Most Popular
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
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K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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Pianist Lim Yunchan double winner at Gramophone Awards
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[Reporter’s Notebook] Was Netflix film opening BIFF really a bad thing?
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Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military
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N. Korean leader's sister derides Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 missile as 'useless'
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S. Korea, US clinch 2026-30 defense cost-sharing deal in pre-election push
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[Editorial] Multicultural students
Figures released by the Education Ministry last week showed the number of children from multicultural families attending elementary, middle and high schools across the country stood at 82,536 as of April, accounting for 1.4 percent of all students. This represents a 21.7 percent increase from a year earlier. In particular, more than 2 percent of elementary school pupils had multicultural backgrounds. The number of multicultural students is set to continue to rise sharply, with about 5 percent of
EditorialAug. 31, 2015
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Easy driving test attracts Chinese
Acquiring a Korean driver’s license has become a new phenomenon among an increasing number of Chinese tourists here in recent years, a lawmaker‘s report showed Monday.According to Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the Saenuri Party, the number of Chinese nationals obtaining Korean driver’s licenses surged to about 4,700 last year, jumping by 30-fold in two years. The rate of car accidents involving foreigners also rose by 2.6 times to nearly 2,000, the report said. A driver’s license test agency is crowded w
Social AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Korea tops 10% of China’s import market
The share of Korean products in China’s import market exceeded 10 percent for the first time, thanks to the growing demand for Korean semiconductors, the Korea International Trade Association said Monday.China is Korea’s largest trade partner, accounting for a quarter of its entire exports at $82.8 billion in the first half of 2015. China’s import market was sized at $775.8 billion between January and June, about a 19.1 percent fall from the same period last year.According to a KITA report, Kore
IndustryAug. 31, 2015
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Hite Jinro products enter Dubai airport duty-free store
Hite Jinro liquor products have entered the duty-free stores at Dubai International Airport, company officials said Monday.The company’s soju products, Ilpoom Jinro and Chamisul, will be sold in the liquor section along with premium alcohol products around the world.Ilpoom Jinro is a premium soju product made with unadulterated distilled rice liquid and aged in oak for over 10 years. Hite Jinro‘s Ilpoom Jinro and Chamisul sold in duty-free stores in Dubai International Airport. Hite JinroIlpoom
IndustryAug. 31, 2015
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EXO to drop its first Japanese single
(OSEN)Popular boy group EXO is set to make its official debut in Japan on Nov. 4. EXO said Saturday at the Japanese music festival “A-nation” in Yanmar Stadium, Osaka, that it would drop a Japanese single next month, according to SM Entertainment. The group debuted in South Korea with “What Is Love” in January 2012, and released many hit songs, including “Growl,” “Overdose,” “Love Me Right” and “Call Me Baby.”EXO is set to hold concerts for its “EXO PLANET #2 - The EXO’luXion” tour in Japan on N
Aug. 31, 2015
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Military deserters down 40% in three years
The number of South Korean servicemen who deserted from the military has steadily declined by more than 40 percent over the past three years, a report said Monday, reflecting ongoing efforts to improve barrack lives. According to the report submitted by the High Court for Armed Forces to Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, 415 people broke barracks last year, up about 41.4 percent from 708 in 2011. The annual figures have been nudging downward, albeit w
DefenseAug. 31, 2015
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A river runs through Pyeongchang
PYEONGCHANG, Gwangwon Province -- The morning light reflects off the surface of the Pyeongchanggang River glittering with the sound of the flowing water echoing in the quiet atmosphere.As the county’s main event -- a buckwheat blossom festival commemorating the 1930s writer Lee Hyo-seok -- is about to kick off this week attracting visitors to its vast field of white flowers, this river and its water valleys will also be filled with avid fly fishers.Fly fishing in Pyeongchang River (Park Hyong-ki
TravelAug. 31, 2015
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Unification minister not to attend Russia forum
Seoul's point man on North Korea will not attend an upcoming forum in Russia as Pyongyang has not indicated its willingness to hold talks there, government officials said Monday. Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo was considering attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok this week but dropped the plan as North Korea has not confirmed the participation of its foreign trade minister, Ri Ryong-nam, in a trilateral session also involving Russia, one official said on condition of anonymit
North KoreaAug. 31, 2015
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Koreas to discuss ways on holding separated family reunion on regular basis
The Unification Ministry said Monday that next week South and North Korea plan to discuss ways to hold reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on a regular basis. In a landmark deal, the two Koreas agreed last week to resume the much-anticipated reunions of separated families on the occasion of Korea's fall harvest holiday slated for September. The family reunions have not been held since early 2014. Officials from the two Korea's Red Cross are scheduled to have working-level
North KoreaAug. 31, 2015
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Park's approval rating jumps to yearly high
President Park Geun-hye's job approval rating hit the highest level this year following a deal that defused military tensions with North Korea, a poll showed Monday. A poll released by polling agency Realmeter showed 49.2 percent approved of the job Park is doing, up 8.2 percentage points from a week earlier. Those who disapproved of Park's job performance came to 45.4 percent, down 8.8 percentage points from a week earlier. Last week, a separate poll conducted by polling agency Gallup Korea
PoliticsAug. 31, 2015
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Industrial lending growth slows in Q2
The amount of loans extended to industries by local banks continued to rise in the second quarter, but its pace of growth slowed due mainly to a fall in lending to manufacturers and builders, data showed Monday. Outstanding loans to local companies totaled 911.8 trillion won ($770.6 billion) in the April-June period, breaking the 900 trillion-won mark for the first time, according to the data by the Bank of Korea. From three months earlier, the amount increased 12.3 trillion won, slowing from
IndustryAug. 31, 2015
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S. Korea cements presence in China's import market
South Korea expanded its presence in China's import market in the first half of the year thanks to strong demand for its semiconductors and consumer goods, data showed Monday. China, the world's No. 2 economy, imported $82.8 billion worth of South Korean products in the January-June period, which accounted for 10.7 percent of Beijing's total imports valued at $775.8 billion, according to the data by the Korea International Trade Association. The comparable figures were 9.3 percent for the same
Aug. 31, 2015
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Samsung to join forces with gov't for 'smart factories'
Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it has agreed with the commerce ministry to provide smaller firms with more efficient production facilities in line with government efforts to promote shared growth between big businesses and them. Under the plan, the two will invest 15 billion won ($12.6 million) each to share various production solutions and promote what they call "smart factories," which are defined as facilities where all procedures are done in the most efficient way. Samsung said it plan
IndustryAug. 31, 2015
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LG to showcase luxury smartwatch in Germany at IFA
South Korea's No. 2 tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Monday it will showcase an upgraded edition of the LG Watch Urbane, its flagship smartwatch, at an electronics show slated to be held in Germany next month. The LG Watch Urbane Luxe, which will be showcased at the Internationale Funkausstellung held in Berlin from Sept. 4, will boast a gold body and crocodile-skin strap, the company said. The price tag on the device is US$1,200, and will be sold on a limited basis with only 500 units ava
IndustryAug. 31, 2015
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S. Korea resumes search for remains of war dead
South Korea's military launched another round of massive excavation work Monday in search of remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. More than 40,000 troops from 14 units will be mobilized for the months-long project, a team in charge of the operation at the Defense Ministry said. They will excavate two dozen sites across the country including the Suribong area in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. Nicknamed "Bloody Ridge Line," it was a Korean War battlefield where around 20,000 Sout
DefenseAug. 31, 2015
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Ex-Seo Taiji and Boys member under probe for fraud
Lee Juno, a member of the defunct boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, is under investigation for fraud, local news outlets reported Monday. Seo Taiji and Boys was one of the biggest acts of the 1990s, and Lee’s colleagues -- Seo Taiji and Yang Hyun-suk -- have since become major players in the local entertainment industry.According to reports, Lee borrowed 100 million won ($85,000) from an acquaintance, but failed to repay the debt, leading the lender to file a criminal complaint against the singer-pro
Social AffairsAug. 31, 2015
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Number of firms on antitrust watch list unchanged in Aug.
The number of business group affiliates subject to restrictions on mutual investments and loan guarantees remained unchanged in August compared with a month earlier, the antitrust watchdog said Monday. The Fair Trade Commission said the number of firms on its watch list came in at 1,674 this month, as nine conglomerate affiliates were added while nine were removed. The companies belong to the country's 61 largest business groups. Six business groups, including LG, Lotte and Shinsegae, had more
Aug. 31, 2015
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Biz lobbies demand labor reform for job creation, sustainable growth
South Korea's business community said Monday that labor reform to establish a "fair" and "flexible" employment market cannot be delayed further in order to create jobs for future generations and ensure sustainable economic growth. The demand comes as long-stalled negotiations will likely resume after the Federation of Korean Trade Unions recently decided to resume dialogue with the government and management on labor market reforms. "Labor reform to create a fair and flexible labor market is th
Aug. 31, 2015
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Ailing Daewoo Shipbuilding pushing for restructuring
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., South Korea's No. 2 shipbuilder, is pushing for a massive restructuring drive next month, including the sale of assets worth up to 400 billion won ($339.1 million), as it struggles to recover from huge losses, industry sources said Monday. Assets likely to be sold off include two office buildings in Seoul and a golf course just outside the capital city, according to the sources. The shipyard will also downsize its operations by shedding 30 per
IndustryAug. 31, 2015
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Park gives appointment letter to new health minister
President Park Geun-hye presented letters of appointment to the new health minister and the new chief of South Korea's human rights watchdog, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. The ceremony took place six days after Chung Chin-youb, a professor at Seoul National University hospital, won parliamentary approval as the new health minister. The Health Ministry was under fire for its poor response to the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, which has killed 36 South Koreans. On July 28, South Kor
PoliticsAug. 31, 2015