Most Popular
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Yoon warns North Korea against nuclear attack attempt
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81-year-old model awarded ‘best dressed’ in Miss Universe Korea
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Seoul mayor suggests shift in immigration policy
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NewJeans fans corner Hybe amid PR backlash, looming National Assembly audit
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'Smart pill'? ADHD treatment prescriptions spike this year
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[KH Explains] Korea pursues ‘fire-free’ batteries amid EV fears
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Israel targets Palestinian group in first strike on Beirut center
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[KH Explains] Is Hyundai-GM partnership win-win to beat Tesla, Chinese rivals?
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Man calls 119, found dead 1 week later because officials went to wrong place
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Court rules Itaewon tragedy was 'foreseeable'
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[Jeffrey Frankel] A fair, efficient, and feasible climate agreement
How should one evaluate the agreement reached in Paris this month at the United Nations climate change conference? No sooner was the deal announced on Dec. 12 than the debate erupted. Some avid environmentalists were disappointed that the agreement did not commit firmly to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2050. But such a commitment would not have been credible. What emerged in Paris was in fact better, because the negotiators were able to agree on pra
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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[David Ignatius] A rationalist president in anxiety age
President Obama gave a speech Tuesday at the National Archives that stood in almost perfect counterpoint to the Republican presidential debate that took place that evening in Las Vegas: Against the rising GOP tide of anger toward immigrants, Obama anchored himself among the historical documents that define American tolerance. Obama’s speech was a homily to American values. He welcomed new citizens from 25 countries to the fellowship defined by our Constitution and Bill of Rights: “You don’t loo
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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12 reasons for America’s fascination with Trump
Like a tornado or a typhoon, the political tsunami that is Donald Trump is a complex coalescence of current and historical forces whose unforeseen speed and power threatens to wreak havoc on the 2016 political landscape. Some of these forces formed the subtext for the latest Republican debate Tuesday night. They’re among at least 12 specific factors that have helped to create what could prove for Republicans to be a perfect storm -- or a historic disaster: -- The reshaping of the two main politi
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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Arab Spring’s dreams became IS nightmare
Five years ago today, the self-immolation of Tunisian fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi sparked the Arab Spring. At this distance, it’s possible to ask a difficult question: Has the Arab Spring been good for the Arabic-speaking world? Are most people better off than they were five years ago? It’s also possible to give a disturbing answer, one born of deep respect and admiration for those who bravely protested and in many cases gave their lives for dignity, justice and democracy. With the exception o
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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Fed’s smooth liftoff isn’t mission accomplished
The Federal Reserve deserves praise for managing once again to carry out a tricky transition without causing disruptions in financial markets and creating too much risk for the real economy. Sustaining this success will require more than just the central bank’s continued responsive policy making. Much will depend on fiscal policy and structural reforms in the U.S., as well as the ability of financial markets to reconcile the divergence between Fed policy and the actions of other systemically imp
ViewpointsDec. 20, 2015
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Debt policies, U.S. rate hike pull down apartment market transactions
(123RF)Korean housing market transactions for speculation turned bearish in December, amid toughened household debt control policies, housing oversupply and uncertainties from the U.S. rate hike, municipal government data showed on Sunday. As of Dec. 18, the apartment market transactions stood at 5,470 deals, accounting for only 55 percent of the monthly transactions in November, according to Seoul Property Information Plaza, a housing market information provider operated by the municipality of
Dec. 20, 2015
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WTO members to end all farm export subsidies by 2023
All members of the World Trade Organization must halt farm export subsidies by 2023 as part of an ongoing effort to lower trade barriers and increase cross-border commerce, the government said Sunday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the members reached an agreement at the WTO's latest ministerial talks in Nairobi on key issues related to the agriculture sector that had been a sticking point in the long-drawn Doha Development Agenda talks. Under the agreement, all leadi
Dec. 20, 2015
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U.S. rate hike to slightly affect Asia's monetary easing
A recent U.S. interest rate hike is expected to have a limited impact on ongoing monetary easing measures being pursued by Asian countries, financial analysts said Sunday. Analysts from Barclays, HSBC and Bloomberg, as well as local market watchers, said that while last week's move by the Federal Open Market Committee to raise the target range of the federal fund rate from 0-0.25 percent to 0.25-0.50 percent has reverberated in places like the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, it has not c
Dec. 20, 2015
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Private think tank cuts Korea's 2016 growth forecast to 2.5%
South Korea's economic growth rate will likely slow to 2.5 percent in 2016 due to a continued export slump and weakening domestic consumption, a leading private think tank forecast Sunday. The prediction by the LG Economic Research Institute marks a 0.2 percentage point drop from its earlier estimate made in September. LGERI's revised growth projection is also lower than the government's 3.1 percent estimate for next year and the Bank of Korea's 3.2 percent forecast. The think tank, however,
Dec. 20, 2015
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Gov't pushing to reorganize special economic zones
South Korea's government will push to reorganize the country's numerous special economic zones that have failed to meet expectations, the finance ministry said Sunday. The ministry said plans by 14 regional administrations to build more than 200 free economic zones, industrial innovation centers, and research and development zones have not moved forward as planned. Of these, the country has some 90 special regions dedicated to attracting foreign investments, eight large free economic zones and
Dec. 20, 2015
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Hyundai's Creta SUV named 2016 Car of the Year in India
The Creta, a small SUV made by Hyundai Motor Co., has been named the Indian Car of the Year 2016 thanks to its strong popularity in the world's No. 4 car market, Hyundai said Sunday. The Creta, which was rolled out in July, outrivaled 12 other models, including Honda's Jazz, in seven categories such as sales records, price, performance, fuel efficiency and safety, said Hyundai, South Korea's top automaker. The Creta crossover SUV is the fourth Hyundai model that has earned the prestigious award
IndustryDec. 20, 2015
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FTAs with China, Vietnam, New Zealand go into effect
Free trade pacts between South Korea and three of its trading partners -- China, Vietnam and New Zealand -- went into effect Sunday, raising hopes they could boost trade and economic growth, the government said. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said all three free trade agreements that were signed and ratified earlier in the year went into force. Under the terms of the agreements, the countries will all lower tariffs on goods traded as of Sunday and once again on Jan. 1. China will
Dec. 20, 2015
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Ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff chief indicted for bribery
Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Choi Yoon-hee has been indicted over suspicions of bribery, state investigators said Sunday, in the latest in a series of corruption cases exposed in the country's defense industry. Choi is believed to have ordered his subordinates to write a favorable performance evaluation of an untested AW159 Wildcat, which the Navy adopted in 2013, an official with the country's anti-corruption task force said. Investigators believe Choi had a special relationship with
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2015
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POSCO C&C to export new aluminum-coated steel sheet to U.S. firm
POSCO C&C Co., a South Korean maker of coated steel sheets, has signed a contract to supply annually more than 10,000 tons of a highly corrosion-resistant, aluminum-coated steel sheet to a U.S. auto parts producer, its parent company said Sunday. Under the deal, POSCO C&C will supply AP Emissions Technologies, the leading aftermarket exhaust and emissions supplier in America, with over 10,000 tons of its latest coated steel sheet, dubbed "Super Alcosta," over the next four years, according to P
IndustryDec. 20, 2015
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South Koreans live an average 12 years more than North Koreans: data
South Koreans live 12 years more than their compatriots in the North on average, mainly due to fewer newborn deaths, government data showed Sunday. According to Statistics Korea, the life expectancy of a South Korean stood at 78.2 years for men and 85 for women. Corresponding numbers for North Korea were 66 for men and 72.7 for women. This translates into an average South Korean man living 12.2 years longer than one in the North, while a South Korean woman could expect to live 12.3 years longe
North KoreaDec. 20, 2015
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Thai ‘con woman’ arrested in Korea, sent back to Bangkok
A Thai woman accused of swindling more than 50 women out of thousands of baht with promises of well-paid jobs at massage spas overseas was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday night after being deported from South Korea.Police then received court permission for an initial period of detention.Methiya Jaenprachakorn, 25, who was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court, reportedly confessed to police that she and some friends were duped in the same manner in 2012 - so she
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2015
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Hyundai, Kia log record RV sales in U.S.
South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. sold a record number of recreational vehicles in the United States this year, driven by strong demand for cars designed for outdoor and leisure activities, industry data showed Sunday. During the first 11 months this year, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 484,381 RVs, including SUVs, station wagons and minivans, according to the data. The figure already outnumbers the 460,561 RVs that the two auto giants so
IndustryDec. 20, 2015
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Pentagon rejects accusations that USFK lied about anthrax shipments
The U.S. Defense Department rejected accusations that U.S. Forces Korea lied about a record of anthrax shipments to South Korea, claiming that the first anthrax-involved training mentioned in a May press release meant the first such training only at Osan Air Base. USFK came under fire after a joint Korea-U.S. working group found that USFK brought anthrax test samples into South Korea 16 times since 2009 as part of its bio-defense tests in South Korea, including the latest shipment in April of p
Foreign AffairsDec. 20, 2015
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S. Korea opens embassy in Georgia
South Korea has opened an embassy in Georgia, 23 years after the countries establish diplomatic ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.The embassy in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi opened on Tuesday, one day after the countries marked the 23rd anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.One diplomat will be permanently stationed there with the South Korean ambassador to neighboring Azerbaijan concurrently serving as the chief of the South Korean mission in Georgia, a member of the former
Foreign AffairsDec. 19, 2015
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S. Korean presidential hopeful apologises over racist joke
The frontrunner to be South Korea's next president has apologised after sparking a public uproar for jokingly likening the skin colour of an African student to coal.Kim Moo-Sung, the leader of the country's ruling conservative Saenuri Party and the leader in polling ahead of December 2017 elections, issued the apology in the face of public criticism over the gaffe."I failed to realise that showing friendliness this way could hurt someone's feelings," Kim wrote on his Facebook page on Friday."I a
PoliticsDec. 19, 2015