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 singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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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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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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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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[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul
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Expats to promote Gangnam district
Gangnam-gu Office has selected a group of foreign nationals as honorary publicity ambassadors to promote the district around the world, officials said Tuesday.The 29 expats from 14 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Britain, the Philippines and Thailand, will introduce Gangnam’s tourist attractions to their home countries using social media such as Twitter and Facebook. They will also contribu
Social AffairsMarch 1, 2011
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GNP leader suggests new body to retrieve cultural assets
The ruling party’s leader has proposed setting up a private foundation to retrieve Korea’s hundreds of thousands of cultural items on a nongovernmental level. Korea is believed to have more than 117,000 ancient books, documents and other cultural assets scattered across about 20 different countries around the world as a result of national tragedies such as the 1950-53 Korean War and Japan’s 1910-4
PoliticsMarch 1, 2011
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S. Korea's defense minister tells troops to act fast if provoked
South Korea's defense minister instructed his troops on Tuesday not to hesitate to act immediately if they are attacked by North Korea, as he toured the western inter-Korean border wrought with tension after Pyongyang threatened to fire if provoked."During an operation, don't ask whether to shoot or not. Report after taking action first," Kim Kwan-jin said during his visit to the First Army Corps,
DefenseMarch 1, 2011
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Lee says S. Korea wants 'open-minded' talks with N. Korea
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak reaffirmed Tuesday that Seoul was willing to hold "open-minded" dialogue with Pyongyang regardless of its timing, offering another olive branch to the communist neighbor that has been ratcheting up military threats.President Lee reaffirmed that Seoul was willing to hold "open-minded" dialogue with Pyongyang. (Yonhap News) "Now is an opportune time to open a
PoliticsMarch 1, 2011
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U.S. has no plans to redeploy tactical nukes to S. Korea: White House
WASHINGTON -- The United States has no plans to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea despite renewed threats from North Korea, the White House said Monday. "Our policy remains in support of a non-nuclear Korean peninsula," Robert Jensen, deputy spokesman for the National Security Council, told Yonhap News Agency in an e-mail. "There is no plan to change that policy. Tactical nucle
DefenseMarch 1, 2011
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Wounded ship captain says 'thank you' after completely regaining consciousness
The captain of a South Korean freighter, who was shot during a rescue operation against Somali pirates, completely regained consciousness Monday and expressed thanks for the support that South Koreans have rallied for him.The health of Seok Hae-kyun, the captain of the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry, has drawn wide national attention since South Korean naval special forces on Jan. 21 stormed the ship se
Social AffairsMarch 1, 2011
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S. Korea expresses deep concern over bloodshed in Libya, urges N.Korea to improve human rights
South Korea expressed deep concern over the bloodshed in Libya and urged North Korea to improve its human rights conditions during a U.N. human rights meeting held in Geneva on Monday, the foreign ministry said. Second Vice Foreign Minister Min Dong-seok made the appeal during a keynote speech at a high-level segment meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council that opened in Geneva, Switzerland, o
Foreign AffairsMarch 1, 2011
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Seoul National University fires music professor accused of violence against students
Seoul National University decided Monday to sack a music professor accused of habitually using violence against her students and other alleged misconduct,officials said. Seoul National University decided to sack Professor Kim In-hye accused of habitually beating and taking high-priced gifts from her students. (Yonhap News)The top South Korean university has looked into allegations raised late last
Social AffairsMarch 1, 2011
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Protestants scupper Islamic bond bill
Legislation to exempt taxes on Islamic bonds and tap into the Islamic finance market missed the boat again amid fierce opposition from Protestant leaders, one of whom threatened to topple President Lee Myung-bak.The governing Grand National Party delayed deliberations on the Islamic bond bill last week, fearing conflict with religious groups ahead of the April by-elections.Rev. Cho Yong-gi, senior
PoliticsFeb. 28, 2011
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S. Korea, U.S. begin joint military drills
Allies defy latest retaliation threats from North KoreaSouth Korea and the U.S. began annual joint military drills Monday to enhance readiness for any additional provocations by North Korea and a possible all-out war with the communist state.The nationwide Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises started as the North hardened its bellicose rhetoric against the allies, warning of a “ruthless” military
DefenseFeb. 28, 2011
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‘Lee to stay away from constitutional revision’
President’s key supporter calls for parliamentary move on amendment to basic lawPresident Lee Myung-bak feels an urgent need to revise the country’s decades-old Constitution but believes the issue is up to the parliament and not his office, his spokesperson has said.The issue of redrawing the Constitution, created in 1987, has sparked political disputes here, especially as the move could change th
PoliticsFeb. 28, 2011
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Court to review ban on teachers’ political activity
A group of unionized teachers have asked the Constitutional Court to review the law that bans teachers from joining political activities, court officials said Monday, challenging the long debated law that causes any teacher who wages an anti-government campaign to face disciplinary action. The Seoul Administrative Court has accepted the appeal by three teachers, affiliated with the liberal Korean
Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2011
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‘N. Korea unlikely to collapse’
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The international community should not expect North Korea to collapse soon through popular uprisings but instead seek an incremental approach to build trust with the nuclear-armed communist state, an expert said Sunday.Andray Abrahamian, a freelance writer on Korea issues who teaches at Social Science College of the University of Ulsan, South Korea, dismissed chances of
North KoreaFeb. 28, 2011
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Korea may raise retirement age to 60: report
The government is reportedly considering raising the average retirement age to 60 from the current average of 57 to lessen the impact of the retirement of 7.1 million baby boomers born between 1955 and 1963. However, the plan is expected to face fierce opposition from both employers and employees.The “Baby Boomer Committee,” an affiliate of the Economic and Social Development Commission, a group r
Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2011
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Seoul switches evaluation system for principals
Seoul’s education office plans to completely revamp the principal evaluation system, hoping that straightening out principals will lead to positive changes in schools.Officials said Monday that, once passed through review, headmasters will undergo management skill evaluations starting this school semester, monitoring their schools’ curriculum and its results, as well as 13 other criteria. A good p
Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2011
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Shin elected new KBA president
Shin Young-moo, a 67-year-old veteran lawyer, was elected the new president of the Korean Bar Association during its general assembly in Seoul on Monday.Shin ran for the post as the candidate recommended by Seoul Bar Association and won 167 votes, beating runner-up Shin Yong-do, who had stood for Busan-based lawyers but only received 49 votes. Shin began his judicial career as a judge at Daejeon D
Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2011
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Prosecution probes BBK antagonist again
The sister of an alleged former business partner of Lee Myung-bak has been questioned by the prosecution over a long-dormant scandal which engulfed the 2007 presidential election.Erica Kim, sister of Kim Kyung-joon, returned to Seoul over the weekend to help the prosecution wrap up an investigation into the scandal involving stock manipulation. With her brother Kyung-joon now serving an eight-year
Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2011
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W34tr spent on health insurance cover in 2010
The government spent nearly 34 trillion won ($30 billion) on health insurance cover last year. The medical costs covered by the nation’s obligatory health insurance scheme were 33.7 trillion won last year, a 12.9 percent increase from 2009, the National Health Insurance Cooperation said Monday.When considering those shared by individuals, the total amount reached 43.6 trillion won, up 4.2 trillion
Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2011
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New Zealand police launch search for S. Koreans missing in quake
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, (Yonhap) -- Police in New Zealand on Monday visited the father of two South Korean siblings who remain missing since last week's deadly earthquake to retrieve evidence that could help identify the two, the South Korean embassy in Wellington said.Police visited the 57-year-old father, Yoo Sang-cheol, at his motel in Christchurch to collect cell samples from his mouth and
Foreign AffairsFeb. 28, 2011
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S. Korea, U.S. kick off annual drills amid N. Korea's threat
South Korean and U.S. troops launched their annual joint drills on Monday, officials said,following North Korea's threats of militaryretaliation.The Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercises are the first regularly scheduled joint drills between Seoul and Washington since the North's deadly artillery strike on Yeonpyeong Island last November, which left four people dead.South Korea and U.S. start Monday th
NationalFeb. 28, 2011