Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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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
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Hotline opens to protect medical students from peer bullying
The education ministry opened a hotline on Tuesday to protect medical students wanting to return to classes from peer bullying from other students boycotting classes in protest of the government's increase of the medical school quota. The move came amid reported cases of medical students unwillingly joining the ongoing collective action of boycotting or staying away from classes due to coercion or threats of future disadvantages by protesting students or student groups. Nearly half of the c
March 26, 2024
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Police investigating message vowing to kill opposition lawmaker
Police are tracking down the writer of a message vowing to kill Rep. Ko Min-jung of the main opposition Democratic Party, officials said Tuesday. The message was posted in an online game chatroom Monday morning, vowing to kill Ko, who is seeking parliamentary reelection in her constituency of Seoul's Gwangjin district, according to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police. Police launched an investigation upon receiving a report on the threat. They plan to trace the writer by locating the IP ad
March 26, 2024
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Doctors' group to pick new leader amid tense standoff over increased enrollment quota
A major lobby group of community doctors is set to elect a new leader Tuesday, with a prolonged walkout by junior doctors over the increased medical school enrollment quota continuing to disrupt public health services at major hospitals. The Korean Medical Association, which represents some 100,000 community doctors, plans to announce a new chairman later in the day, a move certain to further intensify the standoff with the government. The two candidates are Lim Hyun-taek, head of the Korean Ped
March 26, 2024
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VIP patron of internet celebrity dies; family presses charges for fraud
A South Korean internet celebrity has recently been accused of fraud by the bereaved family of a South Korean man who died last year after spending large sums of money in support of the celebrity. The deceased, whose body was found inside his car in May last year, had been a VIP patron of the female's celebrity's online show, spending as much as 50 million won ($37,000) a day in sponsorships. An investigation found that his donations were largely made via borrowing, as he was around 15
March 25, 2024
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Divorced men and women have differing views on physical intimacy
Men and women who have experienced divorce each have differing interpretations of physical intimacy in their new relationship, a joint survey by local matchmaking agencies showed Monday. The companies Only U and Bien-Alle conducted a survey of 516 men and women who wish to get remarried to ask about physical contact with romantic connotations with their new romantic partners. The survey generally showed that female respondents attribute slightly more meaning to physical intimacy than male respon
March 25, 2024
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Man sends narcotics to wrong address, gets 8-year jail term
A South Korean man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling a large quantity of illegal drugs into the country, a local court said Monday. The defendant in his 30s has been accused of having brought in the drugs, hidden inside bags of snacks, from Hawaii between December 2018 and October 2021. He smuggled a total of 405 pills of ecstasy, 16.35 grams of cocaine and 2.79 kilograms of cannabis. South Korea's Narcotics Control Act bans the possession, transaction or use of what
March 25, 2024
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Professors tender resignations despite Seoul’s offer of dialogue
Medical professors on Monday said they would proceed with their plan of tendering their resignations, a day after the ruling party chief offered to open a dialogue between the government and the medical community. Announcing the plan, the Medical Professors Association of Korea said the government’s unilateral decision to raise the admission quota and allocate new student seats led to the resignations. “The discussions regarding the quota are scientific, so I knew I wouldn’t be
March 25, 2024
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Bank refusal to open account for resident from 'high-risk country' discriminatory: rights commission
A South Korean bank's refusal to open an account for a foreign national resident from a designated "high-risk country" is discriminatory, the country's human rights watchdog agency said Monday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea's recommendation was made in response to a complaint lodged by the Korean spouse of a bank customer whose application to open an account was rejected on the grounds of their nationality. The bank said in August 2022 that because the re
March 25, 2024
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Ophthalmologist who covered ER to fill staff void found dead
An ophthalmologist in his 40s from Pusan National University Hospital died in his home early Sunday morning, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency on Monday. On Sunday at 4:30 a.m., police officials received a call that the doctor was found unconscious in his home. When emergency medical services reached the doctor’s home, he did not have a pulse nor was he breathing, according to police officials. The doctor was immediately taken to the Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital n
March 25, 2024
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Seoul's bus union threatens strike over wage dispute
The union of city bus drivers in Seoul said Monday its leaders agreed to start a general strike by all members later this week after failing to reach a deal on wage hikes with the Seoul city government. The Seoul Bus Labor Union, which has about 18,000 members at 65 companies, said heads of its chapters decided to launch the walkout at 4 a.m. on Thursday. The union has reportedly demanded wage increases, revision of the salary system and the abolition of wage discrimination for contract workers
March 25, 2024
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Leader of doctors' group questioned again over trainee doctors' walkout
A leader of the Korean Medical Association, the country's biggest doctors' group, appeared before police Monday for another round of questioning over suspicions of instigating a mass walkout by trainee doctors. Joo Soo-ho, the chief KMA spokesperson, arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul to undergo questioning, his third police questioning connected to the walkout. He is one of five former and current KMA leaders against whom the government has filed a police complai
March 25, 2024
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Health minister vows to swiftly hold talks with medical community over doctors' walkout
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday relevant ministries have swiftly begun work to hold talks with the medical community, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a "flexible" measure over the government's move to suspend licenses of defiant trainee doctors. Prospects of talks between the government and the medical community over a prolonged walkout by junior doctors were raised as Yoon instructed officials to seek dialogue with doctors, with the walkout disrupting medical
March 25, 2024