Most Popular
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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Man escapes DUI charges by downing bottle of soju while pulled over
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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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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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Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military
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N. Korean leader's sister derides Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 missile as 'useless'
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S. Korea, US clinch 2026-30 defense cost-sharing deal in pre-election push
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Mark Lambert takes office as new Korea director at State Department
Mark Lambert, a career U.S. diplomat with expertise in Asian affairs, has taken office as new director for Korea at the State Department, diplomatic sources said Thursday.Lambert, who was the political counselor in Hanoi before taking the new job, succeeded Robert Rapson. Lambert joined the Foreign Service in 1990 and is considered one of leading China experts at the department. Previous assignments included China and Japan. (Yonhap)
Foreign AffairsAug. 28, 2015
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Hill: Park, Xi should discuss inter-Korean unification at next week's summit
President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping should talk about the aftermath of South Korea's potential absorption of the North at next week's summit, a former senior U.S. negotiator said Thursday, claiming Pyongyang is heading toward collapse."At some point, and in some as-yet-undefined way, North Korea will be unable to function, and South Korea will become the successor state," said Christopher Hill, former assistant secretary of state, in a Project Syndicate article."There will b
Foreign AffairsAug. 28, 2015
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S. Korean banks' bad loan ratio edges down in Q2
The bad loan ratio of South Korean banks edged down in the second quarter of this year from three months earlier on a rise in cleared debts, the financial watchdog said Friday.The combined bad loan ratio stood at 1.5 percent at the end of June, down 0.06 percentage point from the previous quarter, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.The bad loan ratio refers to the proportion of a bank's non-performing loans to their total lending. A debt that has been in arrears for more than 90 days
Aug. 28, 2015
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Park's attendance at China parade conducive to regional peace vision: official
South Korean President Park Geun-hye's attendance at China's military parade set for next week could be helpful in advancing her regional peace and cooperation vision, a senior official said Thursday.Park's decision to be at the Sept. 3 parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II came as the U.S. and other Western leaders are expected to shun the event, seen as a show of force amid Beijing's increasingly assertive actions in territorial disputes with its neighbors.The U.
Foreign AffairsAug. 28, 2015
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Park’s decision highlights ties with China
Cheong Wa Dae announced on Wednesday evening that President Park Geun-hye would attend a military parade during her China visit, a decision that came after weeks of contemplation and reflecting on Seoul’s emphasis on bettering ties with Beijing.Ahead of China’s celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Park will hold summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday upon her arrival in China for a three-day visit next week, the presidential office said.On Thursday,
Foreign AffairsAug. 27, 2015
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S. Korea, China, Japan working to hold summit as soon as possible: official
South Korea, China and Japan aim to hold a summit as soon as possible amid signs of gradually improving ties, a Chinese official said Thursday.Yang Houlan, the incoming chief of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat involving all three sides, made the remark during a reception marking the start of his two-year term, saying he is "keenly aware of the great responsibility" on his shoulders."Despite the twists and turns in the past three years, trilateral cooperation is gradually returning to its
Foreign AffairsAug. 27, 2015
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University enrollment decreases for first time
The number of South Korean undergraduate students in four-year colleges and universities decreased for the first time since the government started tallying educational statistics, officials said Thursday, as the country continued to see a gradual decline in overall students.About 3.61 million students were enrolled in higher education institutes as of 2015, 2.1 million of whom were undergraduates, according to the Education Ministry. The number of undergraduates marked a 0.8 percent fall from 20
Social AffairsAug. 27, 2015
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Park calls creative economy growth engine of S. Korea's economy
President Park Geun-hye Thursday called her signature creative economy a growth engine for South Korea's economy in the latest push to revive the country's tepid business landscape.Park's creative economy vision calls for boosting the economy and creating jobs by turning creative ideas into real businesses through science and technology and information technology.Park said she hopes that 17 innovation centers will "serve as a new momentum for growth" in a ceremony marking the completion of the i
PoliticsAug. 27, 2015
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China denies reports of mobilizing forces to border during Korean tensions
China's defense ministry on Thursday denied reports that it sent additional tanks to a border with North Korea when tensions surged on the Korean Peninsula last week. Some media reports said China might have sent additional tanks to the Chinese border city of Yanbian, citing pictures showing tanks rumbling through the street of Yanbian over the weekend. China's defense ministry spokesman Yan Yujun said the media reports were "untrue." The latest tensions on the Korean Peninsula were triggered b
World NewsAug. 27, 2015
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War plan upgrade reflects N.K. WMD threats, U.S. military shifts
The new wartime contingency plan of South Korea and the U.S. is presumed to address the growing concerns over North Korea’s evolving weapons of mass destruction and likely to reflect changes in the U.S. force structure and strategy, analysts said Thursday.Seoul and Washington reportedly signed the so-called Operations Plan 5015 in June to replace OPLAN 5027, the core wartime plan that laid out detailed procedures for the allied militaries to handle a full-blown war initiated by North Korea’s agg
DefenseAug. 27, 2015
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Korea Forest Service adds to urban greenery
By cities, the area of urban living forest per capita stood at only 4.35 square meters for Seoul, 5.29 square meters for Gyeonggi Province and 5.95 square meters for Incheon. This is far lower than London’s 27 square meters, New York’s 23 square meters and Paris’ 13 square meters.“With the rising interest in well-being and healthy leisure, the nationwide demand for sustainable green services has been on the increase,” a KFS official said.According to the KFS data, about 85.8 percent of Korean ci
Aug. 27, 2015
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Cafe24, Rakuten to work together to help Korean vendors enter Japan
Takahashi Masato (left), managing executive officer at Rakuten Ichiba, and SimpleX CEO Lee Jae-suk speak at a press conference on Wednesday in Yeouido, Seoul. Cafe24Online merchants in Korea will be allowed to sell their products on Japan’s Rakuten Inchiba without registering as local corporations. They will also be given access to the use of local delivery system and payment tools.The arrangements came in a deal between Rakuten Ichiba, the “B2B2C” arm of the largest online market in Japan, and
IndustryAug. 27, 2015
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Seoul eyes 2016 fiscal expansion
The ruling Saenuri Party and the Finance Ministry on Thursday reached a consensus to push an expansionary fiscal policy next year to stimulate the economy.They also agreed to expand military expenses to bolster countermeasures against possible provocations of North Korea. Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan speaks at a forum on Thursday. (Yonhap)During the bilateral policy-coordination meeting at the National Assembly, they reportedly shared the view that the overall outlook in the market on the 20
Aug. 27, 2015
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Oracle eyes Korea for HR software growth
U.S. software giant Oracle on Thursday pinned high hopes on Korea for the growth of its human capital management software Oracle HCM, which is widely being adopted by global companies. “Companies share similar human resources planning systems globally these days. But two countries -- Korea and Japan -- are still slow to adopt the standardized systems possibly due to their rigid corporate cultures,” said Pyun Chong-hwan, vice president of applications business at Oracle Korea during a media event
TechnologyAug. 27, 2015
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Park Yoo-chun begins military service
Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun of boy group JYJ joined the Korean Army as a conscript Thursday afternoon, beginning his two-year mandatory military service. The 29-year-old enlisted at an Army training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, where he will receive five weeks of basic military training. After the training, he will serve as a public service worker at a public office in substitute for the active duty service at a military camp, due to his asthma. Park Yoo-chun (OSEN)He is the se
Aug. 27, 2015
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Young talents compete for Hanwha Science Challenge
By Park Han-na Some 30 teams of Korean students vied for the top spot in a science competition hosted by Hanwha Group on Thursday. The “Hanwha Science Challenge” contest, which aims to help youngsters develop a wider understanding of energy, bio, climate change and water, was held at the group’s HRD Center in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Under the title of “Saving the Earth,” 30 shortlisted teams presented and exhibited their work. They have been conducting studies on the topic for the past six
IndustryAug. 27, 2015
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Incheon Airport exports management knowhow
The Incheon International Airport Corp. is expanding its management consulting business for airports overseas as a new income source. The operator of the nation’s main international gateway said Wednesday it won the fourth consulting project in Indonesia for 3.09 billion won ($2.61 million) from Indonesia’s second airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II.“Under the deal, IIAC will develop the commercial area at the third terminal at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by Aug. 2017,” the stat
IndustryAug. 27, 2015
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Park says S. Korea's business delegation to visit China
President Park Geun-hye said Thursday that a delegation of South Korean business leaders will visit China next week to explore business opportunities in the world's second-largest economy.The delegation will "have various cooperative opportunities" in Shanghai, China's commercial capital, during her three-day trip to China, said Park.Park made the comment in a video message to the opening ceremony of a South Korean fair in Shanghai.Park is set to leave for China on Wednesday for summit talks wit
Aug. 27, 2015
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Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for ex-KT&G VP
An arrest warrant has been sought for the former vice president of the nation's leading tobacco maker on Tuesday over allegations that he received kickbacks from the company's business partner, prosecutors said.The former vice president of KT&G Corp., identified by his surname Lee, is suspected of receiving hundreds of millions of won from a cigarette pack maker, identified only by the initial S, between 2008 and 2013, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office. In return, Lee
Social AffairsAug. 27, 2015
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Foreigners join anti-crime campaign
Foreigners and naturalized Korean citizens in the country will work as volunteers to help immigrants settle down and deter them from committing crimes, prosecutors said Thursday.The Southern District Prosecutor's Office said in a press release they have established a committee on Tuesday comprised of Korean and foreign nationals to act as a resource for immigrants.The committee aims to help foreigners, who are often marginalized in society, to better adapt to life abroad and cope with potential
Social AffairsAug. 27, 2015