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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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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[Kim Seong-kon] Democracy and the future of South Korea
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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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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
Unionized bus drivers in Seoul went on a general strike Thursday to demand a wage hike, halting the operation of nearly 98 percent of buses running across the capital and causing delays for commuters in the morning rush hour. In their last-minute wage negotiations conducted from Wednesday till early Thursday morning, the Seoul Bus Labor Union and their employers failed to strike a deal over the union's demand for a 12.7 percent increase in hourly wages. The union, which has about 18,000 mem
March 28, 2024
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Story of runaway ostrich bears similarities to Sero the escaped zebra
A runaway ostrich caught Tuesday in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is thought to have escaped from its enclosure due to loneliness, according to the owner of the farm where the ostrich was housed. Scenes of the male ostrich, named Tadori, running around busy roads were reminiscent of Sero the zebra, who escaped from a Seoul zoo in March 2023. Tadori has been alone in his enclosure since his mate Tasuni died last month. The pair had been kept at a nature experience farm in Seongnam since July 2020
March 27, 2024
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
The Korean Medical Association, a group that represents some 140,000 doctors, said it has picked a pediatrician, known as a hardliner toward the government’s policy, as the group’s new head, dampening hopes for a dialogue to resolve the prolonged medical standoff. Having been elected, the new KMA head Lim Hyun-taek demanded President Yoon Suk Yeol apologize for pushing ahead with the medical student quota expansion plan and fire health minister, saying both are prerequisites for talk
March 27, 2024
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[Community Discovery] Songpa-gu sets stage for cherry blossoms
As the season of cherry blossoms approaches in Seoul, the Songpa-gu district office is gearing up to host its annual cherry blossom festival at Seokchon Lake Park from Wednesday to Sunday. The park, which spans 2.6 kilometers, is filled with almost 1,100 cherry blossom trees. According to the district office of Songpa-gu, the lake has been around for 50 years, with cherry trees donated by Lotte -- which operates establishments in the district including a theme park on an island in the lake -- an
March 27, 2024
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Woman jailed for framing Bangladeshi man for rape
A South Korean woman was recently sentenced to one year in prison for falsely accusing a Bangladeshi man of raping her, a local court said Wednesday. Ulstan District Court found the defendant, in her 60s, guilty of false accusation and stalking, based on her sending 2,459 text messages to the victim from January to July of last year. She was also ordered to complete 40 hours in a stalking treatment program. "This crime inflicted great psychological damage to the victim and caused considerab
March 27, 2024
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Seoul’s bus union prepares for strike
Unionized Seoul bus drivers said Wednesday that they were planning to strike over pay starting Thursday, if no agreement was reached at last-minute negotiations with their employers. The Seoul Bus Labor Union, which has nearly 18,133 members across 61 companies, voted Tuesday on a plan to strike at 4 a.m. Thursday. According to the union, 16,317 members participated in the vote, and 16,046 of them voted in favor of the strike. The union, which is part of the Korean Automobile and Transport Worke
March 27, 2024
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BTS fan extorted for W738m, lured by promise of working with the band
A 41-year-old man was recently sentenced to four years in prison for fraud after he extorted around 738 million won ($550,000) from a BTS fan by pretending he could arrange for the victim to work with the K-pop group, officials said Wednesday. The defendant approached the victim in July 2021 and said that he was in charge of a video production team making content for BTS' agency, Hybe. He promised that he could arrange for the victim to participate as a member of staff in a BTS video shoot
March 27, 2024
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Regular exercise twice a week reduces insomnia: studys
Regular exercise at least twice a week significantly reduces sleep disorders, according to a recent study conducted by an Icelandic college. A research team led by Erla Bjornsdottir from the University of Reykjavik, Iceland, disclosed a link between physical activity and insomnia. The study analyzed data from 44,000 participants over a decade across nine European countries, with findings published in The BMJ, a British medical journal, Wednesday. The team analyzed data from 4,399 individuals who
March 27, 2024
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Former K-pop star in treatment after possible suicide attempt: reports
Lee A-reum, a former member of K-pop girl group T-ara, is currently receiving medical treatment after pan apparent suicide attempt, local media outlets reported Wednesday. The 29-year-old was reportedly found earlier today with what appeared to be a will, according to her representatives, although its content has not been made public. Lee, who was a member of T-ara for a year starting July 2012, recently made headlines by claiming Monday that she had been a victim of domestic abuse by her estran
March 27, 2024
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Elderly woman dies of heart attack after ER refusal
A woman in her 90s recently suffered a severe heart problem and was taken to a nearby hospital, only to die shortly after being turned away by the emergency medical staff there, local media outlets reported Wednesday. On March 6, the Busan resident had been hit with a myocardial infarction that required an immediate operation. Rescue workers asked a university hospital in the city if the staff could handle her situation, but they said they could not. The ambulance then took a 50-minute trip to a
March 27, 2024
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[Graphic News] 90% of Korean workers perceive climate change as ‘serious’
More than 90 percent of employed workers in Korea who took part in a recent survey said they consider current climate change to be serious. Incruit, an employment agency, asked 743 workers about their perception of climate change, and 48.6 percent answered that they considered the situation to be “very serious” while 45 percent said it is “somewhat serious.” As to why they consider climate change to be serious, 90.3 percent of respondents said that unseasonable weather,
March 27, 2024
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Doctors' group picks new leader amid tense standoff over increased enrollment quota
A major lobby group of community doctors picked a new leader Tuesday as a prolonged walkout by junior doctors over a medical school enrollment quota continued to disrupt services at major hospitals. Lim Hyun-taek, head of the Korean Pediatric Association, was elected to be the new leader of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), which represents some 100,000 community doctors. Lim won 65.43 percent of the vote in the final round of voting by members of the KMA, beating Joo Soo-ho, the chief KMA s
March 26, 2024
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Seoul's bus union votes to strike over wage
The labor union of city bus drivers in Seoul voted Tuesday to launch an all-out strike later this week after failing to reach a deal on wage hikes with the municipal government. The Seoul Bus Labor Union said 16,317 of its 18,133 members took part in the vote, with 98.3 percent voting in favor of the strike scheduled for 4 a.m. Thursday. The union has reportedly demanded wage increases, revision of the salary system and the abolition of wage discrimination for contract workers but has failed to
March 26, 2024
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Seoul NGO to hold English speech contest for NK refugees at Harvard
Freedom Speakers International, a Seoul-based NGO that supports North Korean refugees in South Korea, will hold its 19th English speech contest at Harvard University on April 13. Held two times every year since 2015, under the theme "I am from North Korea," this year's event marks the first time the contest takes place outside of South Korea. By holding the event at Harvard University, the organization hopes to help North Korean defectors improve their English speaking skills and
March 26, 2024
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Seoul to redevelop northern districts
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday unveiled plans to transform a major part of the city north of the Han River into a new economic center, one that is "up to the level of Gangnam." During the briefing, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the city government plans to redevelop areas of Seoul north of the Han River by easing regulations placed on residential and commercial areas that are more than 30 years old, turning them into high-tech industrial clusters and new residential areas w
March 26, 2024
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Restaurant that charged soldiers extra goes out of business
A local barbecue joint that stirred up controversy by charging soldiers extra has been confirmed Tuesday to have closed down. The restaurant, formerly based in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, ceased business operations as of Jan. 2, according to BizNo.net, a website providing information for enterprises across the country. The all-you-can-eat barbecue joint sparked public outrage in December after it was revealed that it charges different fees to soldiers and other adult customers. The price per adult
March 26, 2024
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Seoul bus union threatens strike amid negotiations over pay
Unionized Seoul bus drivers could go on a general strike on Thursday, raising concerns over a major public transit disruption in the city. The Seoul Bus Labor Union, which has nearly 18,000 members at 65 companies, under the Korean Automobile and Transport Workers' Federation, said on Tuesday that it will begin the strike at 4 a.m. Thursday, pending a majority vote of the members on Tuesday. The union will sit with the city government for final negotiations on Wednesday afternoon and go o
March 26, 2024
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Counting down days for climate action: 10th Climate Clock installed in S. Korea
The state-run Korea Environment Corporation in Seo-gu, Incheon, became the latest site to host a Climate Clock on Monday, marking the tenth installation of the clock in South Korea. This significant event continues the journey that began in 2021, when the Herald Corp. headquarters in Seoul unveiled Asia's first digital Climate Clock, underscoring the nation’s growing commitment to environmental awareness and action. The Climate Clock is a visually compelling reminder of the urgent n
March 26, 2024
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Marriages between Korean men, Japanese women soar
As seen on popular YouTube channels featuring happy couples as well as heartwarming drama series like "Eye Love You," Korean men and Japanese women are increasingly finding love. In 2023, there were 840 marriages registered here between Korean men and Japanese women, marking a 40.1 percent surge from the 599 recorded in 2022, according to Statistics Korea. While such marriages still only constitute a small portion of the total number of marriages of Korean nationals to a spouse of fo
March 26, 2024
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Quiet quitting: Why more than half of S. Koreans do it
More than half of South Korea's workers are choosing to do minimal work at their jobs without actually resigning, a survey showed Tuesday, indicating that the global trend of "quiet quitting" is growing more prominent among workers here. Local job search website Incruit recently conducted a survey of 1,097 employees across the country about quiet quitting, in which 51.7 percent said they have done so. The term, coined in the early 2020s, refers to an employee doing the absolute m
March 26, 2024