden would make the alliance "stronger and safer" while the United States, the main alliance power, as well as Britain and Germany welcomed Sweden's now
World NewsFeb. 27, 2024
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[From the Scene] 12 hours to get ER treatment -- it could get worse
Kim, a mother in her 30s, arrived at Seoul National University Hospital’s emergency room on 5 a.m., Friday, after her preschool son’s temperature surged at midnight and he was losing energy. But she was not able to meet a doctor until 3 p.m., after almost 12 hours waiting on a bench outside of the ER with her crying son. “(My son) wasn’t feeling well last night. His temperature went too high, his face got red and he was sweating for days, so ... (I had to come here),&rdqu
Social AffairsFeb. 26, 2024
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Trump coasts to another victory in race for Republican nomination
CHARLESTON, South Carolina -- Donald Trump cruised to a lightning victory Saturday in South Carolina's Republican primary, blitzing rival Nikki Haley in her home state and continuing his march to the nomination and a White House rematch with Joe Biden in November. Trump completed a sweep of the first four major nominating contests, converting a year of blockbuster polls into a likely insurmountable lead going into the "Super Tuesday" 15-state voting bonanza in 10 days. Haley had v
World NewsFeb. 25, 2024
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Death & denial: Why Koreans refuse to contemplate the end
A few years ago, Kim Sun-yong (not her real name) stumbled upon a Facebook post written by an acquaintance from work. The author, an American who was battling late-stage cancer with no prospects of recovery, asked his Facebook friends for suggestions on what to include on his bucket list as he braced for the inevitable. Most comments expressed their sadness about the man's impending death and offered suggestions as asked. But one comment written by a person with a Korean name responded, &
Hashtag KoreaFeb. 25, 2024
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Fake compilation video featuring President Yoon goes viral
A fake compilation video featuring President Yoon Suk Yeol delivering a speech has spread rapidly on social media, prompting South Korea's independent media regulation agency to decide on Friday to remove the deceptive video from all social media channels. The 46-second fabricated video shows Yoon saying “I, Yoon Suk Yeol, have been enforcing laws that harass our nation,” as well as “I ruined our country and made its people suffer by clinging onto an ideology that deviates
Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2024
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Korean 'crypto king' likely to be extradited to US
A court in Montenegro has ruled for the extradition of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Kwon Do-hyung, widely known as "crypto king" Do Kwon, to the United States, according to The Wall Street Journal. Despite Kwon's defense advocating for transfer to his home country of South Korea, the Montenegro court has rejected the plea. Both the US and South Korea have sought his extradition. Kwon's legal team now has a three-day window to challenge the decision, according to the court on Wednesday.
MarketFeb. 22, 2024
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Meta CEO to visit Seoul next week possibly on AI partnership
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, formerly Facebook, is planning to visit Korea as early as next week, which would mark his first visit to the country in more than a decade, according to industry sources and the presidential office on Wednesday. Although details of his upcoming trip are unknown, sources predicted that the Meta founder could meet with Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong, as he did during his first trip to Korea in June 2013. If the two tycoons meet, the agenda is likely to inclu
IndustryFeb. 21, 2024
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[News Focus] Why do Korean doctors oppose having more physicians?
Thousands of medical doctors, the essential force for the care and treatment of critical patients, left their hospitals Tuesday in protest of the government’s policy to expand the number of medical school students. South Korea’s medical landscape has been gripped with the fear of a major health care crisis, with doctors leaving their patients, claiming that the nation does not need more doctors because it has enough already and that the policy change will lower the quality of medical
Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2024
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Police vow to probe doctors’ joint action
The police will investigate doctors who undertake joint action in protest of the government’s plan to increase the annual student enrollment quota at medical schools from 2025, Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency told reporters Monday. Yoon said that the police would investigate any joint action taken by doctors that were reported to law enforcement agencies, adding that arrest warrants would be issued for individual doctors who are “clearly in vi
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2024
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Samsung’s first integrated labor union sets sail
A labor union comprising workers of four Samsung Group affiliates was officially launched Monday, as employees seek ways to break away from the unreasonable relationship between workers and management. Samsung Group United Union, representing Samsung Electronics' Device Experience division, Samsung Display, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, and Samsung Biologics, held an inauguration ceremony earlier in the day in Seoul. “Our purpose is to establish independence in the relations be
IndustryFeb. 19, 2024
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Where does Korea stand on assisted death?
Lee Myung-shik, 63, is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of acute myelitis, a condition he developed after retiring from his public service job in 2019. Unable to perform basic bodily functions independently, he requires the constant use of a urinary catheter and the assistance of his daughter to manually remove stool from his rectum. “Usually, when a person’s lower body is paralyzed, they normally do not have any sensation from the affected parts, but it’s different in
Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2024