• Foreigners face tougher criminal, health checks

    The government will tighten entry rules for foreign workers as part of its efforts to keep out immigrants with criminal records or infectious diseases The Korea Immigration Service (KIS) said Monday that it will require low-skilled foreign workers, sailors and short-term employees to submit criminal and health background checks from…

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  • Society

    3 plastic surgeons fined for false claims about K-pop stars

    Three plastic surgeons and their marketing agent were fined Monday for respectively approving and creating false advertising that claimed a member of a girl band had undergone facial cosmetic surgery. Seoul Central District Court ordered the four to pay a combined total of 20 million won ($17,500) to Kim Jae-kyung,…

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  • Politics

    Syrian opposition members asked to unite by Turkey, Arab League

    Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby have called on the fragmented Syrian opposition to unite, during a meeting in Cairo on Monday to discuss a new international plan for a transitional government. Davutoğlu and Elaraby addressed nearly 250 members of the Syrian opposition at the…

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  • Stem cells may cure liver failure

    Pharmicell submits commercialization plan on new therapy A way to revive failed livers through stem cells could be available within the next few years as clinical tests of a new treatment regimen are underway. Pharmicell, a Korean pharmaceutical company developing stem cell therapeutics, said Monday that it has submitted a…

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  • Society

    Rebellion against lame duck

    Did foreign minister endorse staff’s criticism of Cheong Wa Dae’s Japan pact handling? President Lee Myung-bak tried to patch up a rift exposed over the handling of a military pact with Japan, admitting to a “procedural” flaw Monday. This came a day after a senior foreign ministry official blamed Cheong…

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  • Society

    China confirms H5N1 bird flu outbreak in Xinjiang

    BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) — China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has reported an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced Monday. The disease has killed 1,600 chickens raised by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a unique economic and semi-military government organization of about…

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  • Society

    Kim Yu-na to retire after 2014 Sochi Olympics

    Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Kim Yu-na said Monday that she will hang up her skates after the 2014 Winter Games. “I will retire after the Sochi Winter Olympics. Although the Vancouver Games were my final destination in my childhood, I have extended it to Sochi,” the 21-year-old said in…

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  • Society

    N. Korean media promote song praising leader

    North Korea’s state-run media are promoting a song praising its new leader Kim Jong-un in an apparent move to justify his power succession. The new song is titled “Moving Ahead for the Final Victory.” The name of the name is identical to the last phrase of Kim’s speech on April…

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  • Society

    Spain retains Euro 2012 title

    Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final on Sunday, securing the Spaniards’ place in history as the first country to win three successive major finals. David Silva put Spain ahead on 14 minutes with a close-range header from Cesc Fabregas’ cross. Left-back Jordi Alba made it two just…

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  • Society

    Mini-capital Sejong City opens

    Sejong City, an administrative center designed to house 36 government ministries and agencies, was inaugurated Sunday after a decade of political and social conflict. The city was supposed to induce more balanced regional development, but still draws skepticism over the effectiveness of dividing government functions between Seoul and Sejong. Government…

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