Most Popular
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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Samsung tightens its belt amid crisis winds
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Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
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North Korean trash balloons cross border day after Seoul military parade
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Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Court confirms sentence for rapper who attempted to evade national service
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N. Korea may revoke 1991 Inter-Korean Basic Agreement in parliament: Seoul
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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[Kim Seong-kon] Understanding uniquely American things
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German president hopes for Korean unification
German President Joachim Gauck urged Korea last week not to relinquish hope for national unification, providing hindsight based on Germany’s transformative developments since the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago.Gauck arrived in Seoul on Oct. 11 for his first presidential trip to East Asia to mark the 25th anniversary of German reunification. He held meetings with Korean diplomatic, political, business and civil communities during his four-day stay. Elected as the 11th head of state in March
Foreign AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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South African film shines light on apartheid
“Apartheid,” a system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, meant “the state of being apart,” literally “apart-hood” in Afrikaans. Following the creed enforced by the country’s then-governing political group the National Party, apartheid separated the multiethnic state, communities and families of South Africa, gating white privilege while downgrading black and minority rights. The South African embassy, in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Association, held a film screen
Foreign AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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Bulgarian idol singer expounds hallyu boom
Miryan Kostadinov, 23, is a Bulgarian singer, songwriter and guitarist with ambitions bigger than life. A popular idol singer in his country, he wants to be a global pop star with songs he composed. Last year, he appeared on national television show “X Factor,” a music contest among aspiring artists similar to “American Idol,” where he had already finished sixth place. Capitalizing on the success, he signed a gentlemen’s agreement with indie-pop label Homeovox Music. Bulgarian singer, songwriter
Foreign AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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[Newsmaker] German politician stabbed in 'racist' attack
A German mayoral candidate active in helping refugees was seriously wounded on Saturday in what police described as a stabbing with a “racist, political” motive, heaping further pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel over the migrant crisis. The German leader expressed her “shock” over the attack in the western city of Cologne which left mayoral hopeful Henriette Reker with serious neck wounds. The stabbing comes as Merkel prepares to travel to Istanbul on Sunday for talks on the crisis with Turki
Foreign AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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Spain marks national day amid economic recovery
The Spanish embassy last Monday marked its national day ― “Fiesta Nacional de Espana” ― within a scope of deepening engagement with Korea over trade, tourism, investment and culture. The holiday, which falls on Oct. 12, celebrates Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the Americas in 1492. This year is also the 65th anniversary of established ties between Madrid and Seoul in diplomacy. Spanish Ambassador Gonzalo Ortiz (left) raises his glass with his wife Ana Ortiz and daughter Laura Ortiz at the
Foreign AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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1 in 10 Korean women in their 20s smoke: study
About 10 percent of Korean women in their 20s are smokers, accounting for the largest portion of all female smokers in South Korea, a government study showed Sunday. While Korean women’s smoking prevalence rates are quite low compared to other developed nations, research findings show that the rates may rise in the future if young women in their 20s as well as female teenagers continue to smoke as they grow older, according to the government report. As of last year, only 4.3 percent of all Kor
Social AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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Mobile carriers to start preorders for iPhone 6s
South Korea's three mobile carriers plan to start preorders for the latest iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus this week, industry sources said Sunday, a move that may cause a dent in sales of high-end models from local brands Samsung and LG, according to Yonhap News. SK Telecom Co., KT Corp., and LG Uplus will begin preorders Monday, ahead of the official release slated for Friday at both online and offline shops, the report said. While the mobile carriers earlier planned to start preorders last week
Latest NewsOct. 18, 2015
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Korean retailers see sales increase 20.7% on Black Friday
South Korean retailers witnessed a whopping sales increase for the first two weeks of October as they joined the nationwide consumption-promoting campaign, data showed Sunday, according to a report.The 22 retailers that joined the Black Friday Korea campaign saw their sales increase by a total 719.4 billion won ($634.9 million), or 20.7 percent, on-year over the cited period, data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy showed, Yonhap News reported.The government and large retail
Latest NewsOct. 18, 2015
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(Photo News) Asiana Airlines' social contribution
Asiana Airlines CEO Kim Soo-cheon (second from left) participates in a rice reaping event with the flag carrier employees and residents at a farm village in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, Saturday. (Asiana Airlines)
IndustryOct. 18, 2015
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Banks clench fists for account switching system
(123RF)The first-tier financial institutions are gearing up to make the best of a golden opportunity to attract a large number of individual customers, as the bank account switching system is scheduled to take effect on Oct. 30. Pledging to enhance the country’s financial sector by nudging the industry into stronger competition in 2013, policymakers announced that bank customers would be allowed to switch banks without having to adjust their deposit withdrawals. Some critics, however, do not for
Oct. 18, 2015
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Korean TV networks move to oust discrimination against gender, race
In 2012, South Korea’s public broadcaster MBC sparked outrage among international viewers when it aired a segment of two Korean female comedians in blackface on its comedy show “Three Wheels.” The show received mounting criticism, mostly from overseas viewers, who claimed the particular scene was blatantly racist. The producer of the show eventually offered a public apology, explaining the two women were simply parodying Michol -- a black male character featured in Korea’s hugely popular 1987 TV
Social AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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Two Koreas ready to resume family reunions
Nearly 400 South Koreans will gather in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Monday, a day before they travel across the border into the North to reunite with family members they have been separated from since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.South Korea`s Red Cross workers check wheelchairs at a hotel in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, on Sunday. (Yonhap)At Hanwha Resorts, a total of 394 people will be briefed on an array of issues including details about the reunions at Mount Geumgangsan, their health care an
North KoreaOct. 18, 2015
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Court says no statute of limitations on illegal naturalization
South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled that the nationality law that allows the state to cancel an illegal naturalization process regardless of the date on which it was conducted is constitutional, officials said Sunday.Clause 21 of the country’s Nationality Act states that the Justice Minister is entitled to nullify naturalization if it was based on a lie or an illegal act. It does not state the statute of limitations for the nullification.In February, a Chinese-Korean man surnamed Yang chall
Social AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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graphic - translation
Controversy is escalating over lowering the minimum age for criminal punishment after the suspect of the recent “Cat Mom” case was found to be a nine-year-old boy. Under the current law, offenders under 10 cannot be prosecuted. Those between 10 and 13 can only be subject to punitive measures that include community service and long-term or short-term probationary periods. According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, tens of thousands of juveniles annually face criminal punishments. Earlier this
Social AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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Concerns over airpower vacuum rise
Concerns are escalating over a possible airpower vacuum in South Korea as the country’s warplane acquisition is not faring well with difficulties in procuring key technologies from the U.S. and the aging fighter fleet.Last week, Washington reiterated its position against Seoul’s call for the technological transfer, foreshadowing a potential delay in Seoul’s ambitious project to develop an indigenous fighter jet, which is already more than a decade behind schedule.For the South’s Air Force, the p
DefenseOct. 18, 2015
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Park faces tasks after U.S. trip
President Park Geun-hye returned to Seoul on Sunday from her four-day trip to the U.S. with a set of diplomatic achievements such as obtaining Washington’s stronger commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization and its support for her initiatives for unification and regional peace.President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong after her arrival at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday. (Yonhap)Her trip also helped ease the growing impression that Seo
Foreign AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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Artificial island to be built for endangered species
An artificial island will be built in Incheon to better protect endangered birds, officials said Sunday.The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority said it would construct an 8,900-square-meter-large artificial island in the wetland preservation district in Songdo, Incheon, by late 2018 as part of its efforts to protect internationally endangered bird species. About 5.8 billion won ($5.13 million) will be injected. The wetland in Songdo has served as a habitat and resting place for birds, especiall
Oct. 18, 2015
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Visa fee exemption extended for Chinese tourists
The temporary visa fee exemption for Chinese tourists will be further extended, officials said Sunday. The Justice Ministry said it would offer the visa fee waiver for Chinese tourists until the end of this year. As part of efforts to revive the Middle East respiratory syndrome-hit tourism industry, the ministry had temporarily exempted the visa fee waiver for Chinese visitors from July to September, and extended the measure to October. In order to get a visa, Chinese visitors usually pay $15. “
Social AffairsOct. 18, 2015
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[Editorial] In unison
President Park Geun-hye’s trip to the U.S. last week seems to have attained some of its goals, including awakening Americans and the international community to the urgent need to tackle North Korea and assuring them South Korea is not seeking close relations with China at the expense of its ties with the U.S. North Korea always tops the agenda in summits between South Korean and U.S. leaders, and the Park-Obama meeting was no exception. It is noticeable, however, that they adopted the first-ever
EditorialOct. 18, 2015