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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'Smart pill'? ADHD treatment prescriptions spike this year
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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[KH Explains] Korea pursues ‘fire-free’ batteries amid EV fears
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[Herald Review] One of Netflix's most expensive Korean originals returns, but at what cost?
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Man calls 119, found dead 1 week later because officials went to wrong place
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Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
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Samsung tightens its belt amid crisis winds
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FSC pushes ‘mid-rate’ loans for low-incomers
By Kim Yon-seRuling party lawmakers and the government reached a consensus on relieving a large portion of households of their loan interest burden during discussions to revamp the financial services sector Friday.The Financial Services Commission said that the 10 core reform plans for financial consumers were confirmed during its chairman Yim Jong-ryong’s meeting with lawmakers from the Saenuri Party at the National Assembly in Seoul.They have agreed to promote the launch of lending products th
Nov. 27, 2015
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Massive hepatitis C infection in Korea caused by reused syringes
A total of 71 South Koreans are confirmed to have been infected with hepatitis C caused by reused syringes at a clinic in Seoul as of Friday, health authorities said. The Health Ministry said on Friday a medical doctor of Dana Hyeondae Clinic in Seoul’s Yangcheon-gu claimed he suffered from brain injuries since 2012 while admitting to having resused disposable needles during blood donations that resulted in the massive hepatitis C infection. The Health Ministry is testing 2,268 more patients w
Social AffairsNov. 27, 2015
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[Editorial] Anti-mask bill
Some 30 Saenuri Party lawmakers, led by National Assembly Vice Speaker Jeong Kab-yoon, have proposed a bill to ban individuals from wearing masks or other face coverings during violent demonstrations. The legislative move was prompted by the violent protests in Gwanghwamun Plaza last weekend. A huge crowd of demonstrators from an array of civic groups and labor organizations gathered in the center of Seoul to protest the government’s push for state-authored history textbooks and labor market re
EditorialNov. 27, 2015
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LGD to spend W10tr on new plant
LG Display said Friday it would invest a whopping 10 trillion won ($8.7 billion) in building a new plant for organic light-emitting diode displays in Paju, Gyeongi Province. The firm’s recent investment plan is part of its initiative, which was announced in August, to invest 10 trillion won in projects to foster businesses for OLEDs along with liquid crystal displays over the next three years. The nation’s leading display manufacturer will first pour 1.84 trillion won into the construction of a
TechnologyNov. 27, 2015
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[Editorial] Worker motivation
At first glance, the World Talent Report 2015 released by the Institute for Management Development is encouraging, as it shows that Korea’s overall ability to develop, attract and retain talent has improved. Korea placed 31st among the 61 countries surveyed this year, up nine notches from 2014. Yet the elevation in the overall ranking offers little comfort, as the report sheds light on some of the serious problems Korea faces. One such problem is the worsening brain drain, which hurts Korea’s gl
EditorialNov. 27, 2015
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[David Ignatius] Three Middle East unsung heroes
If you’re cringing this Thanksgiving at the homicidal youth gang that calls itself the Islamic State, you might consider the narratives of three young people in the Middle East who are trying to make a positive difference. The killers and fanatics may get the headlines, but these three represent an untold part of the story.One is an Egyptian journalist who bravely investigated the growth of extremism and official corruption in the Sinai Peninsula. The threat there became obvious to the world las
ViewpointsNov. 27, 2015
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KB Financial pledges to become fintech pioneer
KB Financial Group vowed on Friday to broaden the scope of its technology-based services to lead the country’s financial technology industry. It said in a press release that “KB Starters Valley,” a project to foster promising fintech start-ups launched in March, is now on track, attracting wide attention from the financial and fintech industry scene. The project is aimed at providing a total fostering solution for selective fintech start-ups, such as offering office space, investment relations
Nov. 27, 2015
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Seoul shares end flat amid lack of leads
South Korean stocks closed nearly flat Friday as investors took a wait-and-see approach amid an absence of market-moving news. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 1.69 points, or 0.08 percent to 2,028.99. Trade volume was moderate at 469 million shares worth 3.93 trillion won ($3.41 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 429 to 386. Analysts said Seoul shares closed lower as investors awaited for other market-moving events, esp
Nov. 27, 2015
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KAI makes first delivery of fighter jets to the Philippines
Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, said Friday that it has made the first delivery of its multi-mission jets to the Philippines, further solidifying its status as an aircraft exporter. The two FA-50PH took off from Sacheon, 437 kilometers south of Seoul, to make the 2,482 kilometer "ferry flight" to the Philippines. The pair are expected to arrive at Clark Air Base on Saturday, KAI said. The ferry flight involves the planes being directly flown to their
DefenseNov. 27, 2015
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Hwang Sun-mi, deconstructed
An 11-year-old Hwang Sun-mi was a petite, bony girl prone to coughs, far from the kind of kid to get attention from teachers or fellow classmates at school. At her dilapidated, one-bedroom home near a U.S. army base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, she was not very important either. The second of five children in a poor family, she had to do chores around the house and look after three younger siblings as her parents toiled day and night to barely feed them. Hwang Sun-mi (Seoul International Bo
CultureNov. 27, 2015
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Top court confirms jail term for ruling party lawmaker
The nation's top court on Friday upheld a five-year jail term for a ruling party lawmaker for taking bribes from a railway parts supplier in exchange for business favors. The Supreme Court found Rep. Cho Hyun-ryong of the ruling Saenuri Party guilty of taking 160 million won ($146,000) from the head of Sampyo E&C between December 2011 and July 2014 in exchange for awarding the private company contracts. The 70-year-old lawmaker was also ordered to pay a fine of 60 million won and forfeit an ad
PoliticsNov. 27, 2015
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Weak exports impacting industrial output, investment: finance minister
Weak exports are starting to impact industrial output and business investment in South Korea, the country's top economic policymaker said Friday. Chairing the meeting of foreign economy-related ministers in Seoul, Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said outbound shipments in October plunged at the sharpest rate in more than two years. "This drop is beginning to cause problems in industrial output and investment," the official claimed. Last month, Asia's fourth-largest economy reported a 15.9 pe
Nov. 27, 2015
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Seoul shares nearly flat in late morning trade
South Korean stocks traded nearly flat late Friday morning as investors took a wait-and-see approach after the U.S. stock markets closed overnight for Thanksgiving. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 1.83 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,032.51 as of 11:20 a.m. Tech shares continued to trade bullish, with Samsung Electronics rising 0.37 percent and LG Display climbing 2.58 percent. Steelmakers traded mixed, with No. 1 POSCO remaining unchanged, while Korea Zinc moved up 0.55
Nov. 27, 2015
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Koreas agree to hold high-level talks next month
South and North Korea agreed Friday to hold high-level government talks next month as they are seeking to mend strained ties following a landmark deal in August on easing military tension.The two sides plan to hold vice-ministerial dialogue at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North's border city of the same name on Dec. 11, according to the Unification Ministry.They reached the agreement in marathon working-level talks that began a day earlier at the border village of Panmunjom."Agendas for
North KoreaNov. 27, 2015
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Around the hotels
‘Year-end Getaway’ at Conrad Seoul Don’t miss Conrad Seoul’s specially priced “Year-end Getaway” promotion. This offer features a wonderful night at Conrad Seoul, with the best views and most spacious rooms in the city. Celebrate your New Year with a getaway vacation with family, friends and loved ones. Conrad Seoul has the most spacious rooms among all five-star hotels in Seoul and is the only hotel that features two queen beds in a twin room. This package is available through March 31 next yea
FoodNov. 27, 2015
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Banks' bad loan ratio edges down in Q3
The bad loan ratio of South Korean banks inched down in the third quarter of this year from three months earlier on a fall in new soured loans, the financial watchdog said Friday. The ratio of bad loans extended by 17 banks came to 1.41 percent at the end of September, down 0.09 percentage point from the previous quarter, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. The bad loan ratio refers to the proportion of a bank's non-performing loans to their total lending. A debt that has been in ar
Nov. 27, 2015
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4 in 10 Koreans support stopping press from reporting destabilizing economic information: survey
Four out of 10 South Koreans believe that their government should be able to prevent media organizations from publishing information that could harm the country's economy, a U.S. survey showed.According to the Pew Research Center survey, South Koreans were less supportive of freedom of the press than their U.S. and European counterparts when it comes to reporting on economic issues that might destabilize the country's economy.While 40 percent of South Koreans were in favor of restricting publica
Nov. 27, 2015
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KOSPI fares well this year: data
South Korea's stock market has shown a decent performance this year compared with global peers, rebounding from the previous year's slide, data showed Friday.The KOSPI, the country's benchmark index, had risen 4.9 percent this year as of Wednesday, standing at seventh out of the world's 20 major markets in terms of return, according to the data compiled by market researcher FnGuide.Last year, Asia's fourth-largest economy was ranked 19th out of 20 by logging a 4.8 percent fall."South Korean stoc
Nov. 27, 2015
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Foreign investors remain cool on Korean stocks
Foreign investors remain reluctant to put more money into tech behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. and other big-cap South Korean firms despite the companies' concerted efforts to promote shareholder value and streamline governance structure, market watchers say.Foreigners' lukewarm attitude runs counter to analysts' rosy expectations that major firms' recent announcements of stock buyback plans and other reform measures would help ease the so-called Korea discount, or offshore investors' undervalu
Nov. 27, 2015
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Travel bits
Ride on Korail’s Oriental ExpressKorail Tourism Development is launching a package featuring the luxurious “Eastern & Oriental Express,” a train that runs on the 1,943 kilometer-long international railway.The rail ride will pass through Bangkok, Penang and Singapore, boasting a spectacular view of Southeast Asia.Trains will be departing on Dec. 25, Jan. 3 and 26 and Feb 7, 16, and 25. Visitors will depart from the Incheon International Airport via airplane and arrive at the Bangkok International
TravelNov. 27, 2015