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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Pianist Lim Yunchan double winner at Gramophone Awards
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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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Controversial cult leader’s sentence reduced to 17 years
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[KH Explains] Is private equity giant MBK a risk-taker or renegade?
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Samsung hints at expansion of mobile payment tool to budget phones
Samsung Electronics Co. signaled Wednesday that the tech giant may expand its latest mobile payment system to budget smartphones, and expected the number of its users to grow further down the road.Samsung Pay, officially launched in South Korea last month, is currently available for only high-end smartphone models released this year, including the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy Note 5."It will gradually expand," said Shin Jong-kyun, who heads Samsung's mobile business, when asked if the company plans
TechnologySept. 16, 2015
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Parliamentary committee passes lawmaker's expulsion motion
The parliamentary ethics committee passed a motion in a unanimous decision Wednesday to expel a sitting lawmaker -- formerly affiliated with the ruling party -- accused of sexual assault.Rep. Sim Hag-bong, who left the ruling Saenuri Party last month, is being investigated by prosecutors on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her 40s at a hotel in Daegu on July 13.The National Assembly's Ethics Committee took the disciplinary action against the embattled lawmaker and will send the motion
PoliticsSept. 16, 2015
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Aegis destroyer tasked with detecting N. Korea's possible rocket launch
A South Korean Aegis combat system-equipped destroyer, patrolling in the East Sea, has assumed the key mission of detecting North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket, government sources said.North Korea hinted at the possibility of firing a rocket, which it claims to be carrying a satellite, in the coming weeks to mark the 70th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea on Oct. 10.The Aegis ship equipped with a state-of-the-art radar system is aimed at countering North Korea's ballistic missil
DefenseSept. 16, 2015
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More professors oppose gov't plan to standardize history textbooks
Another group of professors urged the government to stop its plan to standardize history textbooks Wednesday, saying it is an act of weakening the country's democracy.The call came in a statement released by 160 professors from Korea University opposing the plan being pushed by the government to change the system. The government has been raising the need to forge a common understanding of history in a country where people are divided ideologically.Currently, eight private publishing companies pr
Social AffairsSept. 16, 2015
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S. Korean PM leaves for France
South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn left for Paris on Wednesday to mark the 130th anniversary of the country's diplomatic ties with France, which falls next year.The five-day trip is Hwang's first official overseas trip since taking office in June.Hwang will meet with his French counterpart, Manuel Valls, and attend the opening ceremony of the Museum of Decorative Arts upon arrival, according to the Prime Minister's Office.Hwang's itinerary also includes a meeting with French President Fra
Foreign AffairsSept. 16, 2015
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S. Korea-Central America FTA to boost auto exports: report
South Korean carmakers are anticipated to grab a larger share of the Central American auto market once Seoul signs a multilateral free trade agreement with the countries in the region, a report said Wednesday.In June, South Korea kicked off negotiations with six Central American countries -- Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama -- to hammer out a multilateral free trade deal.According to the report by the Korea International Trade Association, South Korean auto firm
MobilitySept. 16, 2015
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Anger as Hungary seals borders, Merkel demands refugee summit
Hundreds of desperate migrants were Tuesday trapped behind a razor-wire fence erected by Hungary, as Germany's Angela Merkel called for an EU summit on the refugee crisis.While European leaders squabbled over how to manage the continent's biggest migrant influx since World War II, the exodus from war-torn Middle Eastern countries claimed more lives.Another shipwreck off Turkey killed 22 refugees -- among them four children and 11 women -- who had tried to reach Europe, where more than half a mil
World NewsSept. 16, 2015
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Labor reform aims to create full-time jobs for youth: minister
Creating full-time jobs for young people is the main goal of an ongoing push to reform South Korea's labor market, the top economic policymaker said Wednesday.Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said that the landmark agreement reached over the weekend by the tripartite committee made up of representatives from labor, management and government, should not be seen as the end of a long, arduous journey."What has to be done in the future is more important," Choi said in a speech at a job fair in the p
Social AffairsSept. 16, 2015
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Park to attend U.N. General Assembly in New York
President Park Geun-hye will visit New York later this month to attend the U.N. General Assembly and the U.N. summit for sustainable development, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.Park is set to address the U.N. summit on Sept. 26, which is designed to adopt the post-2015 development agenda, the presidential office said. (Yonhap)U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked world leaders to attend the U.N. summit for the launch of the new agenda, which serves as a guideline for sustainable developmen
PoliticsSept. 16, 2015
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S. Korea vows stern actions against N. Korea's provocations
South Korea vowed on Wednesday to take "stern" actions if North Korea launches a long-range missile or conducts another nuclear test.The Unification Ministry said it is hard to predict whether the secretive North will go ahead with a rocket launch or a fourth nuclear test but stressed Seoul will respond resolutely to any provocation."North Korea's possible launch of a missile or conducting a nuke test are serious provocations and military threats. They are also a clear violation of the United Na
North KoreaSept. 16, 2015
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Hyundai Engineering wins US$74 mln order from Philippines
South Korean construction firm Hyundai Engineering Co. said Wednesday it has clinched a $74 million order to build a power plant in the Philippines. Under the deal signed with Energy Development Corporation, the No. 1 geothermal energy producer in the Philippines, Hyundai Engineering will build a 31-megawatt geothermal power plant on the island of Luzon in the Southeast Asian country. Construction is to be completed within 25 months after breaking ground. The South Korean company, which is held
IndustrySept. 16, 2015
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LG Electronics to release new tablet PC this week
South Korea's No. 2 tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday it plans to roll out a new tablet PC this week, in line with its latest efforts to shore up its mobile device business facing a slump.The 10.1-inch G Pad II, first introduced at the Internationale Funkausstellung in Germany earlier this month, will come with a 7,400 mAh battery and 2GB of RAM. It holds a data storage capacity of 32GB, but users can also insert a Mirco SD card. (Yonhap)The company released the 8-inch G Pad II last
TechnologySept. 16, 2015
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Jeju naval base hosts warship in test operation
South Korea has begun testing its new naval base on the southern island of Jeju as its construction is near completion, the Navy said Wednesday."The Aegis combat system-equipped DDG destroyer, the Sejong the Great, entered the Jeju civil-military combined port for a safety check of the port and pier facilities," the Navy said.It is the first time a Navy warship has docked at the base, of which construction is about 89 percent complete as of Wednesday, according to the Navy. The 37,000-ton warshi
DefenseSept. 16, 2015
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Public-sector debt ratio to fall below 200 pct this year: gov't
South Korea's public-sector debt ratio is expected to fall below the 200 percent mark in 2015 for the first time in five years thanks to reforms and measures taken to enhance state companies' fiscal health, the government said Wednesday.In its 2015-2019 mid- and long-term fiscal management plan, the finance ministry predicted total debt will likely stand at 496.6 trillion won ($421 billion) by year's end, down 1 trillion won from a year earlier.This will push down their combined ratio of debt to
Sept. 16, 2015
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Park to donate 20 mln won to fund for young people
President Park Geun-hye has decided to donate 20 million won ($17,000) to a fund meant to help young people find jobs, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Wednesday.Park will also give 20 percent of her monthly wage each month to the fund, Hwang said. It means Park's monthly contribution could reach about 3.2 million won, given that her annual salary stood at 192 million won last year.Hwang also said he and other Cabinet ministers as well as heads of public organizations will also donate their mon
PoliticsSept. 16, 2015
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Parliamentary committee passes lawmaker's expulsion motion over alleged sexual assault
The National Assembly convened its disciplinary committee Wednesday and passed a motion to expel a sitting lawmaker -- formerly affiliated with the ruling party -- accused of sexual assault. Rep. Sim Hag-bong, who left the ruling Saenuri Party last month, is being investigated by prosecutors on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her 40s at a hotel in Daegu on July 13. The National Assembly's Ethics Committee took the disciplinary action against the embattled lawmaker and will hold a g
NationalSept. 16, 2015
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New nuke crisis looming on Sept. 19 deal anniversary
Flexing its nuclear muscles again, North Korea has moved further away from the Sept. 19 Joint Statement once hailed as a historic deal on ending its nuclear program.The 10th anniversary this week of signing the agreement is far from a celebratory mood.Another round of the nuclear crisis is instead descending on the region, where the national interests of South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia go head-to-head, while, at the same time, the countries work together for peace and sta
North KoreaSept. 16, 2015
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N. Korea, China sign deal to build new bridge over Tumen River
North Korea and China have signed an agreement to build a new bridge over the Tumen River that runs between the two nations, Chinese officials said on Wednesday, in the latest sign that economic ties between Pyongyang and Beijing remain largely unaffected despite the North's nuclear and missile programs. The agreement was signed in Pyongyang on Tuesday by North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong-guk and the Chinese Ambassador to North Korea, Li Jinjun, the Chinese Embassy said in a stateme
North KoreaSept. 16, 2015
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China's Red Cross gives $100,000 for N. Korean flood relief
China's Red Cross has sent $100,000 in cash to North Korea as part of its humanitarian aid for North Korean victims of last month's floods, China's state media said Wednesday. Two major floods caused by heavy rainfall killed 89 people and left 10 people missing in North Korea last month, the International Federation of the Red Cross said earlier this month. In a brief dispatch from Pyongyang, the state-run Xinhua news agency said the Chinese Red Cross donated $100,000 to North Korea's Red Cross.
North KoreaSept. 16, 2015
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Chaebol family minors own 96.2 bln won in shares: report
Minors belonging to families that control South Korea's large business conglomerates, or chaebol, hold 96.2 billion won ($81.4 million) in shares, a report by an opposition lawmaker's office showed Wednesday.According to data provided by the Fair Trade Commission to Rep. Shin Hak-yong's office, 39 children and teenagers who are directly related to owners of 15 conglomerates had stakes in their affiliates as of Sept. 8.This translates into an average 2.5 billion won worth of shares per person, th
Sept. 16, 2015