• Korea must legislate plain language act

    Last week, spokespersons of government agencies agreed to use plain language in their documents and statements, with the help of the National Institute of the Korean Language. On Hangeul Day (Korean Alphabet Day) on Oct. 9, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) will award government agencies that use…

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  • Flea markets booming

    If you find old clothes, toys or small home appliances during your spring cleaning, don’t throw them away. Take them to a flea market. Flea markets are gaining popularity in Korea, with several new ones popping up across the country in the last few years. They include the Songdo Good…

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  • Top court rules for cigarette maker

    The Supreme Court upheld Thursday a high court ruling in favor of tobacco manufacturer KT&G against family members of smokers who died from “non-specific cancers.” The top court said the link between the “non-specific cancers,” of which two of the smokers died, was difficult to prove. It added that evidence…

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  • Philippines turns into death trap for Koreans

    The death of a female college student in Manila has renewed concerns about the safety of Koreans in the Philippines, a popular destination for students, businessmen and retirees. She was the fourth Korean killed in the country this year. Last year, 12 Koreans were shot or stabbed to death; but…

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  • Guidebook gives tips for going abroad

    ‘Students, parents should be careful not to make mistake’ More than 200,000 students who left Korea to study abroad at a young age have come back, but many have had difficulties, especially due to a lack of preparation. Jeon Yong-hoon, 31, a professional counselor working at a counseling center in…

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  • Taming Tokyo

    President Obama’s forthcoming trip to Korea and Japan in late April is partly meant to narrow the growing differences between Washington’s two important allies in Northeast Asia. The need for action appears to be urgent from the U.S. perspective in regards to maintaining its Asian strategy. What is particularly worrisome…

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  • Obama overreacts to selfie brouhaha

    What if David Ortiz had used an iPhone for a selfie with President Barack Obama? Would the White House consider legal action against Apple? These are questions asked by some Koreans after the U.S. presidential office showed displeasure after the photo the Boston Red Sox star took of himself and…

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  • US President likely to pass on sex slave issue

    Korea visit will follow Japan trip U.S. President Barack Obama will face a couple of issues that Koreans want to see addressed during his visit here later this month. First among these is the issue of Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War…

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  • Concerns over N. Korea’s drones overblown: analysts

    A number of defense analysts have expressed skepticism about the possibility of North Korea’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) posing any serious threat to national security. Three drones that crashed here have dominated the headlines since the beginning of April, raising tension in South Korea over a possible new threat from…

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  • Moon stripped of doctorate over plagiarism

    Kookmin University stripped Moon Dae-sung, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a Saeunuri Party lawmaker, of his doctor’s degree in sports psychology last month, weeks after concluding that his thesis was plagiarized, an official from the school told The Korea Times on Tuesday. “The school revoked Moon’s…

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