Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul
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Counsel questions key figure involved in Lee’s retirement home
Special prosecutors on Thursday questioned a key figure involved in the now-scrapped retirement house project for President Lee Myung-bak.Kim Tae-hwan, a former official at the presidential security service, appeared at the independent counsel’s office in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul.Kim was in charge of purchasing the land for the retirement house, and is the first to have been summoned by the counsels for the investigation since its launch on Tuesday. He did not answer questions by reporters upon
Oct. 18, 2012
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Five sailors dead after Coast Guard rescue boat capsizes
Five crew members of a sunken Malaysian cargo vessel died Thursday after a Korea Coast Guard boat, which had rescued them, capsized in seas off Jeju Island.The Coast Guard dispatched its boat to save 15 crewmen of the 5,000-ton vessel from sinking off the southern island. The rescue boat carrying them and four coast guard officers was heading back to its base when it capsized due to strong tides. The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a helicopter and a patrol ship but the accident claimed five
Oct. 18, 2012
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Firms in Gaeseong complex plagued by hefty taxes
North Korea has unilaterally imposed hefty taxes on South Korean firms operating in the joint Gaeseong inter-Korean industrial complex in the North while employees there are demanding the firms provide more severance pay, a Seoul government official said Thursday.“The North imposed the taxes including corporate income and business taxes on some of the companies operating in the Gaeseong complex in accordance with a new tax enforcement regulation(enacted) and delivered by the North last August,”
Oct. 18, 2012
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‘Brain drain in science and engineering on the rise’
Science and engineering students leaving to study abroad has surpassed over 35,000 and the number continues to rise, a report showed on Thursday.A record 36,914 undergraduate and postgraduate students in natural sciences and engineering went abroad in 2011, up nearly 27 percent on 2008, according to a report submitted to Rep. Park Hon-keun of the opposition Democratic United Party by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.The number reached 34,629 in 2010, up from 32,662 in 2009, show
Oct. 18, 2012
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GGGI becomes international organization
The Global Green Growth Institute, a Korea-initiated nonprofit organization to promote environmentally friendly development, was officially transformed into an international agency on Thursday, 28 months after its launch.The agency met the requirement as an international body, which is the ratification of at least three countries, as Kiribati’s approval on Sept. 18 took effect following Denmark and Guyana.With 18 member countries the GGGI is the first international organization founded under the
Oct. 18, 2012
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Korea to expand smart grid use for energy efficiency
South Korea will consider diverse ways to expand the use of the smart grid system as part of its efforts to enhance the country’s long-term energy efficiency, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.The move is part of future energy policy directions the government reviewed during a meeting to enhance energy efficiency and effectively cope with other problems from greenhouse gases and climate change. The meeting is intended to discuss the government’s long-term national development strategies.“Greenh
Oct. 18, 2012
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Environmental ministers to gather in Seoul
Environmental ministers from more than 40 countries are to gather in Seoul next week for a meeting on climate change. The upcoming meeting is in preparation for the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, more widely called COP18, to be held in Doha, Qatar, at the end of the year. “The Pre-COP18 Ministerial Meeting in Seoul will be a chance for ministers to poll ideas to find ways to tackle global climate challenges and reinforc
Oct. 18, 2012
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College startup delivers energy solutions
Climate change consulting firm Ecosense helps Korean firms on path to green managementThe Korea Herald, in collaboration with the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, is presenting a series of articles introducing small but promising environmental tech firms. The following is the sixth installment. ― Ed.Climate change has become a major concern in the global corporate world as regulations are tightened and consumers are increasingly conscious of the environment. The trend is a ch
Oct. 18, 2012
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Korea’s first West Nile virus infection found
Korean health authorities confirmed Wednesday the country’s first West Nile virus case involving a patient who contracted the disease while traveling in Africa.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the patient, whose identity was withheld for privacy reasons, traveled to Guinea from January to June and returned to the country after developing symptoms of West Nile fever.The patient is currently being treated for various related symptoms that include paralysis,
Oct. 18, 2012
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Nobel laureate John Gurdon visits Korea
John Gurdon, professor at the University of Cambridge and winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is visiting Korea to attend a forum on stem cell research.Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology said Thursday that Gurdon attended the 2012 annual meeting of the Korean Society for Stem Cell Research, where he gave a special lecture and attended the opening ceremony. He will stay until Friday.Gurdon, along with Shinya Yamanaka, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiolog
Oct. 18, 2012
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Incheon announces winners of essay contest for GCF
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority announced the winners of the second English Essay Contest out of 170 Korean and foreigner participants.The theme of the competition held last Wednesday was on Incheon’s potential as the host city of the Global Climate Fund.The winner of the foreigner category was Peter Walsh, an employee at Pak Mun Girls’ High School, who analyzed the merits of Songdo through a foreigner’s perspective.The Korean category winner was Duksung Women’s University senior Kim My
Oct. 18, 2012
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South Korean woman among five killed in Denver bar fire
A South Korean woman was among five killed inside a Denver bar torched on Wednesday, according to news reports. Police said it identified the bodies of four women and a man discovered inside the bar and their deaths ruled homicides.Denver Police Chief Robert White said the bodies appeared to have suffered trauma and the fire was believed to be arson, The Denver Post reported.The victims were ident
Oct. 18, 2012
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Ex-wife of a famous singer killed, suspect arrested
The ex-wife of a Korean singer has been stabbed to death after getting into a quarrel with a man at a bar in southern Seoul on Wednesday. Police arrested a 38-year-old suspect later in the day. The 36-year-old victim, who divorced popular K-pop group Cool member Kim Sung-soo, was having drinks with four others including her close friend Chae Ri-na, a member of K-pop group RooRa.According to the police, the quarrel started after a man asked the five to be quiet, complaining that they were too lou
Oct. 17, 2012
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Prosecutors raid houses of President Lee’s brother and son
Investigators raided the offices and residences of President Lee Myung-bak’s son and eldest brother on Wednesday as part of a probe into suspicions over a now-scrapped project to build Lee’s retirement home. The raid came one day after the independent counsel team banned 10 people involved from traveling overseas. They included the president’s son Si-hyung, former presidential security service chief Kim In-jong, former presidential chief of staff Yim Tae-hee and former presidential secretary of
Oct. 17, 2012
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More dads take paternity leave
More fathers are taking time off work to take care of their children, data showed Wednesday, in another sign that the country’s workaholic corporate culture is giving way to family values.The growth of men taking leave has been significant in the past four years. While moms on leave grew 25.4 percent annually, the figure for dads was 58.1 percent. Yet, the male share of total child care leave cases was still minimal, at 2.8 percent at the end of September, the data showed. Male workers are entit
Oct. 17, 2012
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Maverick KAIST chief yields to pressure to resign
Suh Nam-pyo, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, announced Wednesday that he would resign in March after his reform drive sharply divided the school for the past six years.The announcement, however, is setting the stage for another round of conflict with the board of the country’s top research university.“I will leave my office in March 2013, despite my remaining term, and will cooperate to elect the new president before January,” Suh said in a news conference in
Oct. 17, 2012
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Koreans’ charity donation increased 20% last year
Despite sagging economic conditions, Koreans’ donation for charity increased 20 percent in 2011 from 2009, according to a survey. The Beautiful Fund, a nonprofit organization, unveiled the result of its survey of 1,029 people conducted in June and July to look into Koreans’ charitable activities and attitudes.The average amount of yearly donation per person was 219,000 won ($198), up 20 percent from 182,000 won in 2009, according to research.The rate of participation in charity donation also sli
Oct. 17, 2012
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Incheon makes final push for fund
Green Climate Fund board members gather in Songdo for vote on headquarters’ locationBoard members of the Green Climate Fund gathered in Songdo on Wednesday for a three-day meeting in which they are expected to decide where to locate the fund’s headquarters. Korean officials, both of the central government and Incheon Metropolitan City, are making last-minute efforts to bring the office to Songdo, a newly-developed district in Incheon. Songdo, built from scratch with the vision of becoming an int
Oct. 17, 2012
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Songdo touted as green, foreigner-friendly city
Songdo International City is 20 minutes away from Incheon International Airport and only 28 kilometers away from the capital Seoul. Transportation is well developed and convenient as its trains, subways and highways are well connected with other regions.It was designed to be a low-carbon green city from the start and to be a role model for green growth, and thus boasts many environmentally friendly features.Thirty-two percent of Songdo is filled with greenery, which is the highest ratio in the c
Oct. 17, 2012
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U.S. soldier held for attempted rape
A U.S. solider of the 2nd Infantry Division was arrested on Wednesday on allegations of attempted rape and assault.According to police, the soldier attempted to rape an employee of a drinking establishment in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province. The solider is also suspected of assaulting the owner of the establishment who tried to intervene. The soldier, who is currently being held at the police station in the nearby city of Uijeongbu, is denying the allegations. “The 2nd Infantry Division deeply re
Oct. 17, 2012