Most Popular
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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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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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FM champions multilateralism, stresses S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state'
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Panmunjom tours for select Korean nationals may resume in October
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Young Poong says no better offer for Korea Zinc
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Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon resignation
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[Weekender] How to celebrate Children‘s Day with family
Children’s Day, which to some may just be a day off to catch up on sleep or binge watch their favorite TV shows, has a rich history indebted to the efforts of one man -- Pang Chong-hwan.The late children’s advocate and political activist was a pioneering figure in children rights and literature, introducing the country’s first children’s magazine in 1923. He made efforts to improve children’s welfare, especially during Japan’s colonial rule of the peninsula.However, to modern day Koreans, Pang’s
CultureApril 29, 2016
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‘Hamlet’ gives rise to a comedy
JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- After kicking off to a lively start with a fireworks-filled opening ceremony and an outdoor screening of this year’s opening film “Born to be Blue” Thursday night, a number of interactive sessions are underway at the Jeonju International Film Festival. In addition to screening some 200 movies at cinemas dotted along the city’s Cinema Street, Korea’s largest indie film festival is hosting programs such as Talk Class -- a small group meeting of filmmakers and audi
Latest NewsApril 29, 2016
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[Editorial] More stimulus
The government has designated May 6 as a temporary holiday, allowing people to take a four-day break from May 5, which is Children’s Day in Korea.The designation is intended to boost the economy by stimulating sluggish domestic consumption. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposed the idea, as the designation of Aug. 14 as an extra holiday last year had a positive impact on the economy.Last year, the government allowed people to take Aug. 14 off because Independence Day on Aug. 15, wh
EditorialApril 29, 2016
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Chinese less loyal to Hyundai cars: report
Chinese consumers are less loyal to Hyundai cars than most other auto brands, according to the latest report of U.S. consulting firm McKinsey & Company.A survey on 3,500 Chinese consumers in March showed that 43 percent of those who owned a Korean brand car wanted to switch to a more upscale brand. That was the highest percentage following those owning French cars. (Yonhap)McKinsey said that those with German cars were the most loyal to the brands they had. “Korean brands are not yet viewed as
MobilityApril 29, 2016
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[Editorial] Jobs for youth
The government has come up with another set of measures to tackle the worsening youth unemployment problem. The package, the sixth of its kind put forward by the incumbent government, however, is unlikely to put a big dent in youth joblessness.The measures came after the unemployment rate for young adults hit an all-time high of 12.5 percent in February. The rate edged down to 11.8 percent in March, but it was still the highest on record for the month.Officials of the Employment Ministry say the
EditorialApril 29, 2016
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Samsung Display replaces CEO after quarterly loss
Samsung Display said Friday that Kwon Oh-hyun, vice chairman and co-CEO of Samsung Electronics, will replace the company’s current chief executive Park Dong-gun. The display business arm of Samsung Electronics did not elaborate on the reasons for the change, but some market watchers suspect Park was replaced after failing to boost the display business. Kwon Oh-hyun, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics. (Yonhap) Samsung Display posted an operating loss of 270 billion won ($236.4 million) in the
TechnologyApril 29, 2016
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LG Chem falls prey to email phishing
South Korea’s leading chemical company LG Chem has fallen victim to an online scam that caused 24 billion won ($21.1 million) of financial damage to the company.The fraud case started with an email last month that was sent to LG Chem from Aramco Products Trading Co. The email claimed that the bank account for their bilateral business transaction had changed, and asked LG to send its payment to a different account. LG sent the money without suspecting any foul play.(Yonhap)But the account did not
TechnologyApril 29, 2016
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Korea to allow four new duty-free shops in Seoul
Korea will allow four more duty-free shops to open in Seoul to meet growing demand from Chinese tourists, the government announced Friday. “Four new licenses will be issued for operation in Seoul, while the city of Busan and Gangwon Province will also get one each,” Lee Myung-gu, director of the Korea Customs Service, said at a press briefing in Sejong. The licensees will be selected by the end of this year through an open competition, the official explained, with one ticket reserved for midsize
April 29, 2016
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BOK takes stance against Korean QE
A high-ranking official at the Bank of Korea said Friday that social consensus is needed for the central bank to pump money into policy banks, voicing caution on President Park Geun-hye-backed “Korean-style quantitative easing” proposal. “If policy banks need injection of capital to support corporate restructuring, that is primarily a fiscal policy issue, (not a monetary policy one),” said Yoon Myun-shik, assistant governor during a press briefing. “For the central bank to exercise its money-is
April 29, 2016
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More self-made tech tycoons join billionaires’ club: Forbes
More self-made tech entrepreneurs are making it into the list of Korea’s 50 richest people, according to a report by Forbes magazine Wednesday. The report showed that 40 percent of the nation’s top 50 were self-made, as opposed to having inherited a business or wealth from their parents. The figure was a big increase from a decade ago when Forbes ranked just seven self-made entrepreneurs among its list of 40 richest Koreans.The increase is mainly attributed to the emergence of celebrity-status t
IndustryApril 29, 2016
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Foreign Ministry denies speculation over resignations of GGGI, GCF chiefs
The Foreign Ministry denied speculation Friday that the heads of two South Korea-based international organizations battling climate change have offered to resign due in part to Seoul's lack of attention to an environmental agenda.Yvo de Boer, director general of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and Hela Cheikrouhou, executive director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), have offered to step down. Their decisions spawned speculation that they might have felt unhappy that the climate change
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016
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Korean sculptor to donate work to cheer up quake-hit Ecuador
A South Korean sculptor said Friday he plans to erect four of his works, including two giant sculptures bowing Korean-style, in Ecuador this year to encourage and soothe people affected by recent earthquake.The donation of the sculptures -- two sets of "The Greeting Man" and "The Mirror Man" -- to the Central American country is part of a project that sculptor Yoo Young-ho, 51, has created to link cultures and people by reproducing his artwork across the world."The Greeting Man," a 6-meter-tall,
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016
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N. Korea urges U.S. forces to stop provocative acts in Panmunjom
North Korea on Friday called on the U.S. forces to stop provocative acts at the truce village of Panmunjom, located between the two Koreas, the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.According to the KCNA report, a spokesman for the Panmunjom mission of the Korean People's Army (KPA) claimed the U.S. forces have conducted "provocative acts that rattled the nerves of the KPA side in Panmunjom."In a statement, the spokesman said, "The U.S. GIs carried out such dangerous pro
North KoreaApril 29, 2016
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Prosecution seeks 15 years for pastor for murder of daughter
The prosecution on Friday asked for 15 years for the pastor who killed his teenage daughter and hoarded her mummified body for nearly 11 months. The prosecution is also seeking a 12-year sentence for his wife, who is not the mother of the victim and a joint-principal offender. In the final trial held at the Bucheon Branch of Incheon District Court, the prosecution said, “The defendants failed to carry out their due responsibility as parents to look after their child.” “They severely abused the v
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016
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Lawmakers-elect gear up to craft new bills
Lawmaker-elects are gearing up to seize the legislative lead with eye-catching and trailblazing bills when the 20th National Assembly begins its four-year term end-May. Lawmaker-elect Lee Hye-hoon of the Saenuri Party has vowed to introduce a bill aiming to restrict the government from granting presidential pardon to convicted chaebol owners. Conglomerate leaders have mostly enjoyed the privilege and the release has was often been justified as a step to jumpstart the economy. “Releasing them do
PoliticsApril 29, 2016
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[WEEKENDER] Parental competition, anxiety over future drive kids market
For Kim Young-eun, a 39-year-old office worker in Seoul, her priority this week was to secure a box from the latest Lego series “Nexo Knights” for her 7-year-old son as a present for Children’s Day. “It’s around 140,000-150,000 won,” she said, adding that it’s almost her duty as a parent not to disappoint her kid, who often compares his presents with those of classmates.“The problem is that we have too many occasions to celebrate. … Apart from Children’s Day, we also have Christmas, birthdays,
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016
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Man immolates self after unsatisfactory court ruling
A man who set himself on fire at around 9 a.m. Friday in front of the Gwangju District Court is thought to done it to protest an unsatisfactory court ruling.The 55-year-old was immediately transferred to a hospital where he now lies in critical condition with third degree burns. (123RF)The police said the man had recently filed a damage suit against an insurance company after suffering a car accident. He lost the case and later appealed. The self-immolation appears to be an act of protest agains
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016
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[Weekender] No time to kid around
Life is full of hope and dreams for Lee Seo-hyun, a 9-year-old child attending a primary school in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. She wants to be a painter, teacher, owner of a big supermarket, florist, designer, scientist, and more.Every day, she wakes up and goes to school by 8 a.m. When school finishes at around 2 p.m., she briefly plays with her friends in the playground until she goes to her private lessons for piano, computer classes and English.“When the lessons are over at around 4 p.m. I
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016
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Teens go fast-and-furious with stolen car
Six teenage runaways who stole a car and drove around town for over three hours were arrested Friday. The Gwangju Gwangsan police said the boys, aged 13, are accused of stealing over 32 million won ($28,000) worth of goods, including an Equus sedan. (123RF)They found the car parked on a roadside with the key inside and rode it around the city for 24 kilometers until the car broke down. They deserted the car and fled with the money they found inside the vehicle. According to the police, some had
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016
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[Weekender] Working parents struggle to balance work, child care
Kang Ji-hye, 34, the mother of a 4-year-old boy, runs a wedding shop in Gangnam, Seoul. Her business requires her to work during weekends and even on national holidays. Her husband goes to work at a manufacturing firm six days a week.After Kang heads to work at 8 a.m., her son Dong-woo is taken care of by a nanny she hired three years ago.For Kang, this year’s Children’s Day will not be so different from any other day. She asked the nanny to come in despite it being an official holiday, as she f
Social AffairsApril 29, 2016