Most Popular
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No plan to let doctors with foreign licenses practice here anytime soon: PM
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Ador CEO's dismissal to be decided on last day of May
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[Graphic News] Beer the most favored alcoholic drink by Koreans
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Science Ministry expresses regret over Japan’s pressure on Naver
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Haeundae Beach to become sand art museum in late May
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Medical professors set to take day off amid protracted walkouts by junior doctors
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Hostilities get out of hand as YouTuber murders another outside courthouse
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Police officer jumps barefoot into drainage tunnel to save man
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Lee Sun-kyun's posthumuous film to hit theaters in August
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Yoon interacts with public for 1st time since election defeat
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
The number of franchised coffee branches in South Korea rose by more than 3,000 on-year in 2022 on growing demand for food and beverages with the ebbing of the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of budget brands, the antitrust regulator said. The country had 26,217 franchise coffee shops as of the end of 2022, up 13 percent from the previous year's 23,204, according to data from the Fair Trade Commission. It marked the highest growth among all kinds of food and beverage franchises in 202
May 3, 2024
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Govt. to spend W95b to support reforms at 41 public hospitals in H1
The health ministry said Thursday it will spend 94.8 billion won (US$68.8 million) in the first half of the year to help normalize operations and support management reforms at 41 public hospitals across the nation. Under the support program, the government seeks to facilitate sustainable development of public hospitals by assessing their innovation plans, which focus on improving medical services and organizational efficiency, according to the ministry. Hospitals that demonstrate promising outco
May 2, 2024
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Medical schools to increase up to 1,509 seats for 2025
South Korea will see an increase of additional seats in medical school admission next year ranging from 1,489 to 1,509, said the Ministry of Education Thursday, less than the 2,000 slots the government had initially allocated. The Education Ministry and the Korean Council for University Education unveiled the finalized enrollment quota submitted by 31 out of 32 medical schools that have been allocated additional seats. Thirty-one medical schools handed in a total of 1,469 slots to increase by 20
May 2, 2024
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Public backlash against division of Gyeonggi Province under 'corny' name
Gyeonggi Province’s plan to split off a northern section of the province under a new name as the special self-governing province of "Pyeonghwa Nuri” is facing public backlash, with an online petition against the proposed name drawing over 27,000 participants as of Thursday afternoon. The petition was filed shortly after Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon unveiled the winning name following a monthlong competition held in January, in a press conference Wednesday. Abbreviated, a
May 2, 2024
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Seoul to loosen building height restrictions after 50 years
Seoul's "high-altitude" regulations that control building heights near mountains and major facilities are poised to be relaxed for the first time since their adoption over 50 years ago. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that the city’s Urban Planning Commission signed and approved an amendment to reorganize high-altitude regulations on Wednesday. High-altitude regulations are a part of Seoul’s city management plan, which sets a maximum height limit f
May 2, 2024
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
Over 60 percent of South Koreans supported an initiative of providing a 100 million won ($72,500) cash incentive for each newborn, aiming to tackle the country's low and declining birth rates, a government survey showed Thursday. The survey, conducted from April 17 to 26 by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission involving 13,640 individuals, aimed to assess the effectiveness of providing direct support to beneficiaries of birth boost policies. The survey queried whether significant
May 2, 2024
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Another suspect grilled in probe of alleged interference in Marine's death inquiry
The anti-corruption investigation office questioned a former defense ministry official as a power abuse suspect Thursday over allegations of external pressure placed on the military investigation into last year's death of a young Marine. Park Gyeong-hun, the former acting chief of the ministry's National Investigation Headquarters, appeared at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, Thursday morning, while remaining tight-lipped when
May 2, 2024
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
Over 30,000 workers affiliated with the country's two major umbrella labor unions held rallies in Seoul on Wednesday on International Workers' Day, criticizing President Yoon Suk Yeol's proposal to hire foreign domestic workers outside the minimum wage system. Unionized workers described Yoon's proposal addressed earlier this month as an attempt not only to discriminate against foreign workers but also to deny the application of the minimum wage system to a select group of pe
May 1, 2024
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New hard-line leadership of doctors group prepares for govt. dialogue
The Korean Medical Association, the largest group in the medical community representing some 140,000 doctors nationwide, inaugurated its new leader Wednesday, seeking to unite the voices of doctors in preparation for a possible dialogue with the government. The association's new leader, Lim Hyun-taek, has maintained a hard-line stance against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's move to increase the number of doctors in the country to cope with population aging. The 54-year-old pediatrician is ant
May 1, 2024
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
Seoul Metro, the operator of the Seoul subway system, is set to adopt a tougher stance to combat persistent harassment and verbal abuse by imposing restrictions on complaints and considering legal action against repeat offenders. “We will actively pursue measures to address repeated malicious complaints that disrupt our operations,” the operator said Wednesday in a statement. Under the new measures, repeat offenders will be registered on a blacklist and will be barred from submitti
May 1, 2024
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S. Korea lowers COVID-19 warning level, lifts last-remaining antivirus mandates
Wearing marks at hospitals in South Korea is not a must anymore as the government downgraded the infection level of COVID-19 and lifted most last-remaining antivirus regulations. Effective Wednesday, the country lowered the four-grade COVID-19 crisis level from the second-highest "alert" to the lowest "concern" in a move to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The decision came more than four years a
May 1, 2024
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Around 50% of people with disabilities aged 65 or above: report
As South Korea is predicted to soon become a super-aged society, more than half of the population with disabilities were found to be age 65 or above for the first time in 2023, said the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday. According to the Health Ministry’s report released on Tuesday, up to 2.65 million of the total population were registered as having some sort of disability. The total population was 51.71 million as of last year according to Statistics Korea. Out of the number of p
April 30, 2024
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
Some medical professors at the country’s three major hospitals, Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital and Korea University Hospital, suspended surgeries and outpatient clinics on Tuesday for one day, as previously announced, to protest the government’s plan to expand the number of new medical students by 2,000 a year. The main hall at SNUH’s Cancer Hospital was without medical staff Tuesday, while a number of patients wandered around the ward, having just learn
April 30, 2024
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S. Korea ramps up parental education
The Ministry of Education unveiled measures Tuesday to strengthen support and education for parents, understanding that the capabilities of parents, who are in charge of educating children, should be reinforced for the healthy growth of students, according to officials. The fourth ministerial social affairs meeting introduced new comprehensive policies to offer parents more opportunities to participate in school activities, conduct active communication with teachers and learn how to be "goo
April 30, 2024
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Unions to hold Labor Day rallies nationwide
South Korea‘s labor groups, including the nation’s two major umbrella unions, are set to hold large-scale rallies nationwide on Wednesday to commemorate Labor Day. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the country‘s two major umbrella trade unions, known for being independent and run democratically, plans to organize the “World Labor Day Convention” rally from Gwanghwamun in the central district of Jongno-gu to Daehan Gate in Jung-gu, Seoul at 2 p.m. Warm
April 30, 2024
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
A former South Korean baseball player who beat his debtor to death with a baseball bat recently appealed the 15-year prison term he was sentenced by the court on Thursday, challenging the fairness of the punishment. The prosecution, which initially requested a 20-year prison term, also appealed the ruling, contending the punishment was too lenient. It said that given the brutal nature of the murder and the bereaved family's demands of a strict punishment, the court should issue the defendan
April 30, 2024
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Police to open alleged stalking probe over pastor over Dior bag scandal
South Korean authorities announced Monday that they would investigate a Korean American pastor named Choi Jae-young, who gifted first lady Kim Keon-hee a 3 million won ($2,295) Dior bag, on allegations of stalking. National Office of Investigation chief Woo Jong-soo said at a press conference held at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul that “Last year, Choi was accused of stalking (Kim), and (the police) completed a brief legal review of the case. The police determined that furth
April 29, 2024
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Med school professor convicted for fake COVID-19 'vaccine card'
A medical professor was recently handed a suspended prison term for making and distributing cards, falsely claiming that they would function as a vaccine to prevent and even cure COVID-19. Seoul Central District Court sentenced the defendant surnamed Kim to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the Medical Devices Act. "It was necessary to punish (the defendant) as his actions presented risks for the public health, endangering the people's lives and safety,&quo
April 29, 2024
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Forklift exam draws more test-takers in 50s seeking new skills
A record number of South Koreans in their 50s took exams last year for government-issued occupational certifications, with forklift licenses topping the list. The trend reflects a surge in interest in pursuing second careers and highlights the significant difficulty many face in finding new employment related to one's previous experience. According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, the number of test-takers in their 50s exceeded 218,000 in 2023, accounting for 12.2 percen
April 29, 2024
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Liberal bloc moves to rewrite student rights ordinance
The debate over Seoul Metropolitan Government's abolition of its student human rights ordinance is set to expand to the National Assembly as the opposition Democratic Party of Korea plans to draft student rights legislation that would take precedence over regional offices’ decisions. The Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority, on Monday criticized the People Power Party's removal of Seoul's student rights ordinance, calling it "political regression"
April 29, 2024