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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Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military
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Pianist Lim Yunchan double winner at Gramophone Awards
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S. Korea, US clinch 2026-30 defense cost-sharing deal in pre-election push
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[Reporter’s Notebook] Was Netflix film opening BIFF really a bad thing?
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N. Korean leader's sister derides Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 missile as 'useless'
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Skin care start-up crowdfunds its way to global fans
Korean hardware start-up WayWearable is aiming to take K-beauty to the world with a smart skin care device that helps women in their daily life.And it has found sufficient reason to believe it can: Its debut product, WAY, used crowdfunding on global platform Indiegogo in May and June to raise over $120,000 from fans in 44 countries ― 243 percent of what it asked for, before the product even hit mass production. “K-beauty is hot nowadays. We would like to create a new movement blending K-beauty a
TechnologyAug. 20, 2015
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K-Performance poll underway to pick the most favored show
(Official website of K-performance)K-Performance, the Korea Tourism Organization’s one-stop platform for Korean performance tourism, is currently collecting votes on the Korean performance you want to watch the most.Both Koreans and foreigners may cast their votes in the month-long online poll titled "Vote, Korea Performance in Seoul." Participants have only to make a choice from the list of seven highly acclaimed nonverbal Korean performances after accessing the event link. The seven shows are
PerformanceAug. 20, 2015
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Doosan Group adopting wage peak system
Doosan Group, a major South Korean conglomerate, said Thursday it will implement the so-called wage peak system in all its units starting next year, becoming the first local business group to do so.The new wage system calls for employees to accept a reduced salary in exchange for working until the retirement age set by the company. The government is pushing public and private companies to adopt the system in an effort to help alleviate high youth unemployment.According to group officials, a majo
Aug. 20, 2015
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Ex-Korean Air pilots sue over 'unfair' training cost burden
Former pilots of Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's largest flag carrier, have filed a suit to retrieve money "unjustly" taken by the company related to flight training, the airline's labor union said Thursday.Three former pilots, each of whom had worked at Korean Air for six years, filed the suit in April with the Seoul Southern District Court, according to the union. Four others later joined the lawsuit.They are claiming that the training expenses they had to pay back to the company before le
Social AffairsAug. 20, 2015
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S. Koreans going abroad jump amid drop in foreign visitors: data
South Korean overseas tourists surged nearly 20 percent on-year in the first seven months of 2015 on favorable exchange rates and cheaper airfare, with the number of inbound tourists falling due to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, official data showed Thursday.According to the data provided by the Tourism Knowledge and Information System, outbound travelers totaled 10.82 million in the January-July period, up 19.4 percent from the same period a year earlier.The sharp increase surpa
Aug. 20, 2015
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Samsung heir meets IOC chief over 2018 Winter Olympics
Lee Jae-yong, the heir apparent of Samsung Group, has met with the head of the International Olympic Committee to discuss cooperation for the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in South Korea, industry sources said Thursday.Samsung Electronics Co., the group's flagship unit, is an official sponsor for the games under its agreement with the IOC that will run through 2020.During their meeting, IOC President Thomas Bach wished for the recovery of Lee Kun-hee, the de facto head of the Samsung empire, w
Olympic GamesAug. 20, 2015
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Samsung debuts new phablets in S. Korea
Samsung Electronics Co. rolled out its new phablets in South Korea Thursday, the latest effort by the world's top smartphone maker to rev up its sluggish smartphone business.The Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+ were first showcased in New York last week. The cross between a smartphone and a tablet will arrive in the North American market Friday, and in China, Japan and other major countries on Aug. 28.The factory price of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ stands at 939,400 won ($794.42) here, while that
TechnologyAug. 20, 2015
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'Cultural enrichment' key to Park's second-half agenda
When President Park Geun-hye returned to work early this month following her five-day vacation here, she vowed to put cultural enrichment at the top of her agenda for the second half of her presidency.On Saturday, she once again emphasized the importance of cultural enrichment in her Liberation Day address, calling it one of the two growth engines that will lead the country's economic leap, along with her flagship policy, dubbed the "creative economy," aimed at turning creative ideas into real b
PoliticsAug. 20, 2015
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Park's push makes headway in reviving the economy
President Park Geun-hye's administration has made meaningful headway in revitalizing the economy in the face of challenges over the past two and a half years, although tough challenges lie ahead, local observers say.Days before Park's halfway point in her five-year term in office on Aug. 25, economists pointed out that while lofty goals set at the outset have yet to be fully met, the administration has been consistent in its push for reforms, with some gains having already been made in the realm
Aug. 20, 2015
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Park balances U.S., China in diplomacy, Japan still challenge
Halfway into her five-year tenure, President Park Geun-hye is credited with improving South Korea's relations with China, while keeping the Seoul-Washington alliance robust, experts said Thursday.But her administration's diplomacy on Japan and efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula leave much to be desired, they added.Throughout his presidency, Park's predecessor Lee Myung-bak placed a notable emphasis on strengthening the alliance with the U.S. over ties with the neighboring China ami
PoliticsAug. 20, 2015
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Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation deal meets all legal requirements: CRS
The U.S.-South Korean civil nuclear cooperation agreement meets all requirements in U.S. law, the Congressional Research Service said.The agreement, which was signed in June, meets "all the terms of the Atomic Energy Act, and therefore could enter into force after a 30-day consultation period and a review period of 60 days of continuous sessions unless Congress enacted a joint resolution of disapproval," the CRS said in a report on nuclear cooperation with foreign countries.The assessment adds t
DefenseAug. 20, 2015
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U.S. launches anti-dumping investigation of S. Korean steel products
The U.S. trade watchdog has launched an anti-dumping investigation into allegations that South Korea and six other foreign countries sell hot-rolled steel flat products in the U.S. at unfairly low prices.The U.S. International Trade Commission posted a notice in the Federal Register saying it has instituted the investigation to determine whether the U.S. industry is harmed by "imports of certain hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey and the
Aug. 20, 2015
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Arrest warrant issued for president's brother-in-law
An arrest warrant for a former lawmaker and husband of President Park Geun-hye's cousin was issued Wednesday over bribery-taking suspicions, court officials said.The Uijeongbu District Court approved the arrest of the 77-year-old, identified only by his surname Yoon, citing fear of flight or destruction of evidence.Yoon is suspected of receiving tens of millions of won in 2013 from a then wanted suspect in a corruption case, known only by her family name Hwang, in order to cover up her tracks th
PoliticsAug. 19, 2015
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Drinking significant factor in domestic violence in South Korea
When Lee Tae-ho, a social worker at the National Child Protection Agency, last year visited a 7-year-old at his home upon request from his school teacher, nothing seemed too out of place at first. “My mother drinks a lot of water when she’s eating,” the child told him about his single mother. It didn’t take long for Lee to realize that the “water” was in fact the colorless Korean alcoholic beverage soju. Unemployed and depressed since her bitter divorce, the mother would drink about 20 bottles
Social AffairsAug. 19, 2015
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Expat comics to descend on Korea for stand-up contest
Expat comedians based across Asia will battle it out in the Korea International Comedy Competition next weekend.A follow-up of last summer’s Seoul International Comedy Competition, this year’s event will feature 13 performers based across Asia, including Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and Vietnam.In line with the name change, the contest has also moved location ― from Seoul to O’ Lounge in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Korea’s first expat comedy club.“My original plan was to always hold it in Seoul
Expat LivingAug. 19, 2015
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PSCORE to host rock show in aid of N.K. defectors
A rock concert in Itaewon will raise money for North Korean defectors Saturday. The concert is part of the Rock Out series of shows to raise money for People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE)’s North Korean Defector Education Fund. The fund pays for free tutoring for defectors.The lineup includes Wasted Johnny’s Luidistelo and Magna Fall. The show starts at 9 p.m. at Thunderhorse Tavern in Itaewon. There is a cover charge of 10,000 won, to go toward the PSCORE fund.(paulkerry@heraldco
Expat LivingAug. 19, 2015
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Camarata seeks young singers for kids’ choir
The Camarata Children's Choir performs at the Chungdong First Methodist Church in central SeoulCamarata Music Company is seeking young singers for its children’s choir in the fall session to begin at the end of this month.The Camarata Children’s Choir had over 40 children in the choir from more than 10 different countries for its spring session, and is seeking to grow in number and diversity.“It is a wonderful way for children to be exposed to music in a fun, stress-free setting, meet new friend
Expat LivingAug. 19, 2015
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Seoul Players seeks actors for 10 Minute Play Festival
The Seoul Players are holding auditions next weekend for the 5th Annual 10 Minute Play Festival, in November. The festival features 16 previously unperformed plays by writers inside and out of Korea, each lasting 10 minutes.Seoul Players is looking for actors of all types and there is no need to prepare an audition piece. “The festival provides an excellent performance opportunity without the extreme time commitments of other projects, and is a great time to try something new,” the troupe said i
Expat LivingAug. 19, 2015
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Free labor law seminar offered in Itaewon
Itaewon Global Village Center will host a free seminar on labor law for people on teaching, professional and entertainment visas on Aug. 29.Labor counsellor Song Jae-ho, who works at YIO Labor Law Office and offers labor law counseling for the center, will lead the seminar for those on E-2, E-6 and E-7 visas. The session will include an introduction on labor law in Korea, examples of frequent labor issues, and options for remedy.“The seminar will focus on basic labor rights and common complaints
Expat LivingAug. 19, 2015
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National Gugak Center offers traditional music classes
The National Gugak Center is offering a program of traditional music classes for foreigners this fall.There are courses available for three instruments: janggu, an hourglass shaped drum; haegum, a simple fiddle-like instrument; and gayageum, a 12-stringed zither. Beginner and intermediate level classes are offered for gayageum.Classes run at the center, near Bangbae Subway Station, on Saturday mornings from Aug. 19 to Nov. 28, Courses cost 70,000 won in total, with instruments provided for the c
Expat LivingAug. 19, 2015