Most Popular
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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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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35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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Prosecution closes 'Dior bag' case amid opposition uproar
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Pianist Lim Yunchan double winner at Gramophone Awards
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Court confirms sentence for rapper who attempted to evade national service
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[Reporter’s Notebook] Was Netflix film opening BIFF really a bad thing?
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N. Korean leader's sister derides Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 missile as 'useless'
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KFS drums up exports of forest products
The Korea Forest Service has established an in-house division to deal with forestry trade in an effort to cope with the fast-changing market and take advantage of the Korea-China free trade agreement.“We plan to promote export of forest products, and will foster them as our new growth engine to properly respond to strengthened global nontariff barriers,” said Kim Yong-kwan, director general of International Affairs Bureau at KFS in an interview to The Korea Herald.The bureau head introduced thre
IndustrySept. 21, 2015
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State institutions under fire for fabricated spending reports
The Finance Ministry on Monday vowed to strengthen its crackdown on state-run institutions that provide fabricated spending reports. Starting next year, the ministry decided to implement “microscopic investigations” to root out the inaccurate spending reports on a variety of areas, including investment, income statements and balance sheets. According to the ministry, a total of 124 public institutions, or 4 out of 10 public institutions, have cooked their financial reports. The Finance Ministr
IndustrySept. 21, 2015
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KFS eyes China’s growing premium forest product market
Visitors flock to the Korean forest product section at a global food convention in Indonesia in April. (KFS)The Korea Forest Service is seeking to expand the nation’s export of premium-quality forest products to China, catching on the growing demand for food safety in the world’s No. 2 economy. The KFS on Monday said it is in the last stage of meeting this year’s export goal of $500 million for forest products, thanks to the stable construction of export-intensive frameworks, including the Korea
IndustrySept. 21, 2015
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[Park Sang-seek] Seeing the world through Europe refugee crisis
The UNHCR has said that approximately 400,000 refugees from Africa and the Middle East will arrive in Europe this year and 450,000 more next year. Asylum seekers in Europe are mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia.In order to find out why these refugees want to go to Europe, rather than to other African and Middle Ea
ViewpointsSept. 21, 2015
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[Editorial] Japan and war
People have various perceptions and images of a country. It is the same with Japan. One of the common impressions of Japan is a bad one, which stems from its wartime past. Japan invaded its Asian neighbors in the name of building a “Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” and waged the Pacific war against the U.S. in line with its imperialistic militarism. Many, including Koreans, suffered immensely during the Japanese aggression and colonial rule. So Korea and other members of the international
EditorialSept. 21, 2015
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Korean craft and design on show in Paris, London
Delicate curved lines of moon jars, glistening mother-of-pearl inlay, geometric aesthetics in Korean traditional costume hanbok and alphabet Hangeul -- representative aesthetics of Korean craft and design are on view in Paris and London.In Paris, “Korea Now,” which kicked off at the Decorative Arts Museum on Friday, presents a wide spectrum of Korean art from traditional craftworks to contemporary fashion until Jan. 3, 2016. Celebrating the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea
PerformanceSept. 21, 2015
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[Herald Review] ‘Right Now, Wrong Then’ captures lost chances
There are moments in life when we wish we could venture back in time and relive the same set of events, but correct what we’ve done wrong. These lost chances of what could have been and what turned out to be are what director Hong Sang-soo explores in his recent film “Right Now, Wrong Then,” which offers another intriguing character study through an experimental, mirror-like format.The first half of “Right Now” features a semi-romantic relationship between film director Ham Chun-soo (Jung Jae-yo
FilmSept. 21, 2015
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[Shashi Tharoor] Is 70 too old for the U.N.?
As world leaders prepare to gather next week at the United Nations in New York to ratify the new Sustainable Development Goals and commemorate the U.N.’s 70th anniversary, for many a fundamental question has become inescapable. In the face of growing global disorder — including turmoil in the Middle East, waves of migrants flooding into Europe, and China’s unilateral moves to enforce its territorial claims — does the U.N. have a future? Grounds for pessimism are undeniable. Conflicts rage on, s
ViewpointsSept. 21, 2015
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Korea, C. America launch FTA talks
South Korea and six Central American countries led by El Salvador began their first round of negotiations to seal a free trade agreement in Seoul on Monday. The talks will continue through Friday. Cheong Seung-il, director general for FTA Policy at Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is representing Korea while El Salvador’s Vice Minister of Energy Luz Estrella Rodriguez de Zuniga is leading the talks on behalf of the six countries. Cheong Seung-il (second from right), Korea’s chief
IndustrySept. 21, 2015
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[Editorial] Good deed
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, a major Protestant church here, has decided that its clergy will voluntarily pay income tax. It was the first time that a major Presbyterian church has made such a decision. The PROK, which has a total of 1,654 churches across the country, with its congregation and clergy standing at 280,000 and 2,950, said that it took the decision after making a theological and legal review of the issue. “We agreed that it was fair for the members of the cler
EditorialSept. 21, 2015
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Ailee to drop new album
YMC Entertainment said Monday that singer Ailee will drop her first full-length album on Sept. 30. (YMC Entertainment)The album contains 10 tracks, which will clearly show her music style, it said.Before her official debut, Ailee entered the entertainment industry by taking part in KBS TV drama “Dream High 2” in 2012. She began her music career by dropping single “Heaven” in the same year and has put out an array of hits, such as “I’ll Show You,” “Don‘t Touch Me” and “U&I.”The singer recently in
Sept. 21, 2015
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Park calls for accuracy of media reports
President Park Geun-hye on Monday stressed the need for media to provide accurate and unbiased information, seemingly backing up the ruling party’s offensives against Korea’s major Internet portals for “prejudicial” delivery of news. While attending an event hosted by one of the country’s major daily newspapers, Park also highlighted the role of media outlets in pursuing her key initiatives such as labor market reforms. “The digital revolution brought significant changes to the media outlets
PoliticsSept. 21, 2015
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Kim Hye-soo joins star-studded ‘Signal’
Veteran actors Kim Hye-soo, Jo Jin-woong and Lee Je-hoon have confirmed their roles in the upcoming cable TV drama “Signal.” With the first installment slated for January next year, “Signal” has grabbed public attention from its infancy as a collaboration between “Ghost” screenwriter Kim Eun-hee and “Misaeng” director Kim Won-seok. (OSEN) The star cast of seasoned actress Kim Hye-soo, actor Jo Jin-woong from 10-million-plus-viewer movies “Roaring Currents” and “Assassination” and rising rook
Sept. 21, 2015
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So Yoo-jin, Baek Jong-won welcome baby girl
Actress So Yoo-jin gave birth to a baby girl, her management agency said Monday. (So Yoo-jin's Instagram) Star-J Entertainment said both the mother and her second baby were in good health, adding that So would return to work late this year or early next year. So, 34, married celebrity chef Baek Jong-won, 15 years her senior, in January 2013. The two had their first child, a boy, in April last year. By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)
Sept. 21, 2015
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Family found dead in apparent murder-suicide
Four members of a family were found dead at a child care center that the deceased wife had run on Jejudo Island in an apparent murder-suicide by the husband, police said Monday.A teacher working at the facility found the 52-year-old husband surnamed Ko dead on a staircase, apparently from a fall. Police who responded to calls later discovered the bodies of the 40-year-old wife surnamed Yang and two of Yang’s teenage children in their beds, Jeju police said. The wife and the children had been sta
Social AffairsSept. 21, 2015
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Seoul’s annual street art festival to kick off next week
Seoul City’s annual street art festival will kick off next week featuring a host of international performances and civic-participant programs, officials said Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the Hi Seoul Festival will offer over 50 global and local street performances, mobilizing stages and circuses from Oct. 1-4 in central Seoul. Under the theme “Let’s play on the street,” the event will include 10 international performances from six countries, including the U.K., France and Spain
Social AffairsSept. 21, 2015
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Most families of dead soldiers get compensation via suits
Though more than 100 soldiers die while on active duty each year, the majority of their bereaved families receive state compensation through civil lawsuits, a report showed Monday, underscoring their years-long struggle that adds to the already tragic losses. According to Rep. Lim Nae-hyun of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the government has provided compensation for their deaths as a result of litigation in all cases but one since 2012. Of the 26 suits raised, six grou
DefenseSept. 21, 2015
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Ugandan interior minister dies suddenly after trip to Korea
Uganda’s interior minister died suddenly on his return trip from South Korea early this month, its government has said, prompting Seoul’s probe into the rare case. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, who was 56, died in-flight on Saturday while heading to Dubai for a transfer following a visit to Seoul upon the invitation of the Korea Foundation. After a postmortem examination, the cause of death was found to be acute heart failure, a news report suggested. KF officials reportedly said that he complained of
Foreign AffairsSept. 21, 2015
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Park's approval rating edges down amid factional feud
President Park Geun-hye's job approval rating edged down amid a factional feud over how to select those who will run for parliamentary elections next year, a poll showed Monday. A poll released by polling agency Realmeter showed 50.3 percent of people approved of the job Park is doing, down 1.4 percentage points from a week earlier. Those who disapproved of Park's job performance came to 44.1 percent, up 1.8 percentage points from a week earlier. Park's ruling Saenuri Party is embroiled in f
PoliticsSept. 21, 2015