Most Popular
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Thousands rally in Seoul to call for Yoon's resignation
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Suicide attempts spike among youth in Korea
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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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[Weekender] How Seongsu, once an industrial zone, has become ‘Seoul’s Brooklyn’
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Korean American documentary ‘Free Chol Soo Lee' wins Emmy
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S. Korea to showcase Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile on Armed Forces Day ceremony for 1st time
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Immigration policy must go beyond labor supply: experts
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Korea, China, Japan vow to address yellow dust and climate change
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4 in 10 illegal aliens entered S. Korea without visas last year: data
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[Editorial] Living with diversity
It is irreversible. Korea cannot go back to the time when it boasted of its racial homogeneity. This is not simply because we need foreign workers to make up for the workforce shortage caused by the low birthrate and fast aging of society. But what we see around us and hear from experts and statisticians tells us that we Koreans are not yet as receptive to racial diversity as we should be. A recent study released by the Minister of Gender Equality and Family verified the situation. The study, ba
EditorialMarch 17, 2016
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[Editorial] At Park’s whim
Politicians and the media that follow what they say and do often contrive expressions, some of which draw a nod of assent or raised eyebrows. Massacre is one such expression. The word is commonly used when a large number of members of a major party faction fail to get nomination for elections due to intraparty politics. This is exactly what is happening at the ruling Saenuri Party. Saenuri is not the only party undergoing upheavals over the nomination of candidates for the April 13 general elect
EditorialMarch 17, 2016
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Indonesia’s role in Islamic world
Indonesia created a historic moment at the fifth extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The summit concluded with a cornerstone on the peace process and independence of the Palestine state. After two years of nearly no signs of progress, the world now has new hope in solving the Israel-Palestine conflict. As the host of the latest OIC summit, Indonesia could push forward Palestine issues to the wider international arena and play a bigger role in the OIC from merely part
ViewpointsMarch 17, 2016
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[Nophakhun Limsamarnphun] Computers turning to real-life human issues
Artificial intelligence has achieved another milestone. On March 15, Google’s AlphaGo, an AI program, beat one of the world’s best Go players, champion Lee Se-Dol of South Korea, 4-1 in a five-game match.This underscored the computer’s capability to further outsmart humans in complex tasks such as playing the complicated board game, Go.Previously, IBM’s Deep Blue computer had defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov.Since the 1900s, when computers emerged in the form of tabulation; and the 1
ViewpointsMarch 17, 2016
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Xenophobia in Germany
The elections in three states of Germany would scarcely have triggered much excitement across the continent were it not for the resounding setback for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her open-door policy toward migrants. The elections have turned out to be a referendum on her geostrategy, one that allowed more than a million migrants to enter the country last year. The electoral setback must be stunning, however much she may be trying to conclude a deal with Turkey to curb the influx. Unmistakable
ViewpointsMarch 17, 2016
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Fair play matters
Customers are surely the beneficiaries when rival players in a given industry engage in a price war, such as the current one taking place between app-based transportation service providers grouped under Grab and Uber versus conventional transportation service operators. But given the generously discounted prices offered by the new players, which seem to go beyond business common sense, the outrage of many who make a living working in the traditional transportation industry has a strong basis.On
ViewpointsMarch 17, 2016
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[Aryeh Neier] Naming names behind rights abuses in Syria
Human rights reports make for depressing reading. Filled with accounts of cruelty, they can inspire despair for the human condition. But while I have read many such reports over the years, I cannot recall one as packed with horror as the one recently published by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.The commission, established in 2011 by the United Nations Human Rights Council, was denied access to Syria. It based its findings on 415 interviews, supplem
ViewpointsMarch 17, 2016
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[David Ignatius]] U.S.-China showdown looming
The Obama administration is moving toward what could be a dangerous showdown with China over the South China Sea. The confrontation has been building for the past three years, as China has constructed artificial islands off its southern coast and installed missiles and radar in disputed waters, despite U.S. warnings. It could come to a head this spring, when an arbitration panel in The Hague is expected to rule that China is making “excessive” claims about its maritime sovereignty. What makes th
ViewpointsMarch 17, 2016
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[Herald interview] Pianist Aviram Reichert, witness of sea change in Seoul’s classical scene
Following a landmark win at Seoul’s inaugural international piano competition two decades ago, Israeli-native and longtime Seoul National University music professor Aviram Reichert continues to leave his mark in the local classical music scene. “I moved to Korea in 2009 to assume the position as a professor at Seoul National University, but what first brought me here, it all started in 1996,” Reichert told The Korea Herald on Thursday. “That was the year they had Seoul’s first international pia
PerformanceMarch 17, 2016
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Further N.K. provocation will lead to even stronger U.N. resolution: Seoul
The U.N. Security Council would “almost automatically” adopt an even stricter resolution if Pyongyang carries out an additional provocation through a nuclear or missile test, South Korea’s top envoy to the U.N. warned Thursday. Ambassador Oh Joon (Yonhap)Ambassador Oh Joon also touted the newly introduced U.S. standalone sanctions on the communist state, which penalizes “any person,” including those of third-country nationalities, for engaging in the state’s nuclear, missile and other banned act
North KoreaMarch 17, 2016
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[ELECTION 2016] Parties turn to traditional support groups
Under such pressing circumstances, parties are naturally leaning toward a selective and concentrated strategy, seeking to strengthen the favor of their traditional support groups instead of eyeing new areas.For President Park Geun-hye and the ruling Saenuri Party, such reliable proponents are mostly senior citizens groups, Christian societies and the military, including former war veterans.“It is a matter of prime interest for the government to create more jobs for senior citizens so that they m
PoliticsMarch 17, 2016
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Blacklisted North Korean ship sailing near South Korean waters
A blacklisted North Korean ship is under surveillance as it sails near South Korean waters, the country's Coast Guard said Thursday.It said Orion Star freighter is presently sailing in waters near the port city of Yeosu, in the South Sea. The city is some 455 kilometers southwest of Seoul.The ship is one of 31 vessels belonging to North Korea's Wonyang Shipping Corp. that has been blacklisted by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2270.The council adopted the resolution earlier this month, imposing
North KoreaMarch 17, 2016
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30% of Minjoo Party lawmakers excluded from nomination
Nearly 30 percent of incumbent lawmakers from the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea have been excluded from the nomination for next month's parliamentary elections.As of Thursday, 30 out of 103 Minjoo Party legislators, or 29 percent, have failed to either receive party tickets or decided not to run for the April 13 general elections.The Minjoo Party's election nomination committee virtually picked most of the candidates who will compete for the 253 parliamentary seats to be chosen through d
PoliticsMarch 17, 2016
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Korea, China can pursue 'win-win' relations: ambassador
South Korea and China can maintain a future-oriented, "win-win" relationship despite tensions arising from the potential deployment here of an advanced U.S. missile defense system, Seoul's ambassador in Beijing said Thursday. "The South Korea-China strategic partnership has already entered a mature phase in various areas, including politics, business, culture and humanities exchanges," Amb. Kim Jang-soo said during a luncheon meeting with Korean diplomats and local businessmen.Kim was here to
Foreign AffairsMarch 17, 2016
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KOSDAQ stability questioned after suspicious Codes Combine rally
A loss-making apparel company’s mysterious nine-day rally on KOSDAQ has many investors questioning the stability of the country’s secondary bourse, which last year pulled off one of the world’s best gains. Codes Combine shares skyrocketed in suspicious moves, leading the entire index to faze with market distortions. The bourse operator Korea Exchange is currently looking into the seemingly unexplainable rally, suspecting a potential price-rigging scheme. Shares in Codes Combine plunged 30 percen
March 17, 2016
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Korean stocks, won hit yearly highs on Fed's dovish stance
Korean shares hit a yearly high on Thursday, buoyed by increased demand for risky assets following the Federal Reserve's decision to freeze rates, with the local currency also climbing to this year's highest level against the U.S. dollar. After hitting an intraday high of 2,000.30 in late morning trade, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index finished 13.09 points, or 0.66 percent, higher at 1,987.99. The Korean currency closed at 1,173.30 against the greenback, up 20.00 won, or 1.68 per
March 17, 2016
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Gov't beefs up railway security amid North Korean threats
The government said Thursday it will install a thermographic camera on South Korea's main railway bridge, a move to counter possible terror attacks by North Korea on its key transportation infrastructure.The North has attempted to hack into email accounts of the South's railroad workers, according to the National Intelligence Service.The government believes the Hangang (Han River) Railway Bridge, which crosses the river in Seoul, is among the potential targets of a North Korea terror attack, alo
North KoreaMarch 17, 2016
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More youth perform as main characters of North Korean films, dramas: report
North Korea placed more children and teenagers as protagonists in its films and soap operas in an effort to reinforce the personality cult of the country's young leader Kim Jong-un, a report showed Thursday.Children and the youth have appeared as the main characters in four North Korean movies and television dramas since Kim took office in late 2011, making up for 21.05 percent of the total, according to the report by South Korea's Inje University.The report was written at the request of the Uni
North KoreaMarch 17, 2016
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'UNSC will automatically seek to adopt sanctions for additional N.K. provocations'
The U.N. Security Council will "almost automatically" seek a resolution calling for harsher sanctions on North Korea should it conduct another nuclear test, a top South Korean envoy to the United Nations said Thursday.During a meeting with local reporters here, Ambassador Oh Joon warned that though the latest package of UNSC sanctions on the North are touted as the harshest in decades, the sanctions could be further tightened if there is another major provocation."The UNSC would automatically di
North KoreaMarch 17, 2016
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School smoking test breaches students' rights, watchdog says
Schools should refrain from the excessive survey of students who are suspected of smoking to protect the human rights of teenagers, a local watchdog said Thursday.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea’s warning came after a high-school teacher in Incheon reportedly forced his male student to fill a paper cup with the teenager’s urine in front of the teacher in October last year to detect whether the student had smoked. The student later filed a complaint with the NHRCK. He claimed that i
Social AffairsMarch 17, 2016