Most Popular
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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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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Children with foreign parents exceed 150,000
The number of children in South Korea with at least one foreign parent nearly tripled over the past four years, as international marriages continued to increase, statistics showed. According to data released by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security on Thursday, there were 151,154 such children registered as of Jan. 1, surpassing the 150,000 mark for the first time. This year’s figure
June 23, 2011
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S. Korea has less forest per capita than OECD average
South Korea had one of smallest per-capita forest areas among major economies, an international report said Thursday, indicating the country’s dense population.The nation’s forest area was 1.3 square kilometers per every 1,000 people as of 2008, the “Toward Green Growth” report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed.The reading marks the seventh-lowest level among thos
June 23, 2011
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Electronic ID card plan hits resistance
A controversial government plan to introduce electronic personal identification cards is unlikely to be realized as scheduled in 2013, faced with strong opposition from those fearing human rights infringements and a waste of taxpayers’ money.A related government bill has yet to be submitted to a parliamentary committee for deliberation although a committee session was held recently, the Ministry o
June 23, 2011
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Bill to support livelihood of freelance artists
From as early as next year, screen playwrights and other freelance artists in film, performance and publishing industries may be insured against unemployment or industrial disasters like salaried workers.According to a bill submitted to parliament this month, the government will draw up policies to guarantee the social and legal status of artists. It also calls for the government to fund a finance
June 23, 2011
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Father’s fight to save his family
Mom, two daughters stricken by mysterious lung diseaseAt 0:30 on Sunday morning, Jin-ju finally stopped breathing.It was the 93rd day since the 15-month-old baby girl had been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms, which turned out to be an unidentified acute lung disease that has claimed the lives of four patients since May. “I went to Busan (where she was hospitalized) upon hearing the news, had h
June 23, 2011
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Baby found dead in subway locker
A single mom, who discarded her newborn baby in a subway locker, is under police investigation, Yonhap News has reported. The woman, surnamed Kim, 20, said that four days after she gave birth alone in a motel room, she found her son suffocated to death, face down in a blanket. She apparently then put the dead body in her carrier filled with her clothes, before placing it in the subway locker of Sh
June 23, 2011
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Seoul launches annual global student forum
The fourth Seoul International Student Forum will kick off on Friday, with 84 members from 32 different countries attending, the Seoul Global Center, a city-run support center for foreign residents, said Wednesday. The program, launched in 2008, is aimed at reflecting the ideas and proposals of international students studying in Seoul to better serve foreign residents and visitors here. After hold
June 22, 2011
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Heavy rain expected throughout this week
The rainy season officially started Wednesday, with up to 150 milliliters of rainfall expected to hit the central part of the peninsula through Thursday. The state weather agency forecast that the country would be under the rainy spell until the end of July, with up to 20 percent more precipitation than previous years. Over the weekend, typhoon Meari, which is heading north from the Philippines, i
June 22, 2011
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Critics say public officials’ conduct code is unrealistic
Attention is being drawn to the code of conduct for civil servants as a recent string of corruption cases involving public officials has upset the public, seriously tarnishimg the government’s vision of a “fair society.”Critics argue that while the intention of the code that prohibits officials from receiving expensive meals and other pricy entertainment services from people they meet on official
June 22, 2011
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Seoul to probe forced colonial laborers’ deaths
Some 30,000 Koreans believed to have been drafted for construction work in SakhalinThe Korean government will launch its first official investigation into the deaths of Koreans forced to labor under the Japanese colonial rule in Sakhalin, an island in Russia’s Far East, a Seoul fact-finding panel said Wednesday. The investigation will be carried out in July and August at a public graveyard in Yuzh
June 22, 2011
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Girl group member stabbed to death
Lee Eun-mi, member of the girl group "Iris"A member of the K-pop group Iris was stabbed to death by her boyfriend on Sunday. Lee Eun-mi, 24, was stabbed multiple times by her boyfriend, surnamed Cho, who got angry after she broke up with him. She was attacked on a street at around 2 a.m. as she was going home.The police arrested Cho at a highway service station the next day. Cho later confessed to
June 22, 2011
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British children in danger of sexual exploitation
Children in Britain are unprotected from sex crimes due to lack of governmental inspection, the Daily Mail reported. The research conducted by Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center said that 2,083 young victims of sexual grooming had been identified since 2008, and that the number was likely the tip of the iceberg. The report said among the victims, 842 were runaway girls.The report arou
June 22, 2011
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Electrical glitch shuts down nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor in southeastern South Korea went offline on Tuesday because of a glitch in a power transmission line, which came in contact with a sheet of vinyl used for greenhouses, a state-run power company said. Electricity in the line, one of three high-voltage power lines connected to the reactor, was cut off suddenly when a 5-meter-wide vinyl sheet carried by wind touched the line, acc
June 21, 2011
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More celebrities get into social activism
Entertainers may voice opinions on social issues, but some lack focusKorean entertainers who voice their opinions on political and social issues have been making headlines in recent weeks. The controversy ― whether entertainers should take advantage of their fame to draw fans to join their causes ― was sparked anew after singer Kim Heung-guk was forced to quit as a DJ. He was pushed out of his MBC
June 21, 2011
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Quality of university education questioned
This is the second installment of a three-part series looking into problems in Korea’s tertiary education. ― Ed. Lee, a 30-year-old computer engineering graduate, has been jobless since he graduated from a university in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, more than a year ago. There seemed to be a lot of job openings in the information technology industry, but for some reason, he did not feel he was qualif
June 21, 2011
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Japanese subtitle service offered for Korean movies
Seoul City has started showing Korean movies with foreign language subtitles, including Japanese for the first time, officials said Tuesday. In cooperation with CGV Theater, one of the country’s largest cinema chains, the city has offered the foreign language service at five theaters since 2009.This month the Japanese language subtitle service began first at a CGV branch in Myeong-dong, a popular
June 21, 2011
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More local governments suffer from bad finances
The financial health of provincial governments is getting worse due to stagnant local tax revenues and increasing welfare demand, the home affairs ministry said Tuesday.The average ratio for measuring their financial independence from the state was 51.9 percent as of this year, 5.3 percentage points lower than seven years ago, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said in a statement.
June 21, 2011
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Seoul mayor keeps mum over political future
Oh and city council clash over school meals during first meeting in six monthsCity council members Tuesday fired questions at Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who appeared at the council’s plenary meeting after a six-month hiatus. The political path of Oh, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the Grand National Party, in particular drew keen interest. “Your political future can affect y
June 21, 2011
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[Herald Interview] OECD helps green growth, aid programs
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which provides advice and guidance to donor countries on aid programs to developing nations, is Korea’s key partner in formulating green growth strategies as well.The OECD’s Development Cooperation Directorate tracks aid performance of the OECD member nations, the volume and effectiveness of their aid programs, undertakes peer reviews, or
June 21, 2011
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Provoking Lego nerds; thief steals $10,000 worth collection
A man was booked without detention for stealing countless Lego collectables from an acquaintance’s home, according to Imsil Police Station of Jeonbuk province.The victim, known only by his surname Kim, had been devoted to collecting Lego for the last 20 years.The accused, only known as Chun, became acquainted with Kim and visited his home several times, figuring out that his treasured collection w
June 21, 2011