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Culture
Super Junior reigns supreme
Young K-pop fans may have killed for the chance that we’ve had: to walk backstage on M Countdown, a popular cable television music program. Stepping inside Thursday, we saw immaculately-styled Sung Min, a member of Super Junior, whiz by us. Then up ahead, in the room with a paper sign…
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Business
Shilla, Lotte clash at Incheon Int’l Airport
The country’s two largest duty free shop operators ― Shilla Duty Free and Lotte Duty Free ― have been engaged in a fierce war over the years to get an upper hand in the booming industry fueled by the surging number of inbound and outbound travelers. They have competed to…
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Politics
Bangladeshi worker’s dream ripped apart by ill health
Mosaruf Hossain, a native of Chittagong, Bangladesh, had a big dream when he first set foot in Korea on Nov. 3, 2009 with an E-9 Visa, a work permit for a job considered too dangerous, dirty and difficult for Koreans to undertake. The 31-year-old thought it would be just a…
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Seoul seeks to impose rain tax
Seoul City is considering imposing a German-style rain tax on landowners based on the amount of rain water that flows into storm drains. The municipal authorities said Tuesday that it will hold a discussion today at the Seoul Museum of History to gather opinion from professionals and laymen on how…
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Politics
‘Guardian of teenagers’ joins presidential race
Kang Ji-won, a lawyer who earned the nickname “guardian of teenagers” for his dedication to preventing juvenile delinquency, announced his bid to run in the presidential election as an independent candidate, Tuesday. In a phone interview with The Korea Times, Kang, 63, said he was determined to join the presidential…
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Society
Seoul to fight child abuse
A 17-year-old girl living with her parents and a nine-year-old sister has endured her father’s violence for years. The mother was alcoholic and was not able to protect the children. Thinking the father might kill the mother and the little sister if she ran away from home, the girl put…
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Society
Psy most viewed Korean artist on YouTube
Singer of the moment Psy had no idea his music video “Gangnam Style” would go viral around the globe within a couple of months of its release. The 34-year-old rapper’s video has over 100 million views on YouTube as of Tuesday to be crowned the highest viewed Korean artist on…
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Business
Ssangyong Construction on brink of bankruptcy
Ssangyong Construction & Engineering (E&C), one of Korea’s major builders specializing in the construction of high-rises, could go bankrupt if its creditors fail to extend emergency loans by Thursday. The construction firm is obliged to serve commercial papers worth 50 billion won, which expire Thursday. If the builder fails to…
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Politics
‘Samurai warriors’ coming to Dokdo!
This and other scenarios may not be as remote as once thought What if Japan’s “samurai warriors” tried to land on Dokdo? Japanese ultra right-wing nationalists have already landed on internationally disputed islands. At a time when Tokyo is trying to dispute Seoul’s sovereignty over Dokdo, the possibility can’t be…
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South China Sea: Not Just About ‘Free Navigation’
[The East-West Wire] HONOLULU — The South China Sea territorial dispute increasingly looks like a point of strategic friction between the United States and China after a recent nasty exchange between the two governments. The U.S. Department of State criticized China for its plan to base a new military garrison…
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