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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Opposition mulls delay of financial investment income tax
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Immigration policy must go beyond labor supply: experts
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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is killed in Beirut strike, Israel's military says
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[Weekender] How Seongsu, once an industrial zone, has become ‘Seoul’s Brooklyn’
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‘Korea crossed the line too far’ disgraced singer’s lawyer cries foul after 3rd visa denial
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Nasrallah's killing reveals depth of Israel's Hezbollah penetration
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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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Pyongyang slams human rights bill, anti-terrorism legislation
North Korea on Friday warned that the passage of the bill on human rights in its country by South Korea's parliament is a 'grave provocation' and constitutes a huge crime against it.On Wednesday, South Korea's National Assembly approved the bill on North Korean human rights, hours before the U.N. Security Council unanimously okayed its toughest-ever sanctions against Pyongyang in response to the communist country's recent nuclear test and rocket launch. The North also slammed the South's anti-te
North KoreaMarch 4, 2016
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KRX probes suspicious trading of Doosan shares
The nation’s stock exchange operator said Friday it has launched a probe into suspicions that shares of Doosan Group and its affiliates were unfairly traded on the day the conglomerate announced a leadership succession plan.Doosan Group chairman Park Yong-maan said he would hand over his top position to his nephew Park Jeong-won at around 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday. But the share prices of the group and its affiliates started to surge earlier in the day -- even hours before the announcement was made
March 4, 2016
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Banks, brokerages to battle it out over new savings accounts
Banks and securities companies will face head-on when Korea introduces later this month individual savings accounts -- a new, tax-effective tool for saving and investing in an era of abysmal interest rates and volatile capital markets. According to the regulator Financial Services Commission on Friday, a total of 35 institutions – 14 banks and 21 brokerages – are preparing to launch ISA products. Thirty-three will start sale immediately upon the scheme’s official introduction on March 14. (Yonh
March 4, 2016
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CrucialTec rolls out optical mouse with fingerprint scanner
Fingerprint module maker CrucialTec has developed an optical computer mouse equipped with a fingerprint scanner, said the firm on Friday. Given that financial technology, or fintech, businesses, have gained momentum in recent years, security and authentication solutions have become important in protecting data from hacking attempts. CrucialTec’s optical mouse equipped with a fingerprint scanner. (CrucialTec)“CrucialTech’s new product, dubbed the Biometric TrackPad, or BTP, Mouse, will be a good
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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After sanctions, N.K. leader orders nuclear weapons to go on ‘standby’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday ordered his troops to put the country’s nuclear arsenal on standby for attack, its state media reported Friday, following the U.N. Security Council’s decision to implement tough sanctions against Pyongyang.Kim stepped up offensive against the country’s “enemies,” saying that the communist country should ready its nuclear warheads so that they can be fired at any moment.He said that he would switch the country’s military posture to ready itself for “preem
North KoreaMarch 4, 2016
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Korea, U.S. launch formal THAAD talks
South Korea and the U.S. launched the official talks on deploying an advanced U.S. missile defense system here against North Korean threats, the Defense Ministry said Friday. The ministry and the U.S. Forces Korea signed an agreement on composition and operation of the joint working group that will discuss details on stationing Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the country. Seoul’s Deputy Defense Minister Yoo Jeh-seung and U.S. Army commander Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal signed the agre
DefenseMarch 4, 2016
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Minjoo leader’s coalition offer rattles liberals
The main opposition party leader’s suggestion to align the opposition politicians ahead of the April general election continued to generate hubbub among the liberals Friday, with some prominent defectors toying with the offer. The People’s Party co-chairmen Rep. Chun Jung-bae, who had left the Minjoo Party last year, indicated that the he would accept the proposal, if the party members endorsed it. “If the party makes a call, I think we have to follow it,” said Chun. His remark reflected a chan
PoliticsMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] The chips are down: Human-AI Go battle
A showdown will take place next week in Seoul. Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo will take on top Go player Lee Se-dol for a $1 million prize. Amid mixed outlook for the outcome, the five-day match has already become a global media sensation. Go, called “baduk” in Korea, is considered a more complicated game than chess because of its large choice of 200 moves compared to about 20 moves in chess. Go player Lee Se-dol(left) and DeepMind's CEO Demis Hassabis (Google)Experts say Go is
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] History of man-versus-machine matches
Smart computers directing chessmen to slash through bishops and knights to capture a chess grandmaster’s king no longer raise exclamations of awe. Computers’ ability to outwit professional chess players has long been accepted as a fact of life. But this was not always the case. Machines have made alarming progress since the first computers programmed to defeat amateur players in chess-like games were introduced in 1956. Slowly but steadily higher-ranked players were defeated, culminating in Deep
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] Deep learning paves way for new era of AI
Coupled with artificial intelligence, deep learning has been making headlines recently with tech giants such as Google and Facebook turning to the technology to come up with futuristic solutions.Some have expressed concerns about computers ultimately outsmarting and dominating humans, as in many science-fiction scenarios. But as the saying by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu goes, if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.So, with that in mind,
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] Unconventional talent Lee Se-dol
Go players Cho Hun-hyun, Lee Chang-ho and Lee Se-dol are familiar names even to Koreans who are not well-versed with the game. The three have dominated international Go competitions since the 1980s, one after another, starting from the eldest Cho. Lee Se-dol, 33, the newest generation of the three, is still making a name for himself as one of the highest earners in the world. Lee, born to a father who was a five dan player, began to learn Go when he was five. He dropped out of middle school to c
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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Weekend Box Office Guide: March 5-6
Heading to the theaters this weekend? The Korea Herald offers a guide to the top movies playing in theaters.Room (Canada, Ireland) Drama. Directed by Lenny AbrahamsonOpened March 3 Based on an eponymous novel by Emma Donoghue, “Room” follows Joy (new Academy Award winner Brie Larson) and her son Jack who are liberated after spending years locked in a small room by an abusive captor. Mother and son try to adjust themselves to their newfound freedom and experiences in a strange, outside world. Tw
FilmMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] AlphaGo’s win would mark AI watershed
Expectations are running high in the technology sector with the upcoming battle between a human Go champion and a computer program. Go is a board game in which two players place black and white stones on empty intersections or points of a board that is lined with a 19-by-19 grid. Google’s artificial-intelligence program AlphaGo garnered media attention after defeating a professional Go player in October for the first time in an even match.(123rf)It has been about six months since that first vict
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] Mixed outlook for human-versus-AI match
In the lead up to the historic match between the world’s top Go player Lee Se-dol and Google DeepMind’s artificial intelligence computer AlphaGo, there are mixed views among experts about who will emerge victorious. Experts in the Go field -- including Lee Se-dol himself – said that the human will be the winner of the five-game match, which kicks off on March 9. The professional Go player predicted a 5-0 or 4-1 victory in his favor during a press briefing on Feb. 22. Showing confidence in winnin
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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HMM plans sharp capital cut
Hyundai Group headquarters building in central SeoulHyundai GroupHyundai Merchant Marine is seeking to reduce its capital to one-seventh of its current value, in its latest bid to improve finances amid mounting losses. According to the plan, which was decided by the company’s board of directors on Thursday, the company will swap one new share with every seven existing ones. But the shareswill keep their face value of 5,000 won ($4.10). The total number of HMM shares in the market will shrink to
IndustryMarch 4, 2016
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Netmarble presents ‘Knights of Night’
Netmarble Games, in collaboration with game developer Netmarble Blue, launched Friday its first role-playing game of 2016. Called “Knights of Night,” the game hopes to combine the visual effects of existing RPGs with strong strategic elements, optimized for a mobile user environment.“We focused on three things when preparing the game,” Netmarble Games COO Baek Young-hoon told reporters at the “Knights of Night” Media Day at the GLAD Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.“First is stylish action, with
CultureMarch 4, 2016
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Herald Phil celebrates spring with annual concert
The Herald Philharmonic Orchestra’s third annual concert took place at Seoul Arts Center, just as the weather began to warm up to welcome spring on Thursday.Headed by conductor Kim Bong-mee, the Herald Phil presented a two-part concert to an audience of roughly 2,300. The first half was mostly a selection of arias performed by three celebrated tenors. The second was a percussion-heavy set. Conductor Kim Bong-mee directs the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra during final rehearsals at the Seoul Arts
PerformanceMarch 4, 2016
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Around the hotels
Sheraton Grande Walkerhill offers spring packagesSheraton Grande Walkerhill is offering two types of packages for couples and families.The “Blooming Walkerhill” package, which is offered March 1-May 31, includes an overnight stay, breakfast and a voucher for “Tasty Box.”Tasty Box is an eco-friendly concept cafe built with shipping containers. It uses solar power from panels. The cafe offers a range of light snacks and desserts from handmade sausages to ice cream. The second package called “Bloom
TravelMarch 4, 2016
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Travel bits
Jeju Fire Festival Jeju Fire Festival, also known as Jeju Field Burning Festival, takes place at Saebyeol Oreum in Jeju Island until March 6. The Fire Festival is a modern version of a farming practice of setting fields on fire during winter, burning away old grass and expunging potentially dangerous insects from the area to prepare the fields for animal grazing. The program features various performances, contests and experiences including a horseback archery performance, walking along the Jeju
TravelMarch 4, 2016
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Death rate higher for blue-collar workers
The mortality rate for those who do physical work is more than twice that for salaried office workers, a study showed Friday, showing a correlation between occupation and death. A doctors team from Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital looked into the death records of 1.14 million workers enrolled in government-run employment insurance plans, analyzing data from 1995 to 2008. Over this period, there were 563 deaths per 100,000 male workers in the agriculture and fishery sector, compared to 249 deaths of whi
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2016