Most Popular
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Food tycoon Paik Jong-won's Theborn Korea pushes toward IPO
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Samsung tightens its belt amid crisis winds
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North Korean trash balloons cross border day after Seoul military parade
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Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
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K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
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Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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Ruling camp’s nomination fight turns ugly
The political row between the president and the ruling party leader reached new heights Wednesday, as Saenuri chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung hit back at Cheong Wa Dae’s criticism of the party nomination scheme he agreed with the opposition. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy also hit out at the presidential office, accusing it of attempting to meddle in electoral affairs as part of its internal power struggle. Kim, who skipped party meetings and canceled public schedules earli
PoliticsOct. 1, 2015
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Seoul’s secret underground bunker to be opened to public
A historical underground bunker in Seoul will be opened to the public temporarily this month, a decade after its discovery, officials said Thursday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will temporarily open the secret underground bunker of 790 square meters in Yeouido to the public from Oct. 10 to Nov. 1 on a reservation basis. The city will gather public opinion from visitors on how to use the mysterious site ahead of the expected official opening in October next year. One of the bunker r
Social AffairsOct. 1, 2015
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Crime rate surges among the elderly in South Korea
The number of crime cases committed by the elderly has increased significantly from 2010 to 2014 in South Korea, while the general crime rate in the country dropped in the same period, according to figures released by the police here. The figures showed that crimes committed by Koreans aged 61 or older increased by 35 percent from 2010 to last year, from 111,453 to 150,902. But the total number of crime cases in the country dropped by 5.6 percent, from 1,814,386 to 1,712.435. As of last year, th
Social AffairsOct. 1, 2015
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Park urges N.K. to ditch nukes
By Shin Hyon-hee President Park Geun-hye on Thursday reiterated calls for North Korea to renounce its nuclear and missile programs that pose a critical obstacle to the security of the peninsula and the world. In her Armed Forces Day address, she also stressed her resolve to help rebuild the North’s impaired economy if it chooses talks over a military standoff. “North Korea must cease immediately its development of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles that has jeopardized the fate of
North KoreaOct. 1, 2015
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Engineering professors look into fallacies of Korea's fast growth, remedies
After five decades of high growth and the rags-to-riches transformation, Korea’s economy is finally slowing. Although it might look quite natural to outsiders, particularly in this global era of the “new normal” -- slower but more sustainable growth -- the ongoing economic slowdown worries many in Korea to a great extent. They fear Korea’s half-century stride toward prosperity may be coming to a full stop at the threshold of the much-coveted “advanced economy” status. “Time of Accumulation” arri
BooksOct. 1, 2015
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[Herald Review] Wandering through ‘The Long Way Home’
“The Long Way Home” is a film that seeks to address both the implications of war on a grand scale and the microscopic relationship between two individual soldiers, all the while providing wholesome family comedy, moving drama and high-quality battle scenes. None of these ambitious aims, however, are quite met. Nam-bok (Sol Kyung-gu) is a farmer who has been drafted to fight in the Korean War and entrusted with the mission of delivering a crucial, top-secret document containing war strategies to
FilmOct. 1, 2015
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BoA to kick off 4th season of ‘Hidden Singer’
After a ten-month break, JTBC‘s hugely popuar reality game show “Hidden Singer” is returning for its fourth season with singer BoA headlining the first episode.“We weren’t sure that we could come back this year,” chief producer Cho Seung-wook told press on Thursday. “But thanks to the support of those who waited for Season 4 to come back, we were able to be ready by October.”Poster for Season 4 of "Hidden Singer" (JTBC)The show, on which established singers are pitted against five fan contestant
TelevisionOct. 1, 2015
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Sewol victims apply for compensation
Roughly 75 percent of victims and survivors in last year’s Sewol ferry tragedy have filed for government compensation, the government said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, families of 208 out of 304 killed or missing have agreed to accept the government’s offer of financial compensation, which is expected to reach up to 470 million won ($399,000) per victim.The families of nine who remain unaccounted for have also requested the compensation, after the ministry vowed t
Social AffairsOct. 1, 2015
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Former education spokesman faces arrest
South Korean prosecutors have requested a preliminary arrest warrant for a former spokesman of the Education Ministry on suspicion of receiving kickbacks from a local college, officials said Thursday.Kim, 48, is believed to have received money and favors worth 60 million won ($51,000) from chairman Lee Jung-hak of Sohae College in Gusan, North Jeolla Province, according to the Jeonju District Prosecutor’s Office. Lee has been investigated for allegedly embezzling some 14.6 billion won in school
Social AffairsOct. 1, 2015
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Seoul verifying rumors of death of IS teenager
The South Korean government has begun the process of verifying news reports that a South Korean teenager thought to have joined an Islamic militant group early this year was killed in a U.S.-led air strike in northern Syria, officials said Thursday.“We are now trying to verify the facts with regard to the reports on his fate,” said a Seoul official on condition of anonymity.A local media outlet reported Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition forces carried out a massive air strike campaign last w
Foreign AffairsOct. 1, 2015
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Seoul to develop 800km missile by 2017
South Korea plans to complete its development and deployment of a ballistic missile with a range of 800 kilometers by 2017, as it seeks to counter the evolving nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.Military sources said that the state-run Agency for Defense Development had put forward the plan in its five-year policy outline, which was adopted right after the Park Geun-hye administration assumed office in February 2013.“Currently, we have developed ballistic missiles with a range of u
DefenseOct. 1, 2015
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LG debuts new premium phone
LG Electronics on Thursday took the wraps off a new premium smartphone that touts brand-new features such as a second screen and dual cameras. The V10 is the first in a new line of Android smartphones from the Korean tech giant since LG’s mobile chief Cho Juno took office in December last year. The new phone comes as the company’s mobile business unit continues to suffer from sluggish sales in a crowded market dominated by Samsung and Apple. “We can no longer focus only on the sales figures,” s
TechnologyOct. 1, 2015
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New economic data inspires hope despite G2 risks
While the economic forecasts for Korea in the third quarter of the year have been mostly gloomy in the wake of the so-called G2 risks -- China’s economic slowdown and the likelihood of the U.S. key rate hike -- new data released Thursday offer some hope of a revival.The two external uncertainties still linger on, which is restricting both economic vitalization and hampering the stock and currency markets. Federal Reserve chair Janet Yel
Oct. 1, 2015
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Ex-spy chief: Senior N. Korean official visited Seoul ahead of 2007 summit
North Korea's top official in charge of inter-Korean affairs made a secret visit to Seoul ahead of the second summit between the leaders of the rival Koreas in 2007, a former South Korean spy chief said in a memoir released Thursday.Kim Yang-gon met with the then-President Roh Moo-hyun at Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea's presidential office, on Sept. 26, according to the memoir of Kim Man-bok, who headed the National Intelligence Service from 2006 to 2008.The meeting took place five days before Roh
North KoreaOct. 1, 2015
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Lee Yong-hee retrospective: Forty years of making hanbok
A retrospective of designer Lee Young-hee traces the iconic hanbok designer’s four-decade quest to modernize the Korean traditional costume and promote it in the global fashion stage. From traditional hanbok style, consisting of a short bolero-style blouse and a full skirt, to contemporary evening gowns that are reminiscent of hanbok’s restrictive use of colors and delicate silhouettes, some 100 of Lee’s hanbok creations are on display at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul until Oct. 9. Lee, 79, h
Arts & DesignOct. 1, 2015
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iKON’s new album dominates charts
Rookie group iKON’s latest EP, “Welcome Back,” topped major Korean and international charts immediately after its release Thursday. The six-track EP nabbed the top spot on iTunes’ albums charts in 11 regions, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. The EP’s lead track “Rhythm Ta” ranked No. 1 on eight local charts, including Genie, Olleh, Naver and Soribada. Other songs from the album, “Airplane,” “Welcome Back,” “My Type” and “Today,” also ranked high
Oct. 1, 2015
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Ban Ki-moon has potential to be S. Korean presidential candidate: lawmaker
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has the potential to be a South Korean presidential candidate, a ruling party lawmaker said Thursday.Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, has been voted as one of the most popular possible contenders, though he has disavowed rumors that he has interest in running for the 2017 presidential election. "I think (Ban) has enough potential to be a candidate that our people would like," said Rep. Hong Moon-jong of the Saenuri Party during an interview with a l
PoliticsOct. 1, 2015
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KEB-Hana Bank chief Ham emphasizes love for community
KEB-Hana Bank on Thursday vowed to widen the scope of its community service activities under the slogan “2015 Chuseok Happy Sharing.” This year, a total of 450 branches will participate in the operation, almost triple that of last year’s 175. “Nanum (sharing) is the hope that brightens the whole world -- something that can’t be more meaningful and beautiful, because it drives us to share dreams and hopes with our socially disadvantaged neighbors,” said KEB-Hana Bank president and CEO Ham Young-
Oct. 1, 2015
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BAT Korea to launch Rothmans
Rothmans(BAT Korea)British American Tobacco Korea on Thursday said Rothmans, a tobacco brand that celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, will go on sale in Korea from Monday. Rothmans comes in two varieties, Rothmans 5mg and Rothmans 1mg. Rothmans has a new type of recessed filter called “air plus.” Launched in a small kiosk of London in 1890, the brand was granted a royal warrant by King Edward VII in 1905, to be supplied to the British Royal Family. Rothmans was the world’s first tobacc
IndustryOct. 1, 2015
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[Shamshad Akhtar] Agenda 2030 vital to Asia’s future
The resounding endorsement by global leaders last week in New York of the groundbreaking and transformational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, more than two years in the making, sparks new hope and optimism for multilateralism. The 2030 Agenda, based on 17 goals and 169 targets, may seem overly ambitious to some, but poverty eradication cannot be sustained without comprehensive progress in economic growth, social justice and ecological sustainability. This is a bold and inspirational new
ViewpointsOct. 1, 2015