Most Popular
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Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military
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S. Korea, US clinch 2026-30 defense cost-sharing deal in pre-election push
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Military aircraft evacuating S. Koreans in Lebanon returns home
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Concerns raised over chronic labor shortage at state-run center for digital sex crime victims
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BTS-themed moon jar to be unveiled on Hangeul Day
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Market uncertain on Korea's October rate cut despite slowed inflation
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Samsung unveils 'personalized AI' for all devices
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1,430 minors investigated for drug offenses from 2018 to 2023: police
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[Robert Fouser] Why the US election looks so close
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[Editorial] Brace for trouble
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Seoul police, Facebook sign agreement for missing-child alert
Police said Wednesday they have signed an agreement with the social network service Facebook to help find missing children through emergency alerts. It makes South Korea the fourth country to launch missing-child alerts with Facebook after the United States, Canada and the Netherlands. Under the agreement, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will send alerts, including detailed information on the missing child as well an outline of the incident, to the news feed of Facebook users who are near
Social AffairsJuly 22, 2015
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Seoul shares skid 0.91 pct on foreign selloff
South Korean stocks ended 0.91 percent lower Wednesday as foreigners dumped their holdings ahead of an upcoming Fed meeting, analysts said. The Korean won gained against the U.S. dollar after hitting a fresh two-year low in the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) tumbled 18.89 points to 2,064.73. Trading volume was significantly heavy at 1.1 billion shares worth 6.7 trillion won (US$5.8 billion), with decliners dwarfing gainers 548 to 256. Wednesday's trad
July 22, 2015
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[Graphic News] Abe approval ratings drop sharply over security bills
Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has fallen sharply amid the controversy over his push to expand the role of the military.Recent media polls put support for his Cabinet at the 35-40 percent range, the lowest since he took office in December 2012.In a survey published in the conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper, his government’s support rate dropped 6.8 percentage points to 39.3 percent while the disapproval rate rose 10.2 percentage points to 52.6 percent.The disapproval ra
World NewsJuly 22, 2015
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Former prime minister denies bribery charges
In the first hearing held Wednesday for a high-profile graft scandal involving a late business tycoon, former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo was not present, but his legal representatives there strongly denied his charges of allegedly receiving bribes.Questioned as to whether Lee also denies the fact that he had met the late businessman, however, Lee’s attorneys refused to answer, saying that they would reply in the next hearing. The hearing took place at Seoul Central District Court, over three mon
Social AffairsJuly 22, 2015
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Korea and Singapore: A look ahead to the next 40 years
This year’s August is a month of great significance to Singapore as well as Korea. The two countries will commemorate their 50th and 70th anniversary of independence respectively. In addition, this month includes another commemorative day for both countries -- Aug. 8, 1975, when diplomatic relations were formalized 40 years ago. Even though Korea had trade representative and consulate general offices in Singapore in the early 1970s, diplomatic relations only began some years later due to the
Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2015
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LG denies Google buyout rumor
LG Electronics on Wednesday denied rumors that U.S. search giant Google was mulling to acquire a 35 percent stake, worth 2.5 trillion won ($2.2 billion), in the company.According to the rumors, Google would acquire the stake in a block deal, but would not participate in the management despite becoming the largest shareholder. Inspite of the company’s denial, LG’s share price soared 14 percent in the morning. The closing price was 43,650 won, up 3.07 percent from the previous day. The share price
TechnologyJuly 22, 2015
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China spurns Japan's concern over South China Sea
China rejected fresh concerns raised by Japan over its reclamation projects in the South China Sea, insisting that such actions are within the scope of its sovereignty. In its annual defense paper released on Tuesday, Japan highlighted its concerns over China's large-scale land reclamation projects in the South China Sea, which is resource-rich and includes key shipping lanes. China claims sovereignty over nearly 90 percent of the South China Sea, worsening relations with neighbors such as the
World NewsJuly 22, 2015
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S. Korean nuclear envoy in Beijing for talks on N. Korea
South Korea's top nuclear envoy arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks on ways to help bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, Seoul diplomats said, amid fresh signs of tension as the North appears to be preparing to launch a long-range rocket. Hwang Joon-kook, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, on Thursday, diplomats said. Earlier in the day, a South Korean government
North KoreaJuly 22, 2015
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Singer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smoking marijuana
A Seoul court on Wednesday sentenced a male K-pop singer to 18 months in prison for smoking marijuana. The Seoul Western District Court handed down the sentence to Kang Min-ho, better known by his stage name E Sens, for smoking marijuana three times between September 2014 and March 2015 at his home and a parking lot in western Seoul. Kang was also ordered to pay a fine of 550,000 won ($476). He was not immediately reached for comment. The court said the nature of the crime is not minor, citi
Social AffairsJuly 22, 2015
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Father of celebrity chef under probe for sexual harassment
Baek Seung-tak, a former education superintendent and father of celebrity chef Baek Jong-won, was recently investigated on suspicion of sexually harassing a woman, the police said Wednesday. Baek, ex-chief of the South Chungcheong Provincial Office of Education, allegedly called a 20-something golf caddy outside a golf link in Daejeon and forcibly touched her breasts last month, according to the police. The 80-year-old reportedly denied the accusations during the police investigation. The Dae
Social AffairsJuly 22, 2015
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Envoy attacker additionally charged with security law violation
The man who slashed the top U.S. envoy here earlier this year was additionally charged Wednesday with siding with North Korea in violation of the National Security Law. Kim Ki-jong was originally accused of attempted murder, violence against a foreign envoy and business obstruction. Prosecutors, however, brought the additional charge during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. The law prohibits South Koreans from supporting or praising North Korea. Prosecutors said Kim attacked
Social AffairsJuly 22, 2015
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Park vows to support local startups' entry into China
President Park Geun-hye pledged Wednesday to help South Korean startups make inroads into the Chinese market, citing growing consumption in one of the world's fastest growing economies. China has become South Korea's largest trading partner, overtaking the United States. The innovation center in Incheon "will support local startups' entry into the Chinese market by putting in place a program designed to strengthen exchange and cooperation with China," Park said as she opened the latest innovat
July 22, 2015
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Green enthusiasts welcomed to adopt handcraft pandas
WWF Korea offers Korean supporters of art and nature an opportunity to adopt 14 special edition pandas of the “1600 Pandas+ World Tour,” created in collaboration with French handcrafted papier-mâché artist Paulo Grangeon, Korean calligrapher Kang Byung-in, and installation artist Rho Dongsik. (AMHERST)WWF Korea has invited art lovers here to “adopt” 14 adorable pandas from the world-famous “1600 Pandas+ World Tour,” an auction event to honor Korean cultural heritage and support sustainability th
July 22, 2015
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S. Korea to build two new nuclear reactors by 2029
South Korea unveiled a new 15-year power supply plan Wednesday that calls for the construction of two new nuclear reactors to meet the country's growing demand for electricity. Under the so-called basic plan for power supply, the country will build two new nuclear reactors by 2029, bringing the total number of nuclear reactors here to 36, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The country currently operates 24 nuclear reactors, with 10 others that are or will soon be under co
Social AffairsJuly 22, 2015
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Seoul OKs civic group‘s NK visit for talks on joint anniversary
The Unification Ministry on Wednesday approved a South Korean civic group's request to visit North Korea this week to discuss preparations for a joint event for the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule. The North's preparatory group for a joint anniversary proposed to its South Korean counterpart on Monday that the two sides meet in the North's border city of Kaesong on Thursday to discuss preparations for a joint anniversary event on Liberation Day, which falls on A
North KoreaJuly 22, 2015
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Finance minister urges quick passage of extra budget
South Korea's finance minister called on lawmakers Wednesday to pass an extra budget quickly to help cushion the fallout of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and economic uncertainties. The government submitted the 11.2 trillion-won ($10.3 billion) supplementary budget plan to the parliament for approval on July 6, with policymakers initially expressing hope it would be passed by July 20. Rival parties have failed to see eye to eye on the budget's size, raising worries that it may not be passed
July 22, 2015
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Hyundai Motor to determine interim dividend this week
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, is expected to determine the amount of its first-ever interim dividend payout this week, the latest in a series of measures to appease shareholders, industry sources said Wednesday. The amount and timetable for its interim dividend payout will be determined during a board meeting to be held in the middle of this week, according to the sources. This would mark the first time for Hyundai Motor to deliver interim dividend to its shareholders, in li
IndustryJuly 22, 2015
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S-Oil‘s Q2 net soars 531 pct on firm cracking margins
S-Oil Corp., South Korea's third-largest refiner, said Wednesday its second-quarter earnings rose more than six times from a year ago as low crude oil prices helped sustain cracking margins. Net income came in at 430.53 billion won ($373.59 million) in the April-June period, up 531.1 percent from 68.2 billion won from a year earlier, S-Oil said in a regulatory filing. Sales, however, declined 30.7 percent on-year to 5.14 trillion won, while operating profit swung to a profit of 613 billion wo
IndustryJuly 22, 2015
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BOK governor voices concern on MERS-hit tourism industry
South Korea's top central banker on Wednesday raised worries that the local tourism industry is unlikely to recover quickly from the impact of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, a setback that may hamper growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy. "The decline in foreign tourists was seen as one of the biggest factors that have lowered second-quarter GDP," Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said in a regular meeting with economists and economics professors, noting that overseas tour
July 22, 2015
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N. Korea erects extended long-range missile launch pad
The Unification Ministry on Wednesday approved a South Korean civic group's request to visit North Korea this week to discuss preparations for a joint event for the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule. The North's preparatory group for a joint anniversary proposed to its South Korean counterpart on Monday that the two sides meet in the North's border city of Kaesong on Thursday to discuss preparations for a joint anniversary event on Liberation Day, which falls on
North KoreaJuly 22, 2015