Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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Iranian funds in S. Korea will not be released until Iran returns to compliance: Blinken
The United States will not ease any of its sanctions on Iran, including the release of Iranian funds blocked in South Korea, until Iran first complies with its obligations under its nuclear deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. "As we've said, if Iran comes back into compliance, with its obligations under the nuclear agreement, we would do the same thing that would involve, if it came to that, if Iran made good on its obligations, sanctions relief pursuant to the agree
Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2021
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Top US envoy, defense chief to visit Korea
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet their South Korean counterparts on March 17-18 to discuss security and global initiatives, in their first senior-level, in-person talks since US President Joe Biden took office, Seoul’s Foreign and Defense ministries said Wednesday. Blinken will discuss inter-Korean affairs and the South Korea-US alliance with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, while Austin will sit down with Defense Minister Suh Wook to
Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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Seoul’s contribution to US troop costs rises 13.9%
South Korea has agreed to pay 13.9 percent more in its contribution to host American troops here for 2021, the Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday. Under the new six-year accord, Seoul will pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.04 billion) this year for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. The 13.9 percent hike from the previous 2019 deal represents the biggest annual rise for Seoul in nearly two decades. The six-year agreement is effective until 2025, and also covers last year
Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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‘COVID-19 won’t be the last pandemic of our lifetime’
COVID-19 won’t be the last pandemic of our lifetime, and South Korea must make better investments and preparations for future events, experts said Thursday. On this day last year, March 11, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Yet another “disease X” -- a currently unknown pathogen with the potential to cause a serious international epidemic -- could be just around the corner, according to epidemiology professor Dr. Chun Byung-chul of Korea Un
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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S. Korea, US seeking nuclear-free North in unison
South Korea and the United States are on the same page on North Korea denuclearization, Seoul and Washington’s senior officials dealing with the issue said Wednesday at a virtual forum co-hosted by the Korea Press Foundation and the East-West Center in the US. “The two countries discuss a number of ideas on how to get to denuclearization. But we’re headed in the same direction. Things change. And we’re adapting to them at the moment,” said Ko Yun-ju, director gener
Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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S. Korea reports another suspected bird flu case in 10 days
South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it has identified another suspected case of avian influenza for the first time in more than a week, raising concerns over another uptick in the animal disease. The latest suspected cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza was reported at an egg farm in Naju, 355 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 214,000 chickens. The test results are expected to come out within
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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Lawmakers, Burmese residents call for revival of democracy in Myanmar
Politicians and Burmese residents in Korea raised their voices together, pressing for the revival of democracy in Myanmar and an end to military control in the Southeast Asian nation. A group of lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and local representatives of Myanmar-related organizations held a press conference in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday. “It has been over 40 years, but Myanmar is going through the same pain that Gwangju citizens experienced in
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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13 more public servants found to have bought land in possible speculation
Thirteen more public servants were confirmed to have bought land for possible property speculation, two local governments said Wednesday, as a snowballing land speculation scandal involving employees of a state housing corporation sparks public outrage. The municipal government of Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, said it confirmed land purchases by five more employees in the area of Gwangmyeong and nearby Siheung that has been designated by the central government as the site of a major housing d
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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S. Korea agrees to pay 13.9% more from 2019 to host US troops
South Korea has agreed to raise its payment for stationing US troops here by 13.9 percent this year from 2019, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, in a six-year deal with the United States that cleared the way for the countries to cement their alliance. Under the deal that will last until 2025, Seoul is to pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.03 billion) this year, up from 1.038 trillion won in 2019 -- the first double-digit rise since 2002 -- for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK).
DefenseMarch 10, 2021
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Defense cost-sharing sheds light on seven decades of Korea-US alliance
With South Korea and the US clinching a new accord on how to share the cost of maintaining the US troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula, the deal has drawn attention to how this arrangement was first forged and how it has transformed over the decades. From the US forces landing in the southern half of the peninsula after World War II to the US-led allies helping South Korea repel an invasion by the communist North and the troops’ presence hereafter, the US military has been a key pa
Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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Presumed dinosaur bone found on western island
A fossil assumed to be a toe bone of a dinosaur dating back to 120 million years ago has been discovered on a western island, a local government said Wednesday. The city government of Ansan, southwest of Seoul, said the 4.5-centimeter-long fossil was found by a citizen on Daebu Island last month. It is believed to have belonged to a plant-eating basal ceratopsian dinosaur known as Koreaceratops, which existed on the Korean Peninsula about 120 million years ago during the Albian age. The phala
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Moon says land speculation scandal ‘unacceptable’
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday denounced the alleged speculative purchases of land by officials of the state-run housing developer, calling the snowballing insider trading scandal “unacceptable.” “It is unacceptable that officials at public organizations or public servants make speculative land purchases based on related information. This is an act of undermining our society’s integrity and trust,” Moon said before a luncheon meeting with floor leaders o
PoliticsMarch 10, 2021
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Zero-carbon drive will address businesses’ needs: minister
The Ministry of Environment will prioritize the needs of the industrial sector and provide necessary support for businesses as South Korea looks to move forward with its carbon neutrality plan, the ministry said Wednesday. Environment Minister Han Jeoung-ae said in a press briefing Wednesday that the ministry understands the financial burden companies will face as the government fulfills its goal to have Korea become carbon-neutral by 2050 with increased emphasis on renewable energy sources and
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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USFK to administer J&J COVID-19 vaccine in addition to Moderna
The US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday that it has received the first shipment of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine to administer to its members in addition to Moderna's, a move expected to speed up its inoculation program. In December, the USFK began its vaccination campaign with the Moderna vaccine in line with its government's guidance, with the first group of recipients including health care workers, first responders and mission critical service members. The United St
DefenseMarch 10, 2021
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Korea scrambles to contain outbreaks among migrant workers
The South Korean government is speeding up the process of testing foreign workers for COVID-19 as the number of confirmed cases rises, but language barriers and the presence of significant numbers of unregistered migrant workers are hampering its efforts. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed concerns on Tuesday about the mass outbreaks reported at workplaces where many foreigners work, saying they could lead to a fourth wave of the pandemic. He called on foreign workers to cooperate with
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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DP floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon begins interim role as acting party chairman
Stepping into his interim role as the acting chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon pledged Wednesday to lead the party with an acute sense of urgency. "I will be serving in the (new) party seat with the acute determination to spend the two months as if they are two years," Kim said during a meeting of the top party council, which he presided over for the first time as the acting DP chairman. "With about a month to go before the April 7 by-elections (fo
PoliticsMarch 10, 2021
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Seoul draws record $10.2b in FDI in 2020 despite pandemic
Seoul attracted a record 10.2 billion in foreign direct investment last year despite the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic, the city government said Wednesday. Last year was also the second consecutive year FDI in the capital city topped $10 billion, continuing an upward trend since 2017, according to the local government. The increase comes at a time when total FDI in the world dropped sharply by 42 percent last year from 2019 to $850 billion amid the pandemic, the lowest level in 15
Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021
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SMA deal reflects S. Korea, US desire to focus on issues like NK: Knapper
South Korea and the United States' recent agreement on a new defense cost-sharing deal reflects the two countries' commitment to strengthening their alliance and a desire to focus on issues like North Korea, a US diplomat said Wednesday. Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, made the remark in a webinar days after Seoul and Washington reached a six-year deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), on how to share the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong U
DefenseMarch 10, 2021
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PM calls for close cooperation between police, prosecution in LH probe
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instructed the police and prosecution on Wednesday to work closely together to get to the bottom of a massive land speculation scandal involving public officials. Chung called the police and prosecution chiefs to a meeting, along with the justice and interior ministers, to discuss how they can collaborate to investigate the allegations of speculative land purchases by Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) employees. "More important than anything is organic commun
PoliticsMarch 10, 2021
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French Navy spots suspected illegal oil transfer during embargo mission against NK
Two tankers involved in an alleged illegal ship-to-ship oil transfer were spotted while on patrol for an embargo enforcement mission against North Korea, the French Navy has said. On Feb. 28, the French frigate Prairial was deployed to the East China Sea to contribute to the UN embargo against the North and identified the two oilers during a suspected nighttime transfer, the France Pacific Command (ALPACI) wrote on Twitter Tuesday. ALPACI released four photos of the suspected tankers involved
Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021