Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Court denies arrest warrant for Hyosung Group chief
A Seoul district court on Thursday denied an arrest warrant for the head of a major family-run conglomerate suspected of creating large amounts of slush funds and evading taxes.Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Suck-rai, who underwent questioning by prosecutors twice last week, is facing multiple charges, including embezzlement, tax fraud and breach of trust, prosecutors said."There is not enough reason to detain (Cho) at the present stage considering the evidence, investigation process, and the defend
Dec. 19, 2013
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Truckers back rail workers’ strike
Thousands of truck drivers are likely to join the ongoing strike by railway workers soon, a move that could cripple the nation’s cargo transport and port operations.In a news conference Wednesday, the Korea Cargo Transport Workers’ Union pledged to refuse to deliver cargo in protest of the government’s clampdown on railway strikers.Police began manhunts for 10 strike leaders Monday with court warrants for detainment. Police said Wednesday it planned to request warrants for an additional 18 union
Dec. 18, 2013
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Freedoms for Saudi university girls end at gates
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) ― Within their female-only campuses, women at Saudi Arabia’s universities let loose. Trendy sneakers, colorful tops, a myriad of hairstyles. Some experiment with bleach blonde or even dip-dyed blue hair. The more adventurous ones have cropped their hair into short buzzes.In their bags, the textbooks vary, but one item is mandatory: a floor-length black abaya robe that each must cover herself with when she steps through the university gates back to the outside world of t
Dec. 18, 2013
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Big question mark over Korea’s public education
An article published in The Korea Herald on Oct. 6 caught my attention. The story cited a survey that shows the level of respect for teachers in South Korea ranked 4th among OECD member countries. It said only 10 percent of respondents answered that students really respect teachers. This figure is the lowest among 21 nations which participated in a study published by a non-profit global education organization, the Varkey GEMS Foundation.What I find particularly shocking is that we Koreans consid
Dec. 18, 2013
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Studying in Europe becomes more affordable for Koreans
Song Young-han always wanted to attend an MBA course overseas but could not afford the high tuition fees and the time off from work without financial assistance. He also did not even know where to apply until he found out about the Orange Tulip Scholarship. The Dutch scholarship program pays students ― even those who do not speak Dutch ― to study in the Netherlands. Under its support Song, 35, is now studying full-time at the TiasNimbas Business School. He said one of the best things about the s
Dec. 18, 2013
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Court rules bonuses as ordinary pay
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with employees, ruling that bonuses, if paid out regularly, constitute part of “ordinary wages” used as the basis for calculating various types of compensation and severance pay. The top court said in a landmark ruling that any labor-business agreement that excludes bonuses from ordinary wages will be regarded as invalid. The court, however, did not recognize welfare benefits such as vacation and birthday bonuses as part of ordinary pay.“The amount of paid bo
Dec. 18, 2013
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Park marks first anniversary of election victory in subdued mood
President Park Geun-hye marks the first anniversary of her election victory this week amid concerns about potential instability in North Korea, a standoff with striking rail workers and persisting allegations of state tampering in last year's election race.This Thursday is one year after Park won the dead-heat contest against her opposition rival, Moon Jae-in, a victory that made her South Korea's first-ever female president and the first child of a former president, Park Chung-hee, to assume th
Dec. 18, 2013
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Former KT chief faces summons over alleged graft
The former head of telecom giant KT Corp. will be summoned this week over alleged managerial wrongdoings and creating slush funds, prosecutors said Wednesday.Lee Suk-chae, who tendered his resignation last month, has been notified to show up for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul Thursday, they said.Prosecutors suspect Lee inflicted huge losses on KT, the country's top fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, by intentionally making poor investme
Dec. 18, 2013
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Seoul subway workers cancel planned strike
Unionized Seoul subway workers have called off plans to go on strike Wednesday after reaching a last-minute agreement with a Seoul subway operator on retirement age and severance pay, both sides said.Union members of Seoul Metro, a public corporation that runs Seoul subway lines No. 1 through 4, were scheduled to walk off the job from 9 a.m. Wednesday after repeatedly failing to find middle ground on various outstanding issues with the management.However, the two sides reached a final agreement
Dec. 18, 2013
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Student caught trying to hack into professor’s computer
A law school student who allegedly tried to steal exam questions by hacking into a professor’s computer is facing disciplinary measures.Yonsei University said the 24-year-old student, named Choi, sneaked into the professor’s office on the night of Dec. 10 and tried to embed hacking software on the computer.He was caught by a security official while installing software that can remotely monitor a computer, the school said. The university has reported the case to the school’s board and will hold a
Dec. 17, 2013
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Korea to expand support for firms introducing wage peak system
Starting next year, the government will pay more incentives to firms introducing a wage peak system in an effort to reduce financial burdens caused by extending the retirement age of their workers under a new law, the labor ministry said Tuesday.The plan is a key part of a revised enforcement decree to the employment and labor law which was approved by the Cabinet that day, the ministry said. In South Korea, no parliamentary endorsement is required for the revision of an enforcement decree.Under
Dec. 17, 2013
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Bookseller says Korean readers favor fiction titles in 2013
A Buddhist monk’s meditative title grabbed the top slot on the national bestseller list for two straight years, Kyobo Book Centre said on Tuesday. “Things You Can Finally See When You Stop,” authored by Ven. Haemin, ranked first on the list compiled by the country’s biggest bookseller. The Korean edition of Francois Lelord’s “Hector and the Search for Happiness” was the No. 2 bestseller this year. Kyobo said readers favored both offline and online novels this year. For digital books, novels acco
Dec. 17, 2013
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Police raid railway union offices as strike continues
Police raided the offices of the state-run rail operator’s labor union Tuesday, as its strike entered the ninth-day, taking a toll on passenger and cargo services.Korea Railroad Corp. has filed complaints against 190 unionists for impeding business with their “illegal” strike.Courts issued warrants to detain 10 union leaders including chairman Kim Myung-hwan after they refused to respond to a summons by prosecutors.About 30 investigators seized computer hard drives and documents at the two offic
Dec. 17, 2013
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Two POSCO employees found dead at Pohang plant
DAEGU -- Two POSCO employees were found dead Monday at the steelmaker's main plant in Pohang, southeastern South Korea, fire officials said.An accident of unknown cause occurred at an oxygen production facility of the Pohang plant about 380 kilometers southeast of Seoul at 8:30 p.m., said the officials, adding that fire fighters have rushed to the scene.The officials and the municipal government of Pohang said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the accident."The Pohang fir
Dec. 16, 2013
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Court dismisses demand to change answer to college exam question
An administrative court ruled Monday against a group of high school seniors seeking a change to their scores on the national college entrance exam.Thirty-eight students who took the College Scholastic Ability Test on Nov. 7 filed a lawsuit last month, claiming that the test organizers chose an incorrect answer to Question 8 in the geography section.The multiple-choice question asked examinees to choose the correct statement about the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement blo
Dec. 16, 2013
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Police launch clampdown as strike fallout worsens
A passenger was killed Sunday in a subway accident apparently caused by safety failures amid an ongoing strike by railway workers. Police on Monday began cracking down on leaders of the Korea Railroad Corp. union, whose walkout halted 70 percent of freight train services in its eighth day. President Park Geun-hye urged them to stop taking the economy hostage for their own interests. The union began a general strike on Dec. 9 in protest of the state-run rail monopoly’s plan to establish a subsidi
Dec. 16, 2013
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Ministry launches center for Middle Eastern patients
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday that it has established a support center for patients and doctors coming from Middle Eastern countries for intensive medical treatment and training.The Global Healthcare Center for Middle East, located in Itaewon, central Seoul, will perform online coordination of medical services between patients from the region and Korean hospitals. The center will also provide a wide range of consulting services, helping with visa issuances, traffic information,
Dec. 16, 2013
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Habitual tax defaulters increase
The government on Monday unveiled the personal information of 14,500 high-profile tax delinquents including former President Chun Doo-hwan. The Ministry of Security and Public Administration disclosed a list of those who failed to pay over 30 million won ($28,500) for more than two years. Their number rose by 25.7 percent from last year largely due to more business failures in the economic slowdown. The total amount in arrears also jumped 26.6 percent year-on-year to 2.14 trillion won, while the
Dec. 16, 2013
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GPS-guided bombs for Korean fighters to be built in U.S.
South Korea selected two U.S. companies ― Boeing and Kaman Aerospace Corporation ― to jointly produce air-to-ground bombs guided by the global positioning system for its fighter jets, the state arms procurement agency said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration opened the bid in July to equip F-15Ks and KF-16s with the smart bombs capable of launching precision attacks against North Korea’s artillery bases or hidden targets using the GPS system. The precision-guided bombs will be
Dec. 16, 2013
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Posts spread urging students’ participation in social issues
It started with a single school board post, calling for students to pay attention to social issues at hand. Now, more posts are popping up across the country, urging people to open their eyes to key issues facing Korean society.On Monday, a first-year high school student in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, put up a post on her school bulletin board pressing fellow students to play a bigger role in “protecting the democracy as citizens of Korea.” “Even as I heard the news of the state-run National
Dec. 16, 2013