Most Popular
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Host of Miss Korea apologizes for 'inappropriate question' about deepfake
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Who's lying? Hybe vs. Min conflict continues to intensify
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Seoul should engage Kim Jong-un’s elites for change, ex-North Korean diplomat says
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'Shaman says president will die,' caller warns
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Boy's emergency medical treatment delayed 2 hours due to staff shortage
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Most teen sex offenders get away with slap on wrist
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Ex-Trump official calls for S. Korea to raise defense spending to 3 or 3.5% of GDP
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Man sentenced to 1 year, 8 months for stealing from elementary school classrooms
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Same-sex couple denied insurance clearance despite landmark ruling
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SK On offers voluntary retirement amid losses
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Big spenders unswayed by slowing economy
Despite weakening consumer confidence due to the prolonged economic recession, local retailers are enjoying a steady growth of “VIP customers” who buy luxury goods regardless of the deteriorating market condition, according to industry insiders on Monday.Overall sales figures show no signs of improvement, but the portion of big spenders are growing as well as the amount of money they spend at department stores, they said. A VIP lounge at a Lotte Department Store in Seoul (Yonhap)Customers classi
IndustryMay 9, 2016
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What are the most popular baby names in Korea?
The most popular baby names for girls and boys in South Korea in the 2010s were Seo-yeon and Min-joon, respectively, a report said Monday. According to records of birth registrations compiled by the Supreme Court since the 1940s, Min-joon was crowned the most popular name throughout the 2000s and 2010s, while Seo-yeon ranked second in the 2000s and took the top spot in the 2010s. (Yonhap)In the 1940s, the most popular girl’s name was Young-ja and for boys, it was Young-soo. This was followed by
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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Seoul ups defense after N.K. reaffirms nuclear ambitions
With North Korea moving to adopt new ruling party rules to declare itself a “nuclear-armed state,” the South Korean government has stepped up defense against the North, saying that it will “never be recognized as one.”North Korean ruling party’s central committee has officially adopted its two-track pursuit of nuclear and economic goals and reaffirmed its leader Kim Jong-un’s control, the state media reported Monday.According to observers, the North is expected to conclude its four-day Working P
DefenseMay 9, 2016
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Look into payroll of new lawmakers
The annual salary for the newly elected lawmakers is expected to be around 138 million won ($118,000), the National Assembly said Monday. According to the document published by the National Assembly secretariat, the scheduled annual payment is similar to that of the lawmakers of the 19th Assembly. The last time the government raised the salary was 2013 and the payment has remained the same since then. Taking into account extra payment for business expenses such as the cost of running the offic
PoliticsMay 9, 2016
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Two Korean Premier Leaguers boost national team hopes
Two South Korean footballers in the English Premier League (EPL) are boosting the country's hopes for upcoming matches, as they each notched a goal for their clubs over the weekend.Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur and Ki Sung-yueng of Swansea City are pulling their socks up ahead of the EPL season finale, trying to make an impressive finish after struggling most of the season. Their late-season surge is also welcoming news for South Korean men's football team head coach Uli Stielike, who has b
SoccerMay 9, 2016
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List of Koreans killed after 1923 quake in Japan found
A list of some of the Korean victims killed by the Japanese after a powerful earthquake in Japan in 1923 was found in the island country's official documents and revealed by a Japanese professor on Monday.The list found by Takano Hiroyasu, who works at Japan's Otaru University of Commerce, includes the names and addresses of 71 Koreans killed in Japan following the Great Kanto Earthquake as well as the circumstances under which they were killed.Some of the names coincide with those confirmed by
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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[Editorial] Senior strife
Statistics Korea data shows that 1 in 5 seniors aged 65 or over are living alone. The number of senior citizens living in solitude has continued to increase over the past decade, and the future growth is projected to be more rapid. And some local demographers predict that by 2035, 15.4 percent of all households will be seniors who live alone. The seriousness of the situation is evident from a survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, which found that more than 4 out of every 1
EditorialMay 9, 2016
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China vows implementation of U.N. sanctions over N. Korean leader's nuke remarks
China said Monday it would "faithfully" implement U.N. sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, responding to remarks by the North's leader Kim Jong-un that Pyongyang will not use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is jeopardized.The remarks by Kim, announced during a rare congress of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party and reported by the North Korean media on Sunday, reaffirmed the North's bid to become a nuclear weapons state. "Our republic is a responsible nuclea
InternationalMay 9, 2016
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Civil rights panel announces ordinances of controversial anti-graft bill
The country's civil rights panel on Monday announced the enforcement ordinances of a controversial anti-corruption bill that won parliamentary approval last year.The so-called Kim Young-ran law, named after its proposer, subjects public officials, journalists and private school faculty to a maximum penalty of three years in prison or five times the amount accepted in money or valuables if they are worth more than 1 million won (US$900) from one person in one installment, regardless of whether it
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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S. Korea denies report on U.S.-China talks over N.K. peace treaty
South Korea on Monday denied a report that China proposed peace treaty talks between the United States and North Korea in exchange for a freeze of the North's nuclear weapons program.Quoting a senior government official, the South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo reported that Beijing recently sought a deal with Washington under which the North would freeze its nuclear program and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on the condition that the U.S. sign a peace treaty with Pyongyang."The repo
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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[Editorial] Full disclosure
South Korea has introduced the English disclosure system, through which investors can access corporate regulatory filings both in Korean and English. This is a major development in the stock market, which was opened to foreign investors in 1992. The collective market capitalization of publicly traded companies on the main and secondary bourses is the 13th-biggest in the world with about 1.2 quadrillion won ($1.03 trillion). Considering the scale and policy aims of Korea‘s globalized investment e
EditorialMay 9, 2016
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After 'Produce 101' success, Mnet to launch boy band survival show
A cable TV network said Monday it will start a boy band equivalent of the survival reality TV series "Produce 101" that has developed quite a cult following over just two and a half months.Forty-nine contestants overcame 220-to-1 odds of becoming part of the upcoming show "Boys 24," Mnet, the network owned by entertainment company CJ E&M, said. In each episode, they will compete in units, unlike other audition programs where contestants have been judged solely on individual merit."'Boys 24' stan
TelevisionMay 9, 2016
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Opposition whips hint at alliance in new legislature
The newly-elected whips of the two opposition parties met Monday, hinting at boosting cooperation against the government and ruling party in the upcoming 20th National Assembly.Rep. Woo Sang-ho of The Minjoo Party of Korea paid his first official visit to the People’s Party counterpart Rep. Park Jie-won at 10:30 a.m. for a 10-minute encounter during which both praised each other. The Minjoo Party of Korea’s new floor leader Rep. Woo Sang-ho (left) and People’s Party’s counterpart Rep. Park Jie-w
PoliticsMay 9, 2016
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Thai military leader, South Korean defense officials discuss military cooperation
Thailand's military leader has met with senior South Korean defense officials in Seoul to discuss ways to bolster bilateral military cooperation, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday.Thai Chief of Defense Forces Sommai Kaotira met with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and JCS chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin for separate talks, which Seoul officials say served as an opportunity to further strengthen the two countries' military exchanges and cooperation in the defense industry.The Th
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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Allies' military leaders to visit Panmunjom Thursday
Top military officials from South Korea and the United States will visit the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom this week, the allies' Combined Forces Command (CFC) said Monday, in an apparent show of their resolve to deter Pyongyang's potential provocations. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin and new U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Vincent Brooks will jointly visit Panmunjom on Thursday, the CFC said.Their visit will come amid growing speculation t
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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No. of visitors on Jeju tops 5 mln
The number of tourists who have visited South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju this year has surpassed the 5 million mark, data showed Monday.As of Sunday, 5,029,215 people had visited Jeju, the fastest pace ever, according to the Jeju Special Self-Government Provincial Tourism Association. Last year, it was not until May 23 that the number of visitors hit 5 million.Out of the total visitors in 2016, some 4 million were South Koreans, and the rest were foreign nationals. "The number of gro
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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Level of education to be deleted from public officials' personnel records
South Korea's government said Monday that information on the level of education will be deleted from public officials' personnel records starting this month in a bid to promote a merit-based personnel management system. The Ministry of Personnel Management said information with low relevance to duty, such as academic background, height, weight and marital status, will be deleted from the personnel records. Still, the officials' college majors will remain recorded.The ministry has finished modify
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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Graduate student rises as developer of Korea's longest-running online game
In 1990, South Korea-based Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIST) opened a computer room wit 25 PCs, when the country was only taking its first steps towards emerging as the world's leading player in information and communications (ICT) technology.Song Jae-kyung, then a young graduate student in his 20s, was in charge of managing one of the country's first Internet cafes.Only a few years later, Song, now 49 years old, changed the history of South Korea's gaming industry by developing the co
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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Seoul steps up defense as Pyongyang reasserts nuclear prowess
South Korea's military is moving quickly to improve its defense systems after North Korea vowed to continue its nuclear armament as a self-proclaimed nuclear weapons state, the government said Monday.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made it clear during a rare gathering of the ruling Workers' Party over the weekend that he will stick to his signature "byeongjin" policy, which calls for developing the country's nuclear weapons and economy in tandem.He also said his country, as a "responsible nucle
Social AffairsMay 9, 2016
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[Robert B. Reich] The third way: Share-the-gains capitalism
Marissa Mayer tells us a lot about why Americans are so angry, and why antiestablishment fury has become the biggest single force in American politics today.Mayer is CEO of Yahoo. Yahoo’s stock lost about a third of its value last year, as the company went from making $7.5 billion in 2014 to losing $4.4 billion in 2015. Yet Mayer raked in $36 million in compensation.Even if Yahoo’s board fires her, her contract stipulates she gets $54.9 million in severance. The severance package was disclosed i
ViewpointsMay 9, 2016