Most Popular
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'
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[From the Scene] Monks, Buddhists hail return of remains of Buddhas
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Medical schools granted enrollment quota flexibility for next year
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Yoon offers first one-on-one meeting with opposition leader next week
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France rejects opening Paris flight routes to T'way Air, deals blow to Korean Air merger
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Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan
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Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia
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All but 1 district in Seoul recorded fewer births in 2023
Every district in Seoul except Gangnam had fewer childbirths in 2023 than the year before, recent data from the Ministry of Interior and Safety showed. Of the 25 district offices in the South Korean capital, only Gangnam recorded an increase in the number of childbirths, by 13.53 percent, for last year. All other districts had fewer newborn babies than in 2022, with five districts marking double-digit drops. The districts of Eunpyeong-gu, Jongno-gu, Gangdong-gu, Yangcheon-gu and Seongdong-gu rec
Jan. 19, 2024
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Over 10,000 civil servants report at least W20m of outside income
A total of 10,185 government officials in South Korea made more than 20 million won ($15,000) in annual income in addition to their salaries in 2023, National Health Insurance Service data showed Friday. The data, provided by Rep. Choi Hye-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, revealed that 0.67 percent of the 1.51 million civil servants currently enrolled in the National Health Insurance program are paying monthly premiums based on their income and assets. The monthly premium
Jan. 19, 2024
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Police looking into handling of drug probe into late actor Lee
Police have started looking into the handling of a drug investigation of late actor Lee Sun-kyun, officials said Thursday, after a group of filmmakers and actors urged for an inquiry into his death. Lee, best known for his role in "Parasite," was found dead in his car in central Seoul on Dec. 27, days after he publicly appeared before the police for the third round of questioning on suspicions of using marijuana and other illegal drugs on multiple occasions. Lee's death raised que
Jan. 18, 2024
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Dolphin calf entangled in net worries authorities
Authorities are deliberating about how to help a young, struggling dolphin whose tail has been entangled in a discarded fishing net for months. The calf, presumed to be under one year of age, was first spotted swimming with its tail entangled in the net in November last year by researchers from Jeju National University. It was seen again last week, still with its tail in the net, in waters off Seogwipo City. Professor Kim Byung-yeop who leads Jeju National University’s dolphin research t
Jan. 18, 2024
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Europe winds down adoptions from South Korea
Northern European countries are scaling back their long-standing overseas adoption programs following reports of illegal practices, a move that will likely impact South Korea, one of the leading countries in sending babies abroad for adoption. Norway is contemplating a temporary suspension of all international adoptions after local news outlet Verdens Gang exposed illegalities and corruption in the process of bringing in foreign-born babies to be adopted by Norwegian families. The primary coun
Jan. 18, 2024
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Death sentence sought for Seohyeon Station killer
South Korean prosecutors on Thursday requested the death penalty for Choi Won-jong, the 23-year-old man on trial for a stabbing rampage last year near Seohyeon Station in Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi Province, that killed two and injured a dozen people. "Two women lost their lives because of (Choi), and the pain suffered by the bereaved families and the injured cannot be described with words," the prosecution told the Suwon District Court at the hearing, also requesting that Choi be monitored
Jan. 18, 2024
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Man dies after allegedly being forced to swim drunk
Local police found evidence to believe that a man in his 50s who died after swimming under the influence, had in fact been forced to swim by another man. Officials said Thursday that Changwon District Prosecutor's Office indicted a man in his 40s on charges of coercion, extortion and death by negligence. The suspect is believed to have coerced the victim and another man in his 50s to follow to abide by his will. According to investigators, the three men had consumed 22 bottles of soju b
Jan. 18, 2024
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Pandemic puts public hospitals at financial risk
Public medical facilities that took on a greater share of COVID-19 patients also bore the brunt of the financial fallout due to poor financial support from the government, a filing showed Thursday. On the other hand, the best-resourced private hospitals appeared to have benefited from government relief provided to secure more beds for seriously ill COVID-19 patients while keeping existing patients suffering from other diseases at the same time. The financial aid varied by hospitals depending on
Jan. 18, 2024
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Seoul Metro to crack down on fare evasions through Feb. 2
Seoul Metro, the operator of subway line Nos. 1 to 8, will conduct a crackdown on fare evasions until Feb. 2. The municipal-owned corporation will conduct a special crackdown on all 275 subway stations running on Line Nos. 1 to 8. Considering the trend in the number of passengers using subway stations, the crackdown will involve Seoul Metro stationing its staff and security officers in 30 stations where a high number of fare evasion cases were recorded and where preferential transportation cards
Jan. 18, 2024
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Blind spots of welfare in nursing lead to another family homicide
A man in his 50s was found dead in the garden of an apartment in Daegu on Wednesday, in an apparent suicide, according to the police. While searching his home in an investigation soon after, police also found the man's father had apparently been murdered, leading police to believe the son had killed his father and then ended his own life. The police investigation revealed that the son and father had been living together, and the son had taken care of his father, who suffered from dementia
Jan. 18, 2024
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S. Korea to expand mobile traffic ticket system
South Korean police on Thursday said they plan to expand the recently implemented system of sending out mobile phone notifications for traffic law violations, instead of having officers print the notification and handing it to offenders directly. The mobile traffic ticket system was implemented by the National Police Agency on Dec. 21 as a measure to minimize the equipment that police officers have to carry. The previous system required officers to submit information on traffic violations to th
Jan. 18, 2024
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Man assaults bus driver after being asked to put his leg down
South Korean police on Thursday said a man had been arrested without warrant on suspicion of hitting a bus driver with a small hammer following an argument. The man is reportedly a Chinese national. According to Anseong Police Station in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, the suspect in his 20s got on a bus at a stop in Miyang-myeon at around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The man reportedly placed his leg on top of his luggage while sitting at the back of the bus, which prompted the driver to ask the man to
Jan. 18, 2024
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Apink's Jung Eun-ji's stalker gets suspended jail term
A South Korean woman was given a suspended jail term for stalking singer-actress Jung Eunji, a local court said Thursday. Seoul Central District Court handed a one-year prison term, suspended for two years, to the 59-year-old defendant surnamed Jo, who was indicted for violating the Act on Punishment of Crime of Stalking. She was also ordered to pay a 100,000 won ($75) fine, perform 120 hours of community service and complete a 40-hour lecture program to protect against stalking recidivism. Acco
Jan. 18, 2024
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99-year-olds in Seocho-gu honored with W1m
Seoul’s southern district of Seocho has started providing one million won ($745) in longevity cash bonuses to its 99-year-old residents, the district office said Thursday. Starting this year, adults aged 99, or born in 1925, with their residential registration in Seocho-gu, for at least one year, are eligible to receive the cash gift to commemorate their long lives. Additionally, this particular district office will extend the same financial benefits to those aged over 100 -- only for this
Jan. 18, 2024
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Rare mandarin duck flock spotted in Seoul
About 200 mandarin ducks have been spotted in the stream Jungnangcheon in eastern Seoul, Seongdong-gu district office said Wednesday, sparking excitement here at the sighting of the relatively rare avian species. According to the district office, the birds were sighted near the southern end of the bridge Yonbigyo in Geumho-dong. Yun Mu-bu, a professor of biology at Kyunghee University locally known as "Dr. Bird" for his research of local birds, reported the sightings to Seongdong-gu. &
Jan. 18, 2024
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KBS employees fined W30m for abuse and death of horse
A Seoul court on Wednesday fined three KBS employees a total of 30 million won ($22,338), holding them accountable for the death of a horse on the set of a drama production in 2021. The Seoul Southern District Court convicted the three employees -- a 59-year-old drama producer surnamed Kim, a martial arts director and an equestrian -- of animal abuse among other charges for the torture and killing of a horse while shooting a scene for the local broadcaster’s "The King of Tears, Lee
Jan. 17, 2024
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[Out of the Shadows] Body heat scanners help hunt for drugs at airport
INCHEON -- Blue lights flashed on a walk-through screening machine after a man with drugs strapped to his left abdomen and his right thigh stepped into the checkpoint at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. A group of airport security personnel immediately rushed in to check the substances hidden on the man’s body. The scripted demonstration arranged by the Korea Customs Service officials painted how the latest scanning technology has become a quintessential part of the airport's drug
Jan. 17, 2024
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Seoul mayor vows major public transport reform this year
From the launch of a new service that enables unlimited subway and bus access in Seoul to a water bus that transports passengers from Yeouido to Gangseo-gu in 30 minutes, 2024 is to be marked by a series of major transformations in the capital's public transportation services, Seoul's mayor said Wednesday. At a New Year's press conference, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the "climate card," set to launch on Jan. 27, was the result of a new policy adopted to both mitigate pol
Jan. 17, 2024
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K-pop singer convicted of faking IQ of 60 to dodge draft
South Korean court said Wednesday it has sentenced a boy band member to a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, for faking a mental disability to avoid active military service. Seoul Northern District Court handed the suspended term to the 32-year-old defendant, who was also ordered to fulfill 80 hours of community service for violating the Military Service Act. South Korean law stipulates that all able-bodied men are mandated to serve in the military for at least 18 months. The defendant
Jan. 17, 2024
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3 out of 5 Koreans in 20s skip breakfast
Nearly 60 percent of Korean nationals in their twenties skip breakfast, while 34 percent of the entire population skip the first meal of the day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The group with the highest portion of people who did not eat breakfast was women in their twenties at 63.3 percent. However, when comparing men and women across all age groups, slightly more men skipped the meal by a difference of 2.4 percentage points. The survey was one component of the KD
Jan. 17, 2024