Most Popular
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Yoon warns North Korea against nuclear attack attempt
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81-year-old model awarded ‘best dressed’ in Miss Universe Korea
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Seoul mayor suggests shift in immigration policy
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'Smart pill'? ADHD treatment prescriptions spike this year
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[KH Explains] Korea pursues ‘fire-free’ batteries amid EV fears
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Man calls 119, found dead 1 week later because officials went to wrong place
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[Herald Review] One of Netflix's most expensive Korean originals returns, but at what cost?
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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Fights, complaints, stalker fans among reasons passengers exit planes before takeoff
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[Photo News] Armed Forces Day
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Economic gap between two Koreas widens in 2014: data
The economic gap between South and North Korea widened in 2014, with the difference in their trade volumes remaining far apart, government data showed Tuesday. According to data by Statistics Korea, North Korea's nominal gross national income came to 34.23 trillion won ($28.93 billion) in 2014, with that of the South hitting 1,496.6 trillion won, or roughly 44 times larger. GNI is the total value that is produced within a country, which is comprised of the gross domestic product along with i
North KoreaDec. 15, 2015
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Property deal app draws 38 bln won from Goldman Sachs
Zigbang Co., South Korea's top real estate info application, said Tuesday it has attracted a 38 billion won ($32 million) investment from a Goldman Sachs-led consortium. Founded in 2012, Zigbang links real estate agents and renters using a mobile-based platform that utilizes the global positioning system. It had over 10 million downloads as of October, listing more than 2.5 million properties for rent or sale and over 5,000 real estate agents. Zigbang said it will use the fund to expand new
IndustryDec. 15, 2015
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Seoul to offer aid to Honduras, Guatemala hard hit by climate change
South Korea will provide Honduras and Guatemala with $550,000 in humanitarian aid as the countries are troubled by frequent disasters caused by climate change, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday. The government has decided to offer $300,000 to Honduras, which is reeling from the worst drought in half a century. Around 13 million people, 15 percent of the nation's population, are facing a food crisis. South Korea will also deliver humanitarian assistance worth $250,000 to Guatemala, which i
Foreign AffairsDec. 15, 2015
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Sierra Leone seeks Korea's help in reconstruction plans
Sierra Leone has asked for more participation from South Korean firms in its reconstruction efforts following the Ebola outbreak, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Sierra Leonean Vice President Victor Foh delivered the request to Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se when they met Monday during Foh's five-day visit to South Korea. "Vice President Foh assessed the high quality of roads and bridges that our firms have built in Sierra Leone and asked that South Korean businesses make full use of the eco
Foreign AffairsDec. 15, 2015
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Korean Peninsula conflicts will be trans-regional fights: U.S. JCS chief
A conflict on the Korean Peninsula will no longer be limited to the peninsula as North Korea has developed ballistic missile, cyber and other capabilities, the top American military official said Monday. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford made the remark during a defense conference, stressing that the U.S. should be prepared to fight "trans-regional, multi-domain and multi-functional" conflicts. "If you would have thought about the Korean Peninsula some years ago, you would hav
DefenseDec. 15, 2015
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Hyundai Motor to unveil full-change version of Grandeur in late 2016
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker, will unveil its full-change version of the popular Grandeur large-size sedan in the second half of next year, industry sources said Tuesday. The Grandeur has not been completely modified in terms of its power trains and designs since 2011 when its fifth-generation was launched. The sources close to the matter told the English division of Yonhap News Agency that Hyundai Motor will unveil the sixth-generation of the Grandeur in the second half o
IndustryDec. 15, 2015
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Auto sales to shrink in South Korea next year, but foreign brands keep advancing: report
Car sales in South Korea are expected to contract for the first time in three years in 2016 with foreign brands likely to keep expanding their market share, a report by Hyundai Motor Group's think tank showed Tuesday. Carmakers -- foreign and local brands -- are expected to sell about 1.76 million units in South Korea next year, down 1.3 percent from this year's estimated 1.78 million units, according to the report obtained by the English division of Yonhap News Agency. The report was compiled
IndustryDec. 15, 2015
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Hyundai's Aslan sedan picked as Korea's safest car in 2015
Hyundai Motor Co.'s full-sized, luxury sedan Aslan has been picked as the safest car in South Korea for 2015, the government said Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Aslan, first launched in 2014, received the highest marks in terms of passenger safety in the event of a collision, maximum protection for pedestrians, driving safety and accident prevention features. The Aslan, built on the Grandeur-Azera platform, is designed mainly for the domestic mark
IndustryDec. 15, 2015
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Samsung takes patent war with Apple to Supreme Court
Samsung Electronics asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reduce $548 million in damages it was ordered to pay Apple in a lengthy court battle over allegations that it copied designs of the iPhone. The appeal came after Samsung agreed earlier this month to pay the total damages, saying it expects to be reimbursed depending on its appeals to the Supreme Court. In the latest appeal, Samsung is seeking to knock $399 million off the total amount. "A patented design might be the essential feat
IndustryDec. 15, 2015
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U.S. expert calls for more serious attention to Pyongyang's H-bomb claims
The United States should more seriously take North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's claims that the country has developed hydrogen bombs, an expert said, pointing out that the international community has often incorrectly underestimated Pyongyang's capabilities. The North's leader made the H-bomb claims last week, saying the country has become a "powerful nuclear weapons state." It was the first time that Kim has publicly mentioned the North's development of an hydrogen bomb, which uses more advance
North KoreaDec. 15, 2015
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Korean chipmakers' share in global DRAM market hits record high
South Korean chipmakers garnered a record-high share in the global market for dynamic random access memory chips in the third quarter, data showed Tuesday, further widening the gap with other global rivals. Samsung Electronics Co. took up 45.9 percent of the global DRAM market in the July-September period, up 3.6 percentage points from a year earlier, the data compiled by industry tracker IHS showed. With Samsung's local rival SK hynix Inc. also taking up 27.6 percent of the market in the thir
IndustryDec. 15, 2015
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Seoul shares start higher on U.S. gains
South Korean stocks started higher Tuesday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.25 points, or 0.38 percent, to 1,935.07 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.6 percent on Monday and the Nasdaq index picked up 0.4 percent on the back of the reverse in oil prices from last week's rout. Tech firms and pharmaceuticals led the gains in the local market, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics surg
Dec. 15, 2015
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Seoul logs trade surplus for 46th straight month in Nov.
South Korea posted a trade surplus for the 46th month in a row in November as imports dropped at a much faster pace than exports, customs data showed Tuesday. According to data from the Korea Customs Service, the country's trade surplus reached a record high of $10.32 billion last month, up nearly two-fold from the $5.26 billion reported a year earlier. The total was also up sharply from the $6.6 billion reported for October. Exports were down 4.8 percent on-year to $44.38 billion last month,
Dec. 15, 2015
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Textbook controversy spills over to selection of authors
With the government postponing the announcement of the criteria for government-issued history textbooks for the third time Monday, the dispute over the selection of authors fueled the debate over the plan that the Park Geun-hye administration had vowed to keep transparent.The National Institute of Korean History, in charge of the publication process of the history textbook, is unclear on when it will reveal the criteria, the Education Ministry said. The NIKH initially was slated to make the anno
Social AffairsDec. 15, 2015
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Ssangyong, union likely to settle 6-year dispute
Ssangyong Motor’s management and labor union have reached a tentative agreement to rehire a group of dismissed workers, a move widely seen here as a major breakthrough to end their six-year labor dispute. “The company took a critical step to end the prolonged labor conflict,” a company official said Monday. The agreement was made during tripartite talks among Ssangyong CEO Choi Johng-sik, union leader Hong Bong-seok and Kim Deuk-jung, a representative from the Korea Metal Workers’ Union. Kim has
MobilityDec. 15, 2015
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S. Korea, Laos agree to work closely on hydropower project
South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn and his Lao counterpart, Thongsing Thammavong, agreed Monday to work closely on a hydropower project in the Southeast Asian country, a South Korean official said.The two sides had planned to sign a deal on the development of Sepon III hydropower plant at their meeting, though they failed to ink the deal due to differences.The two sides remain at odds over which country will build a road leading up to the power plant, among other things.Still, Hwang and T
Foreign AffairsDec. 14, 2015
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S. Korea to continue efforts for talks with N. Korea: minister
South Korea won't give up efforts to improve ties with North Korea despite a failure to strike a deal in their latest talks, a top official said Monday.Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said the government will "leave the door for dialogue open and continue efforts for the development of South-North relations and peace on the Korean Peninsula on a step-by-step basis."He was speaking at a parliamentary forum on the feasibility of a second inter-Korean industrial complex.The two Koreas had two da
Foreign AffairsDec. 14, 2015
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Korean economy mired in growing debt, slowing exports
In a meeting with reporters last week, Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan dismissed warnings that the Korean economy may be facing its worst ever conditions as exaggerated.“Some have said our economy is heading toward a grave crisis, but all data are showing Korea is doing better than most of its peer countries under difficult situations,” he said.Choi, who concurrently serves as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, argued that if exports had not fallen, Asia’s fourth-largest economy could
Dec. 14, 2015
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Prosecution indicts 179 professors over copyright breach
In a rare move, Korean prosecutors indicted Thursday 179 professors across the country on charges of republishing existing books in their own names after replacing the covers. According to Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office, 74 professors have been indicted in relation to the case while other 105 have been summarily indicted. They have been charged with copyright infringement and disrupting public duty. Out of the 105 who have been summarily charged, the professors who stole their peers’ wor
Social AffairsDec. 14, 2015
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Depression symptoms gender-specific: study
Depression symptoms such as physical fatigue and loss of sexual desire have been shown to be significantly gender-specific in South Korea, according to a study on Monday.In the joint study by Seoul National University, Inha University and Kyungpook National University, the number of Korean women who experienced physical fatigue when clinically depressed was 2.8 times higher than their male counterparts. Meanwhile, the number of depressed men who experienced diminished sex drive was twice as high
Social AffairsDec. 14, 2015