Most Popular
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Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon's resignation
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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is killed in Beirut strike, Israel's military says
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FM champions multilateralism, stresses S. Korea's vision as 'global pivotal state'
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Suicide attempts spike among youth in Korea
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[Weekender] How Seongsu, once an industrial zone, has become ‘Seoul’s Brooklyn’
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Delta Air Lines to launch new Incheon-Salt Lake City route in June next year
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S. Korea to showcase Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile on Armed Forces Day ceremony for 1st time
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4 in 10 illegal aliens entered S. Korea without visas last year: data
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Korea, China, Japan vow to address yellow dust and climate change
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Trade ministers of S. Korea, China hold talks in Beijing
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Fashion mogul accuses designers of 'enslaving women' with Islamic styles
PARIS (AFP) -- Former fashion mogul Pierre Berge lashed out Wednesday at designers creating Islamic clothing and headscarves, accusing them of taking part in the “enslavement of women.” The French businessman, partner of the late fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent, took aim at the wave of big fashion chains that have followed the Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana in catering specifically to the Muslim market. “I am scandalized,” he told Europe 1 French radio. “Creators should have nothing to do
Arts & DesignMarch 31, 2016
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KOICA marks 25th anniversary with new exhibition on sustainable development
Korea's overseas aid agency launched a new exhibition Thursday to showcase Seoul's initiatives for sustainable development and the agency's major projects to support them, as it celebrated the 25th anniversary of its inception.Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) opened the exhibition, entitled "KOICA Road for Sustainable Development," at the exhibition center in its headquarters in Seongnam, just south of Seoul. KOICA exhibition in May 22, 2015 (Yonhap)The exhibition, which will run t
IndustryMarch 31, 2016
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3 key pieces to make your spring wardrobe sing
Neck scarves Recently spotted: Hedi Slimane started showing scarves on the spring 2015 Saint Laurent runway. Models wore thin scarves tied around their necks in an effortless, rock ‘n’ roll manner. Now, they're being worn as thicker bandannas and thin, silky versions tied in bows, often paired with chokers and reinforcing the neck and shoulder areas as the focal point of the body that’s in fashion at the moment. Lanvin, Gucci and Rodarte included a lot of neck scarves in their spring 2016 runway
Arts & DesignMarch 31, 2016
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Former KORAIL chief summoned over corruption in urban development project
Prosecutors summoned a former chief of Korea's rail operator Thursday on suspicions of bribery in connection to a now-scrapped urban development plan in Seoul.Huh Joon-young, who led the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) from 2009 to 2011, appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul. Huh Joon-young, former president of the Korea Railroad Corp. (Yonhap)The 63-year-old is accused of receiving illegal political funds from his aide, identified only by his surname Soh
CompaniesMarch 31, 2016
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Korea's online sales to foreign customers nearly triple in 2015
Korea's online sales to foreign customers nearly tripled last year from a year earlier on the back of rising demand for domestically produced cosmetics and clothing by Chinese consumers, a report showed Thursday.Korean retailers sold an estimated $130 million worth of goods to overseas customers through their online web sites, up from $44.6 million the previous year, according to the report by the state-run Korea Development Institute (KDI).The value of e-commerce exports has been on a sharp ris
IndustryMarch 31, 2016
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BOK expands dollar share of foreign exchange reserves in 2015
BOK expands dollar share of foreign exchange reserves in 2015Korea's central bank increased the portion of U.S. dollar-denominated assets in its foreign exchange reserves from a year earlier in 2015 amid the strengthening of the U.S. greenback, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Thursday. Bank of Korea (Yonhap)In its annual policy report, the BOK said its dollar-denominated holdings accounted for 66.6 percent of its overall foreign reserves at the end of 2015, up 4.1 percentage points from 62.5 percen
March 31, 2016
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Korean households' excess funds grow in 2015
Excess funds held by Korean households and non-profit institutions rose from a year earlier in 2015 backed by a rise in their income, central bank data showed Thursday.Excess funds held by households and non-profit institutions came to 99.2 trillion won ($86.5 billion) at the end of last year, up 5.7 trillion won from the previous year, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Apartment complex in Seoul (Yonhap)"Excess funds of households and non-profit institutions expanded f
March 31, 2016
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New 'smart' bottle helps uncorked wine keep longer
NEW YORK (AFP) - A US startup says it has created the world's first “smart” bottle which can keep wine as fresh as the day it was uncorked for up to a month. The Boston-based Kuvee company said in a statement that the industry “has been slow to innovate beyond the glass bottle and cork.” Kuvee’s specially designed bottle with its intricate valve system “prevents oxygen from touching the wine, so wine stays fresh for up to 30 days after opening,” said company founder and CEO Vijay Manwani, in a p
FoodMarch 31, 2016
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‘Descendants of the Sun' buoys Korean economy
Although Korea has been rolling out stimulus measures in recent months to boost sluggish exports and tourism, not many have had as immediate and strong an impact as K-drama. The current sweeping popularity of the drama series “Descendants of the Sun” has become “an unexpected blue chip” for the nation’s slowing economy. Market observers say that the 16-episode series will generate more than 3 trillion won ($261 million) worth of economic effects for the nation that heavily relies on exports for
IndustryMarch 31, 2016
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New N. Korean envoy to Myanmar takes office
A new North Korean ambassador to Myanmar took office after his predecessor returned to the communist state, possibly due to the fresh sanctions South Korea and the U.S. have imposed on him, a diplomatic source said Thursday.The source said that Jong Ho-bom arrived in the Southeast Asian state last week after his predecessor Kim Sok-chol went back to Pyongyang about two weeks ago. On March 16, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported that Jong had been appointed to replace Kim, who had ser
North KoreaMarch 31, 2016
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N. Korea to spend 15.8 % of this year‘s budget on defense
North Korea plans to spend 15.8 percent of its national budget on the defense sector this year, the country's state media said Thursday, amid growing speculation that Pyongyang will carry out further military provocations.North Korea said its state budget spending is expected to go up 5.6 percent in 2016 from a year earlier, the Korean Central News Agency said, without revealing the total amount.An approval of the country's plans on budget expenditures was reached on Wednesday at a plenary sessi
North KoreaMarch 31, 2016
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[Photo News] BMW's new maxi scooters
BMW’S NEW MAXI SCOOTERS -- BMW Korea unveiled its new maxi scooters C 650 Sport and C 650 GT at the opening of the 1st Seoul Motorcycle Show in Coex on Friday. Prices start from 15.9 million won ($13,900) and 16.5 million won, respectively. (BMW Korea)
MobilityMarch 31, 2016
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Industrial output picks up in February
Korea’s industrial output swung back to growth in February on a strong rise in chips and mobile gadgets, data shows. According to Statistic Korea, production increased 0.8 percent from a month earlier, compared to a 1.5 percent contraction in January. From a year ago, the output grew 2.4 percent. Samsung flash memory chips (Yonhap)The mining and manufacturing sector led the increase, logging an output growth of 3.3 percent, the highest on-month gain since September 2009. Compared to the corresp
March 31, 2016
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Korea restarts project to launch 5 military satellites
South Korea plans to kick start a program to send five satellites into orbit by 2022 which will allow the military to keep close tabs on North Korea, defense officials said Thursday.The project, dubbed "425 project," has been stalled for a year amid budget limitations, with the National Assembly allocating only 2 billion won in the 2016 budget out of 64.3 billion won requested by the defense ministry. "The ministry has set its sights on reaching a contract within the latter half of this year," a
DefenseMarch 31, 2016
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[Herald Interview] Caffe Bene seeks rebound with Korean-style ‘indulgence’
In mid-March, financially ailing coffee chain Caffe Bene secured a $13 million investment from an overseas partner with an interesting name: Hallyu Ventures.The company is a joint operation between Singaporean global food chain Food Empire and the Salim Group from Indonesia. It was named by Food Empire’s executive chairman Tan Wang Cheow himself. Food Empire executive chairman Tan Wang Cheow speaks to The Korea Herald at the InterContinental Seoul Coex. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)The reason
IndustryMarch 31, 2016
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Seoul stocks trading lower in late morning
South Korean share prices were trading lower in the late morning session on Thursday after opening higher on overnight gains in the U.S.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was trading half a percent lower at 1991.85 as of 11:20 a.m. Traders monitor Seoul stocks at a local bank. (Yonhap)The market got off to a strong start but the upward trend was weakened much by expanded net foreign selling, which came to over 50 billion won ($43.6 million).Overnight, the Dow Jones industrial avera
March 31, 2016
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Seoul to begin test run of late-night bus sharing service
The Seoul city said Thursday it will launch a late-night bus sharing service next month for a test run as part of efforts to enhance public convenience when public transportation is not available at night.The operator of Callbus Lab, a ride-sharing service, and an association of local taxi drivers reached an agreement to begin the test run in mid-April for two months, with the buses set to run in southern Seoul from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.The area is notorious for taxi drivers who refuse to take custo
Social AffairsMarch 31, 2016
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Korea sends home remains of Chinese soldiers killed in Korean War
South Korea on Thursday repatriated the remains of 36 Chinese soldiers who were killed fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War in the latest follow-up to an agreement reached by the two countries, the defense ministry said.The repatriation is the third of its kinds since South Korea and China agreed in 2014 to bring back the remains of Chinese soldiers who were killed while fighting alongside North Korean soldiers during the civil war.From 2014-15, the remains of a total of 505 Chinese soldiers were
Social AffairsMarch 31, 2016
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Working population ages as baby boom generation stays in job market
South Korea's working population is aging, since this is the first time the number of elderly employed has outpaced that of the younger age group, according to Statistics Korea on Thursday.People in their 50s or over and working totaled 9.65 million last year, equal to 37.2 percent of the working population, a detailed analysis by the statistical agency showed. The size of this group was larger than that of the employed in their 20s and 30s combined, which came to 9.37 million, accounting for 36
Social AffairsMarch 31, 2016
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Pyongyang official on Seoul likely doubling as spy agency head
A new North Korean official handling inter-Korean affairs is believed to be continuing his previous role as leader of the North's reconnaissance bureau, an organ similar to Seoul's spy agency, sources said Thursday.Gen. Kim Yong-chol has been appointed as the party secretary handling inter-Korean affairs, also doubling as the head of the United Front Department at the ruling party, following the death of his predecessor, Kim Yang-gon.Kim also appears to hold his original position as the North's
North KoreaMarch 31, 2016