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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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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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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Fights, complaints, stalker fans among reasons passengers exit planes before takeoff
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SF Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo back home after injury-shortened rookie season
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Korea’s economic disparity widened: report
South Korea’s economic inequality widened over the past year, with the poverty rate showing little improvement, a report showed Tuesday. According to statistics released by the Korea Institute for Health and Science Affairs, the country’s Gini coefficient, or Gini index, based on expenditures surged to 0.262 last year, nearly equivalent to the figure from 2009, suggesting widening economic disparity. The index reached its highest in 2009 at 0.266, with the figure gradually improving until 2012.
Social AffairsDec. 8, 2015
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‘La Traviata’ brings Korea National Opera’s 2015 season to a close
A scene from the Korea National Opera‘s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s ”La Traviata“ (Korea National Opera)Following its staging of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman,” the Korea National Opera is unveiling its latest production of one of Giuseppe Verdi’s best-known operatic tales -- “La Traviata.”The upcoming production will be staged from Dec. 9-12 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater, marking the KNO’s final performance of the year.The three-act Italian opera masterpiece is the quintessent
PerformanceDec. 8, 2015
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JCS chief inspects anti-terror exercise
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin on Tuesday called for a swift military response to any terrorist attack using chemical, biological and radiological weapons. He was inspecting a related exercise in Seoul with the scenario of warding off toxic gas spread by terrorists at an express bus terminal. Soldiers at the Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense Command participated in the training also involving a chopper and a reconnaissance robot, the Army said. The drill was aime
DefenseDec. 8, 2015
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Huawei Korea chief ‘upbeat’ about business outlook
Chinese network equipment firm Huawei launched its budget smartphone, dubbed the X3, in Korea more than a year ago, but has struggled to secure customers in a market dominated by Samsung, Apple and LG.Huawei Korea chief executive Kelvin Ding, however, is “not disappointed.” At a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday, he stressed that the company was “doing great in other sectors,” in particular, in its strategic focus segment of the business-to-business market. “Our main focus is the B2B segment,
TechnologyDec. 8, 2015
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[Kim Seong-kon] What lies beneath Korea’s glistening surface?
South Korea has emerged as an advanced country with astonishing economic prosperity, which has led quite a few people from developing countries to want to immigrate to Korea. Even people in advanced countries are interested in visiting Korea to see for themselves the nation that has miraculously attained astounding economic success, cutting-edge technology and cultural prosperity. When veterans of the Korean War from U.N. member countries visit Korea, they are often amazed at the radical change
ViewpointsDec. 8, 2015
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[Robert J. Fouser] On Korean literature in translation
Recent years have been good to Korean literature in translation. In 2011, Shin Kyung-sook’s “Please Look After Mom” was the first Korean novel that could be described as a “hit.” In 2013, Dalkey Archive Press began publishing a series of translations as part of its Library of Korean Literature. Several translators have recently won or been nominated for prestigious awards. The stream of good news raises some interesting questions: Why now, and what, if anything, can be done to sustain it? Seve
ViewpointsDec. 8, 2015
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[David Ignatius] The big hole in Obama’s Islamic State strategy
At the center of President Obama’s strategy for dealing with the Islamic State is an empty space. It’s supposed to be filled by a hypothetical “Sunni ground force,” but after more than a year of effort, it’s still not there. Unless this gap is filled, Obama’s plan won’t work.Otherwise, Obama made a reasonable case in his speech to the nation Sunday night. He’s right to argue for patience and persistence in fighting the Muslim terrorists, rather than “tough talk.” He’s correct that the United St
ViewpointsDec. 8, 2015
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Is it possible for computers to be creative?
High-tech automation is eliminating jobs like Pac-Man gobbling yellow dots. According to a 2013 study by the Oxford Martin School, 47 percent of U.S. jobs are susceptible to takeover by machines in the coming decades. Whether you work in manufacturing, the service industry, in medicine, law or any number of other industries, chances are that your occupation is in the middle of an unprecedented algorithm-driven paradigm shift. One area we tend to view as safe from automation is creativity — but
ViewpointsDec. 8, 2015
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Seoul shares down 0.75% on falling oil prices
South Korean shares dipped 0.75 percent Tuesday as a free-fall in oil prices dampened investors' appetite for risky assets. The local currency declined to a two month low against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 14.63 points to 1,949.04. Trade volume was slim at 399.5 million shares worth 3.57 trillion won ($3.03 billion), with losers far outnumbering gainers 643 to 186. "Investors are seeking safer investments as the global crude prices hit a near seven-yea
Dec. 8, 2015
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What Paris talks have accomplished so far
The two-week United Nations conference on climate change is halfway over, and no matter what else happens, it has already been a clear-cut success in two critical areas. As important as a global accord is, the most influential actors on climate change have been cities and businesses, and leaders in both groups made it clear that they will not wait for an agreement that, if it comes together, won’t even take full effect until 2020. Mayors and officials representing more than 500 cities organized
ViewpointsDec. 8, 2015
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3 Indonesians deported for following al-Qaida affiliate
Three illegal immigrants with Indonesian nationality have been deported for apparently following a terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaida, South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday. A 32-year-old Indonesian man was deported from South Korea last Tuesday for violating the country's immigration control act, the National Intelligence Service said, without identifying the man. The man, suspected of supporting the al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaida, had written on his Facebook that he woul
Social AffairsDec. 8, 2015
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Korean Navy fires warning shots to Chinese ship in West Sea
The South Korean Navy said Tuesday that it has fired warning shots at a Chinese vessel intruding into the de-facto western maritime border between the two Koreas.A Korean patrol boat chases a Chinese fishing boat operating illeglly in the West Sea on Nov. 27. (Yonhap-News)The Navy said that it fired 10 rounds in warning at a Chinese patrol boat that was conducting a crackdown on some Chinese fishermen illegal fishing near a border island in the waters off South Korea‘s west coast. The Chinese p
DefenseDec. 8, 2015
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[Photo News] Samsung expands mobile payment system
EXPANDING MOBILE PAYMENT SYSTEM -- Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that rechargeable public transportation cards T-Money and Cashbee are now available on its mobile payment solution Samsung Pay. (Samsung Electronics)
TechnologyDec. 8, 2015
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China's central bank approves Korea's plan to float yuan bonds
China's central bank approved a South Korean plan to issue yuan-denominated foreign exchange stabilization bonds in the world's No. 2 market, the government said Tuesday. The finance ministry said the People's Bank of China approved the issuing of upwards to 3 billion yuan ($463 million) worth of bonds. This is the first time Beijing has approved the floating of yuan-based bonds by a foreign government inside China, and it follows a visit by Chinese premier Li Keqiang to Seoul on Oct. 31, the
Dec. 8, 2015
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Household debt growth quickens in Oct.
Loans extended to households by local lenders and other financial institutions rose at a faster rate in October than a month earlier amid a continued rise in demand for mortgages, central bank data showed Tuesday. Outstanding household loans by commercial banks and savings banks came to 792.4 trillion won ($674.9 billion) as of end-October, up 11.8 trillion won from the previous month, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. The October tally marks an 8.5 percent increase fro
Dec. 8, 2015
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Korea aims to have over 1 mln eco-friendly cars by 2020
South Korea will seek to have more than 1 million eco-friendly cars on the road by 2020 as part of its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate new growth momentum for its auto industry. The 2016-2020 plan will push up the percentage of green cars such as hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, pure electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell cars sold in Asia's fourth-largest economy, to 20 percent of all sales, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said. "The goal is to cre
IndustryDec. 8, 2015
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China imports and exports fall again in November: govt
Chinese imports and exports both fell in November, official data showed Tuesday, the latest poor figures from the world's second-largest economy.The country is a key driver of global growth and its shipments of finished goods, along with its demand for the resources to manufacture them, affect nations across the world.China's exports sank 6.8 percent to $197.2 billion in November, Customs said -- a marginal improvement on the previous month, but worse than the five percent drop forecast in a Blo
World NewsDec. 8, 2015
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Moody’s upgrades Kyobo Life to ‘A1’
Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the insurance financial strength rating of Kyobo Life Insurance Co. to “A1” from “A2,” the South Korean insurance firm said Tuesday. The rating outlook is stable. Some of Moody’s “A1” players in insurance include Prudential, Dai-ichi, Meiji Yasuda and Manulife. Moody’s “A1” banks include Morgan Stanley Bank, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Citibank. “The rating upgrade reflects Kyobo Life’s proven track record of maintaining a good level of profitability
Dec. 8, 2015
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Park renews calls for passage of anti-terrorism bill
President Park Geun-hye reiterated her calls Tuesday for parliamentary approval of a bill meant to protect South Korea from possible terrorist attacks. She warned that South Korea could neither properly cooperate with the international community nor exchange intelligence on terrorism unless parliament endorses the bill. "Even IS came to know that no basic law is in place in South Korea to prevent terrorism," Park said in a regular Cabinet meeting, referring to the Islamic State militant group
PoliticsDec. 8, 2015
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Korea, UAE to expand ties in health, culture
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to expand their ties in various areas, including new growth industries such as health and halal foods, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with his UAE counterpart, Mohammed Mir Abdullah Al Raisi, in Dubai, and the two sides discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, including the recent expansion of cooperation to new areas such as health, halal foods, public safety, education and culture, the
InternationalDec. 8, 2015