Most Popular
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Who's lying? Hybe vs. Min conflict continues to intensify
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Seoul should engage Kim Jong-un’s elites for change, ex-North Korean diplomat says
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Most teen sex offenders get away with slap on wrist
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Ex-Trump official calls for S. Korea to raise defense spending to 3 or 3.5% of GDP
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Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon resignation
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Man sentenced to 1 year, 8 months for stealing from elementary school classrooms
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FM champions multilateralism, stresses S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state'
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Same-sex couple denied insurance clearance despite landmark ruling
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Panmunjom tours for select Korean nationals may resume in October
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Young Poong says no better offer for Korea Zinc
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North Korea demands face-to-face meeting with Nroth Korean restaurant defectors
North Korea, which from the outset accused Seoul of manipulating the flight of a group of North Korean restaurant workers, demanded on Thursday a face-to-face meeting between the defectors and their families to "clarify" their stance.The group of 13 North Koreans -- 12 female waitresses and one male manager -- defected from the same North Korea-run restaurant in China to South Korea in early April. North Korea has since claimed they were abducted by South Korea, demanding they be returned immedi
North KoreaApril 21, 2016
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[Graphic News] Slow progress of peak wage system
Four out of 10 Korean companies, which are supposed to adopt the peak wage system this year, have implemented the new wage scheme, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Thursday.Starting this year, companies that have more than 300 employees are required to introduce the peak wage system to share jobs with younger generations. According to the survey result released by the KCCI , 42.7 percent of 300 respondents adopted the system. In the peak wage system, employees get less pay from th
IndustryApril 21, 2016
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Korea voices concern over Abe's offering to war shrine
South Korea expressed concern Thursday over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, urging him to make efforts to develop a "future-oriented" bilateral relationship.Our government cannot help but express concern over the fact that he sent an offering again to the Yasukuni Shrine that glorifies the past colonial invasion and honors war criminals," Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said during a regular press briefing."We urge th
Foreign AffairsApril 21, 2016
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Fingerprint determines identity of slain Chinese woman: police
Police said Thursday they have been able to verify the identity of a Chinese woman found dead on South Korea's resort island of Jeju last week thanks to a fingerprint of her left index finger.Investigators at the Seogwipo Police Station said the fingerprint, about 1 centimeter and invisible to the naked eye, was lifted from the badly decomposed body of the woman, whose name has been withheld. The body of the dead woman, 22, was discovered by a man gathering bracken near a barley field in the cit
Social AffairsApril 21, 2016
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South Korean War dead reunited with kin 66 yrs after death in North Korea
The remains of a South Korean soldier killed in a northwestern North Korean town during the 1950-53 Korean War were reunited with family 66 years after his death and a posthumous journey to the United States, the defense ministry said Thursday.Pfc. Lim Byung-geun was one of 12 South Korean soldiers whose remains were accidentally excavated by a U.S. team that was repatriating its own Korean War dead in 2001. Under a mutual agreement with the North, the U.S. was excavating the site of the Changji
Foreign AffairsApril 21, 2016
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North Korea's grain production in 2015 down 11% from year before: FAO
North Korea's grain production last year decreased significantly mainly due to severe drought, a U.N. report said Thursday, resulting in a serious impact on food rations for ordinary citizens.According to the report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and carried by U.S.-based media Voice of America, North Korea's grain production, which is mostly rice, stood at 5.06 million tons last year. This is down 11 percent from 2014.The VOA said that in some areas of the communist country, the
North KoreaApril 21, 2016
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Korea to launch preparatory body for foundation for sex slaves
South Korea plans to launch a committee as early as next month to handle preparations for a foundation tasked with supporting South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, a government source said Thursday.The foundation is a centerpiece of last December's agreement under which the two countries agreed to settle their decades-long dispute over the so-called "comfort women." Tokyo apologized for the crime, acknowledged responsibility, and pledged to pay 1 billion yen ($9.1 million) into
Foreign AffairsApril 21, 2016
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Korea to sign Paris Agreement Friday
Some 150 countries including South Korea will sign a universal climate pact this week in a collective step towards the effectuation of last year's landmark deal, Seoul's ministries of foreign affairs and environment said Thursday.The U.N. will hold a high-level signing ceremony on Friday (New York time) for the so-called Paris Agreement adopted in December to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The signing is part of the process for countries to formally join the new pact.Environm
Foreign AffairsApril 21, 2016
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Korea‘s MSCI upgrade unlikely in two years: analyst
Korea may need to wait at least two years to get the Korea Exchange included in MSCI’s developed market index, an analyst at Mirae Asset Daewoo Securities said Thursday. Asia’s fourth-largest economy, an emerging market according to MSCI, was taken off the review list for a potential upgrade to developed market in 2014, with MSCI citing the “absence of any significant improvements in key areas negatively affecting accessibility.”“Getting back on the list for potential inclusion as developed mark
April 21, 2016
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Lotte Cinema to charge new rates
Following fellow cinema chain CGV, Lotte Cinema will stagger its ticket prices starting next Wednesday. Lotte Cinema had previously run discounted rates throughout the week for movies shown before 10:30 a.m. while on weekends after the morning discount hours it charged an extra 1,000 won (90 cents) on top of the regular fee. (Yonhap)Before, on weekday and weekend mornings before 10:30 a.m. the movies at Lotte Cinema were 6,000 won, weekdays after 10:30 a.m. they were 9,000 won and weekends after
Expat LivingApril 21, 2016
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[Editorial] Seoul-Tehran ties
While South Korea is pushing for expansion of trade with Iran, the latest government data shows that uncertainty continues to loom large. Despite the lifting of international sanctions in January, Korean exports to the Islamic republic have dropped.According to Korea Customs Service, exports to Iran were down 44.7 percent on-year in the first quarter, at $660 million.While it is premature to be disappointed with the lackluster export performance, given the huge expectations, there is a need to r
EditorialApril 21, 2016
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[Editorial] Law school woes
Law schools are likely to create controversy in society again amid allegations that irregular screening processes were used to select students at some universities.Social conflict could arise from a series of litigations from people who failed the bar exam, as the Ministry of Education is deciding whether to unveil the result of its full-fledged scrutiny of 25 law schools nationwide over possible admissions irregularities.One allegation is that some children of legal professionals entered law sc
EditorialApril 21, 2016
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Jeju murder suspect freed, investigation to continue
The suspect who had been arrested by the police on suspicion of murdering a Chinese woman whose body was found deserted on Jejudo Island was freed late Tuesday due to lack of evidence. The man had been a prime suspect as he had been a frequent visitor to the bar where the victim had worked. His cellphone showed records of text messages exchanged with the victim. He had also privately met with her at nighttime prior to her disappearance.(Yonhap)However, further police inquisition revealed the man
Social AffairsApril 21, 2016
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Effective relief for earthquake evacuees
More than 500 earthquakes have occurred since last Thursday, with focuses in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. Due to fear of aftershocks, over 90,000 people have vacated their homes and are huddled together in evacuation centers.It is important to provide relief and assistance needed by those affected swiftly and surely.Evacuation centers are packed with a greater number of residents than expected by local municipalities, and we see so many cases where it is impossible to accommodate all of them.
ViewpointsApril 21, 2016
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[Suthichai Yoon] Fintech replacing regular banks
“I think my successor as central governor will have to have an engineering or computer science degree to cope with this new global trend.”The suggestion was that an economics degree is probably no longer enough for financial and monetary regulators to cope with the coming disruption caused by the onrush of fintech, which threatens to sideswipe the unprepared.Thai central and commercial bankers alike are caught in a new dilemma over how (not whether) to embrace this new technological innovation t
ViewpointsApril 21, 2016
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[Rafia Zakaria] Colonial diamonds are not forever
Last November, a group of Indians filed a petition in a British court asking for the return of the famous Kohinoor diamond that sits ensconced in a crown in the Tower of London. The gem was part of the British plunder of the subcontinent, they held, and justice demanded that it be returned.As happens with anything the Indians do, the Pakistanis were not to be left behind. Within a month, a Pakistani barrister filed a petition in a British court, asking for the return of the diamond to Pakistan.
ViewpointsApril 21, 2016
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Pet-friendly parks in Seoul
Seoul city will open the third no-leash play zone for dogs, at Boramae Park in Sindaebang-dong, Dongjak-gu, from Saturday. Other such zones also exist at Children’s Grand Park in Gangjin-gu and Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu. (123RF)The new Boramae Park playground will be 1,300 square meters and equipped with drinking fountains, dog toilets and dog exercise and entertainment facilities. To prevent conflicts between dogs of varying sizes, the space has been divided according to their builds.
Expat LivingApril 21, 2016
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[Jeremy Waldron] A lasting human rights declaration
What responsibility do we have for the world we inhabit? What do we owe one another, and what can we claim from others who share the planet with us? As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the importance of such global-minded ethical considerations is becoming ever clearer. Indeed, it is imperative for us to begin thinking as global citizens, citizens of the world, even if our first allegiance is to a particular country.That shift in mindset is exactly what the so-called Global Citizen
ViewpointsApril 21, 2016
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Cheaper cable TV starts with a better box
Like a lot of Americans, President Barack Obama thinks cable TV costs too much. Unlike a lot of Americans, he is in a position to do something about it — and even if he fails, it’s still worth the effort.Last Friday, Obama took the unusual step of announcing his support for a proposal from the Federal Communications Commission intended to make it easier for customers to purchase their own set-top cable boxes. Whether the idea would actually save consumers money remains to be seen, but it could h
ViewpointsApril 21, 2016
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Is Banana the next honey butter?
Banana is one of the cheapest and common tropical fruits, and definitely not something that most people are desperate for. But what if that familiar sweet taste meets with chocolates, cakes and even soju? The result is quite explosive. This special combination has made it the hottest item in the food and beverages market in Korea. Orion's Choco Pie BananaFrom banana-flavored Choco Pie, potato chips, to makgeolli or rice wine, a number of food processing companies have been introducing a series o
IndustryApril 21, 2016