SouthKorea

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  [FOCUS] Nuclear plant operators allowed to build new storage facilities for spent fuel A file picture shows a nuclear power plant in Wolseong. SEOUL -- The construction of additional facilities to store spent fuel from the operation of nuclear power plants won approval from South Korea's nuclear safety agency, nearly four years after operators applied for permission, amid a never-ending debate over the reprocessing of nuclear waste. The belated greenlight came on Friday in a split decision by the Nuclear Safety 2020-01-10
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  S. Korea reports suspected case of China's mysterious pneumonia SEOUL -- A 36-year-old Chinese woman has been isolated at a state-designated hospital for showing symptoms of pneumonia such as fever, throat swelling and coughing following her business trip to Wuhan, the epicenter of a mysterious pneumonia-like outbreak in China. While working for a company in Gyeonggi province, she visited Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, on company business with one of her co-workers from December 13 to 17, according to the Korea Centers f 2020-01-08
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  Major S. Korean cryptocurrency exchange hit by suspected hacking attack SEOUL -- The security fragility of digital money received fresh attention after UPbit, a major cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea, suspended transaction services because of a suspected hacking attack. It marked the biggest loss in the history of the country's virtual currency market which has been dogged by fraud, cyberattacks and other illegal activities. Dunamu, the operator of UPbit, said it temporarily suspended transactions after about 58 billion won ( 2019-11-28
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  Hyundai Motor's project to build S. Korea's tallest skyscraper wins final approval SEOUL -- A Hyundai auto group project to build South Korea's tallest skyscraper secured final approval, which has been delayed due to security concerns raised by the operator of an important airbase for U.S. and South Korean military aircraft. Construction of the 569-meter-tall building is to begin in the first half of 2020. The Seoul city government said Tuesday that it has issued a building permit for the Global Business Center (GBC) for Hyundai Motor&# 2019-11-26
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  Indonesia, S. Korea sign comprehensive economic partnership agreement SEOUL -- South Korea and Indonesia finally signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), seven years after the first round of negotiations began in 2012. Indonesia became the first ASEAN member to conclude such an agreement with South Korea. The agreement was signed by the trade ministers of Indonesia and South Korea Monday on the sidelines of a special summit in the southern port of Busan between leaders of South Korea and the Association of Southeast 2019-11-25
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  SK Telecom head proposes content alliance to create global masterpiece of Asian value SEOUL -- SK Telecom President Park Jung-ho proposed an Asian content alliance to create a global masterpiece of Asian value saying cultural identity is more important than technology in the media industry. "Let's work together to create content that can be shared by the world," Park said at a cultural forum Monday on the sidelines of a special summit in the southern port of Busan between leaders of South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nation 2019-11-25
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  S. Korea reveals roadmap to ban paper cups at coffee shops in 2021 SEOUL -- In an effort to reduce waste and encourage the use of reusable wares, South Korea will ban paper cups at coffee shops and restaurants in 2021. South Korea, which has some 80,000 coffee shops, has banned the use of plastic cups in 2018. Coffee shops were ordered to provide mug cups or reusable cups for customers drinking inside. The Ministry of Environment did not ban the use of paper cups and other disposable products such as plastic straws and p 2019-11-22
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  Kakao collaborates with government to develop easy transportation for handicapped SEOUL -- Through cooperation with government bodies, South Korea's web service giant Kakao will release a safe guide service that would the handicapped to find their way around complicated subway stations and other indoor facilities. The Ministry of Interior and Safety said on Thursday that it would collaborate with Kakao and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to develop the safe guide service that focuses on improving transport accessibility fo 2019-11-21
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  Government and logistics industry test reusable parcel packing to reduce waste SEOUL -- South Korea, known for the quick delivery of everything from food and clothes to electronic devices, will test standardized parcel packing made of reusable materials to reduce waste produced by parcel packing. The Ministry of Environment said on Tuesday that it would cooperate with retail and parcel delivery companies such as CJ ENM O Shopping, the cable TV home shopping channel operator wing of South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, an 2019-11-19
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  Rice exporters allow S. Korea to maintain existing tariff system SEOUL -- The United States and four other rice exporters have allowed South Korea to maintain a 513 percent tariff rate on imported rice at least until the World Trade Organization works out new rules, probably reflecting dwindling rice consumption and strong objection by farmers in the domestic market. South Korea has imposed 513 percent tariffs on imported rice for quantities outside the obligatory quota of 409,000 tons of rice imports carrying a five 2019-11-19
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  S. Korea destroyer on way to Yemen after seizure of ships with two Koreans aboard SEOUL -- A South Korean destroyer on a mission of escorting ships and fighting piracy in the waters around the Gulf of Aden has been ordered to sail to waters near Yemen after Iran-aligned Houthi rebels hijacked three vessels with two Korean citizens and others aboard in the Red Sea, according to the South's foreign ministry. The three ships, including a drilling rig and two tugboats, with 16 people aboard were seized at around 9:50 p.m. on November 17 (local time) 2019-11-19
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  Pentagon head urges S. Korea to maintain military pact with Japan U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks after an annual high-level security conference in Seoul on November 15. SEOUL -- U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper emphasized the importance of a strong security alliance among American allies in Northeast Asia, saying China and North Korea would benefit from a trade and diplomatic row between South Korea and Japan that disrupted a pact on sharing sensitive military information. The General Security of Military Information 2019-11-15
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  Researchers curious about cause of nitromethane explosion in rocket fuel experiment SEOUL -- South Korean researchers are trying to find the exact cause of a nitromethane explosion at South Korea's state research institute, known for the development of defense technologies for decades, as it occurred in a safe environment during a rocket propellant experiment with no elements for ignition. A 30-year-old researcher was killed and six others were injured in the blast on Wednesday in a lab at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), a defense mi 2019-11-14
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  Mongolian justice fined for groping female flight attendant's buttocks SEOUL -- A chief justice from Mongolia's constitutional court was allowed to go home after he was slapped with a fine of seven million won ($6,008) on charges of groping the buttocks of a South Korean female flight attendant on a Korean Air flight from Ulaanbaatar to an airport in the western port city of Incheon. Dorj Odbayar, a 52-year-old former Mongolian minister of justice and internal affairs, was fined in summary procedures without standing trial because he 2019-11-13
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  Police launch investigation into aerial stunt by Russian BASE jumpers in Busan SEOUL -- Two Russian extreme sportsmen using ram-air parachutes jumped off high-rise buildings in the southern port city of Busan in an aerial stunt called "BASE jumping" that prompted police to launch an investigation on complaints from surprised residents. BASE jumping is regarded as a fringe extreme sport of jumping off fixed objects. A BASE jumper uses a parachute to safely land on the ground. However, the fatality rate of BASE jumping i 2019-11-12
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  . Korea to spend more state money on research in Alzheimer's disease SEOUL -- South Korea, which is one of the world's most rapidly aging societies, will invest some 200 billion won ($171.7 million) in a nine-year research and development project to find effective methods for the prevention, early detection and cure of Alzheimer's disease. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said in a statement on Tuesday that 198.7 billion won would be invested in Alzheimer's disease research and development (R&D) project for eight year 2019-10-29
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  S. Korea agrees to build renewable energy power generation facilities for Philippine defense ministry This file image shows an energy storage system (ESS) facility. SEOUL -- South Korean companies will participate in a project to help ease power shortages by building renewable energy power generation facilities with a total capacity of 100MW at idle sites in the complex of the Philippines' defense ministry. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it signed an agreement in Seoul on Friday to implement cooperation between South Korea and the Philip 2019-10-25
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  S. Korea gives up preferential treatment as developing country A file picture shows farmers reaping crops in a rice field. SEOUL -- Bowing to U.S. pressure, South Korea decided to give up preferential treatment as a developing country, making a de facto declaration that it would be treated as a developed country in the international community, given its enhanced economic power. South Korea's developing country status has been kept since 1995. U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for substantial progress in overhauling 2019-10-25
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  Customs tariffs underline love for luxury handbags in S. Korea SEOUL -- South Koreans are well known for their love for luxurious goods, especially women's handbags. Customs tariffs levied at the arrival hall of international airports are a direct example that reflects how much South Korean women like expensive foreign brands. Many international luxury brands have opened stores in South Korea, but consumers prefer to buy them cheaper at duty-free shops in other countries such as Japan where people can fly over using budget 2019-10-16
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  ​[ANALYSIS] Illegality of Japan's trade 'retaliation' at issue in new round of S. Korea-Japan battle in WTO SEOUL -- Three months have passed since an economic conflict erupted due to Japan's export regulations on three semiconductor materials. Japan excluded South Korea from a "white" list of trusted trading partners. South Korea hit back with similar steps and decided to file a lawsuit against Japan with the World Trade Organization. As a result, the two countries are now locked in a new round of their WTO battle. The justification for Japan's export res 2019-10-11