Most Popular
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Yoon warns North Korea against nuclear attack attempt
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81-year-old model awarded ‘best dressed’ in Miss Universe Korea
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Seoul mayor suggests shift in immigration policy
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'Smart pill'? ADHD treatment prescriptions spike this year
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[KH Explains] Korea pursues ‘fire-free’ batteries amid EV fears
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AI textbook bubble could burst, expert warns
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Man calls 119, found dead 1 week later because officials went to wrong place
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[Herald Review] One of Netflix's most expensive Korean originals returns, but at what cost?
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Fights, complaints, stalker fans among reasons passengers exit planes before takeoff
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SF Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo back home after injury-shortened rookie season
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Latin America marks anniversary of regional body
The embassies of Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela, in collaboration with the World Culture Open, celebrated the establishment of a regional organization with a promotional event dubbed “Hello! Alba-Latin America” in late November.The Bolivian Alliance for the Peoples of our America, or Alba, was founded by Cuba and Venezuela on Dec. 14, 2004, for the purpose of integrating Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then, Alba has acted as an institutional vanguard for human rights, public h
Foreign AffairsDec. 6, 2015
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Doctor at odds with Seoul mayor over MERS released from hospital
The doctor, engaged in a war of words with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon over a deadly respiratory disease, has been released from a hospital after being treated for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, an official said Sunday.The doctor at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul was at the center of public attention in June when Park said in a news conference that the doctor had direct and indirect contact with over 1,500 people when a MERS infection was suspected.The doctor -- who was confirmed to ha
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2015
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Park to push labor reform as top priority
President Park Geun-hye is seeking the parliamentary endorsement of a set of bills meant to reform South Korea's labor sector within this year, Cheong Wa Dae officials said Sunday.The presidential officials described the issue as Park's top priority, citing concerns that bills could go nowhere next year when South Koreans go to the polls to elect new lawmakers and the current parliamentary term is set to end.Park appears likely to make her case again during this week's Cabinet meeting for the pa
PoliticsDec. 6, 2015
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Taliban leader denies being wounded in internal dispute
Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor has released a rare audio recording in which he denies claims by an Afghan official that he was wounded in a shootout during a meeting with other commanders in Pakistan last week. In a 17-minute audio recording sent to media by the Taliban late Saturday, Mansoor dismissed what he called “baseless claims” that were “part of the agenda of the enemy.” The Taliban had earlier sent The Associated Press a two-minute version of the recording.The voice resembled that
World NewsDec. 6, 2015
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California's strict gun laws failed to stop mass shooting
The deadly shooting in San Bernardino happened in a state with some of the toughest gun laws in the United States: California bars assault weapons, blocks the sale of large-capacity magazines and requires universal background checks for all gun purchases.Authorities say they believe suspected gunman Syed Rizwan Farook and wife Tashfeen Malik had legally obtained two handguns and that two rifles were also legally purchased in California. Federal officials say the attackers had large-capacity maga
World NewsDec. 6, 2015
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Israeli premier rejects Kerry's warning of binational state
Israel's prime minister insists his country is not heading toward becoming a binational state, rejecting a warning to that effect by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.At his weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu says ``Israel will not be a binational state, but in order to have peace, the other side needs to decide that it wants peace as well.'' Kerry warned Saturday about the dangers of the possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority. He told a conference at the Brookings Instit
World NewsDec. 6, 2015
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Armenia votes on giving president's powers to prime minister
Armenia is holding a referendum on a proposed constitutional change that would give more powers to the prime minister and parliament at the expense of the president, who would become largely a figurehead. The opposition has seen the reform as an attempt by President Serzh Sargsyan to extend his rule. Sargsyan has denied the claim, saying he has no intention of shifting into the prime minister's seat after his current second term ends in 2018. Sargsyan's government has promoted the constitu
World NewsDec. 6, 2015
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[Newsmaker] Matter of degree: Temperature
In climate math, the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees is much greater than 0.5.Small nations say that for them, that half-degree could mean the difference between life and death. For larger nations, the question is what's realistic and what's not when it comes to limiting global warming.The broader issue is how much warming is too much. In 2010, international negotiators formally adopted a goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times; Earth
World NewsDec. 6, 2015
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U.K. firms in Korea mark strong year
The British Chamber of Commerce in Korea finished off a productive year with an annual Christmas luncheon in Seoul that attracted over 440 guests from 110 companies, including Santa Claus.“The party is a combination of British swankiness and waggishness,” Michael Breen, author, journalist and CEO of Insight Communications Consultants, told The Korea Herald, at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, where the event was held. Santa Claus entertains the participants at the British Chamber of Commerce in Kor
Foreign AffairsDec. 6, 2015
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Massive antigovernment rally ends peacefully
On Saturday afternoon, tens of thousands of protestors peacefully marched through central Seoul under police protection in the second massive rally held in three weeks against government policies, defying concerns over violent confrontation between demonstrators and the police.Thousands of protesters, many wearing masks, hold a rally Saturday at Seoul Plaza in downtown Seoul opposing the government’s reinstatement of state history textbooks and labor reform measures. Police estimated 14,000 peop
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2015
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Ahn issues ultimatum on change
Factional infighting at the main opposition party showed no signs of abating as the party’s former cochairman Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Sunday reiterated his call for an early convention to replace current chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in. Ahn of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy demanded last week that a party caucus be held by January to select a new leadership before the April 13 general election. Moon rejected the idea Thursday but instead accepted a set of reform measures suggested by Ahn three
NationalDec. 6, 2015
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Aston Martin sees hope in SUV, EV strategy
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer poses at the Aston Martin Kiheung International`s showroom in southern Seoul on Tuesday. Chung Hee-cho/The Korea HeraldAston Martin has been epitomized by the kind of classic, powerful gasoline cars that shout masculinity, representing some of the world’s toughest men on Earth, including James Bond. But now the 102-year-old British supercar-maker aims to reach out to more diverse customers, particularly young, female drivers, with a more diverse lineup. Launched in K
MobilityDec. 6, 2015
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Lang Lang to tackle Tchaikovsky, Bach and Chopin in Seoul recital
Pianist Lang Lang (Mast Media)Following his concert in Busan on Sunday night, world-renowned pianist Lang Lang is gearing up for his Korea tour’s final performance with a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday night. Lang Lang’s performances this month mark the pianist’s first solo concert in the country in five years. The pianist is slated to play Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons,” Bach’s Italian concerto “BWV 971” and Chopin’s “4 Scherzos.” Lang Lang’s first taste of classical music stardo
PerformanceDec. 6, 2015
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How pianist Kim Sun-wook recreated Beethoven’s sonatas
In recording his album of Beethoven sonatas, released last month, pianist Kim Sun-wook wanted to create a sound of “complexity,” he told reporters Friday.Nine years since he entered the international spotlight at the 2006 Leeds Competition as the youngest and first Asian winner, Kim, now 27, married and with a reputation as something of a Beethoven expert in Korea, has grown more mature and confident in his music.“In your late 20s, your tastes and opinions become more certain. I’m still working
PerformanceDec. 6, 2015
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Hanwha Group heir apparent promoted
Hanwha Group, South Korea’s ninth-largest business conglomerate, promoted the group’s heir apparent Kim Dong-kwan to executive director, the Seoul-based firm said Sunday. Hanwha Q Cells chief commercial officer Kim Dong-kwanKim, the eldest son of Hanwha Group chairman Kim Seung-youn, has been chief commercial officer at Hanwha Q Cells, the group’s solar power unit, since 2014. He is credited for spearheading the group’s solar growth strategy and playing a key role in the solar cell-maker’s turna
IndustryDec. 6, 2015
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Korean, Czech leaders celebrate partnership upgrade
Although it has been 25 years since South Korea and the Czech Republic forged diplomatic ties, it was only in 2005 that Koreans were introduced to the central European state’s culture, history and food, through the popular Korean drama “Lovers in Prague.”A decade after the hit drama bridged mutual interests in both countries, South Korea and the Czech Republic are now ready to expand their ties in major fields including politics, economy and technology. President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the Cze
Foreign AffairsDec. 6, 2015
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[Jeffrey D. Sachs, Guido Schmidt-Traub, and Jim Williams] From good intentions to deep decarbonization
In the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, more than 150 governments submitted plans to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. Many observers are asking whether these reductions are deep enough. But there is an even more important question: Will the chosen path to 2030 provide the basis for ending greenhouse-gas emissions later in the century? According to the scientific consensus, climate stabilization requires full decarbonization of our energy systems and zero n
ViewpointsDec. 6, 2015
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Independent and art-house films opening this week
This week, small Korean indie films are trying to get a head start at the box office before blockbuster-scale films like “The Himalayas” and “The Tiger” hit the screens. Three films -- a documentary, psychopath thriller and youth drama -- will each try to attract niche audience members when they open simultaneously on Dec. 10. The Korea Herald offers a brief guide for those looking for something a little different on the silver screen.The Anxious Day OutDocumentary. Directed by Kim Cheol-min “T
FilmDec. 6, 2015
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[Editorial] Protest culture
Thousands of people from more than 100 labor, civic and farmers’ groups held a rally in the center of Seoul last weekend, protesting the government’s push for labor reforms and state-authored history textbooks for secondary students. The demonstration was the second of its kind following the one on Nov. 14. But unlike the first one, no violence or clash with police took place this time. The organizers of the second protest sought to ensure a violence-free demonstration as the eruption of violen
EditorialDec. 6, 2015