Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Public backlash against division of Gyeonggi Province under 'corny' name
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
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[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids go gold in US with ‘Maniac’
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Gangnam Boulevard to be non-smoking zone from April
Gangnam Boulevard, one of the most bustling spots in Seoul, will be designated as a no-smoking zone as part of citywide anti-smoking efforts, the Gangnam district office said Tuesday. Smoking on the 1 km boulevard from Sinnonhyeon subway station to Gangnam station will be prohibited from April along both sides of the street and those caught smoking will be fined 100,000 won ($90) from July. For three months starting in April, district officials plan to promote the policy without imposing fines.T
Feb. 21, 2012
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(Photo News) Tour bus hangs on the edge
ON THE EDGE -- A tour bus going from Dongnimmun to Sinchon in Seoul hangs on a highway after an accident on Monday evening. The bus overturned and was struck by a sedan traveling in the opposite direction. Sixteen passengers suffered minor injuries, according to police. Park Hyu
Feb. 20, 2012
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Korea gears up to deal with ‘death with dignity’
The government is planning to push for a legal revision allowing cessation of life support for terminally-ill patients in order to guarantee peaceful and less painful deaths. The authorities are to form a consultative group and a hearing board by end of the month to raise public awareness and speed the necessary discussion for the institutionalization of the “death with dignity.” Death with dignity refers to cessation of excessive treatments such as life support administered to simply extend the
Feb. 20, 2012
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Schools to decide own student conduct rules
Schools will be able to set their own student conduct rules without interference by their superintendents, education ministry officials said Monday. The Education Ministry is expected to issue an advance legislative notice Tuesday on the revision to the primary and secondary education law that will allow schools to set their own conduct guidelines on dress code, hairstyles, carrying cellphones and other issues. The revision came after the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education proclaimed an ordi
Feb. 20, 2012
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Prosecutors eye indictment for Park
Speaker said to have denied giving instructions or receiving report on vote-buying schemeNational Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae could be indicted without detention over allegations of vote-buying in the ruling party’s leadership election in 2008.In the early hours of Monday, investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office finished questioning Park at this official residence in Seoul. The prosecutors’ office plans to announce the results of the 16-hour-long questioning within th
Feb. 20, 2012
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2 teenagers get jail term for bullying suicide case
Two middle school students were sentenced to prison terms Monday for habitually bullying a classmate until he jumped to his death last year after blaming them in a suicide note.The Daegu District Court sentenced the two, both 15-years-old, to imprisonment of three and a half years and three years, r
Feb. 20, 2012
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Over 25% of domestic business workers live in Seoul
More than one in four South Korean private business employees resides in Seoul, with nearly 22 percent of domestic business establishments located in the capital, data showed Monday.According to the data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a total of 4.49 million people worked for Seoul‘s business establishments that employ at least one worker last year, up by 7.49 percent from a year earlier. The figure represented 25.42 percent of the country’s total business workers. The number of busines
Feb. 20, 2012
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Smoking at bus stations to cost 100,000 won
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will impose a 100,000 won ($90) fine on those caught smoking at bus stops in the capital from March. Smoking at 339 major bus stops, including at Seoul Station and Gangnam will be completely banned. The city government designated public bus stops as non-smoking areas in December as part of efforts to protect citizens from second-hand smoke, but has campaigned for three months without imposing fines.Officials said it will remind citizens of the smo
Feb. 20, 2012
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Political podcasts capture hearts of young voters
Thirty-two-year-old office worker Kim You-bin has a new hobby ― listening to political audio shows distributed online. From Monday through Saturday, new programs are uploaded and she enjoys the flood of information. “On weekends I download ‘Naneun Ggomsuda (I am a Slacker)’ and ‘Naneun Ggobsarida (I am a Plus-one.)’ On Wednesdays I take ‘Jeogong Bihaeng (Fly Low)’ and ‘Issue-leul Teoleojuneun Namja (Man Who Investigates Issues.)’ I listen to them while I’m commuting,” she said.Kim is one of mill
Feb. 19, 2012
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1,119 badly-rated teachers to undergo retraining
More than a thousand teachers who scored poorly in evaluations last year will undergo teacher training and development programs starting next month, the Education Ministry said Sunday. Out of 343,725 teachers in primary and secondary schools, as well as special education schools nationwide, 1,119 teachers have been selected for the training session.Until August, 64 teachers evaluated as “unsatisfactory” by both students and coworkers will attend either online or offline courses for up to 210 hou
Feb. 19, 2012
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Police to blacklist unruly students
The police tackling school gangs across the country are blacklisting students engaged in school violence or likely to commit violent acts, causing concerns about what areas in which the police should be active.According to the Korean National Police Agency, they expanded the category of perpetrators subject to their investigation from school gangs to unruly students involved in or likely to be involved in school violence.The agency recently ordered its units throughout the country to profile the
Feb. 19, 2012
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U.S. prosecutor shares jury system know-how
Steven Kim picked by Korean government to teach his experience of jury systemThe Korean justice system has come under fire after a slew of reports and several box office hits have highlighted corruption among judges and prosecutors.So it comes as no surprise that government officials here would be interested in hearing about other judicial systems.The government has invited a leading Korean-American prosecutor in the U.S. to discuss his extensive experience. King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor
Feb. 19, 2012
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Former energy envoy grilled over stock rigging
Kim Eun-seok, former ambassador for energy and resources, was grilled Friday over stock rigging and insider trading involving development of a Cameroon mine.They want to question him over whether he had orchestrated an exaggerated Foreign Ministry report on the profitability of the development by a KOSDAQ-listed company, as well as over his suspected involvement in insider-trading.As he entered the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, Kim denied any wrongdoing. “All I did was for the country. Ther
Feb. 17, 2012
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Match-fixing spreads to motorboat racing
Motorboat racing Friday became the latest local sport to be marred by match-fixing allegations.Prosecutors in Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi Province said they have arrested a 36-year-old racer, surnamed Park, on suspicions of fixing races. The racer allegedly took cash from a gambling broker in exchange for giving him the predicted orders of finishes in races.The broker, a 47-year-old also surnamed Park, has been booked without physical detention. The two aren’t related.Prosecutors said the racer receiv
Feb. 17, 2012
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Ex-President Roh re-admitted to hospital
Former president Roh Tae-woo has been admitted to the hospital with a high fever, just days after being discharged, his aides said Friday. “He was admitted into the Seoul National University Hospital on Thursday after showing signs of a high fever of unknown origin,” said Roh’s secretary Moon Dong-hee.Tests so far showed no signs of serious illness in the 79-year-old, he added. Roh is expected to remain hospitalized for the next couple of days before being released, according to a source quoted
Feb. 17, 2012
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Smoking to be banned in national parks
The government said Friday it will designate a non-smoking zone for the country’s national parks starting in 2013 as part of efforts to protect the environment and promote public health.Currently, smoking is allowed in several spots within the national parks, including restrooms, parking lots and snack bars. According to the Korea National Park Service, smoking will be completely banned in national parks starting next year, and violators will face a fine of 100,000 won ($88.9).“We plan to launch
Feb. 17, 2012
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Prosecutors to investigate Ahn’s stock trade
Prosecutors said Friday they will look into allegations that potential presidential hopeful Ahn Cheol-soo made tens of millions of dollars in illicit profits by converting bonds of his anti-virus software firm into shares at a below-market price.Rep. Kang Yong-seok, an independent, filed the allegations with the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, claiming that Ahn is believed to have garnered a total of up to 70 billion won ($62 million) in ill-gotten profits.Kang claimed that Ahn converted 1.86
Feb. 17, 2012
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Navy revives ‘Ocean-Going’ slogan
The Navy has revived the use of its slogan “Ocean-Going Navy,” signifying its commitment to strengthening open water operational capabilities, a source said Friday.“The Navy is officially using the term ‘Ocean-Going Navy,’ which hadn‘t been in use since the sinking of the Cheonan,” the source said, referring to the deadly North Korean torpedoing of the warship in March 2010. “The term Korean Ocean-Going Navy has appeared in documents and PR materials.”The source also said the Navy is looking to
Feb. 17, 2012
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Private education spending drops in 2011
Korea’s spending on private education dropped for a second straight year in 2011 as the number of students declined, affected by a chronically low birth rate, a report showed Friday.South Korean parents spent a total of 20.1 trillion won ($17.76 billion) last year on private education for their children, down 3.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea.The decline followed a 3.5 percent fall in 2010, which was the first private education spending drop since the a
Feb. 17, 2012
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Five men arrested for circulating marijuana
Police said Friday they have arrested and detained five people, including a Korean man with Canadian nationality, suspected of dealing marijuana in two separate drug rings.Police also booked 31 others, including a 36-year-old college professor from the U.S., for investigation without physical detent
Feb. 17, 2012