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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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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Concerns raised over chronic labor shortage at state-run center for digital sex crime victims
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[KH Explains] Is private equity giant MBK a risk-taker or renegade?
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Big Bang’s August songs dominate charts
K-pop boy band Big Bang has topped the music charts once again with their new songs “Zutter” and “Let’s Not Fall in Love.” Released on Aug. 5, “Let’s Not Fall in Love” ranked No.1 at major local charts, including Bugs Music, Soribada, Naver Music, Genie and Olleh, as of Tuesday. “Zutter,” by subunit GD&TOP, followed in a close second place on music charts. The five-member band’s respective music videos are also going viral online, surpassing a collective 15 million views on YouTube. “Let’s Not
Aug. 11, 2015
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Seoul Phil head vows to mend reputation
In the aftermath of the recent media frenzy and public shock of discovering former Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra CEO Park Hyun-jung’s alleged mistreatment of her subordinates, new CEO Choe Heung-sik has taken the reigns of the SPO since July 1. Choe, 62, is a former banking executive and former head of Hana Financial Group -- the country’s fourth-largest financial group. After more than a month in office, Choe spoke to members of the media about his plans for the future of the Seoul Phil, emphasi
PerformanceAug. 11, 2015
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Modern Korean history at a glance
Korea is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its independence from Japan’s colonial rule with a slew of cultural events this week.Amid the festive mood, museums are presenting exhibitions and special events that provide an understanding of various aspects of the anniversary and how life in Korea has changed over the past seven decades. Museums will also open for free during the three-day weekend starting Friday, as Aug. 14 was designated a special holiday. The turbulent and dynamic lives of Kore
CultureAug. 11, 2015
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GM enters large sedan market
GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha poses in front of the silver Impala, GM’s full-size sedan at a launch Tuesday. GM Korea Chevrolet Impala, General Motors’ flagship full-size sedan model with a history of 58 years, debuted in Korea on Wednesday seeking to raise the company’s domestic market share to 10 percent. It is the first time for the automaker to enter the large sedan market in Korea. “GM Korea is taking an exciting step forward by introducing the best-selling large sedan in U.S. history,” s
MobilityAug. 11, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Daum Kakao bets on mobile biz with young CEO
Daum Kakao, the Korean Internet giant, is betting big on a new CEO who may be less experienced but full of enterprise for its next big leap in the burgeoning mobile era. The company said Monday it has named 35-year-old Rim Ji-hoon, founder of venture capital firm K Cube Ventures, to replace the current co-CEOs Choi Sae-hoon, 48, and Lee Sir-goo, 49. Daum Kakao’s new CEO nominee Rim Ji-hoonAlthough the average age of the employees at Daum Kakao is 34, a 30-something CEO is quite rare even within
TechnologyAug. 11, 2015
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[Photo News] New kimchi fridge
NEW KIMCHI FRIDGE -- South Korea’s electronics maker Dongbu Daewoo Electronics rolls out the new Klasse kimchi refrigerator lineup, fitted with advanced technology that enriches the taste of the food and optimizes storage conditions. (Dongbu Daewoo) NEW KIMCHI FRIDGE -- South Korea’s electronics maker Dongbu Daewoo Electronics rolls out the new Klasse kimchi refrigerator lineup, fitted with advanced technology that enriches the taste of the food and optimizes storage conditions. (Dongbu Daewoo)
TechnologyAug. 11, 2015
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Samsung aims to stay on top of memory chip market
Tech giant Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it has successfully mass-produced a 256Gb vertical NAND flash memory for the first time in the world.The new vertical NAND, or V-NAND, flash chip stacks 48 layers of memory cells and is used for solid state drives, an advanced storage system for laptops and data servers. Samsung Electronics` 48-layer 256Gb vertical NAND flash memory. (Samsung)“With the introduction of our third generation V-NAND flash memory to the global market, we can now provide the
TechnologyAug. 11, 2015
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[Editorial] A tricky provocation
The long strained inter-Korean relations are worsening in the days leading to the 70th anniversary of the peninsula’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule and division into South and North. The result of a South Korean investigation showed Monday that three wooden-box land mines believed to have been planted by North Korea were the cause of the explosion that severely wounded two soldiers on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone last week. In a statement, the South Korean military urged t
EditorialAug. 11, 2015
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[Editorial] Proactive approach
South Korea and the U.S. have denied a recent report by a Japanese news agency that Washington has asked President Park Geun-hye not to attend China’s high-profile ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of its victory over Japan in World War II. An official at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as untrue, saying a situation like that would never take place. The White House also said the U.S. had made no such request to Park. It would be far-fetched to believe that Washington might push
EditorialAug. 11, 2015
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[Kim Seong-kon] Aging well and becoming a classic
We all grow old with the passage of time. No one can escape aging or cheat death. Recently, I happened to watch several Hollywood movies that featured once glorious but now aged actors who acted splendidly as though they were still young: Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis among others. Though they looked older with all their wrinkles and frosty hair, and were in supporting roles instead of playing the virile young hero, all of them seemed to have aged gracefully. As I grow older
ViewpointsAug. 11, 2015
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Tourists to get easier tax refunds
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a decree to allow foreign tourists tax reimbursements of up to 50,000 won ($42) in South Korea without visiting the customs office when they leave the country.The move is part of the government’s effort to revitalize the local tourism industry, which was seriously hit by the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome in the second quarter.Formerly, inbound visitors had to apply to the customs office at the airport for a value-added tax refund of 10,000 won or mo
Aug. 11, 2015
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[Lee Jae-min] New Silk Roads in the making
Since East Asia and Europe are far apart, one idea being floated to galvanize the sluggish economy in both regions is to bring them closer -- physically. Against this backdrop, the construction of “Silk Roads” of the 21st century has suddenly become the new buzzword. Korea and China are now pursuing, with vigor and sincerity, their respective national projects of new Silk Roads. Korea’s Silk Road plan is the “Eurasia Initiative” that started in October 2013 with President Park Geun-hye’s keynote
ViewpointsAug. 11, 2015
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Pets’ fates worlds apart during vacation season
Planning a three-day family vacation at a local resort last summer, serviceman Choi Woo-young was concerned about whether he could take his 15-year-old poodle Rookie on the trip. “I was worried that other guests would not like having Rookie around them, and I wasn’t sure if the resort would allow any pets on the premises either,” said Choi. An abandoned Maltese is saved by a rescue worker after it was found wrapped in a bag and half-buried in the forest in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 4.
Social AffairsAug. 11, 2015
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Hyundai Motor to implement peak wage system
Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, said Tuesday it would implement the peak wage system across all its affiliates starting from 2016. Under this system pushed by the government and being picked up by an increasing number of companies, the retirement age has been extended to 60 from the current range of 53 to 58 and the paycheck for elderly workers slashed by about 10 percent over their last several years at work. The group plans to channel the saved funds into hirin
IndustryAug. 11, 2015
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[Graphic News] Korea tops in ratio of enterprises to GDP
Korea is overflowing with small-scale and self-employed businesses amid a shortage of high-quality jobs, data showed Tuesday.According to a report released by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, the ratio between the number of Korean enterprises and gross domestic product was higher than other OECD members. Korea had 3,300 enterprises per $1 billion of GDP, far higher than Spain’s 0.5, Turkey’s 1.8 and Canada’s 1.54. Experts attributed Korea’s high number of enterprises to
Aug. 11, 2015
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KOSPI dips below 1,990
South Korea’s benchmark stock index fell below the 2,000 mark for the first time in about five months Tuesday, in the wake of China’s artificial currency depreciation as well as a selling streak led by foreign and institutional investors. The KOSPI lost 16.52 points, or 0.82 percent, from the previous trading session to close at 1,986.65.This marked the first time the index stayed below the 2,000 mark since it posted 1,987.33 on March 16. The closing price Tuesday was the lowest since it touched
Aug. 11, 2015
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S. Korea's overseas investment up 12.1 pct in H1
South Korea's overseas direct investment rose 12.1 percent on-year in the first half of this year, fueled by local businesses' efforts to strengthen their presence in the United States and some Southeast Asian countries, government data showed Tuesday. Companies invested a combined $17.45 billion abroad in the January-June period, compared with $15.57 billion a year earlier, according to the data by the finance ministry. This figure is also larger than $16.67 billion sent abroad in the first si
Aug. 11, 2015
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S. Korea to hold various events to mark Liberation Day
South Korea plans to hold various cultural events this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule, the Prime Minister's Office said Tuesday. South Korea is trying to drum up a festive mood for Liberation Day, a major holiday in both South and North Korea. A large-scale pop concert is set to be held in Seoul Plaza in central Seoul at 7:30 p.m. on Friday on the eve of Liberation Day, according to the office. Big name singers, including Yang Hee-eun,
Social AffairsAug. 11, 2015
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Seoul mulling whether to support pest control for pine trees in N. Korea
South Korea is reviewing whether to provide financial support to treat damage found in pine trees at a mountain resort on North Korea's east coast, a Unification Ministry official said Tuesday. A group of experts from the Korea Forest Research Institute recently visited Mount Kumgang in North Korea to look into the cause of why some pine trees there have withered and turned yellow. A test result showed that it is not the potentially lethal pine wilt disease, but an ailment that can be combated
North KoreaAug. 11, 2015
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Defense Ministry to brief foreign military attaches on DMZ mine explosion
The Defense Ministry said Tuesday it will hold a special briefing for foreign military attaches stationed in South Korea to explain North Korea's recent landmine explosion in the demilitarized zone. The briefing to be held in the ministry building later in the day will gather together 53 military attaches from 33 foreign countries and will be led by Brig. Gen. Park Cheol-gyun, vice director for international policy, the ministry said in a statement. Brid. Gen. Ahn Young-ho, who headed South Ko
North KoreaAug. 11, 2015