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East Asia
S. Korea embraces deepening trade row as Japan considers additional measures
Trade tensions between South Korea and Japan are escalating as Tokyo seems to be preparing to expand the scope of its export controls beyond high-tech materials to a wide spectrum of areas, which could disrupt the global supply chain, industry watchers said Monday. Japan began applying stricter export rules on…
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East Asia
S. Korea: new law to bring to light widespread but overlooked problem of workplace bullying
A new law designed to prevent bullying in the workplace is set to go into effect in South Korea this week, setting the stage for victims of harassment at work to get some protection. A revised law on labor standards, commonly called the workplace anti-bullying law, will be effective starting…
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Culture
South Korea’s legend BTS to perform in Saudi Arabia in “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” world tour
BTS, the first and only South Korean band to top the U.S. Billboard 200, has added Saudi Arabia to their world tour “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself”. The group has posted on its website that it would be performing in the Saudi capital Riyadh at King Fahad International Stadium on October…
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East Asia
Home, Sweet Home: Bahraini collector turns house into museum
At first blush, when people think of museums, images of illustrious storehouses of art and artifacts rush to their minds. However, the case is different when Hafedh Abdul Ghaffar, a Bahraini, is mentioned. He used his home in Saar in the outskirts of the capital Manama to judiciously preserve the…
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East Asia
S. Korea: Woori to launch center for pension fund management
Woori Bank will open a center for pension fund management Monday, to improve its customers’ return on assets, the bank said Friday. According to Woori, the center will be a comprehensive consulting center staffed by 30 advisors specializing in private banking. The bank’s division for pension funds will be in…
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East Asia
S. Korea to raise minimum wage for next year by 2.9 pct
South Korea decided Friday to raise the minimum wage for next year by 2.9 percent, the slowest growth in a decade, as it took into account an economic slowdown and sluggish job growth. The Minimum Wage Commission, involving labor and business representatives and experts, set the minimum wage at 8,590…
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East Asia
N. Korea changes constitution to make Kim Jong-un official head of state
North Korea has revised its constitution to stipulate that leader Kim Jong-un is the official head of state, according to a state media outlet. The new constitution, revised in April’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) session, states that the chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC), the communist state’s highest seat…
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East Asia
2020 Gwangju Biennale to shed light on past, future of human intelligence
Next year’s Gwangju Biennale art show in the namesake southern South Korean city will explore the subject matter of human intelligence by shedding light on very primitive to cutting-edge forms of art, the event’s artistic directors said Thursday. The artistic directors — Natasha Ginwala and Defne Ayas — were named…
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East Asia
Busan subway workers end strike after pay raise deal
Subway workers in the southern city of Busan ended their two-day strike Thursday after the labor union and management reached a wage deal. Busan Transportation Corp., the city-run operator of the subway system, agreed with the union to raise wages 0.9 percent and hire 540 new workers. The members of…
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South East Asia
Malaysian sidewalk mechanic helping people by roadside
Ipoh, Malaysia: It is 3:30 am and raining. While many are sleeping, Rahmat Azahari Sufian Tan, a sidewalk mechanic, is working hard to repair his customer’s motorcycle at the roadsides of the city. Rahmat Azahari, 42, has an experience spanning 20 years as a sidewalk mechanic. He provides repairing services for…
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