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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Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military
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Pianist Lim Yunchan double winner at Gramophone Awards
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S. Korea, US clinch 2026-30 defense cost-sharing deal in pre-election push
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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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Rival parties to hold emergency meeting on N. Korean shelling
South Korea's rival parties will each hold an emergency meeting Friday to respond to North Korea's firing of artillery shells across the inter-Korean border. On Thursday, the two Koreas engaged in a brief exchange of artillery shells over the western part of their heavily fortified border. Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, will chair an emergency meeting of senior party members to discuss how to respond to Pyongyang's provocations. The main opposition New Politics Alliance
North KoreaAug. 21, 2015
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U.S. urges N. Korea to refrain from provocative actions
The United States expressed concern over North Korea's artillery fire toward South Korea and urged the communist nation to refrain from threatening regional peace and security after the North's shelling led to a brief exchange of fire between the two Koreas. "We are concerned by the firing of a projectile into South Korea from the North. As we've said before, these kinds of provocative actions only heighten tensions and we call on Pyongyang to refrain from actions and rhetoric that threaten re
North KoreaAug. 21, 2015
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S. Korea to partially ban entry into joint industrial park
South Korea said Friday it will limit the entry of its nationals into a joint industrial park in North Korea following the exchange of artillery fire between the two sides. The Unification Ministry said it will only permit South Korean businessmen directly involved in the operation of factories at the Kaesong Industrial Park to enter the complex. But other South Koreans, including those working at subcontractors, will not be allowed to move in and out of the complex in the North's border cit
North KoreaAug. 21, 2015
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Suspected MERS case reported in S. Korea
A South Korean man is showing suspected symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) following a recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, health authorities said Friday. The 38-year-old man was moved to a hospital in Dongducheon, just north of Seoul, earlier in the day, as he had showed possible symptoms of the disease, such as high fever, they said. He returned home on Thursday after visiting Dubai. If the man tests positive for the disease, the country would have a fresh MERS outbr
Social AffairsAug. 21, 2015
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N. Korean leader orders military to have full combat readiness
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered front-line troops to have full combat readiness against South Korea as he declared a "quasi-state of war," the North's state media said Friday, raising tension after both Koreas exchanged fire across the western border. Kim convened an emergency meeting of the central military commission of the Workers' Party hours after the exchange of fire and ordered chief commanders to go to front-line troops to prepare for military operations, the North's Korean
North KoreaAug. 21, 2015
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KB launches fintech platform
KB Kookmin Bank said Thursday that it kicked off KB Bizstore, the first corporate fintech platform incorporating financial functions and a business service interface.KB Bizstore is a comprehensive financial management system, enabling user companies to manage their accounts, transfer cash, authorize e-payments and scan their business schedules through a single platform, officials explained.Companies may customize the application to their best interests. All forms of businesses, ranging from priv
Aug. 21, 2015
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KRX seeks to become holding firm via IPO
The nation’s main stock operator Korea Exchange is gearing up to issue an initial public offering and become a financial holding company as part of its efforts to bolster global competitiveness.Since it was delisted from the public entity list in January, the KRX has announced three key strategies ― to grow into a leading exchange through alliances with global stock operators, to secure financing through overseas mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, and to diversity its business portfolio.“
Aug. 21, 2015
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Rival parties slam N. Korea for firing shells across border
South Korea's rival parties denounced North Korea Thursday for firing artillery shells across the inter-Korean border, voicing the need to beef up security posture to deter further provocations from the North.Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, called on the military to raise its combat readiness as North Korea fired artillery shells targeted at loudspeakers at a South Korean front-line military unit on the western area.“As North Korea is unpredictable and bizarre, the South's mi
North KoreaAug. 20, 2015
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‘Ostpolitik’ architect Egon Bahr dead at 93
Egon Bahr, one of the key architects of “Ostpolitik”, credited with easing tensions during the Cold War and smoothing the path to German reunification, has died aged 93, his party said Thursday.Bahr, who died late Wednesday, served as a close advisor to former West German chancellor and Nobel peace laureate Willy Brandt and spearheaded his drive to establish ties with the Soviet Union and communist East Germany.Sigmar Gabriel, head of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in Germ
World NewsAug. 20, 2015
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N. Korea fans military tension
North Korea’s rocket provocation Thursday sharply raised cross-border tensions and further dimmed the prospects of bilateral reconciliation, posing a tougher challenge to Seoul’s hitherto unfruitful efforts to build trust with the communist regime.Pyongyang’s firing of a rocket toward Seoul’s propaganda loudspeakers appeared intended to stop the South Korean military from expanding its anti-Pyongyang broadcasts along the tense border, which could potentially awaken North Koreans to the dictator
North KoreaAug. 20, 2015
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More firms adopt wage peak system
More and more business groups are adopting the wage peak system in South Korea, as sought by the government in a bid to create new jobs by slicing existing payrolls. Doosan Group, the country’s 13th-largest business conglomerate, Thursday announced that all its 22 units will implement the new wage peak system next year. It has become the first conglomerate to introduce the program in all affiliates under the agreement between management and unions. The wage peak system refers to the gradual redu
IndustryAug. 20, 2015
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Koreas trade fire near western border
The two Koreas traded fire on Thursday after the North launched artillery shells apparently targeting propaganda loudspeakers installed across the border, threatening additional military action against the broadcasts and further heightening tension on the peninsula.The North fired a 14.5-milimeter anti-aircraft gun once at around 3:53 p.m. at a town in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, and then a 76.2-mm direct fire weapon “several times” at 4:15 p.m. within the Demilitarized Zone, military o
North KoreaAug. 20, 2015
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Tokyo gallery invites Korean monochrome artist
Following the recognition that Korean monochrome art has recently been garnering in international art circles, artist Kim Ga-beom has been invited to showcase her work in Japan. Kim, who is considered to have largely contributed to introducing Korean monochrome art -- called “dansaekhwa” -- to American and European art circles, will be exhibiting some 30 of her pieces at the Niche Gallery in Tokyo. Kim’s paintings have been described as an experiment of form, color and abstract expressionism. St
PerformanceAug. 20, 2015
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‘Bodyguard’ musical to get Korean premiere in 2016
"The Bodyguard," a musical adaptation of the eponymous movie starring the late singer Whitney Houston, will get a Korean premiere next year in a production by local entertainment giant CJ E&M, the company said Thursday. The West End musical, featuring Houston's hits, is one of three shows the Seoul-based company will present in 2016, along with an original musical based on Victor Hugo's novel "L'Homme Qui Rit (The Man Who Laughs)" and a revival of Broadway jukebox show "Kinky Boots." CJ E&M had
PerformanceAug. 20, 2015
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Korea authorizes first migrant workers’ union
The nation’s first migrant workers’ union Thursday received a permit to legally form a labor union from the government after a monthlong sit-in in central Seoul demanding the long-overdue authorization.“We are very happy to receive the permit to eventually form the union,” Nazmul Hossain, secretary-general of the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants’ Trade Union, told The Korea Herald. “Our weeks-long efforts seem to have paid off,” he said right after the union was officially registered at around 11
Social AffairsAug. 20, 2015
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Labor minister gives union ultimatum on reform talks
Labor Minister Lee Ki-kwon reiterated calls on the nation’s largest trade union to return to the negotiating table to discuss labor market reforms, vowing to push for the reforms without the union if it does not return to the three-way dialogue by next Wednesday.“Considering the schedule to set a budget and present a bill to the National Assembly, the talks cannot be delayed any longer,” Lee told reporters Wednesday in central Seoul, urging the Federation of Korean Trade Unions to make a “grand”
Social AffairsAug. 20, 2015
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Fall season promises top-notch classical music lineup
Latvian-born Israeli cellist Mischa Maisky (Courtesy of Hideki Shiozawa)Following the unforgettable performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic -- under the reign of Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel and conductor Ivan Fischer -- and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s four-day homage to Beethoven in the spring, the next lineup of classical music performances this coming fall has much to live up to.Below are some of the most anticipated performances over the coming months. Kim Sun-wook and Isa
PerformanceAug. 20, 2015
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Book traces roots of K-pop from 1900s to present
“Introduction to K-pop History” By Zhang Eu-jeong, Suh Byung-kee (Sung An Dang) Cover of "Introduction to K-pop History" (Sung An Dang) Listeners of K-pop may be surprised to find that the content of a book titled “Introduction to K-pop History” goes all the way back to the year 1907. The term “K-pop” has become so synonymous with the global phenomenon of idol groups, dance music and fandoms that it seems hard to imagine anything before that as being Korean pop.The new book, planned by the Kor
BooksAug. 20, 2015
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Seoul stocks slide to seven-month low
Growing uncertainty from external factors further undermined South Korean stocks Thursday, pulling down its main index below 1,920 amid continued net-selling by foreign investors.The KOSPI lost 1.28 percent, or 24.83 points, to close at 1,914.55. It recorded its lowest mark in seven months since the benchmark index dipped to 1,902.62 on Jan. 19.Foreign investors dumped equities worth 294.5 billion won ($248.5 million), maintaining their net-seller stance for the 11th consecutive day of trading.
Aug. 20, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Samsung Pay shakes up mobile wallet race
Samsung Electronics’ new mobile payments system Samsung Pay made its Korean debut on Thursday, aiming to replace credit cards with mobile phones. Starting with the Korean service, Samsung Pay will be released in the U.S. on Sept. 28 after a monthlong beta service. Launches in other markets are set to come in phases. A customer pays with Samsung Pay at a grocery. Samsung ElectronicsKey to the service is its compatibility with existing credit card terminals, as it creates a small magnetic field th
TechnologyAug. 20, 2015