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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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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[Weekender] Aiming for the moon
SEOUL/DAEJEON -- Despite several early failures, Korean engineers and scientists are poised to leap into space, hoping to realize the country’s long-cherished goal of reaching the moon.Following a late start, Asia’s fourth-largest economy went through many challenges to develop its own launch vehicle, which is key to the nation’s space project.The efforts have paid off as Korea is now on the threshold of a new era in space technology, with its first lunar exploration planned for 2020. It is a ma
IndustryMarch 25, 2016
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[Weekender] 'Giving up not an option for Korea’s space development'
DAEJEON -- Like many people, Cho Gwang-rae, president of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, has always been fascinated by space rockets and outer space. He grew up watching foreign astronauts land on the moon, amid fierce space competition between the U.S. and then-Soviet Union in the late ’60s. However, he never envisioned that he would one day become the person in charge of Korea’s space project. After earning his Ph.D. in high-frequency microwave engineering, Cho was asked to participat
IndustryMarch 25, 2016
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[Weekender] Korea needs big players for space expedition
A race to conquer space has been heating up with more billionaires and entrepreneurs around the world betting big on commercial space businesses such as space travel and cargo delivery to space stations. Korea, as a late-starter, succeeded in launching a rocket in 2013. However, the country has been struggling to make its way into the top echelon of the world’s space sector due to its lack of talents, experience and investment.Long exposure of the launch, reentry and landing of U.S. space firm S
TechnologyMarch 25, 2016
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[Weekender] Will ‘Descendants’ spur film-style TV drama production?
Almost everyone is talking about “Descendants of the Sun,” the latest joint Korea-China television drama project.Fans have fallen head over heels into the love story between an Army captain played by Song Joong-ki and a doctor played by Song Hye-kyo in a faraway, natural disaster-hit country. Critics, meanwhile, predict that this blockbuster will boost KBS, a network broadcaster that has been lagging behind MBC, SBS and even cable channels such as tvN in dramas.A scene from “Descendants of the S
TelevisionMarch 18, 2016
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[Weekender] Stars reap rewards of hallyu drama success
Behind the glory of hallyu dramas are the star-studded casts. After garnering attention abroad in Korean dramas -- mainly other Asian countries including China and Japan -- stars quickly jump into dramas and variety shows thereOverseas endorsements, and fan meetings follow, consolidating their positions, as well as the prominent status of hallyu.Starting with the unexpected success of the KBS2 TV drama series “Winter Sonata” which aired on Japanese satellite channel BS2 in 2003, the drama’s prot
TelevisionMarch 18, 2016
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[Weekender] TV dramas exert tourist pull
As worldwide interest in Korean entertainment and content continues its global thrust, the city of Seoul is starting to see an influx in “hallyu-based” tourism, leading to the establishment of Korean drama-inspired tourist guides to assist die-hard fans in tracking down the filming locations of their favorite Korean dramas. “Not long ago, something strange happened on a cold winter day in China -- fried chicken and beer starting selling like hotcakes,” reads VisitSeoul’s Hallyu Tourist Guide. “T
TelevisionMarch 18, 2016
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[Weekender] How Korean dramas hook global viewers
A longtime fan of Korean dramas, Yu Yijie, a 25-year-old Chinese graduate student at Kookmin University, instantly fell for Korean entertainment watching “Full House,” starring Rain and Song Hye-kyo, which aired in 2004. Since then, she has watched every popular Korean drama and gradually developed an interest in drama production. “I thought I would come to Korea (to study) when I was watching ‘My Girl’ in 2005, which was a huge hit in China, starring Lee Jun-ki and Lee Da-hae,” said Yu, in a ph
TelevisionMarch 18, 2016
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[Weekender] ‘Makjang’: Escape into the absurd
A vindictive mother-in-law slaps the male lead with a thick wedge of kimchi. Neon green laser beams shoot out of a businessman’s eyes. A woman fakes her own death, gets plastic surgery and remarries her ex-husband to take revenge. These are scenarios that have actually aired on prime-time Korean television series, and moreover been met with favorable ratings. Locally, these types of shows are referred to as “makjang” -- vernacular for situations that seem too outrageous to be true. The genre is
TelevisionMarch 18, 2016
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[Weekender] Tuning industry suffers from negative perception
In almost every episode of U.S. television sitcom hit “Home Improvement” in the 1990s, viewers were able to see its main star Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor played by stand-up comedian Tim Allen building and tuning a classic hot rod in his garage with his eldest son.They would chat, giggle and joke around, telling stories to one another while tending to their dream hot rod.Even in movies like “The Fast and the Furious” about a band of criminal street racers, its main character Dominic Toretto’s favor
MobilityMarch 11, 2016
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[Weekender] 'Power up from bottom-up'
Hundreds of college students study auto mechanical engineering, design and new auto technologies such as hybrid and self-driving cars in Korea every year.But only very few land jobs in tuning, which is one of the most lucrative auto fields in countries such as the U.S., Germany and Japan. This is because the Korean tuning market is extremely small for several reasons including tough regulations against tuning in the country’s automotive aftermarket, lack of industry promotions and opportunities,
MobilityMarch 11, 2016
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[Weekender] ‘Car tune-ups for safety, not merely for looks’
In South Korea, car tuning -- the aftermarket modification of an automobile’s performance or appearance -- has long been portrayed under a negative light as an unnecessary practice that disturbs peace and order on the streets. Although many still associate vehicle tune-ups with noisy, sometimes reckless, cars sporting ostentatious exteriors, there is reportedly a lot more to car tuning than looks alone. “What most people don’t know is that the biggest merit of tuning up a car is ‘safety’,” said
MobilityMarch 11, 2016
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[Weekender] Tuning is on
Korea is gearing up to boost the aftermarket auto tuning sector, which is less developed than its auto production. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the tuning industry of the world’s fifth-largest auto market is estimated at 600 billion won ($500 million), which is much smaller than the 29 trillion won of the U.S. and 17 trillion won of Japan.The restrictive regulations against car modifications have kept a lid on growth of the lucrative industry and the strict re
MobilityMarch 11, 2016
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[Weekender] Luxury car aficionados spur vehicle tune-up
In recent years, Seoul has seen a sudden rise in luxurious vehicles on its roads, parking lots and even narrow streets, with many foreign car brands gaining popularity. Although those premium cars equipped with astonishing design and excellent performance are compelling enough for some owners, car maniacs and some customers want more. Tuned-up cars in front of BRABUS Korea‘s Studio (BRABUS Korea)“Many Korean foreign car owners want more than just driving a car,” said Yoon Dong-Joo, sales directo
BusinessMarch 11, 2016
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[Weekender] The chips are down: Human-AI Go battle
A showdown will take place next week in Seoul. Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo will take on top Go player Lee Se-dol for a $1 million prize. Amid mixed outlook for the outcome, the five-day match has already become a global media sensation. Go, called “baduk” in Korea, is considered a more complicated game than chess because of its large choice of 200 moves compared to about 20 moves in chess. Go player Lee Se-dol(left) and DeepMind's CEO Demis Hassabis (Google)Experts say Go is
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] History of man-versus-machine matches
Smart computers directing chessmen to slash through bishops and knights to capture a chess grandmaster’s king no longer raise exclamations of awe. Computers’ ability to outwit professional chess players has long been accepted as a fact of life. But this was not always the case. Machines have made alarming progress since the first computers programmed to defeat amateur players in chess-like games were introduced in 1956. Slowly but steadily higher-ranked players were defeated, culminating in Deep
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] Deep learning paves way for new era of AI
Coupled with artificial intelligence, deep learning has been making headlines recently with tech giants such as Google and Facebook turning to the technology to come up with futuristic solutions.Some have expressed concerns about computers ultimately outsmarting and dominating humans, as in many science-fiction scenarios. But as the saying by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu goes, if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.So, with that in mind,
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] Unconventional talent Lee Se-dol
Go players Cho Hun-hyun, Lee Chang-ho and Lee Se-dol are familiar names even to Koreans who are not well-versed with the game. The three have dominated international Go competitions since the 1980s, one after another, starting from the eldest Cho. Lee Se-dol, 33, the newest generation of the three, is still making a name for himself as one of the highest earners in the world. Lee, born to a father who was a five dan player, began to learn Go when he was five. He dropped out of middle school to c
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] AlphaGo’s win would mark AI watershed
Expectations are running high in the technology sector with the upcoming battle between a human Go champion and a computer program. Go is a board game in which two players place black and white stones on empty intersections or points of a board that is lined with a 19-by-19 grid. Google’s artificial-intelligence program AlphaGo garnered media attention after defeating a professional Go player in October for the first time in an even match.(123rf)It has been about six months since that first vict
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] Mixed outlook for human-versus-AI match
In the lead up to the historic match between the world’s top Go player Lee Se-dol and Google DeepMind’s artificial intelligence computer AlphaGo, there are mixed views among experts about who will emerge victorious. Experts in the Go field -- including Lee Se-dol himself – said that the human will be the winner of the five-game match, which kicks off on March 9. The professional Go player predicted a 5-0 or 4-1 victory in his favor during a press briefing on Feb. 22. Showing confidence in winnin
TechnologyMarch 4, 2016
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[Weekender] Online ‘salty-tech’ communities spice up thrifty consumerism
The word “frugality” has long had a poor reputation as its association with a similar word “stingy” has often bestowed a negative connotation on its meaning. However, in 2016, the word “frugality” has been rising in importance due to the prolonged economic difficulties that consumers are facing. The Bank of Korea’s consumer sentiment index hit an eight-month low in February, indicating that Korean consumers have become more frugal to adjust to the sluggish economy. Faced with cold hardship, comm
IndustryFeb. 26, 2016