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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Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon resignation
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Man sentenced to 1 year, 8 months for stealing from elementary school classrooms
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FM champions multilateralism, stresses S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state'
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Same-sex couple denied insurance clearance despite landmark ruling
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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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Top biz groups to reduce new employment this year: survey
Korea's leading business groups are expected to reduce their new recruitment in 2016 from a year earlier, a survey showed Thursday, boding ill for job seekers already struggling with a high unemployment rate.According to the survey by the Federation of Korean Industries of the top 30 groups, they plan to employ a combined 126,394 new workers this year, down 4.2 percent from a year earlier. Federation of Korean Industries (Yonhap)The companies include Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG and Lotte.Fina
IndustryApril 21, 2016
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Apple revises unfair service agreement with local repair businesses
Apple Korea Inc., the local unit of the U.S. tech giant, has revised its unfair business agreement with local maintenance service firms for the first time in the world, the South Korean antitrust watchdog said Thursday.Apple has designated six local repair firms including Ubase Inc. and Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Service Corp. as its authorized repair service providers that can do business under the worldwide Apple Authorized Service Agreement.The previous agreement let the U.S. firm terminate co
TechnologyApril 21, 2016
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Global art experts to discuss Asian art in Seoul
Art experts will gather in Seoul to talk about Asian art trends at an international forum next week. The forum, organized by Seoul-based Art Platform Asia, will feature curators, museum directors and artists who will discuss Asian art trends at the one-day event on April 29 at JCC Culture Center in Seoul. Titled “Fracturing Conceptual Art: The Asian Turn,” the forum will feature Charles Merewether, former director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Singapore; artist Fre Ilgen, whose work
PerformanceApril 21, 2016
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Damien Hirst artworks leaked formaldehyde gas: study
LONDON (AFP) - Iconic works of art by British artist Damien Hirst involving dead animals preserved in giant tanks leaked potentially-dangerous formaldehyde gas during a show at London’s Tate Modern gallery, it emerged Wednesday. Scientists testing a new sensor for the remote detection of the carcinogenic gas in the 2012 exhibition found levels above those legally permitted, according to a study in the monthly journal Analytical Methods. But they insisted they did not believe their findings showe
PerformanceApril 21, 2016
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Actress Song Hye-kyo: I’m like any woman my age
Actress Song Hye-kyo has been living in the limelight for nearly two decades, since she rose to stardom in 2000 through “Autumn in my Heart,” a TV series largely credited with igniting the K-drama boom throughout Asia. Most recently, she starred in drama series “Descendants of the Sun,” which garnered explosive popularity both in and out of the country, alongside actor Song Joong-ki. But her life is more normal than one would expect, filled with the same worries that occupy women her age, the 3
TelevisionApril 21, 2016
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Gong Yoo picked for ‘Descendants of the Sun’ scriptwriter’s next drama
Kim Eun-sook, the scriptwriter behind the phenomenal success of the KBS2 drama series “Descendants of the Sun,” has cast actor Gong Yoo as the main lead for her next tvN drama series, Hwa and Dam Pictures announced Thursday. The upcoming TV drama is yet another romantic comedy from Kim, this time inspired by folk tales and goblins, the production company said. Actor Gong Yoo (Management Soop) It will incorporate elements from Eastern lore, depicting a supernatural story of a goblin in need of a
TelevisionApril 21, 2016
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Kim Bum-soo collaborates for SM Station
Vocalist Kim Bum-soo and songwriter Kenzie were to release a collaboration track for SM Station at midnight on Thursday. “Pain Poem,” the 11th song to be introduced on digital music channel Station, is a Latin pop ballad tune. It portrays the sad, love story of a man trying to let go of his lover after breaking up. Singer Kim Bum-soo (S.M. Entertainment) Singer Kim has showcased explosive singing in hit songs such as “Promise,” “Miss You,” and “Last Love.” Songwriter Kenzie has produced hit song
PerformanceApril 21, 2016
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Italian furniture-makers strengthen brands through archives
MILAN (AP) -- Big Italian furniture brands turned out collections at the 55th Milan Furniture Fair that included forgotten or neglected treasures from their archives, along with fresh innovations by the “starchitects” who have infused design with glamour. A record 372,000 people attended the premier event for Italian design and furnishings that ended Sunday. It featured more than 2,400 exhibitors at the Rho fairgrounds and spilled out into eight design districts in Milan’s city center. The annua
Arts & DesignApril 21, 2016
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W400m in drugs smuggled as hand sanitizer
A group of eight Korean men were caught for illegally trafficking hallucinogenic drugs worth 400 million won ($350,000) from the U.S., the Seoul police said Wednesday. The men smuggled in 4.5 liters of the drug disguised as hand sanitizer over eight international mail deliveries between August and December 2015. Each 4-milliliter vial was later sold for 350,000 won at nightclubs in Gangnam and on the Internet, raking in 120 million won over five months. (123RF)The smuggled drug, called “Tear of
Social AffairsApril 21, 2016
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Designers Costa, Zucchelli out at Calvin Klein
NEW YORK (AP) -- Designers Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli are leaving Calvin Klein as part of what the company describes as a global creative strategy to unify all of its brands under one vision. Costa has been at the New York fashion house for more than a decade and became the women's creative director in 2003. Zucchelli became the men’s creative director a year later. In a company release Tuesday, Calvin Klein, owned by PVH Corp., said the new strategy “comes as part of a global revoluti
Arts & DesignApril 21, 2016
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Won-dollar volatility hits four-year high in Q1
The daily volatility of the won-dollar exchange rate rose to a four-year high in the first quarter of this year, central bank data showed Thursday. The average gap between the daily high and low of the exchange rate came to 8.2 won in the three months ended March 31, up from 6.3 won in the previous quarter. It was the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2011, when the daily gap was 9.3 won, according to the Bank of Korea. The average daily variation, showing the change from the previous se
April 21, 2016
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Seminar held in Korea to help biz people share info on Iran
Over 600 businesspeople and industry experts attended a seminar held in Korea on Thursday to share information needed for their possible entry into the newly-opened Iranian market, organizers said.The seminar is intended to help participants share information on business practices, local customs, legal environment and other information on Iran, whose market is opening to the outside world after years-long international sanctions over its nuclear program. The Korea International Trade Association
April 21, 2016
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Views of new board members to determine direction of monetary policy
Korea's monetary policy may face a change of direction depending on the personal views of four new monetary policy board members who officially began their four-year terms Thursday, market observers said.The four new members alone will be enough to determine the direction of monetary policies by the seven-member board, the observers noted.However, it is believed that they do not all share the same views on how to best support the market and its growth.The new board members are Cho Dong-chul, a p
April 21, 2016
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Tourism industry's Q2 outlook improves: poll
Korea's tourism industry is expected to recover under the current quarter from the previous quarter, but the overall business sentiment still remains subdued, a poll showed Thursday. According to the survey conducted by the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute on 396 tour and hotel operators, the business survey index (BSI) stood at 77 in the April-June period.Foreigners at a Korean temple (Yonhap)The figure is higher than the first quarter's 59, but it is still below the 100 mark, which means pess
IndustryApril 21, 2016
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Up to 4 new duty-free shops to be permitted in Seoul
The Korean government will announce as many as four local retailers that will be allowed to open new duty-free shops in Seoul next week in a bid to meet the growing demand from Chinese tourists, government sources said Thursday.Duty-free stores, mostly run by retail giants, such as Lotte Group, posted a combined 9.2 trillion won ($8 billion) in sales last year, with an average 15.1-percent growth over the past decade.As the government has put policy priority on boosting the sector, competition h
IndustryApril 21, 2016
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Korea's overseas investment grows 6.8% in 2015
Korea's overseas investment grew from a year earlier in 2015 as investors increasingly headed to advanced markets, including the United States, in search of safer assets, central bank data showed Thursday.As of end-2015, the country's outstanding overseas investment came to $767 billion, up 6.8 percent, or $48.6 billion, from $718.4 billion a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Bank of Korea (Yonhap)Of the total, $278.4 billion remained in foreign direct inv
April 21, 2016
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S-Oil Q1 net profit more than doubles
S-Oil Corp., the No. 3 oil refiner in South Korea, said Thursday that its first quarter net profits more than doubled from a year earlier, largely thanks to better margins.Net profits reached 433 billion won ($382 million) in the January-March period, up from 211 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.Sales dropped 21.6 percent on-year to reach 3.43 trillion won in the first quarter, but its operating income increased -- 491 billion won compared to an operating incom
IndustryApril 21, 2016
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Canapes under the canopy? Paris gentrifies rusty mall
PARIS (AP) -- Swapping burgers for lobster souffle and rusty welding for a state-of-the-art canopy roof, Paris' mayor this month unveiled a $1 billion revamp of the city’s dilapidated main shopping and transport complex, Les Halles. Paris authorities view the building project -- which made central Paris a construction site pockmarked with cranes for seven years -- as an opportunity to gentrify the ‘70s complex that was often voted among the city's the biggest eyesores by disgruntled Paris resid
TravelApril 21, 2016
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Shakespeare’s hometown welcomes world for 400th anniversary
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, United Kingdom (AFP) -- William Shakespeare's hometown is bracing for a surge of visitors from around the world this month as it marks 400 years since the death of the foremost playwright in the English language. A parade to Shakespeare’s grave and fireworks will round off a day of theater, dancing, music and parades in the picture-postcard streets of Stratford-upon-Avon. And some of Britain's finest actors are returning to the town’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre to perform his
CultureApril 21, 2016
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LG Chem’s Q1 net profit rises nearly 40% on-year
LG Chem, South Korea’s leading chemical firm by sales, saw its net profit jump nearly 40 percent on-year in the first three months this year thanks to increased margins in petrochemical raw materials.The firm’s first quarter net profit stood at 338.1 billion won, up 37.3 percent from the same period last year, LG Chem said in its earnings report Thursday. Park Jin-soo (center) and executives of LG Chem visit one of the firm’s factories in Korea. (Yonhap)Compared to the previous quarter, net pro
TechnologyApril 21, 2016