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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Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
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North Korean trash balloons cross border day after Seoul military parade
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K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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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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Korea’s senior population hits record-high 6.6 million
(123RF)The senior population in South Korea hit a record high in 2015, showing that Asia’s fourth-largest economy is about to become an aged society, the state-run statistics agency reported on Thursday. According to Statistics Korea’s report on senior population in 2015, the number of senior citizens of 65 and over hit a record high of 6.62 million. This is the highest since the statistics agency started began collecting the data in 1960, when it was as low as 2.9 million. This year’s senior po
Sept. 24, 2015
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Hyundai Card launches fashion mileage event
(Hyundai Card)Hyundai Card launched a special mileage point event that applies to a variety of global fashion brands, the card issuer said Thursday. Dubbed “50% M point Special -- Fashion,” the mileage event enables Hyundai Card users to pay up to 50 percent of the shopping expenses at assorted fashion apparel stores with “M points,” or Hyundai’s mileage points. The event runs from Sept. 24 through Oct. 11. The participating fashion brands range from casual wear to premium jeans, including Theo
Sept. 24, 2015
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[Editorial] Incompetence is vice, too
During a recent parliamentary audit of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, a lawmaker asked its chief to name the most prominent corruption case involving military procurement. His answer was: “Well there are so many, so I don’t know.” This comic episode illustrates how pervasive corruption is in the nation’s procurement programs. So much so that there is a joint investigation team — consisting of the state prosecution, military prosecution, police, tax and customs agencies and finan
EditorialSept. 24, 2015
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[Editorial] Fair justice
The extradition of an American suspect this week has rekindled public attention on a 1997 murder case, which was so dramatic that it was made into a movie in 2009 titled “The Case of Itaewon Homicide.” Arthur Patterson, 36, was taken to the Seoul Detention Center after arriving from the U.S. on Wednesday. He will stand trial in a Seoul court over the charge that he stabbed to death a Korean university student 18 years ago. The tragic death of Cho Joong-pil, 22, took place in the restroom of a B
EditorialSept. 24, 2015
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[Chon Shi-yong] Silk Road: Path to empire?
The One Belt, One Road initiative is a key focus of China’s foreign policy. As it is the most cherished project of President Xi Jinping, the Beijing government is mobilizing its massive diplomatic and financial resources for the initiative. The project, which aims to link the countries that were on the ancient Silk Road routes — the land- and ocean-based ones — through transportation and infrastructure networks, started two years ago. It involves about 50 countries in areas as vast as Central As
ViewpointsSept. 24, 2015
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How to spend Chuseok in the city
Korean Thanksgiving, or Chuseok, has traditionally been a time for families to gather and enjoy time together, share good food and celebrate the harvest season. Many Korean families visit their rural hometowns for ancestral rituals and to meet other family members for the holiday.As many head for their hometowns for family reunions, the crowd-free cities enjoy their quietest time of the year. But, with the abundance of cultural activities and entertaining programs, they never get boring. Here’s
CultureSept. 24, 2015
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Wives do 80% of married couples’ housework
Korean wives spend nearly five times more of their day on housework than their spouses, a survey showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, women spent about 3 1/2 hours on daily housework on average, while men spent only 43 minutes last year, showing a 4.6-fold difference.For women, the housework time accounted for 41 percent of their daily duties -- hours they spend on obligatory activities such as career work or domestic affairs. The women’s duty ti
Social AffairsSept. 24, 2015
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[Pravit Rojanaphruk] Attitudes ‘adjusted’ under Thai junta
These are some of the things I remember best during my second round of “attitude adjustment” under the military junta, also known as the National Council for Peace and Order. My crime was tweeting and posting comments questioning the legitimacy of the NCPO and its leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also prime minister, for which I was detained from Sept. 13 to 15. Secret detention After being blindfolded and taken in a nondescript van on a 1 1/2 hour journey out of Bangkok, with some four men
ViewpointsSept. 24, 2015
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Korea blasts Japan over steel pricing
Korea has urged Japan to take action on the growing dumping of structural steel beams from the country, seeking to “settle the issue peacefully,” officials said Thursday.The issue was discussed at the 16th Korea-Japan Consultative Meeting on Steel Products held in Seoul.The Industry Ministry expressed its concerns over alleged unfair pricing of imported steel from Japan to its Japanese counterpart, they said.“The conference served as an opportunity for the two countries to have a candid discussi
IndustrySept. 24, 2015
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Kangta to release new album
Singer Kangta, a former member of ’90s K-pop group H.O.T., will release a new album in January, local news reported Thursday. The 35-year-old singer, who has been busy with acting projects in China, will return to the local music scene with the upcoming album. Kangta (OSEN)“He started recording the new album with a January release date in mind,” an industry insider was quoted as saying in the report. The upcoming album arrives eight years after his “Eternity” EP from 2008, which was released r
Sept. 24, 2015
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Hanwha to hold fireworks festival early next month
Hanwha Group will host the 13th Seoul International Fireworks Festival at the Hangang River Park in Yeouido, Seoul, on Oct. 3. The festival, hosted jointly by broadcast station SBS and sponsored by Seoul City and the Korea Creative Content Agency, is one of Hanwha Group’s major social philanthropy activities. Fireworks teams from the United States, the Philippines and Korea will attend and set off over 100,000 fireworks in the night sky.There will also be firework barges installed between Mapo B
IndustrySept. 24, 2015
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LX shows off future of territory data services
The Korea Land and Geospatial InformatiX Corp., or LX, attended the Smart Geospacial Expo 2015 held at The K-Hotel in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul, from Sept. 15 to 17, officials said.LX ran a “Korea Land and Geospatial InformatiX Corporation Content Promotion Hall” at the expo and displayed the progression of Korea’s changing landscape over the past 40 years through satellite images, and a hypothetical plan on land distribution in case of reunification.Other contents included technology that di
IndustrySept. 24, 2015
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PM calls for tighter quarantine inspection against MERS
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn called Thursday for stronger monitoring efforts for possible MERS patients amid an increase in the number of MERS patients in Saudi Arabia. "The number of South Koreans visiting the country is also expected to rise in line with religious events to be held in Saudi Arabia," Hwang said, urging tighter scanning of passengers for fever and other MERS symptoms at major airports. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak claimed 36 lives in South Korea earlier this y
PoliticsSept. 24, 2015
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Gov't to help speed up education reform: finance minister
The government will seek to speed up education reform as part of its ongoing efforts to prop up the country's competitiveness and help young people find jobs, the economic czar said Thursday. Chairing a meeting of a fiscal strategy coordination committee in Seoul, Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said the focus will be placed on revamping the country's universities so they can better meet the changing demands of the labor market. "Fiscal support will be given to schools that make the necessary
PoliticsSept. 24, 2015
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Former KT chief acquitted of corruption charges
A Seoul court Thursday acquitted the former head of local telecom giant KT Corp. of embezzlement and malpractice in the management of the company. The Seoul Central District Court found Lee Suk-chae not guilty of charges he caused financial losses worth some 10 billion won ($8.4 million) to KT, the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, through a poor business decision before stepping down in November 2013. Prosecutors alleged that the bureaucrat-turned-executive purchased
Social AffairsSept. 24, 2015
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[Herald Interview] The Body Shop looks to bolster skin care lineup
The Body Shop Korea general manager Oh Mi-Kyung (The Body Shop Korea)U.K.-based natural cosmetics firm The Body Shop is looking to bolster its skin care product lineup, which is expected to help the body care-focused company expand its presence in South Korea’s highly developed cosmetics market. “The Body Shop’s latest strategic focus is skin care, which has been seeing higher than expected sales, as shown through the popularity of our iconic products like the Tea Tree Oil and the Drops of You
IndustrySept. 24, 2015
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LG Chem to supply battery for Chinese EV maker
LG Chem has been stepping up its efforts to expand its electric car battery business, which is anticipated to become one of the next cash cows of the chemical firm. As part of the firm’s efforts to increase its presence in the global market, it has recently inked a supply deal of EV batteries with Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile headquartered in Anhui Province. LG Chem’s production line of batteries for electric vehicles in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province. (LG Chem) “LG Chem, which has ink
TechnologySept. 24, 2015
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Murky outlook for foldable smartphone
Speculation is rising that tech giant Samsung Electronics will unveil its first foldable smartphone next year, which will likely stand out among similar looking and dull flat-screen handsets. Market analysts, however, anticipate that customers will not be able to get their hands on the much-talked-about Samsung foldable smartphone next year.Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, which features a display curved on both sides. (Samsung Electronics) “Samsung will not likely release the foldable
TechnologySept. 24, 2015
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[Photo News] LG shines at international airports
LG SHINES AT AIRPORT -- Tech giant LG Electronics has its organic light-emitting diode TVs installed at major international airports in 23 nations including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York,and Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt. (LGE)
TechnologySept. 24, 2015
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Mister Pizza advances into cosmetics business
Mr. Pizza Korea Group on Wednesday said it has acquired 80 percent of cosmetics maker Hangang InterTrade for 22.8 billion won in order to seek business opportunities in the burgeoning cosmetics industry. Hangang InterTrade imports foreign brands Kiss Me, CANMAKE, Rose of Versailles, Green Land, and produces make-up brand Elizabeth through licensing. It also sells K-Palette. The company has marked 16.6 billion won in sales in the first half. The pizzeria operator said it will seek joint market
IndustrySept. 24, 2015