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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How COVID-19 changed Seoul citizens’ lives
People living in Seoul spent more time sleeping and using media and less time working than usual during the coronavirus pandemic last year, a recent survey conducted by the Seoul city government showed. According to the poll by the Seoul Metropolitan Government with 1,000 Seoul residents aged 18 to 69, those in Seoul worked five hours and 19 minutes on average a day in 2020, down 12 minutes from 2019. As the nationwide social distancing campaign has kept people at home longe
Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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PM asks Koreans not to travel over Lunar New Year holiday
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday called for continued caution against COVID-19, pointing out that the number of confirmed cases sharply increased in the US and the UK shortly after vaccinations began. South Koreans must stay vigilant despite high expectations for treatments and vaccines, Chung said. “We need to see the fact that confirmed cases rose sharply in the early stage of vaccinations in countries such as the US and UK,” the prime minister said as he presided over a m
Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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Foreign minister says vaccine hoarding will only lengthen pandemic
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Friday that the hoarding of vaccines by a few countries would only undermine the public interest and lengthen the pandemic. “It is especially important to keep a distance from ‘vaccine nationalism’ and guarantee fair provision of vaccines to everyone at affordable costs,” Kang said during a congratulatory speech at a sustainable development forum hosted by Yonsei University. “We need to invest in bolstering the national health
Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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NK paper stresses central leadership to achieve new economic objectives
North Korea's official newspaper on Friday called on officials to strictly follow central leadership to realize a self-reliant economy and carry out key policy goals unveiled in a rare party meeting last month. At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted the failure to achieve his previous five-year development goals and unveiled a new scheme focusing on self-reliance in the face of the global pandemic and sanctions on his regime. &q
North KoreaFeb. 5, 2021
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Inter-Korean ties, pandemic should be considered in planning joint military exercise: FM nominee
Foreign Minister nominee Chung Eui-yong said Friday that inter-Korean ties and the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken into account in planning this year's military exercises between South Korea and the United States, though he noted the need for a "proper" level of the drills. During a parliamentary confirmation hearing, Chung stressed "various implications" of large-scale exercises between the allies, in an apparent show of concern that such military maneuvers could provoke
PoliticsFeb. 5, 2021
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Court upholds sentence for importer who sold Chinese masks as S. Korean made
JEONJU -- An appellate court on Friday upheld an earlier prison sentence of a face mask importer convicted for bringing over Chinese mask products and selling them as South Korean-made products during the height of the pandemic last year to make unfair profits. The Jeonju District Court's appellate division sentenced the person, 49, to 18 months in prison for importing some 1.08 million units of face masks made in China and retailing some 11,000 of the items online after falsely labeling them
Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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Army officer tests positive for coronavirus
An Army officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload among the military population to 554, the defense ministry said Friday. The officer, based in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after an infection was reported at the base, according to the ministry. The soldier was in quarantine and confirmed to be infected in a virus test conducted prior to release. Nationwide, South Korea's total COVID-19 caseload b
DefenseFeb. 5, 2021
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S. Korea, Georgia sign air service agreement
South Korea and Georgia have signed an air services agreement that would lay the foundation for operations of direct flights traveling between the two countries, the foreign ministry said Friday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Georgian Ambassador to South Korea Otar Berdzenishvili formally inked the agreement Thursday, after the two countries reached the agreement through aviation talks in July 2019. The agreement is to take effect on the 30th day from the two countries' mutual notificati
Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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S. Korea's COVID-19 cases exceed 80,000 amid tough virus curbs
South Korea surpassed a grim milestone in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic as its total COVID-19 caseload broke the 80,000 mark Friday. The country added 370 more COVID-19 cases, including 351 local infections, raising the total caseload to 80,131, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections fell from 467 on Wednesday and 451 on Tuesday after staying under 400 the three previous days. The KDCA said it will decide on whether to adjust the c
Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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N. Korea replaces heads of key farmer and labor groups amid economic drive
North Korea has replaced heads of key groups of farmers and laborers, state media said Friday, in an apparent move to rev up its recently unveiled economic development drive. During the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party last month, the North put forth a new five-year economic development plan centering on self-reliance in the face of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions. The Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea (UAWK) on Thursday held a plenary meeting to d
North KoreaFeb. 5, 2021
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120 service members complete Army's new mine-removal training program
The Army said Friday that more than 100 troops have completed its recently launched mine-removal training program and will be deployed next month. The trainees -- 110 Army personnel, six airmen and four Marines -- completed the armed service's first specialized education curriculum that meets the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). The two-week program was launched last month to train troops on explosive ordnance disposal, first aid and mine clearance. Previously, the military's mine
DefenseFeb. 5, 2021
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US begins global defense posture review: Biden
US President Joe Biden said Thursday that the United States will review its global defense posture, a move that could affect the number of US troops stationed overseas, including those in South Korea. "Today, I'm announcing additional steps to course correct our foreign policy and better unite our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership," Biden said in his first speech on national security and foreign policy delivered from the Department of State. "To begin, Defense Sec
Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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US will closely consult with S. Korea on N. Korea: Sullivan
The United States will closely consult with its Asian allies such as South Korea in dealing with North Korea, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. He also said close consultation with allies will be part of US efforts to strengthen its alliances. "To revitalizing America's alliance, the president has spoken with key allies in both Europe and Asia. Just last night, he had the opportunity to speak with both the president of the Republic of Korea and the prime minister o
North KoreaFeb. 5, 2021
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S. Korea to receive 2.71m doses of COVID-19 vaccines via COVAX in H1
At least 2.71 million doses of coronavirus vaccines are expected to arrive in South Korea in the first half through an international vaccine procurement program, health authorities said Thursday. The country will receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines and 2.59 million doses of vaccines by AstraZeneca through the World Health Organization's global vaccine project, known as the COVAX Facility. The country with a 52 million population has secured access to coronavirus vaccines enough
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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Vice FM meets German envoy to discuss bilateral ties, pandemic, peninsula peace
First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with Germany's top envoy here Thursday to discuss joint efforts to deepen bilateral ties and cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the foreign ministry said. During their talks, Choi and Ambassador Michael Reiffenstuel agreed to continue communication at each government level to jointly address global challenges, including the pandemic, and explore ways to cooperate in securing COVID-19 vaccines. They also agreed to work
PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021
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Arrest warrant sought for ex-industry minister over reactor shutdown controversy
The prosecution filed for a warrant to arrest a former industry and energy minister Thursday as part of a probe into the controversial closure of an aging nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Prosecutors Office asked a court to issue the warrant for Paik Un-gyu on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of business. Paik has been under probe over allegations that he abused his power in the viability assessment of Wolsong-1, the nation's second-oldest nuclear reactor, before the government d
PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021
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Could new variants dim Korea’s hope of having herd immunity by fall?
Korea’s plan of getting to herd immunity by fall could be complicated with the country reporting the first local outbreak involving new and potentially more transmissible variants. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s deputy director Kwon Jun-wook on Thursday warned of the possibility of the variants making the situation worse. “From what we know, the variants are capable of spreading more easily,” he said. “If our commitment to social distancing w
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] National Assembly impeaches judge accused of power abuse
South Korea on Thursday impeached a sitting judge for the first time in its history, as lawmakers voted to remove Lim Seong-geun, a senior judge at the Busan High Court for meddling in a number of politically controversial trials during the Park Geun-hye administration. During the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, 179 lawmakers voted to impeach Lim while 102 voted against it, marking the first time a judge has been removed from the post while in service. There were two motions in
PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021
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Mastermind of sexual abuse ring sentenced to additional 5 yrs in prison
The mastermind of an infamous Telegram sexual exploitation ring was sentenced to an additional five years in prison on Thursday for concealing profits from the crime for which had already been given a 40-year jail term last year. The Seoul Central District Court found Cho Ju-bin guilty of hiding some 108 million won ($96,500) of criminal proceeds by receiving cryptocurrency for the sexually exploitative materials he sold on the pay-to-view chat rooms on Telegram. The 25-year-old was also convi
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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More petitions filed with Constitutional Court over pandemic-induced collapse in business
Associations of small merchants filed a petition on Thursday with the Constitutional Court, asking it to review whether virus-related restrictions violate their basic property rights. The petition is the third of its kind, with the first one filed by bar and internet cafe owners on Jan. 5 and the second one by gym owners and others on Jan. 29. This time, more indoor sports facilities, karaoke rooms, cafes and bakery owners participated in the legal action, supported by civic groups, including
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021