Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
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Seoul to strengthen suicide monitoring on Han River bridges
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it will set up a system for detecting suicide attempts on Seoul‘s major bridges over the Han River, one of the most used places for people wanting to take their own lives, and swiftly rescuing them as part of efforts to curb the nation’s suicide rate, the highest in the world.Under the envisioned plan, intelligence closed-circuit TVs detect movements suspicious of suicide attempts via its sensing function, which prompts officials to set up an emerg
Jan. 10, 2013
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Elderly woman found one month after death
An elderly woman who lived alone was found dead in her apartment a month after she died.An official from Daegu District Court found the 64-year-old woman’s body while visiting her house to conduct a property auction procedure on Wednesday. The woman, identified by her surname Kim, had reportedly suffered from economic difficulties and recently had her apartment auctioned off.Although she expressed her wish to donate her body for medical research in an apparent suicide note, the corpse was too se
Jan. 10, 2013
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Seoul hospital completes heart transplant for first time in country
A Seoul hospital has successfully conducted a heart transplant operation, marking the first-ever transplant of an artificial heart in the country, hospital officials said Thursday.The operation took place in August when a 75-year-old patient suffering from congestive heart failure received a left ventricular assist device (VAD), according to the officials at Samsung Medical Center.A VAD is a mechanical circulatory device typically used for patients suffering from congestive heart failure. The le
Jan. 10, 2013
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Seoul to install signs in four languages
All signs on roads, streets, subway stations and online maps will be marked in four languages and in a more readable format by 2016, Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday. The plan is aimed at making the city more convenient to an increasing number of foreign residents and tourists. Complex signs received the second most complaints from foreign tourists in its 2011 survey on their experiences traveling in Seoul. The city will install more than 144,000 new signs in four languages: Kor
Jan. 9, 2013
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Nearly 100 doctors caught misusing propofol, other drugs
Nearly 100 doctors have been caught for misusing narcotics and psychotropic drugs such as propofol, police said Wednesday.Police have uncovered 98 medical workers ― mostly doctors ― and eight hospitals in a two-month nationwide crackdown on illegal use of drugs by hospitals.The crackdown, conducted jointly with the health authorities, came after a local obstetrician was arrested in August on charges of injecting his girlfriend with an anesthetic that caused her death and then abandoning her body
Jan. 9, 2013
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Jeju: A great place for study and socializing for students
I have been coming to Korea for six years and moved here as a resident 18 months ago. Since arriving here, I have been heartened by the warmth of the people, their willingness to assist, and the value they place on education. Moving to Jeju to open Branksome Hall Asia was a significant shift, one I am glad I made. I am enjoying the amazing experiences at our new school, our life on the remarkable campus, the stunning scenery and the environment that is Jeju. I am aware that Jeju Island is referr
Jan. 9, 2013
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‘Student exchange program grooms future leaders’
In 1951, church leaders in Michigan invited 75 West German teenagers to live with local families and attend schools for a year. Youth For Understanding, a global student exchange program, began its operation with that trans-Atlantic project aimed at bridging the two World War II foes. Its network has expanded to 65 countries to become the operator of one of the world’s largest international educational exchange programs. It has benefited nearly 250,000 students so far, with some 4,000 students c
Jan. 9, 2013
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Seoul to hike electricity rate by 4 pct from next week
The government on Wednesday approved Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO)'s request to raise electricity rates by an average 4 percent starting next week, a move partly aimed at offsetting the state-run power company's chronic deficits. The price of electricity used by ordinary households will be increased by 2 percent starting from Monday, which will add an additional 930 won (US$0.88) per month to the electricity bill of each house, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a press release.Rates
Jan. 9, 2013
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Singer Kang sentenced to four years for swindling
A member of a popular 1990s idol group has been sentenced again to four years for fraud on Wednesday, the Seoul Northern District Court said.In April 2012, Kang Sung-hoon, the main vocalist of the boy band “Sechs Kies,” was sentenced to four years behind bars for failing to repay a total of 1 billion won ($900,000) he borrowed from three different people from June 2009 to November 2010.“The plaintiff was released on bail after saying that he would settle with the victims, but no payment has been
Jan. 9, 2013
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Seoul to add Japanese, Chinese on street signs by 2016
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a plan Wednesday to redo the city‘s street signs in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese and standardize their design by 2016 in a move to boost convenience for foreigners and improve the city’s environment.Under the envisioned plan, the city‘s 144,134 signs of 50 different types, including traffic signs and direction boards for major tourist attractions, will be written in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese by 2016, with the 80,888 signs located n
Jan. 9, 2013
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U.K. man tried for murdering Korean woman
A British man went on trial Tuesday on the charge of murdering his Korean girlfriend, the British media reported.The 27-year-old man surnamed Jones allegedly killed 22-year-old Lee last April after “petty quarrels” at her apartment, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.According to prosecutor Gordon Aspden, the two got into a fight over house chores and drain hair, after which Jones strangled Lee to death.The suspect reportedly said the death of the young Korean was unintentional. “The outcome was
Jan. 9, 2013
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Drunk woman still compensated for suicide
A Seoul court on Wednesday ordered an insurance company to compensate the bereaved family of a woman who committed suicide while drunk. The deceased threw herself into the Han River after she was caught cheating on her husband. Her husband claimed compensation claim from her insurance company. The Seoul Central District Court’s ruling said the insurance company “should pay 250 million won ($220,000) in compensation.” The ruling does not accord with current clauses of the commercial law, which st
Jan. 9, 2013
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Man jumps in front of Line 1 subway train
An unidentified man threw himself in front of a subway train at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Station in Seoul on Wednesday.According to an eyewitness the man jumped in front of an incoming train at the station in Imun-dong at 10:55 a.m. An official at the station said that he died despite being moved to a nearby hospital after the collision. CCTV images showed him pacing the platform immediately before the incident, the official added.The victim was initially reported as an elderly woma
Jan. 9, 2013
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Mental health problems major cause of suicide
A new survey found nearly 3.7 million Koreans have psychiatric disorders associated with a high risk of suicide, highlighting the need for the government and society to step up preventive measures.According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, a total of 3.68 million people higher chances of dying by suicide because of their prolonged mental disorders such as depression and mood disorders. About 28 percent of Koreans have suicidal ideas more than once in their lifetime, especial
Jan. 8, 2013
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Hanwha chief released from jail on poor health
A Seoul court on Tuesday ordered a temporary suspension of imprisonment of Hanwha Group chairman Kim Seung-youn, citing his poor health. “There seem to be considerable reasons to allow Kim the suspension of imprisonment, given that his health has deteriorated to a serious condition,” Seoul Central District Court said. The decision follows a request from the Seoul Southern Correction Service where the 61-year-old tycoon was placed following a conviction in August last year on charges including em
Jan. 8, 2013
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Criminal’s DNA matches missing suspect of 2006 case
A man arrested for attempted murder has been found to be the missing suspect of a 2006 sexual assault case, DNA records found.The suspect, Song, 47, allegedly tried to kill his brother due to economic problems in December 2012.The police sent Song’s DNA to the National Forensic Service for further investigation. With the recently developed Automated Fingerprint Identification System technology, the organization found that the DNA matches that of an unknown suspect of an attempted rape in Yangju,
Jan. 8, 2013
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Teenager steals car and takes off
A teenager fled in a car that was parked in front of a bakery in Suseong-dong on Sunday, police said. Nine hours after the car was stolen, police spotted the suspect, a 16-year-old surnamed Kim, in Gunsan on CCTV. The chase seemed to end in Songhak-dong, when he was blocked by a police barricade. However, Kim escaped and ran off yet again. After an additional 20-minute chase involving seven police cars, Kim’s flight came to an end at an express bus terminal in Iksan. “The car engine was running
Jan. 8, 2013
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Youth population on track to halve by 2060: report
Korea’s youth population will decline to less than half of the current level in 2060 if the country’s birthrate stays low, a government report said Monday. The number of people aged between 9 and 24 declined to 10.2 million last year, accounting for 20.4 percent of the total, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said. The figure reached its peak at 14 million in 1980 and is forecast to decline further, to 9.6 million in 2015, 7.1 million in 2030, 5.9 million in 2050, and 5 million in 2060.
Jan. 7, 2013
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Ethical standards decline among young people: survey
Four out of 10 high school students are willing to risk imprisonment for 1 billion won ($942,000) and seven out of 10 do not feel guilty for plagiarizing homework, according to a survey released Monday.Young Korean Academy, a youth movement group, unveiled its poll of about 6,000 primary and secondary school students that highlighted their deteriorating sense of ethics and growing leaning toward material values. The researchers attributed the trend to their exposure to greed, fraud and irrespons
Jan. 7, 2013
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Man fined for rumor about ‘smartphone battery blast’
A Seoul court has imposed 15 million won (14,136) in fines on a 28-year-old man for spreading a false rumor that the battery of a smartphone made by the country’s major handset maker exploded, court officials said Monday.The defendant, only identified by his surname Kim, was indicted for defaming the local handset maker LG Electronics Inc. by repeatedly writing on the Internet in 2011 that its Optimus 3D smartphone’s battery had exploded, they said.Kim also distributed fliers containing the fals
Jan. 7, 2013