Most Popular
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Seoul, Tokyo reboot joint maritime resource talks after 40-year freeze
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Host of Miss Korea apologizes for 'inappropriate question' about deepfake
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Korea to face another massive shortfall in tax revenue
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Who's lying? Hybe vs. Min conflict continues to intensify
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[Contribution] Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence
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[Photo news] Faker Mercedes
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Seoul should engage Kim Jong-un’s elites for change, ex-North Korean diplomat says
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SK hynix outpaces Samsung, Micron with more powerful AI chips
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Power of nostalgia brings K-pop legends back together
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North Korea unveiling uranium enrichment site a US election-conscious move: NIS
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[Kim Seong-kon] The mud snail bride and AI
South Korea is known for its cutting-edge technology. Strangely, however, despite the pervasiveness of innovative technology in most spheres of life here, electronic books are not thriving in Korea. Publishers are reluctant to invest in e-books because they still consider print to be a cash cow. Artificial intelligence is another thing that Koreans are not accustomed to yet. When a Korean Go master was defeated by AI a few weeks ago, the public took it as a sudden, serious threat, as if AI had a
ViewpointsMay 17, 2016
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[Lewis Diuguid] Next U.S. president will inherit unfinished wars
A few years ago Afghanistan became the longest war in United States history. This month, President Barack Obama passed all other presidents for being at war longer than any other.That sad date was May 6. Obama still has eight months left before he finishes his second term.Obama had pledged to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when he was elected in 2008 as the first African-American president in U.S. history. He has been able to accomp
ViewpointsMay 17, 2016
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[Editorial] Breathing dust
A recent environmental survey released by Yale University and Columbia University shocked us by showing that Korea is one of the most polluted countries in the world.The 2016 Environmental Performance Index places Korea near the bottom of the world in terms of air quality -- 173rd out of the 180 countries surveyed. Korea scored 45.51 out of 100.The index evaluates how countries of the world protect ecosystems and human health from environmental harm based on 20 indicators, including air quality,
EditorialMay 17, 2016
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[Editorial] Fate of HMM
This week is a make-or-break time for Hyundai Merchant Marine, Korea’s second-largest shipper. To stay afloat, the troubled company has to successfully complete its negotiations with foreign ship owners on cutting charter fees. Last month, creditors agreed to restructure HMM’s debt on condition that the struggling shipper persuaded its ship owners to reduce charter fees by up to 30 percent. The deadline for the negotiations is Friday. HMM operates a total of 116 vessels, of which 83 have been l
EditorialMay 17, 2016
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S. Korea to abolish alternative military service by 2022
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it plans to gradually abolish the military’s special rule that allows the conscripted to provide alternate services in lieu of mandatory military service from 2020 to 2022.The plans for the phaseout are due to the country’s dwindling population.“The military speculates that there will be an annual shortage of 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers (by 2023), even considering that the military will be downsized to around 520,000 by then,” said a ministry official.As
DefenseMay 17, 2016
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Chun denies responsibility for May 18 civilian deaths
South Korea’s former president Chun Doo-hwan claimed that he had never ordered the Army to shoot at protesters during the pro-democracy uprising in Gwnangju in 1980, denying his responsibility for the most violent crackdown in the nation’s modern history. According to the report published on Tuesday by monthly news magazine Shindonga, the 85-year-old former Army general said in the interview last month that it was “a ridiculous allegation” that he ordered the shooting against the protesters.“Who
PoliticsMay 17, 2016
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Homeplus officials summoned over disinfectant
The prosecution on Tuesday summoned two officials of Homeplus over the sales of toxic humidifier disinfectant, expanding the high-profile probe to other companies.Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it called in two officials of the retailer who were in charge of managing internal rules and customer service respectively while the company was selling the disinfectants. Of the total 221 victims officially confirmed by the government, 28 used Homeplus’ product, with 12 deaths, the prose
Social AffairsMay 17, 2016
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Seoul, Tokyo make headway on ‘comfort women’ fund: official
Despite persistent setbacks, Seoul and Tokyo made progress during a consultation Tuesday in their efforts to set up a foundation for the victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery, a senior official said. Chung Byung-won, director general for Northeast Asian affairs at the Foreign Ministry here, flew Monday to Tokyo for talks with Kimihiro Ishikane, director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Japan’s Foreign Ministry. Kimihiro Ishikane, director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Japan
Foreign AffairsMay 17, 2016
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U.S. drug for AIDS prevention to be reviewed for use in Korea
A Food and Drug Administration-approved HIV drug developed in the U.S. will be submitted for review in Korea to be used as a preventive medicine for people at high risk of infection, its developer Gilead Sciences said on Tuesday.The drug, named Truvada, is already being used in South Korea as part of treatment for patients with HIV here. The upcoming submission, which is scheduled to be made in the second half of this year, seeks to be recognized by the Korean Drug Ministry as “pre-exposure prop
Social AffairsMay 17, 2016
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Iran, UAE using N.K. ships in breach of U.N. bans: report
Some private companies from Iran, the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries were found to have been operating North Korean flag vessels in violation of the latest U.N. Security Council resolution, news reports said Tuesday. At least four ships -- including the Deniz, the Yekta and the Al Iman -- had been reflagged to the communist country since last year and making port calls at Iran, Iraq and Somalia in care of Iranian and UAE firms, Japan’s Kyodo News and the U.S.’ Voice of A
Foreign AffairsMay 17, 2016
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Navy assembles first homegrown submarine
South Korea’s military on Tuesday held a ceremony to formally start the assembly of its first domestically developed submarine, slated to be deployed in the 2020s.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the keel laying ceremony -- which officially recognizes the start of a ship’s construction -- for batch 1 of Jangbogo-III submarine was held by its builder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. The steel cutting ceremony for the vessel was held in November 2014.Daewoo had als
DefenseMay 17, 2016
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[News Focus] Activist song dispute shows deep political conflict
The repeated dispute over the activist commemorative song “March for Our Beloved” mirrors South Korea’s history of political confrontation, with the conservative repressing what they deem as rebellious ideology and the progressive lashing back against what they consider to be the ruling power’s dogmatism.This year, the dispute also appears to serve as a yardstick as to how much the presidential office is willing to step beyond its conventional frame and reach out to the political opposition.“The
PoliticsMay 17, 2016
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Ministry bans sales of seven toxic household products
The Environment Ministry announced Tuesday it will ban sales of seven household products that were found to contain toxic ingredients -- including those that were used in humidifier disinfectants -- and breached chemical content levels.The ministry said it has inspected a total of 331 products that have been distributed in the market since the second half of last year on their chemical safety. Seven of them were found to contain banned substances or exceed the permitted amount based on the Chemi
Social AffairsMay 17, 2016
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[Lee Jae-min] A more breathable Seoul
Seoul has undergone dramatic changes over the past decade. It has become one of the most popular destinations in Asia. City streets are filled with tourists and foreign students flock to Seoul’s universities to spend a semester or year or just to stay for the summer. Well, looking back on the past several years there is also one noticeable change, on the negative side. The air quality in the city has deteriorated significantly in a short time frame, and we have reached the point where checking t
ViewpointsMay 17, 2016
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[John M. Crisp] A good reason for Obama to visit Hiroshima
Everyone won’t agree on this, by any means, but I’m glad that President Barack Obama will be making a stop at Hiroshima during his imminent trip to Japan.I’m less concerned about whether such a visit would look like an apology to Japan than I am about our willingness to use the brutal deaths of many thousands of people as part of an argument, 71 years later, about who was right and who was wrong.That fact is, the mass destruction of a large civilian population, such as the one that occurred at H
ViewpointsMay 17, 2016
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Cymechs to develop AI robot with Singaporean company
Cymechs Inc., a producer of semiconductor robots, on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore’s Creative Robots to jointly develop artificial intelligence robots.Cymech CEO Bae Do-in said the two companies’ collaborative project, the revamped educational robot “Alpha,” will have more than 200 facial expressions, unlike its prototype that only transmitted information through a rectangular black-and-white display panel. Cymech CEO Bae Do-in (Cymech Website)Bae stressed the new A
TechnologyMay 17, 2016
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Pension, tax increase to stir debate over Korea’s social welfare
Korean politicians, economists and government officials are expected to engage in debates on whether to further increase workers’ monetary contribution to the country’s national pension, and increase taxes for sustainability.This comes as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recommended Asia’s fourth-largest economy to increase taxes and the social safety net pension system on expectations of growing social spending due to the aging population.However, observers say issues c
May 17, 2016
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Samsung acquires stakes in five start-ups in Q1
Samsung Electronics has newly acquired stakes in five start-ups in the first quarter of this year as part of its ongoing efforts to elevate its software prowess.According to its quarterly report filed Monday, the five firms include SensiFree (15.09 percent), Unispectral (7.76 percent), Zyomed (2.17 percent), Keyssa (2.06 percent) and Bot Home Automation (0.99 percent).Samsung’s digital city complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province (Samsung Electronics)Even though the total spending, worth about 10 bi
May 17, 2016
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Korean shares almost flat amid lack of leads
Korean stocks edged up Tuesday as losses by shipbuilders and automakers offset a rise in tech companies. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 0.01 percent, or 0.15 point, to close at 1,968.06. Trade volume was moderate at 590 million shares worth 5.41 trillion won ($4.61 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 467 to 342. The local stock market got off to a strong start following overnight gains on Wall Street, but earlier a
May 17, 2016
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Buyout giant KKR not eyeing ailing sectors in Korea: CEO
U.S. private equity giant KKR & Co. is not keen on investing in ailing sectors in Korea including shipbuilding and steel, its CEO said Tuesday.“We’ve avoided, not just in Korea but around the world, investing in steel or shipbuilding or auto companies mainly because of cyclical nature of those businesses,” said George Roberts, cochairman and co-CEO of KKR, at a press conference in Seoul.George Roberts, cochairman and co-CEO of U.S. private equity firm KKR, speaks during a press conference in Seo
May 17, 2016