Most Popular
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Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
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K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again
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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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LG Uplus launches spam-blocking app
LG Uplus Corp., the country's smallest mobile carrier, said Sunday it has launched a spam-blocking application with its rival KT Corp."Whowho-Uplus" was co-developed by LG Uplus and Whowho&company Corp., the biggest spam blocker, with over 10 million downloads, which is operated by KT, the country's No. 2 mobile carrier. (Yonhap)The app provides users with detailed information on suspicious incoming calls and messages based on a database of 600 million numbers. The app can identify callers to bl
June 11, 2017
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Samsung Electronics operating profit forecast at over W12tr
Samsung Electronics Co.'s second quarter operating profit is forecast to reach record high levels, with most estimates around the "low" 12 trillion won ($10.6 billion) to upwards of over 13 trillion won, local brokerages said Sunday.Reports coming out of securities firms showed market consensus for a very strong performance for the world's No. 1 smartphone and memory chip manufacturer, with keen interest even being shown on operating profits surpassing the 13 trillion-won mark. (Yonhap)The South
June 11, 2017
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Shutdown of coal-fired plants causes no power shortage
South Korea's power supply hovered above its demand for the past seven days after a temporary shutdown of eight old coal-fired power plants, government data showed Sunday, shaking off concerns over a possible shortage.Starting June 1, the aged thermal power plants, including four in central Chungcheong Province, went offline for a month in line with the government's efforts to cut the country's air pollution.Despite the shutdown, the country's electricity supply remained higher than its consumpt
June 11, 2017
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No reported Galaxy S8 battery problems in 50 days
There have no battery problems reported in Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones since their launch in April, industry sources said Sunday.The company's new flagship went on sale on April 21 following the halt of the production and recall of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 phablet due to some units catching fire while being recharged. The company admitted that faulty batteries were behind the problem. (Yonhap)The sources attributed the lack of any incidents so
June 11, 2017
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Exports of Korean cultural content up 9.7% in 2016: data
Exports of South Korean cultural content rose 9.7 percent on-year in 2016 despite an economic slowdown and China's restriction on imports of Korean pop culture over a diplomatic row, data showed Sunday.Overseas shipments of cultural products reached 6.21 billion won ($5.52 million) in 2016, compared with 5.66 billion won the previous year, according to the data by the Korea Creative Content Agency.This photo taken on May 10, 2017, shows the 10th International Busan Contents Market, an event on b
June 11, 2017
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Sony's premium TVs threaten Samsung, LG
Sony Corp.'s resurgence in the premium TV market is starting to threaten the lead enjoyed by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., industry data showed Sunday.Data provided by the global market tracker IHS showed that in the first half of this year, Sony accounted for 39 percent of all TVs with a price tag exceeding $1,500, up more than twofold compared with 17.5 percent tallied by the Japanese company in the previous quarter. LG`s premium OLED TV on display (Yonhap)In t
June 11, 2017
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Hyundai to recall nearly 600,000 cars in US market
South Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it is recalling nearly 600,000 cars sold in the United States for faulty parts.Hyundai Motor America plans to recall 437,400 Santa Fe SUVs and161,000 midsize Sonata and luxury Genesis sedans for problems with hood latches and parking brake warning lights, the company said, confirming the announcement by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA). (Yonhap)There have been no reported accidents or injuries related to the f
June 9, 2017
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[Photo News] STX successfully constructs new LNG vessel
STX’S NEW SHIP -- STX Offshore & Shipbuilding has successfully constructed a new liquefied natural gas bunkering vessel 6,500 square meters large, the company said. The ship had been ordered by global energy and petrochemical company Shell in 2014. (Yonhap)
June 9, 2017
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[Weekender] Korea’s favorite emoticons and their stories
Koreans are avid users of emoticons on mobile chats, and an interesting trend here is that popular emoticons are mostly characters with made-up life stories behind each of them.According to Kakao Corp, the operator of the country’s largest mobile messenger with around 42 million users, the most consumed emoticon series features Kakao Friends -- a group of eight different characters led by Ryan the lion. As of early June, a total of 28 emoticon packages featuring Kakao Friends are available for p
June 9, 2017
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Janssen to restart clinical trials of Hanmi’s diabetes drug candidate
US pharmaceutical company Janssen is slated to begin carrying out new clinical trials in the US for a diabetes drug candidate developed by South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical by the end of this year, Hanmi said Friday. Janssen, the drug developer of Johnson & Johnson, has submitted a new application for carrying out a new set of phase 1 clinical trials for the Hanmi-developed drug candidate, JNJ-64565111, to the US Food and Drug Administration, according to Hanmi.The move comes after Janssen sudd
June 9, 2017
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Posco Daewoo boosts Korean SMEs in China
Posco Daewoo, a unit of the country‘s top steelmaker Posco, opened a store in Yiwu in China’s Zhejiang province to promote products made by some 60 Korean small and medium-sized enterprises, the company said Friday. The products, 543 in total, include cosmetics and baby supplies.“We have put together a new business model helping SMEs make inroads into overseas markets, through cooperation with Korean and Chinese local governments,” said Kim Young-sang, CEO of Posco Daewoo. “In the future, we wil
June 9, 2017
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Korea plane makes emergency landing after smoke
Korean Air Lines Co.'s passenger jet made an emergency landing at an airport in southern Japan due to smoke in the cockpit, the company said Friday.There were no injuries or damage caused by the incident, the Korean flag carrier said in a statement.The B737-900 jet left the port city of Busan at 09:11 a.m. and was expected to arrive at Fukuoka on Kyushu Island at 10:31 a.m. This captured image from Japan`s largest broadcaster NHK shows fire trucks and Korean Air Line`s B737-900 jet at Fukuoka ai
June 9, 2017
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Korean pharmaceutical companies to release important drugs this year
South Korean pharmaceutical companies are poised to release a series of important drugs in the second half of this year that could change the existing market, industry sources said Friday. Kolon Life Science's Invossa, a gene drug for osteoarthritis, will receive an approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety later this month at the earliest, according to sources. This would make it the world's first medicine for the degenerative joint disease. This file photo taken on Aug. 23, 2016, sho
June 9, 2017
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Korea decides to close aged nuclear power plant
South Korea's nuclear safety commission said Friday that it has decided to permanently stop operations of an aged nuclear power plant located in the southeastern region of the country. South Korea`s Gori nuclear power plant in northern Busan (Yonhap)The closure of the Gori-1 nuclear power plant will be effective from June 19 and its disassembling process will start in earnest from 2022, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said after a meeting.It is one of the oldest nuclear power plants i
June 9, 2017
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Venture firms welcome govt. plans to launch new SME ministry
South Korean venture firms on Friday welcomed the government's plans to establish a new ministry supporting small and medium-size startups, expressing hope that the new entity will concentrate on technology and growth potential rather than sales and financial stability in rendering assistance.During the election campaign, President Moon Jae-in pledged to launch a ministry-level government entity dedicated to championing local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to help create jobs and better cop
June 9, 2017
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Big Korean hospitals prepare meals for foreign patients
South Korea's major hospitals are serving special meals for foreign patients as a growing number are receiving treatment in the country, observers said Friday.Kyunghee University Hospital in Gangdong, southeastern Seoul, held a gathering Friday showcasing a different variety of meals for Russian patients that featured menus for diabetic and gastrectomized patients, and meals for those who want traditional Korean food.(Yonhap)South Korea became the third most popular destination for Russians goin
June 9, 2017
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Independent cafes add extra something to compete against coffee giants
Cafe 468, located in a quiet residential area in Euijeongbu, just north of Seoul, has the perks a trendy coffee shop should have -- Instagrammable decor, tasty options using quality beans, pastries and bread, all at affordable prices -- which keep the establishment competitive in South Korea's saturated coffee market.However, this small trendy independent shop needed an extra-something strategy to survive in the coffee shop hierarchy that is dominated by large coffee chains, most noticeably US c
June 9, 2017
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DSME to receive emergency W200b in aid next week
Korea Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of Korea will begin injecting emergency fresh funds next week into ailing Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, which has been facing a massive cash shortage crisis.According to the creditors Thursday, both Korea Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of Korea will each extend 100 billion won ($89 million) for a total of 200 billion won to the company Monday. (Yonhap)Creditors initially planned to extend financial assistance to DSME last month,
June 8, 2017
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KT&G to release heat-not-burn tobacco amid iQOS growing popularity
KT&G Corp. said Thursday it will soon release heat-not-burn cigarettes amid the growing popularity of the smoke-free tobacco despite concerns of the emissions of toxic substances similar to those of conventional cigarettes.The largest tobacco manufacturer in South Korea will begin marketing the new product in September, a KT&G official said, noting Phillip Morris Korea began selling iQOS on May 27. (Yonhap)"We are witnessing the growing popularity of iQOS, although it's not been so long since i
June 8, 2017
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Samsung Heavy on course to hit 2017 order target
Shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries is one step closer to achieving its annual order target, as the company has reached an agreement to sign more contracts later this year. SHI has signed a letter of intent with Seaone in mid-May, to build 12 articulated tug barges that will carry compressed gas, the company said Thursday. The contract is expected to be worth some $1.5 billion. (Yonhap)Seaone is likely to make a final decision in November, according to industry insiders. Details of the on-going
June 8, 2017