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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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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Controversial cult leader’s sentence reduced to 17 years
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Contemporary art explores meaning of DMZ in Dongsong
CHEORWON, Gangwon Province -- An annual art project exploring the historical and contemporary significance of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas chose Geumhak Street in the Dongsong neighborhood as its venue for 2015.This year’s “Real DMZ Project,” marking its fourth year with an exhibition titled “Lived Time of Dongsong,” brought together 49 individual and team artists to decorate various locations along the street with pieces reflecting the creators’ thoughts and emotions on the
PerformanceAug. 18, 2015
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Female students dominate college exam
Female students who took the college entrance exam ― known here as the “Suneung” ― last year garnered higher scores in all major subjects compared to their male counterparts, the state-run Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation said Tuesday.According to KICE data, the gender disparity was more profound in the Korean Language and English categories, in which female students have generally done better than their male counterparts. Girls got 5.4 more points in standard scores in Korean Langu
Social AffairsAug. 18, 2015
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Koreas agree on 5% Gaeseong wage hike
By Shin Hyon-heeThe two Koreas have agreed to raise the minimum wage by 5 percent for North Korean workers at their joint factory park, the Unification Ministry said Tuesday, following months of grueling negotiations amid strained cross-border ties. The sides held talks at the Gaeseong industrial complex at the North Korean border city on Monday. Under the deal, the monthly pay, which includes insurance fees and other benefits, will increase to $73.87 from $70.35 and apply retroactively from Mar
North KoreaAug. 18, 2015
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Debate brews over Health Ministry overhaul
A debate has brewed over the efficacy of the South Korean government’s plan to launch a new system of having two vice ministers -- in charge of health and welfare, respectively -- instead of having a separate office specializing in disease control in the wake of the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced its plan of appointing the head of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention as the ministry’s co-vice minister as part of its effort t
Social AffairsAug. 18, 2015
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[SUPER RICH] Wage gap between CEOs, employees in America and Korea
The wage gap between company chief executives and employees is becoming a hot-button topic, with the huge disparity continuing to widen. The salary structures in the United States and Korea show different reward systems for CEOs.At the same time, there has been a heated debate in the U.S. in recent years whether the astronomical remuneration paid to CEOs is appropriate. A CNN article published in August reported that Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon received $19.4 million in rewards last year, while t
IndustryAug. 18, 2015
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[Editorial] China’s Victory Day
While the Blue House says it will make an official statement in the latter part of the week, it is now generally accepted that President Park Geun-hye will visit China in conjunction with that country’s Victory Day. What has not been decided on yet is whether she will attend the military parade that will form the centerpiece of the day’s events. Her visit was all but confirmed when the Blue House and the White House announced that a summit between Park and U.S. President Barack Obama would be he
EditorialAug. 18, 2015
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[Editorial] Tianjin accident
One of the worst accidents in China’s recent history involving toxic materials has claimed 114 lives with some 70 people missing and more than 700 injured. Two blasts last Wednesday at a warehouse in Tianjin caused extensive damage over a vast area and have raised concerns about possible environmental contamination. According to reports, the warehouse was authorized to hold 24 tons of sodium cyanide, but in fact it held nearly 30 times the amount it was licensed to store. Furthermore, the wareho
EditorialAug. 18, 2015
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[Kim Seong-kon] Microaggressions, zero tolerance and silence
I recently came across an intriguing article entitled “The Coddling of the American Mind” in the September issue of “The Atlantic.” The authors, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, were concerned about the emerging phenomenon of so-called “microaggressions” and “trigger warnings” at American college campuses. They were worried because this new tendency is now being institutionalized, affecting “what can be said in the classroom, even as a basis for discussion.”According to the authors, “Microaggr
ViewpointsAug. 18, 2015
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[John H. Cha] Wind of change: North Korea in transition
The wind of change is being felt on the Korean Peninsula as never before. This wind we feel nowadays is a soft breeze, a culmination of the silent murmurs that have been brewing under their breath, incognito, among the people from the northern regions of the peninsula. This breeze is filled with voices that pine for a better life that would include regular meals, basic medical care, education, and a meaningful future for their children. About 30,000 of them are in the South today and elsewhere,
ViewpointsAug. 18, 2015
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[Robert J. Fouser] Looking at the next 70 years
Aug. 15 marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule. The anniversary forced a look back in time as some took stock of South Korea’s accomplishments while others blamed Japan for not apologizing sufficiently for its past wrongdoings. Few, however, have thought to ponder the next 70 years.What will the world and Korea look like 70 years from now? 2085 seems like the distant future, but assuming life expectancy patterns hold, most babies bor
ViewpointsAug. 18, 2015
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FSC raids home of stock-rigging suspect
South Korea’s financial regulator recently exercised its search and confiscation right for the first time in an alleged stock-rigging case, since it was given the authority in 2002 under the revised law on securities trading.Inspectors from the Financial Services Commission raided the residence of a certified public accountant working for a major accounting firm on June 1, a regulatory official said Tuesday.The alleged scammer is suspected of engaging in unfair stock trading with colleagues by e
Aug. 18, 2015
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Korea to establish cultural facilities in central Seoul
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that it would create multipurpose cultural centers in Seoul in an effort to rediscover Korea’s traditional arts and culture and spur the development of Korean content.In partnership with Hanjin Group, the government will build a high-tech facility called “K-Experience” next to Gyeongbokgung Palace to allow tourists to experience the country’s traditional and modern arts and culture.The center, which will be built by 2017 on the former site
CultureAug. 18, 2015
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Samsung to face litigation from suppliers
Dozens of Korean and foreign suppliers of Samsung Electro-Mechanics are seeking legal action against the electronics parts manufacturing unit of Samsung Group for its alleged mishandling of production contracts.BeCom, a local manufacturer, said Tuesday that the company, together with its 14 subcontractors in Korea and overseas, were suffering from combined financial losses of 46 billion won ($39 million) due to Samsung’s unilateral breach of contract. In June, BeCom inked a deal with Samsung Ele
TechnologyAug. 18, 2015
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KT, BC Card launch all-in-one digital wallet
South Korea’s leading mobile carrier KT and its financial business unit BC Card released a “versatile” smart wallet, which allows users to easily manage options for payment and rewards, from credit cards to digital coupons. Utilizing beacon, GPS and Wi-Fi technologies, the new smart mobile wallet, dubbed CLiP, automatically provides users the information of credit, debit and membership cards available at nearby coffeehouses, restaurants and retail stores. The digital wallet also suggests the bes
TechnologyAug. 18, 2015
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[Newsmaker] SK chairman catches up on creative economy boost
SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won cheered on staffers by visiting the group’s provincial-based innovation centers Tuesday, in line with his stated promise to lend a hand in reviving the South Korean economy and support the government’s ongoing drive for a creative economy. Chey made his way down to the two SK innovation centers in Daejeon and Sejong, located south of Seoul, in a bid to “express the group’s will to contribute to the country’s economic growth through the success of its creative econo
IndustryAug. 18, 2015
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Panel denies president’s suggestion of N.K. upheavals
A presidential panel for Korean unification Tuesday denied a recent report that President Park Geun-hye had suggested a possible unification of the two Koreas next year by indicating a sign of sudden changes in North Korea."The president that day was requesting the panel to be better prepared for the unification because no one can predict when it could actually happen,” said the presidential committee for unification preparation in a statement. “She was neither commenting nor suggesting a sign o
PoliticsAug. 18, 2015
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Seoul shares dip 0.62 pct amid lingering yuan woes
South Korean stocks fell 0.62 percent Tuesday, as investors refrained from making risky bets amid lingering aftershocks from the yuan devaluations, analysts said.The local currency lost ground against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 12.26 points to close at 1,956.26. Trading volume was moderate at 467 million shares worth 5.54 trillion won ($4.67 billion) with decliners far outpacing advancers 628 to 206. "Although the yuan fear has eased, we need more ti
Aug. 18, 2015
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U.N. Command proposes general officer-level talks with N. Korea
The United Nations Command has proposed general-level talks with North Korea to discuss the recent mine explosion on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone blamed on the communist country, the UNC said Tuesday.But the country has not yet accepted the offer, they said."The UNC has passed messages to the (North) Korean People's Army, proposing a general officer-level dialogue regarding the Aug. 4 mine incident," a spokesman for the UNC said. The proposals were made on two occasions on Aug
North KoreaAug. 18, 2015
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S. Korea upbeat about three-way summit with China, Japan
South Korea expressed confidence Tuesday it will resume trilateral summit talks with China and Japan in the coming months."All three nations have a sufficient consensus on the need for normalizing three-way cooperation by holding the summit within this year," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said at a press briefing.As the chair of this year's trilateral sessions, South Korea will continue "leading diplomatic efforts" toward a summit, he added.The Northeast Asian countries are in related
InternationalAug. 18, 2015
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[Graphic News] Hyundai Motor Group chairman earns highest salary in H1
Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo posted the highest salary among South Korean conglomerate tycoons in the first half of the year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service’s data. Chung received a total of 4.2 billion won ($3.55 million) -- down 740 million won on-year -- from Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Mobis, the group’s auto parts maker. The decline in his salary was attributed to his resignation from the board of Hyundai Steel, where his remuneration was 740 million won last ye
IndustryAug. 18, 2015