Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Male smoking population to decrease with cigarette price increase
Tripling the price of cigarettes will allow the government to meet its goal of lowering male smoking rates, a recent report showed.According to a report published by the state-run Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, setting the price of a pack of cigarettes at 7,000 won ($6.40), three times the average selling price of 2,500 won, along with government intervention through smoking policies are necessary in curtailing the male smoking population. The Korean government aims to lower the
Feb. 12, 2013
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Court overrules denial of asylum to Myanmar activist
A Seoul appellant court ruled Saturday that the government should grant refugee status to a Myanmarese applicant who campaigned against his government in Korea.It upheld a lower court ruling that the Justice Ministry made an inappropriate decision in 2011 when it rejected his application for asylum though he could face political persecution back home.“He did not leave his nation due to fears of persecution, but it is justifiable to accept his application for refugee status if he faces fears of p
Feb. 11, 2013
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Wage growth slows in 2012
The average growth rate of Korean wages last year rose by 4.7 percent on-year, a slower rise than in the previous year, the government said on Monday.According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, a total of 6,814 businesses that hired more than 100 employees and completed wage bargaining last year gave a 4.7 percent pay raise on average, slightly lower than 5.1 percent in 2011.Big firms that pay more than 1,000 workers, in particular, increased wages by only 4.6 percent, lower than small an
Feb. 11, 2013
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2 defectors to receive Ph.D. in N.K. studies
Two North Korean defectors will receive doctorates in North Korean studies this month, according to their universities.Kim Young-hui, who works at the state-run Korea Finance Corporation in Seoul, will receive her degree from Dongguk University for her thesis on dwarfism in North Korea. Kim asserts that dwarfism is not solely due to a lack of resources, but the people’s general sentiment of austerity enforced by the government.Lee Hye-kyong will receive a doctorate from the University of North K
Feb. 11, 2013
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KFTC uncovers massive hacking scheme to steal accredited certificates
South Korea's financial authority said Monday it has uncovered a large-scale hacking scheme that resulted in the theft of personal financial transaction information of hundreds of bank clients. According to the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute (KFTC), a group of hackers allegedly stole a total of 461 authenticated certificates, in an apparent bid to withdraw cash from victims' bank accounts.The KFTC, which settles financial transactions among individuals, said it report
Feb. 11, 2013
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Concerns mount over kids looking for online boyfriends
A growing number of female elementary students are searching for boyfriends through mobile messengers, touching off concerns among Korean parents. Using anonymity on the Internet, Korean children are posting specific requirements they want from a boyfriend in online communities. Online posts such as “Looking for a long-term relationship boyfriend, over 162 cm tall and age 13-15 is fine” are commonly spotted on Internet portal communities. These websites are targeted at users between 11 and 13.Af
Feb. 11, 2013
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E-Mart offices, workers’ homes raided in labor rights probe
Offices of the country’s largest discount chain E-Mart were raided by labor authorities Thursday on suspicions that the company violated labor laws to prevent employees from joining a labor union.“It was confirmed that there were a number of problems regarding issues uncovered in the recent special labor audit,” an official at the Seoul office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor said. In a labor audit conducted last month, evidence emerged that Shinsegae Group’s discount store placed workers
Feb. 7, 2013
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Nearly 1 in 6 minors in need of mental care
A study released Thursday by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology showed that nearly 1 in 6 elementary, middle and high school students in the country have some form of mental disorder. According to the study conducted last year evaluating more than 6.4 million school pupils’ mental health, more than 1 million (16.3 percent) of the respondents received higher-than-standard scores and were classified as part of a “needing attention” group, while 223,000 (4.5 percent) were diagnosed t
Feb. 7, 2013
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Seoul lacks rooms for tourists
Seoul Metropolitan City will likely be short more than 19,000 rooms per day for foreign tourists this year and the shortage will aggravate as the number of visitors is increasing, according to the city government on Thursday.The figure this year when multiplied by 2.4, the average number of people using one room, means that 47,232 travelers will not be able to find accommodation.The number of foreign visitors in Seoul was 11.4 million last year and is expected to be 12.6 million this year and 19
Feb. 7, 2013
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More than a third of teen N. Korea defectors want to leave S. Korea: survey
More than a third of young North Korean defectors here feel discriminated against and want to live in another country, a survey showed Thursday. The poll was conducted by Kim Shin-hee, a researcher at the Korean Educational Development Institute, on 287 middle school students from August through September last year. The study showed that 36.9 percent, or 106, of the respondents wanted to live in another country due mainly to the discrimination and difficulties they experience here. Of those defe
Feb. 7, 2013
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Seoul to reward people who report overcharging taxis
The Seoul city government plans to provide a cash reward to anyone who reports on overcharging by taxi drivers. The ordinance passed a deliberative council at the city government on Wednesday. Under the new law, tipsters can receive a reward of 500,000 won ($500). “Either Koreans who have learned of rip-off cases against foreigners or the foreign travelers themselves can call ‘120’ to the Dasan 120 Seoul Call Center and report the unfair treatment,” said Kim Soo-jung, an official from the city t
Feb. 7, 2013
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Three nominated for new chief prosecutor
A nominations committee for the next prosecutor general picked three candidates on Thursday. They are Kim Jin-tae, deputy general prosecutor at the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office, So Byung-chul, chief public prosecutor at the Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office, and Chae Dong-wook, prosecutor general at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. “The committee screened the candidates based on their integrity and competence and looked through their financial assets and military duty,” said an official fr
Feb. 7, 2013
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Watchdog warns Lee office over civilian surveillance
The national human rights watchdog advised President Lee Myung-bak Thursday to take steps to reassure the public they will not be illegally spied on, an activity the government was accused of conducting early on in his term.It is the first time the National Human Rights Commission has made a recommendation to the president since its founding in November 2001.“It is necessary for the government to clearly state the measures it will take against (the illegal surveillance of civilians) so that pres
Feb. 7, 2013
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Suwon provides baby-naming service for socially disadvantaged
Suwon City will provide a naming service for newborn babies who are socially disadvantaged.The program aims to support people who are financially challenged, such as people living on minimum wage, the disabled, single mothers and North Korea refugees. Those who wish to sign up for the program should submit basic information, such as the baby’s birth date and parent’s name, to Suwon City by e-mail or mail.Korean names comprised of three characters have different meanings. Many Koreans believe tha
Feb. 7, 2013
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Leaked personal data about woman sparks disputes
A set of photos and data files depicting a young Korean woman engaged in sexual acts has been spreading fast on Korean file-sharing websites, causing controversy over human rights violation and punishment of the disseminators.The data files were first uploaded to a local online community on Monday, and quickly went viral through social networking services and file-sharing platforms such as torrents.The rapid circulation of the revealing personal files is drawing worries about human rights violat
Feb. 7, 2013
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Seoul city to offer reward for information on cabs overcharging foreigners
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it will offer a 500,000 won ($458) reward to anyone with information about taxis ripping off foreign tourists in a bid to stem unfair practices.The municipal government revised its ordinance to provide rewards to people who report taxi drivers overcharging foreign riders, officials said. Foreign passengers being cheated by cabbies can also report the scam to the city government and be rewarded, they added.The move is part of the authority‘s efforts
Feb. 7, 2013
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First video-conference trial linked to Costa Rica
The morning of Jan. 29 in Seoul, a mother who lost her daughter in a car accident three years ago in Costa Rica gave a tearful testimony in the trial of the suspected killer taking place in the Central American nation.The video-conference trial was the first of its kind since the establishment of the act on international judicial mutual assistance in criminal matters in 1991. The act Korea signed with 73 nations encourages the countries to cooperate in criminal investigations and trials, such as
Feb. 6, 2013
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Korea carving its place in ‘rise of the East’
The world is facing a great transformation of civilization stemming from the rise of the East, fast-spreading globalization and the advancement of science and technology.The shifts cast uncertainties over the future of Korea. Its culture is steeped in both Eastern tradition and Western modernization as globalization seeps into every aspect of life. And science and technology has been the key driver of its rapid growth in the latter half of the 20th century.In this transitional period, the countr
Feb. 6, 2013
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Spending on private education drops 5 percent in 2012
Spending on private education dropped for a third straight year here in 2012 due mainly to an increase in elementary students participating in government-run after-school programs, a report showed Wednesday.According to data compiled by Statistics Korea and obtained by the education ministry, South Korean parents spent 19 trillion won ($17.47 billion) last year on private education for their children, down 5.4 percent from a year earlier.Private education spending was at its highest in 2009 at 2
Feb. 6, 2013
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U.S. soldiers get suspended term for using drugs on duty
A district court here on Wednesday gave a U.S. soldier a suspended prison term for using drugs inside his unit.The 23-year-old corporal from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, whose identity was withheld, was found guilty of smoking a new type of narcotics called "Spice," at Camp Casey on Sept. 3. Camp Casey is the name of the base of the 2nd Infantry Division, located close to the border with North Korea.Spice refers to a wide variety of herbal mixtures that, when smoked, give users a marijuana-li
Feb. 6, 2013