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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S. Korea offers condolences over victims of Thai bomb blast
South Korea offered a message of condolence Thursday to the Thai people over the deadly bombing in downtown Bangkok.Twenty people were killed in the bomb blast earlier this week, with more than 120 others injured. The exact reason for the assault remains unclear as Thai authorities are tracking down a suspected bomber."It's a very unfortunate incident," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "(The government) expresses condolences to Thai people, government, and especially the bereaved famili
InternationalAug. 20, 2015
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S. Korea, Pakistan to hold policy talks next week
Vice foreign ministers of South Korea and Pakistan will hold policy talks next week to further bilateral ties across all sectors ranging from politics to development, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong will visit Pakistan next Tuesday to hold the ninth round of vice ministerial policy talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said in a press briefing.The two sides plan to discuss ways to strengthen practical tie
InternationalAug. 20, 2015
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S. Korea steps up beatification process for Pyongyang bishop, 80 companions
The local Catholic Church has kicked into high gear the beatification process for Korean martyrs who were killed or who disappeared after being persecuted by the North Korean regime before and during the 1950-53 Korean War.The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea said Thursday it will conduct a preliminary inspection in late November to determine whether the former bishop of Pyongyang, Francis Borgia Hong Yong-ho, and his 80 companions are qualified for beatification.The conference said its spe
North KoreaAug. 20, 2015
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Moleskin launches limited edition notebooks
Italian stationery brand Moleskin has released a set of limited edition notebooks inspired by Coca-Cola and jazz label Blue Note Records in South Korea. The Coca-Cola notebooks, which come in four options, were launched in celebration of the global beverage brand’s 100th anniversary. The notebooks’ covers feature uniquely designed bottles and include Coca-Cola-themed stickers. Created to mark the 75th anniversary of Blue Note, Moleskin’s Blue Note notebooks feature designs inspired by iconic jaz
IndustryAug. 20, 2015
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Rival parties to start regular audit in September
Rival parties agreed Thursday to start an annual parliamentary inspection into government offices next month, a ruling party lawmaker said. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy decided to hold the parliamentary inspection separately from Sept. 10 to Sept. 23 and from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8, according to Rep. Kim Yong-nam of the Saenuri Party.Details of the 22-day-long parliamentary audit have not yet been released. The two sides initially agreed to hold
PoliticsAug. 20, 2015
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Major shipbuilders dip to yearly lows amid dim outlook
South Korea's major shipbuilders, led by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., hit yearly lows on Thursday as investors increasingly fret over their business outlook, analysts said.Hyundai Heavy, the No. 1 shipbuilder, closed at 88,300 won ($74.50) on the Seoul bourse, down 2.11 percent from the previous session's close.Samsung Heavy Industries Co. also suffered a 4.78-percent drop to 10,950 won, while Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. fell 0.5 percent to end at 5,970 won.The broader KOSPI in
IndustryAug. 20, 2015
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Top court upholds ex-prime minister bribery conviction
The top court Thursday upheld a lower court's ruling on former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, sentencing her to two years behind bars for accepting bribes as political funds from the head of a local construction company.The Supreme Court found Han, who was prime minister from 2006 to 2007 under the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, guilty of receiving 880 million won ($760,000) in illicit political funds during the presidential campaign in 2007. The appeals court's decision ordering Han t
PoliticsAug. 20, 2015
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Gov't seeks legislation on unification
The South Korean government began full-scale work Thursday to introduce legislation on preparing for the peaceful reunification of Korea, an official said, despite heightened tensions on the peninsula.The Unification Ministry announced advance legislation notice for the bill aimed at laying the institutional groundwork for unification, he told reporters.It calls for the establishment of a foundation to lead efforts to broaden public support for unification, he added.The bill presents three pilla
PoliticsAug. 20, 2015
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Dongkuk Steel sees Q2 turnaround
Dongkuk Steel Mill, the country’s third-largest steelmaker, saw a turnaround in operating profits in the second quarter.The steelmaker said it posted 53.9 billion won ($45.5 million) in operating profits, up 9 percent from the same period last year. Net profit was 156.8 billion won in the April-June period, while it posted 1.49 trillion won in sales.“Sales of colored plates, cold-rolled steel products and steel rods were stable in the second quarter,” a Dongkuk spokesman told reporters. “The sal
IndustryAug. 20, 2015
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Builders vow to stamp out bid rigging
South Korean builders Wednesday released a set of measures to root out the long-standing price-fixing practices, following the special presidential pardons received by some businessmen on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan.Executives of 72 major construction firms that were under administrative restrictions due to bid rigging, pledged to step up their three-strike system to wipe out illegal practices and create a fair society. The Construction Association of Korea said the bui
IndustryAug. 20, 2015
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Gov't, biz community urge early resumption of labor dialogue
Government officials and the business community on Thursday urged an early resumption of three-way talks on labor market reform that are currently facing a boycott by the labor sector. The trilateral talks between the government, business and labor organizations have been stalled since April 8 when representatives from the Federation of Korean Trade Unions walked out of negotiations in opposition to proposed changes to regulations concerning layoffs.FKTU leaders were expected to declare their
Aug. 20, 2015
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U.S. soldier found dead in alleged suicide
A U.S. soldier was found dead in front of his apartment in an alleged suicide, Seoul police said Thursday. A 38-year-old U.S. soldier, whose information was withheld, was found dead in the parking lot of his apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul in the early morning. He was immediately moved to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the authorities said. The police suspected he committed suicide as a scar was found on his body that seemed to have come from a windowsill. No suicide note or signs of in
Social AffairsAug. 20, 2015
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BOK governor underscores structural reform for growth
The chief of South Korea's central bank on Thursday reiterated the importance of structural reform in spurring growth, acknowledging the bank's monetary policy has a limited impact on Seoul's policy initiative to restructure the labor and financial market."Since the effects of accommodative monetary policy in boosting demand cannot last for a long time, structural reforms to enhance productivity in the financial and labor sectors are essential for sustainable growth," Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-y
Aug. 20, 2015
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PyeongChang Olympics organizers release sustainability report
Organizers of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang announced Thursday they've released the country's first Sustainability Report blueprint for hosting major sporting events.The report, titled "PyeongChang 2018: Opening New Horizons for Sustainability -- Furthering Benefits to Human and Nature," is based on the Global Reporting Initiative, G4, Event Organizers Sector Supplement Guidelines, which deal with the sectors of the economy, the environment and society.The organizing committee said the
Olympic GamesAug. 20, 2015
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Naver's messenger app operator pushes to nurture character biz
Line Corp., the Japanese subsidiary of South Korea's top portal provider Naver Corp., is expanding its global reach with its sticker character business as a new growth driver, in the hopes it will prop up weakening profits from its flagship messenger platform, industry sources said Thursday. Line, the operator of the mobile messenger app LINE, is opening a new Line Friends Store in Sendai next month, a major city north of Tokyo, according to the company. It is the second shop to be launched in J
IndustryAug. 20, 2015
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Korean Air heiress asks U.S. court to dismiss another 'nut rage' suit
A former vice president of South Korea's top airline, Korean Air Lines Co., has asked a U.S. court to dismiss another civil lawsuit filed by one of the crew members involved in last year's "nut rage" incident, legal sources said Thursday. In late July, Korean Air purser Park Chang-jin lodged a suit against his former boss, Cho Hyun-ah, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York for damages caused by the incident. Cho's legal team requested that the U.S. court dismiss the case, arguing that it
Social AffairsAug. 20, 2015
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Parliament to hold disciplinary committee on lawmaker over alleged sexual assault
The National Assembly will convene its disciplinary committee Thursday to review a sitting lawmaker -- formerly affiliated with the ruling party -- accused of sexual assault.Rep. Sim Hag-bong, who left the ruling Saenuri Party earlier this month, is being investigated by prosecutors on the suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her 40s at a hotel in Daegu, a major city in North Gyeongsang Province, on July 13.The National Assembly's Ethics Committee will hold its first meeting later on Thur
PoliticsAug. 20, 2015
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China, Russia set to launch joint naval drills in East Sea
China and Russia launched joint naval drills on Thursday in the northern part of the East Sea, the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to China's state media.The nine-day drills, the second joint naval exercise between China and Russia this year, are a result of the nations deepening cooperation in the military and security fields.Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have held frequent summits. Xi attended a military parade in Moscow in Ma
InternationalAug. 20, 2015
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South Korea sends letter to U.N. on N. Korea's mine attack
South Korea has informed the U.N. Security Council of the details of a recent land mine explosion blamed on North Korea, a Foreign Ministry official said Thursday.The Aug. 4 explosion inside the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas left two South Korean soldiers seriously injured, raising tensions on the peninsula to a new high. North Korea has denied responsibility for the attack. (Yonhap)South Korea explained its position in a letter sent to the council's 15 member states on Tuesday, the
North KoreaAug. 20, 2015
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Park to visit China for WWII event
President Park Geun-hye will visit China for a three-day trip to attend celebrations to mark the end of World War II early next month, a decision seen as part of South Korea’s efforts for a diplomatic balance amid an intensifying rivalry between Beijing and Washington.“On the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Park Geun-hye will visit China from Sept. 2-4 to attend ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Anti-Japanese War and the World Anti-Fascist War
PoliticsAug. 20, 2015