Most Popular
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?
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[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
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Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
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Over 80,000 millionaires, 20 billionaires in Seoul: report
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Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
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Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens
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Will China's self-sufficient dream in HBM come true?
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KORAIL unionists end strike, return to workplaces
Unionists of the state-run railway operator KORAIL on Tuesday ended a 22-day walkout and returned to their workplaces.However, they vowed to continue their struggle against the government's approval of the establishment of a KORAIL affiliate, which will run the new bullet train route out of Suseo in southwestern Seoul from as early as 2015."All union members returned and resumed their work as of 11 a.m. We will go back to our normal duties before the strike," said Choi Eun-cheol, spokesman of th
Dec. 31, 2013
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U.S. soldier acquitted of raping fiancee
A Seoul court acquitted an American soldier of raping his South Korean fiancee in 2011, court officials said Tuesday. The sergeant major of the U.S. Army, whose identity has been withheld, was indicted on charges of raping and assaulting his fiancee, whose identity remains anonymous, officials said. The Seoul Central District Court delivered a not-guilty verdict, citing lack of evidence, they added. "The court does not take credibility in the plaintiff's statement as well as other ev
Dec. 31, 2013
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Court upholds gov't order to amend history textbooks
A local court on Monday turned down a request from authors of six history textbooks to suspend a controversial government order to amend them for containing ideological bias, allowing the distribution of revised versions to high school students early next year as scheduled. The Ministry of Education ordered publishers of the books on Dec. 2 to revise 41 parts of their descriptions for containing factual errors and views that could "negatively affect students perspective of history." Two days
Dec. 30, 2013
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[Eye on English] For Koreans, English used as mark of status
For Koreans, English is much more than a lingua franca. It is a crucial measure of personal marketability, intelligence and even academic assiduity that would facilitate their entry into top-tier schools and high-paying professions, and their rise up the corporate ladder.Since the 1990s when the government’s mantra of globalization resonated throughout the whole country, English skills have become a vital means of survival in Korea’s hypercompetitive society.Most students and job-seekers have sp
Dec. 30, 2013
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[Eye on English] English fever needs cooling
Kim So-yeon, a 23-year-old college student, spends two to three hours each day memorizing English expressions, doing listening exercises and reading English news articles.She also routinely takes the TOEIC, one of the popular English proficiency tests, every three months, hoping to get a higher score to make her resume look better.“I go to a hagwon (private institute) for the test and spend more than 350,000 won ($332) a month just for English,” said the senior at Sogang University.“I don’t thin
Dec. 30, 2013
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[Photo News] Year of horse
Dec. 30, 2013
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Expensive imported padded jackets stir up controversy
The sweeping popularity of expensive winter jackets from foreign brands among students is becoming a social issue in South Korea. The premium padded jumpers made by foreign apparel companies like Canada Goose and Moncler usually cost more than 1 to 2 million won ($947 to $1,893). Despite their price tags, the jackets became a huge hit among Korean students this year. The jackets were initially imported in limited quantities for high-income consumers in Gangnam and other posh areas but are now be
Dec. 30, 2013
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[Graphic News] Korean middle class shrinking: report
Korea’s middle class has steadily decreased from 74.47 percent of the population in 1990 to 67.33 percent in 2010, while the percentages of high-income and low-income earners have increased 2.23 and 4.9 percentage points, respectively, to 20.43 percent and 12.24 percent over the last 20 years, according to a report released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs Monday.
Dec. 30, 2013
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Rail union agrees to end strike
Leaders of unionized rail workers agreed to end their prolonged strike after the ruling and opposition parties promised to form a parliamentary subcommittee aimed at preventing privatization of rail services, lawmakers said Monday.The union confirmed the agreement, saying there are only internal procedures left before its members return to work, ending the 22-day walkout."The union decided to withdraw the strike," Choi Eun-cheol, a spokesman for the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) union, told Yonh
Dec. 30, 2013
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Railway strike set to bring transport chaos
The ongoing strike by railway workers is likely to cause major disruptions to transport services ahead of the New Year holiday as labor and management showed no signs of compromise. Korea Railroad Corp.’s labor union continued its strike Sunday for the 21st consecutive day and the major labor confederation threatened a second sympathy walkout and wider antigovernment protest. They pledged to escalate action after the government on Friday issued a license for a new high-speed train affiliate of K
Dec. 29, 2013
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[Photo News] What lies ahead
Dec. 29, 2013
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Ex-KB Tokyo managers indicted for illegal loans
The prosecution has indicted two former managers of KB Kookmin Bank’s Tokyo branch for extending illegal loans worth 400 billion won ($379 million), officials said Sunday. The prosecutors are further investigating whether the two suspects, identified by the surnames Lee and Ahn, received kickbacks from the borrowers and used them to create a slush fund at home. They were arrested earlier this month on charges of breach of trust. Lee, former branch chief, and Ahn, former deputy chief, were found
Dec. 29, 2013
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Cargo ship collides with chemical tanker, 91 rescued
A cargo ship collided with a chemical-laden tanker off South Korea's southeast coast early Sunday, causing the tanker to catch fire, but all 91 crew members on the two vessels were rescued safely, coast guard officials said.The 55,000-ton freighter Gravity Highway was on a test-run when it collided with Maritime Maisie, a tanker carrying 29,337 tons of inflammable chemicals, in waters about 9.2 nautical miles off the southeastern port city of Busan around 2:15 a.m., officials said.The impact cau
Dec. 29, 2013
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Two Kookmin Bank employees to stand trial over massive illegal lending
Two employees of Kookmin Bank's unit in Tokyo have been indicted on charges of extending illegal loans worth 400 billion won (US$380 million) to Korean companies operating in Japan, state prosecutors said Sunday.The Tokyo branch of South Korea's leading bank has been investigated by prosecutors over suspicions that it lent more than permitted to Japan-based firms to secure returns used to amass massive slush funds.The suspects, including a 57-year-old former Tokyo branch manager only identified
Dec. 29, 2013
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KORAIL receives license to establish Suseo KTX affiliate
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Friday issued a license for the state-run rail operator to establish an affiliate to run a new branch of the KTX line, despite fierce opposition from labor unions and others.The issuance is expected to increase pressure on the 27 percent of KORAIL’s 20,443 employees who have been on strike since Dec. 9 against what they claim to be a move to privatize the railroads.“The Daejeon District Court on Friday evening approved the registration of the
Dec. 27, 2013
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Sending off a year with a bang
The final day of the year is a big day in most cultures but Koreans take things a step further, seemingly dedicating the entire month of December to wrapping up the year. In the run up to the Dec. 31 ringing of the Boshingak bell, December is packed with year-end events that range from heavy drinking with colleagues and friends to fortune-telling. The Korean word for end of year events “songnyeonhoe” literally means “send off for the year” and many choose to send the year off in a sea of alcohol
Dec. 27, 2013
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No year-end excitement for police officers
Peaceful silence is broken. The two police officers, Han Ji-hyun and Choi Jong-min turn on their patrol car’s siren and accelerate to an old building near Hongik University as the navigation system directs them to the scene of the crime. They quickly run up to the jewelry shop to see if someone broke into the shop. It was a false alarm. “When reports come in one after another at night, we are actually thankful for false alarms because then we can quickly move on and handle the next report,” 28-y
Dec. 27, 2013
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Peak season returns for fortune-tellers
Kim Ye-ji, a 26-year-old job-seeker worriedly looks at eight Chinese characters and carefully listens to what the fortune-teller tells her. The predictor stares at the characters with a serious face and contemplates for awhile. “Around March and April next year, you’re going to find a job. Until then, no good news,” the fortune-teller says. “And you’re likely to meet a guy around autumn. He will probably be younger than you.” Kim finally feels relieved.Their discussion, which lasted for an hour,
Dec. 27, 2013
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Looking for a New Year to sing for: Minorities in Korea
The New Year is about wishing for a better year, or perhaps, about repeating a good one. But it is also about saying goodbye and letting go of the year past. For those on what some call the outskirts of Korean society, however, sending away the year means, for the most part, wanting a better year than the one gone by. And so, for these minorities ― North Koreans living in the South, foreign laborers who work in Korea’s burgeoning factories, or 20-somethings striving to beat over-competitive nati
Dec. 27, 2013
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Winding up the year with more value, less alcohol
Korea is beginning to see new trends emerge for “sending the year off,” perhaps to complement the nation’s health habit trends, some analysts have said.Year-end celebrations in Korea, which have been traditionally dominated by drinking, are now embracing various cultural, artistic and recreational activities. Similar to the drinking campaigns that quickly caught on among domestic firms to help moderate excessive indulgence in alcohol at their year-end gatherings, more people each year are pursui
Dec. 27, 2013