Most Popular
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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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‘Korea crossed the line too far’ disgraced singer’s lawyer cries foul after 3rd visa denial
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S. Korea to showcase Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile on Armed Forces Day ceremony for 1st time
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Nasrallah's killing reveals depth of Israel's Hezbollah penetration
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Park Zi-a, the actor who played 'The Glory' heroine's mother, dies
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Korean American documentary ‘Free Chol Soo Lee' wins Emmy
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KMA chief under pressure after surveyed doctors refuse to back him
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Meditation brings calm to Gwanghwamun
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KT and Microsoft to develop AI models for Korea
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U.S. says no talks with N. Korea without focus on denuclearization
The United States won't engage in talks with North Korea unless the discussions are focused on denuclearization, a senior U.S. official said Monday.The official gave the comment to Yonhap News Agency after a newspaper report that the U.S. had agreed to hold peace treaty talks with Pyongyang on condition that the discussions also deal with denuclearization. "We have insisted that denuclearization remain the focus of any talks, and we have made clear that a denuclearized Peninsula is our overridin
North KoreaFeb. 23, 2016
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Retailers grapple with dull domestic consumption
The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles looking at the performance of various sectors on Korea’s main bourse KOSPI. The following is the third installment. -- Ed.South Korea’s retail stocks suffered a series of challenges last year, including the broader economy’s downturn to a nationwide outbreak of a deadly virus. Experts see no turnaround in sight for them this year, as economic worries continue to weigh down on consumer sentiment while competition from online and mobile rivals in
Feb. 22, 2016
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[Newsmaker] Will SK chairman retake board membership?
With the season for annual shareholders meetings of the nation’s conglomerates approaching, the limelight is on SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won once again. Two months ago, the business tycoon suffered a public backlash with his confession about an extramarital affair and a love child. This time, attention is being paid not to his personal life but to his return to the executive board of key affiliates of the nation’s third-largest conglomerate. One reason why the chairman’s move is drawing pu
CompaniesFeb. 22, 2016
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N.K., U.S. had discussions over peace treaty talks ahead of nuke test
Just ahead of its fourth nuclear test last month, North Korea had offered bilateral talks on sealing a peace treaty, but the proposal failed to materialize as the U.S. stood by its denuclearization priority, Seoul and Washington officials confirmed Monday. The overture was reportedly made “days before” the Jan. 6 detonation through the New York channel based in Pyongyang’s permanent mission to the U.N. But their exchanges fell through after the North brushed off the U.S. counterproposal that de
North KoreaFeb. 22, 2016
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[Graphic News] Domestic beef prices surge on falling supply
Prices of beef produced in Korea soared 7.3 percent last year, the highest growth rate in five years, due to a reduced supply of cattle, according to government data released Monday.Statistics Korea said last year’s increase was the largest annual gain since 2010 when prices surged 10.5 percent on-year.In particular, the fourth-quarter of last year saw a double-digit rate of increase with growth of 12.7 percent in December.Industry watchers said rising beef prices were due to the 2012 government
IndustryFeb. 22, 2016
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Taemin back with stylish sounds
SHINee’s youngest member Taemin is coming back to the stage in his own right with his first studio-length album “Press It.” The 10-track album includes two songs with self-written lyrics, as well as collaboration tracks with top hit-makers including Bruno Mars, Teddy Riley, LDN Noise and The Stereotypes.The record shows Taemin’s growth as a solo performer, with tracks like “Drip Drop” and the lead track “Press Your Number” built to showcase his stage performance skills with heavy beats, and R&B
PerformanceFeb. 22, 2016
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Canadian caught in South Korea growing marijuana in apartment
A 47-year-old Canadian was caught growing cannabis in his residence and habitually smoking it, South Korean police said Monday.According to the police, the Canadian national, who had previously been a lecturer at a university in Daegu, smuggled marijuana into Korea from Thailand in August 2010. He then grew it at the balcony in his apartment building, the police said. (Yonhap)The man allegedly set up facilities like a ventilator, electronic heater and reflecting plate on the balcony to grow the
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2016
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‘Aging, digitization boon for GE Healthcare’
GE Healthcare Korea president and CEO Sia Moussavi talks to The Korea Herald at his office in southern Seoul. Chung Hee-cho/The Korea HeraldDespite the global economic slowdown, GE Healthcare Korea, the local biotechnology and health care devices unit of conglomerate General Electric, remains upbeat about its business prospects thanks to the booming biotech and pharma sectors. “Korea’s demand in health care is pretty strong with its rapidly aging population. By 2030, 25 percent of the populatio
IndustryFeb. 22, 2016
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[Stephen L. Carter] An American hero for all seasons
Some years ago, I added “To Kill a Mockingbird” to the syllabus of my course on Ethics in Literature. I teach in a law school, and the students in the seminar were as hard-bitten and hypercritical as one would expect. Most of the works we read they trashed from one end to the other, often with the easygoing savage hauteur of the young intellectual. But not “Mockingbird.” They treated the classic with a respect bordering on awe. Prompting them to criticize it was as successful as prompting an Eva
ViewpointsFeb. 22, 2016
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[Cass R. Sunstein] Calorie counts fight obesity
Until recently, the sophisticated view about calorie labels in restaurants was one of despair: A series of studies suggested that the practice, required by Obamacare and modeled on what has been done in New York and other cities, just doesn’t succeed in promoting healthy food choices and reducing obesity. But comprehensive new research offers a dramatically different picture. It finds that if we divide Americans into subgroups -- the normal, the overweight, and the obese -- we’ll find that calor
ViewpointsFeb. 22, 2016
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[Editorial] No more brinkmanship
A possible delay in the April general election is looming as the rivaling parties have yet to agree on a new electoral map and a set of key pending bills. The leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea continue to engage in a dangerous game of brinkmanship, although the April 13 election is less than 50 days away. If the two parties fail to pass the bill on redrawing the electoral map within this month, a delay will be inevitable for the upcoming general
EditorialFeb. 22, 2016
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[Editorial] Industrial unionism
The Supreme Court has handed down a verdict that could undermine industrial unionism and weaken the influence of the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions, the more militant of Korea’s two umbrella labor organizations. The court ruled Friday that a union affiliated with an industrial union could decide on its own to end the affiliation and convert into an enterprise-based union, if it had “some degree of independence.” Thus far, unions affiliated with an industrial union have been conceived merely
EditorialFeb. 22, 2016
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Korea-U.S. to hold exercises against N.K. nuclear threats
The Ministry of National Defense said Monday that officials from South Korea and the U.S. plan to hold a tabletop exercise against nuclear threats from North Korea. The meeting, hosted by the allies’ Deterrence Strategy Committee, will postulate a situation in which Pyongyang poses threats with its nuclear program and missiles. Tabletop exercise refers to discussion-based sessions on contingency plans for simulated scenarios. During the tabletop exercise, allies will assess North Korean threats
DefenseFeb. 22, 2016
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KT eyes global alliance to lead 5G standards
Korea’s largest telecommunications firm KT said Monday it would form an alliance with global mobile carriers and network equipment makers to take the lead in setting up standards for the next-generation network, or 5G.The Korean network operator said it has agreed with Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo, U.S. mobile network operator Verizon and SK Telecom of Korea to establish the 5G Trial Specification Alliance, aimed at cooperating to develop systems and platforms for test services of the 5G n
TechnologyFeb. 22, 2016
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Samsung aims to stay on top with Galaxy S7
Samsung Electronics took the wraps off the seventh generation of its flagship Galaxy smartphone in Barcelona on Sunday, a day before the opening of the Mobile World Congress trade show.The firm, which is the world’s largest smartphone marker by sales, also unveiled the next generation of the Galaxy’s variant model with curved displays. Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung Electronics’ mobile communications business, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shake hands at Samsung’s launch event for the Ga
TechnologyFeb. 22, 2016
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Public calls grow for fuel tax cuts
Although global oil prices have plunged to record-lows, many drivers in South Korea say they have not benefited from the corresponding falls in their daily fuel costs.An insignificant decline in local gasoline prices in an era of persistently low crude prices has led to growing public calls for the government to alter its taxation system. The current scale and method of levying taxes on oil products prevents local retail fuel prices from falling in line with major drops in crude prices.(Yonhap)
IndustryFeb. 22, 2016
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Author accused of defamation over Miryang protest funds
Police said Monday they have referred best-selling novelist Gong Ji-young to prosecutors on charges of defaming a former priest by falsely accusing him of embezzling donations. Seocho Police Station asked the prosecutors to indict the 53-year-old novelist for violating the Information Communications Network Act. The move came after the priest, surnamed Kim, from a cathedral in Masan, filed a complaint against Gong, who posted a comment on Facebook in July last year accusing him of using donatio
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2016
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What is most popular foreign firm among Korean jobseekers?
Korean jobseekers most want to work for tech giant Google, showed a local survey on Monday.According to a survey on 2,700 university students and job seekers by the recruitment sites Job Korea and Albamon, Google topped the list as the most desired foreign employer in the local job market, with around seven out of 10 participants saying so. (Yonhap)Apple Korea ranked second with 25.9 percent of the votes, followed by Starbucks Korea at 16.9 percent, Nike Korea at 14.4 percent and Yuhan-Kimberly
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2016
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[NEWS FOCUS] Debate heats up on ending N.K.’s U.N. membership
Debate is heating up after South Korea last week questioned the legitimacy of North Korea’s membership in the U.N. for the first time, taking issue with its unrelenting breach of Security Council resolutions that ban nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Seoul’s U.N. representative Oh Joon brought up the issue at a UNSC meeting on Feb. 15, saying Pyongyang has shown “contempt and disregard for the functions and powers” of the top decision-making body through four rounds of atomic experiments and
North KoreaFeb. 22, 2016
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Korean stocks end flat amid profit-taking
Korean shares closed nearly flat Monday as profit-taking by institutions and individuals was offset by foreign buying. The local currency finished steady against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) ticked up 0.12 point, or 0.01 percent, to finish at 1,916.36. Trading volume was slim at 261.98 million shares, worth 3.4 trillion won ($2.75 billion) with gainers outnumbering losers 470 to 331. KOSPI (Bloomberg)The index rose 4.4 percent last week, with local curr
Feb. 22, 2016