Most Popular
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Qoo10 liquidity crisis sparks massive complaints, fears of wider damage
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Yoon urges municipalities to embrace foreigners
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What is happening at Hybe?
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Korea unveils tax reform bill to spur economy
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S. Korea to consent to Japan's Sado mines gaining World Heritage status: official
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Actor’s excessive airport security sparks probe into human rights violations
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Crowded public transport, long commutes top stressors for Seoul, Gyeonggi workers: survey
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Man who let his father die due to financial difficulties to be released on parole
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Actor Yoo Ah-in accused of sexual attack
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S. Korea, China shifting from tensions to cooperation: Seoul
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[Editorial] Kakao’s woes
Kakao Corp., South Korea’s biggest messenger operator, is confronting a major crisis after founder Kim Beom-su’s arrest Tuesday for alleged stock price manipulation related to last year’s takeover of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment. The incident opens up the potential of a leadership vacuum at Kakao, raising concerns about the impact on its sprawling affiliates as well as its restructuring and growth plans in the tech sector amid intensifying competition in artificial intelli
EditorialJuly 26, 2024
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[Editorial] Challenges ahead of Han
Han Dong-hoon won a fierce fight to be elected as the new leader of the People Power Party, but he faces another tough challenge. He has to fight the gigantic opposition forces which dominate the National Assembly. He also has to resolve internal party conflict with loyalists of President Yoon Suk Yeol who are critical of him. Above all, it is important to restore trust from those who are disappointed with the current performance of the Yoon government and the governing party. Expectations for s
EditorialJuly 25, 2024
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[Kim Seong-kon] To have or not to have children, that is the question
These days, one of the primary questions of young couples in South Korea is “Shall we have children or not?” In the past, however, Koreans not only took having children for granted but many customarily raised five to six children per home. At that time, Korean parents’ primary concern at childbirth was, “Is it a boy or a girl?” In the past, Koreans preferred sons to daughters. When a mother gave birth to a baby girl, therefore, she felt ashamed as if she had committ
ViewpointsJuly 24, 2024
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[Robin Epley] Avoid all-female Democratic ticket
The question everyone has been asking in hushed tones now grows to a roar: Does Kamala Harris have what it takes to beat Donald Trump? God, I hope so. The future of American democracy might depend on it. Harris’ sudden candidacy represents hope that is desperately needed among the centrist and left-leaning American electorate, many of whom could not imagine President Joe Biden beating Trump. Now that the party has listened to voters and Biden has been convinced to step aside, it’s
ViewpointsJuly 24, 2024
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[Editorial] Deepening ‘NEET’ problem
Governments around the world are trying to boost their economically active populations to drive growth in a sustainable way. But they face deepening labor problems, especially regarding rising youth unemployment, as well as more young people who are not in employment, education or training, known as NEET. South Korea is no exception. The government has taken measures to reduce its NEET ratio and boost overall economic participation. But the latest data shows that the country confronts an increas
EditorialJuly 24, 2024
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[Grace Kao] Webtoons in college classrooms
While TV dramas may portray college classes with assigned readings, essays and tests, the truth is that professors also must adapt to technological shifts, especially in terms of media consumption. Webtoons are an important medium through which the Korean Wave flows. For those of you who are unfamiliar, webtoons are vertical “scrolling comics” built for viewing on a cellphone. They originated from and were developed in Korea. They enjoy a large fan base. For some people outside Korea
ViewpointsJuly 23, 2024
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[Editorial] Probe transparently
First lady Kim Keon Hee was questioned face-to-face by prosecutors over the weekend. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office is investigating allegations of her involvement in a stock price manipulation case and her acceptance of a Christian Dior handbag and other luxury gifts in exchange for favors. So far, two former first ladies have been investigated by the prosecution. Kim has become the first to be directly questioned by the prosecution while still holding the position. It is an emba
EditorialJuly 23, 2024
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[Yoo Choon-sik] Safe choice not always best policy
The Bank of Korea governor’s news conference on its monetary policy, held early this month, was largely successful by signaling to the markets that it would not rush to begin lowering interest rates despite a slump in domestic demand. However, it was less successful in providing clear guidance on conditions under which it might begin doing so. There is nothing wrong with the long-standing practice of South Korea’s central bank avoiding making explicit promises about the future course
ViewpointsJuly 22, 2024
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[Editorial] Global IT failure
A global IT failure, caused by a flawed software update, paralyzed several Microsoft Windows PCs used by airlines, hospitals and retailers around the world Friday, sending alarms over the growing vulnerability of closely and extensively interconnected technology systems. The software update that wreaked unprecedented IT havoc has been traced to US-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which provides software to companies to protect against hackers and cyberattacks. Microsoft and CrowdStrike have
EditorialJuly 22, 2024
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[Lee Byung-jong] NATO: Far, yet close to Korea
On the surface, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to the US last week for the NATO summit may seem difficult to understand. An Asian leader attending a meeting of the trans-Atlantic defense alliance? The two regions are far apart physically with very little in common in terms of geopolitics. Did Yoon make the long 15-hour flight to Washington just to forget about the messy domestic politics? The answer should be no. In this age of ever-entangling, super-connected global security environment,
ViewpointsJuly 19, 2024
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[Editorial] ‘Cyber wrecker’ YouTubers
South Korean public opinion is turning in favor of stricter regulations on YouTube after extreme and violent YouTubers disrupted a ruling party’s political event on Monday and so-called “cyber wreckers” were revealed last week to have exploited a popular YouTuber over her past. Another shocking incident -- a YouTuber who posted a controversial video of her allegedly undergoing an abortion at 36 weeks of pregnancy last month -- prompted a police investigation Monday, sparking di
EditorialJuly 19, 2024
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[Wang Son-taek] Dreaming of new Trump after assassination attempt
On the evening of July 13 in Butler, a small town in western Pennsylvania, a shocking incident erupted. Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man known to be from a town near the scene, tried to kill former US President Donald Trump with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle but failed. The former president suffered a penetrating right ear injury but survived without danger to his life. The gunman was killed at the scene by a special security team. Amid various kinds of bustling, the Republican Party offi
ViewpointsJuly 18, 2024
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[Editorial] Focus on livelihoods
The main opposition party is turning up the heat on President Yoon Suk Yeol and the ruling party over impeachment and special counsel issues. Democratic Party lawmakers on the legislation and judiciary committee of the Assembly on Monday filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials about Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk and nine others who refused to attend the committee hearings on presidential impeachment as witnesses. In spite of the complaint
EditorialJuly 18, 2024
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[Jean Pisani-Ferry] Finding a new French majority
French President Emmanuel Macron was first elected in 2017 on a promise to end the often-artificial divisions between left and right. France had become tired of theatrical posturing between adversaries who overplayed their differences during electoral campaigns, only to end up, once in power, governing in fairly similar ways. Macron’s brand of radical centrism was meant to end the grandstanding, draw on good ideas from both sides of the political spectrum and govern accordingly. It intende
ViewpointsJuly 17, 2024
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[Kim Seong-kon] Our precious things can be 'Gone With the Wind'
Today, South Korea is enjoying worldwide popularity thanks to the Korean Wave and its reputation as a country of economic success and democratization, all of which it has accomplished in a relatively short span of time. In addition, South Korea is also a global center of cutting-edge technology, represented by Samsung, LG and Hyundai. For these reasons, the people of South Korea are now well off and living comfortably in “a fully developed, advanced country.” Therefore, few Koreans
ViewpointsJuly 17, 2024
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[Editorial] Trump’s reelection odds
The attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump on Saturday sent shock waves throughout the world, generating a torrent of reactions, analyses and predictions about its political impacts in the US and elsewhere. The powerful photograph capturing Trump with his fist in the air and blood streaking down his cheek, surrounded by Secret Service agents with an American flag hanging at an odd angle set in the background immediately stole the first page of newspapers and hit social media
EditorialJuly 17, 2024
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[Abby Margolis Newman] Lego was my son’s world. It took me decades to see why
Six decades after the age when most people do, I’ve become obsessed with Lego. My gateway drug was a set reminiscent of an ice cream truck. Like many parents, I was trying something new as a way to connect with one of my kids. Unlike many parents, in my case, the kid in question was an adult, and I was building a set that he had designed. My three boys were infatuated with building blocks as children, and my husband would play with them, teaching the concept of a “stable base.”
ViewpointsJuly 16, 2024