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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Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon's resignation
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Most teen sex offenders get away with slap on wrist
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FM champions multilateralism, stresses S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state'
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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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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is killed in Beirut strike, Israel's military says
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Panmunjom tours for select Korean nationals may resume in October
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Suicide attempts spike among youth in Korea
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Touching toes sexually indecent: Court
Seoul High Court on Wednesday gave 2 1/2 years in prison to a man who video-recorded and touched a woman asleep at a coffee shop.The accused 28-year-old man, surnamed Kim, had on multiple occasions secretly taken videos of women in public spaces, including inside toilets. He was caught and handed over to authorities in August 2015 while videotaping and touching the toes of a woman who had fallen deeply asleep at a coffee shop in Incheon. (123RF)While Kim admitted to all other charges regarding t
Social AffairsApril 14, 2016
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Voter turnout in parliamentary elections hovers below 60 pct
Just less than 60 percent of South Korean voters cast their ballots to elect new lawmakers, the national election watchdog said Thursday.More than 24.4 million out of over 42.1 million, or 58. percent, went to 13,837 polling stations across the country to elect a new 300-member National Assembly on Wednesday, said the National Election Commission (NEC).The official voter turnout is higher than the previous general elections in 2012 when 54.2 percent was recorded, the NEC said. It also marks the
Social AffairsApril 14, 2016
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At KCON Japan, decades-old flame for Korean culture rekindled
For many South Koreans, it's hard to understand why anyone would listen to K-pop so religiously without understanding a single word of its lyrics. Such self-doubt is what inspired many dire predictions about the future of "hallyu," the worldwide popularity of Korean culture dating back to the 1990s, with doomsayers forecasting its end every year, only to be disproved by the trend's unexpected growth time and again.Pessimists may look no further than KCON Japan to see where things actually stand
PerformanceApril 14, 2016
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N.K. leader to represent military in upcoming party congress: state media
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been selected to represent the military in the upcoming party congress in May, the country's state-run media said Thursday, as Pyongyang moves toward its first party congress in more than 30 years.Military representatives of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) unanimously made the decision in their two-day gathering from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper.It said that the North's leader was selected as a representati
North KoreaApril 14, 2016
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Mariners' Lee Dae-ho belts walk-off home run
Lee Dae-ho of the Seattle Mariners belted a walk-off home run Wednesday for his second long ball of the season.Lee launched a two-run blast in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field in Seattle, lifting the M's to a 4-2 victory.Lee started the game on the bench and pinch-hit for first baseman Adam Lind against left-hander Jake Diekman, with a man on and two outs in the bottom 10th.Lee looked at a 97-mile-per-hour fastball for a first pitch strike. He fouled off an
BaseballApril 14, 2016
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N.K. shows few signs of impending nuclear test, but could conduct one at any time: 38 North
Recent satellite imagery shows little evidence that North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test this week, but the communist nation could carry one out at any time with few indications, the website 38 North said Wednesday.Concerns have grown in recent weeks that Pyongyang could undertake yet another provocation, such as a nuclear test and a long-range missile launch, to mark Friday's birthday of founding leader Kim Il-sung, grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un."Recent commercial sate
North KoreaApril 14, 2016
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Blinken to visit Korea next week for trilateral talks
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken will visit South Korea next week for trilateral talks with his South Korean and U.S. counterparts, the State Department said Wednesday.Blinken will be in Seoul on April 19-20 for a third round of three-way consultations with South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki, the department said in a release.He will also meet with National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong for discussions on North Korea, it sai
InternationalApril 14, 2016
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U.S. human rights report markedly muted on N. Korea's situation
North Korea continues to control political activity and ban or limit political opposition, while maintaining a network of political prison camps, the U.S. State Department said in its annual human rights report.But the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015 released Wednesday was markedly dry, compared with previous ones, about the North, and did not use expressions like "deplorable," "grim" or "among the worst in the world" to portray the situation.It was unclear if it reflects a la
North KoreaApril 14, 2016
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THAAD talks to pursue feasibility of deployment at 'earliest possible date': senior U.S. diplomat
The United States and South Korea are in formal discussions about the THAAD missile defense system with the aim of deploying the system at the "earliest possible date," a senior State Department official said.Frank Rose, assistant secretary of state for arms control, made the remark during a missile defense conference in London, saying THAAD will provide "an essential defensive capability" against North Korea's extended-range Scud and Rodong missiles."We also work closely with the Republic of Ko
DefenseApril 14, 2016
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Political establishment faces voter apathy
Sixty-one-year-old Cho Dae-hyeong had never missed out on his right to vote in an election. The Vietnam War veteran is an advocate of a hawkish stance toward North Korea and has cast his ballot for conservative parties since the 1987 elections. Saenuri Party leaders, including floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul (center), watch the exit polls Wednesday at the party headquarters in Yeouido. (Yonhap)But this time around, he decided to exercise his right “not to vote” — a measure he believes would puni
PoliticsApril 13, 2016
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Park's mandate falters with Saenuri’s slump
With the ruling Saenuri Party losing its majority status based on exit polls and early predictions, President Park Geun-hye was seen to suffer a major blow to her leadership, with nearly two years left in her tenure.The party snatching up a comfortable majority in the most crucial election before the 2017 presidential race was deemed necessary for Park to build momentum in her reform and economic revitalization initiatives. It would also have maximized her influence in searching for a potential
PoliticsApril 13, 2016
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Minority People's Party steals show
The opposition parties’ surprisingly solid performance against the ruling Saenuri Party in Wednesday’s general election signaled an upheaval in the current two-party system and a significant setback for the incumbent administration.Exit polls and early predictions showed the 20th National Assembly to be outnumbered by the opposition party lawmakers for the first time in 16 years. The three-party system will be the first in 20 years.The result, in particular, gave a landmark victory for the fledg
NationalApril 13, 2016
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Bumpy road ahead for new Assembly
South Korea’s next parliament will lead the nation’s legislation for the next four years starting June with hefty tasks on political, economic and security fronts.The polling result that shrunk the majority hold of the ruling party and saw the rise of a new minority opposition party heralded the start of a tripartite political frame here, kindling expectations for a fresh breeze in the conservative-dominated legislature. But the new National Assembly, stuck between domestic socioeconomic distres
PoliticsApril 13, 2016
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Saenuri Party loses Assembly majority
The ruling conservative Saenuri Party failed to win a parliamentary majority in Wednesday’s general election, giving way to a tripartite political system for the first time in 20 years.The surprise outcome came after months of heavy political wrangling over the redrawing of electoral maps, legislative inaction and nomination feuds, prompting young voters to head to polls and traditional support bases to turn the other way.The Saenuri Party’s disappointing performance is also expected to deal a s
PoliticsApril 13, 2016
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Hyundai Securities’ hefty price tag reflects KB’s hunger for growth
When the price tag of a controlling stake in Hyundai Securities was unveiled late Tuesday, it surprised many in local financial circles. The 1.25 trillion won ($1.09 billion) KB Financial Group has agreed to pay is nearly four times the current market value of the stake -- 22.56 percent of the country’s fourth-largest brokerage house -- and almost twice what it initially expected to fetch. KB Financial Group chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo“That sounds pretty expensive for less than a quarter of the com
April 13, 2016
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Voter turnout highest in 12 years
The provisional voter turnout in Wednesday’s election reached 58 percent, marking the highest for a general election in 12 years.More than 24.4 million of over 42.1 million eligible voters cast ballots at 13,873 polling stations to elect 300 members to the 20th National Assembly, who will serve four-year terms. The turnout is 3.8 percentage points higher than in the previous general election in 2012, according to the National Election Commission. (Yonhap)The official turnout was set to be announ
PoliticsApril 13, 2016
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Pilgrimage trail next step to help orphans
Jeonju-based expat Terry Lyons will be walking the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage trail this spring to raise money for a severely disabled girl and awareness of orphanages’ needs.Lyons began walking to raise money for Esther Park in 2010, dividing the funds between the Holt orphanage that looked after her and Esther herself, who needed money to pay for growth hormone injections.When Lyons first met Esther, she was in hospital. Her condition meant that, although she was 8 years old, she was ju
Expat LivingApril 13, 2016
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Gwangju V-Day performance to help single mothers’ shelter
Performers in Gwangju will stage “The Vagina Monologues” next week to help raise money for a single mothers’ shelter in the city and promote awareness of violence against women.Funds raised through the production will go to help My House (Uri Jip), a shelter for young single mothers and their children, which the group has helped since it started V-Day productions in 2012. “This year we decided to give all the proceeds to them because we have seen their organization grow and their facilities and
Expat LivingApril 13, 2016
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Expat info site AngloInfo gets new look, address
Expat online information hub AngloInfo has revamped its website with a simpler visual style and added functions for users. Selling itself as “an online doorway to an off-line community,” AngloInfo is a community-driven information website for expats across the world, with information on living in different cities around the world, including Seoul. “AngloINFO has focused on making exciting new changes to the layout so that it is much more visual and vibrant as well as easier for our users to navi
Expat LivingApril 13, 2016
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Korean Language Ability Test opens applications for May
Applications to take the Korean Language Ability Test are open until April 24.The exam will be on May 22, is available for three levels -- beginner, middle and advanced --- and is offered at four locations, in Seoul, Daejeon, Busan and Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province. The test, recognized by the Culture Ministry, is one of two main Korean language tests, along with the Test of Proficiency in Korean. It is held four times a year, with the next dates in August and November.The test costs 40,0
Expat LivingApril 13, 2016