Most Popular
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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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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
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'1 million' Christians join anti-LGBTQ+ marriage rally
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New COVID-19 rules to be announced Saturday as winter holiday season near its end
South Korea will decide on new social distancing rules Saturday, as the country continues to battle the third and deadliest COVID-19 wave to date, officials said Thursday. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said officials are in discussion with experts and local governments to come up with a new plan starting Monday, as the social distancing rules in place will reach their end by Sunday’s end. At the moment, the region of Greater Seoul, which includes Incheon and
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Medical students who boycotted licensing exam get second chance
The government will allow fourth-year medical students to retake a state medical licensing exam they boycotted, a reversal of its previous position, as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic threatens to cause a shortage of doctors. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said during a press briefing Thursday that the government will administer the practical test again in January as a precaution, to address the anticipated shortage of medical personnel next year. “We are dee
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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President’s son urges critics to stop attacking what he does for living
President Moon Jae-in’s son Moon Joon-yong said he can accept criticism against the “president’s son,” but cannot accept the denunciation of what he does for a living. “Since the reason politicians criticize me through mass media is to attack the president of the rival camp, I point out that their intention is lousy,” Moon, 38, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. Opposition politicians have questioned the fairness of the city of Seoul’s decision to grant M
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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S. Korea's bird flu countermeasures put to test as farm-linked caseload nears 40
South Korea was struggling to contain the spread of highly pathogenic bird flu among local poultry farms as the number of such cases reached nearly 40 on Thursday, but the influx of migratory birds continued to strain the antivirus fight. The latest highly contagious H5N8 strain of bird flu was found from a duck farm in Gimpo, just north of Seoul, on the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Among the 37 farm-related cases reported so far, 10 came from
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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Unification ministry to scale up financial support for N. Korea aid groups
The unification ministry said Thursday it will allow North Korea aid groups to receive state financial support multiple times a year in an effort to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the impoverished nation. Currently, local nongovernmental organizations providing aid to the North can each receive financial support from the ministry once a year. The aid groups are also required to self-finance at least 50 percent of the costs for projects subject to state support. The ministry said it has
North KoreaDec. 31, 2020
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S. Korea expected to roll out its own coronavirus vaccine late next year, PM says
South Korea will be able to develop its own COVID-19 vaccine late next year, in addition to foreign products to be shipped here in the near future, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday. He was speaking in public at the outset of an interagency meeting on the virus response. "(The government) will be able to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine, which we are developing independently, to the people around the end of next year," he said during the session held at the government office co
PoliticsDec. 31, 2020
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Military reports 3 new COVID-19 cases
An Army officer and two civilian workers for the military tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The Army officer stationed in the city of Incheon, west of Seoul, contracted the virus after coming into contact with a citizen confirmed later to have the virus, according to the ministry. One civilian officer working at an Army base in the southeastern city of Daegu and the other worker for the Navy tested positive after taking tests as a preventive step, the
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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[Newsmaker] COVID-19 cases top 60,000 in S. Korea amid worst wave of pandemic
South Korea's total COVID-19 caseload broke the 60,000 mark on Thursday as new cases have been rising at an alarming pace despite tougher virus curbs put in place ahead of the year-end holiday season. New cases stood at 967 earlier in the day to raise the total to 60,740, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), surpassing the threshold 11 months after the nation's first confirmed case on Jan. 20. A total of 900 people have died from the highly infectious virus. It
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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[Best Brand] Peter & Kim offers global expertise
Peter & Kim is a pioneering international dispute resolution firm with offices in South Korea, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia. The Seoul office, headed by Kevin Kim, was established in 2019, with Dr. Wolfgang Peter heading the Swiss offices in Geneva and Bern. Both Peter and Kim are leading arbitration practitioners in their jurisdictions, having handled a long list of award-winning cases and multibillion dollar disputes. Peter & Kim continues to represent many sovereign states, in
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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New S. Korean, Japanese envoys expected to take office next month: sources
South Korea and Japan are expected to inaugurate their new ambassadors to Tokyo and Seoul, respectively, next month after they recently endorsed each other's designations, multiple sources said Thursday. Last week, Tokyo gave diplomatic consent to Seoul's designation of Kang Chang-il, a former four-term ruling party lawmaker, while its nomination of Koichi Aiboshi, the current ambassador to Israel, has also been endorsed by Seoul, the sources said. The diplomatic green light came as Seoul seek
Foreign AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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COVID-19 cases at Seoul prison reach 918, another inmate dies at separate facility
Coronavirus cases tied to a Seoul detention center rose by 126 on Thursday, sending the total to over 900, while another inmate died of COVID-19 complications at a separate facility. The justice ministry said 126 inmates at Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul tested positive during the prison's fourth mass testing Wednesday, bringing the total to 918, including 21 staff members. No additional workers tested positive this round. At Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, 25 kilometers south
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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S. Korea to decide level of virus curbs this week amid no letup in virus resurgence
South Korea said Thursday it will decide this week whether to raise the social distancing scheme to the highest level or maintain the current second-highest measures amid no signs of a letup in the coronavirus resurgence. The country's new virus infections fell below 1,000 Thursday for the first time in three days but the level of new cases remains still high due mainly to cluster infections from churches, private gatherings and other facilities. The country added 967 more COVID-19 cases, incl
Social AffairsDec. 31, 2020
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N. Korea's rare party congress appears imminent as delegates arrive in Pyongyang
North Korean delegates participating in an upcoming congress of the ruling Workers' Party have gathered in Pyongyang and were awarded certificates, state media said Thursday, raising the possibility that the meeting could take place as early as this week. The upcoming session, which will be the first party congress in four years, has drawn keen attention as the North is expected to unveil a new economic development plan and could announce its new policy line on the United States and South Korea
North KoreaDec. 31, 2020
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New justice minister, first chief of anti-corruption agency named
President Moon Jae-in’s prosecutorial reform is entering a new chapter in the new year, with nominees announced for the inaugural chief of a new anti-corruption body and the justice minister in his final Cabinet reshuffle of the year on Wednesday. Moon nominated Kim Jin-wook, a former judge and a Constitutional Court scholar, to head the upcoming Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking officials handling corruption among ranking government officials like prosecutors. After the
PoliticsDec. 30, 2020
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Which city has best work-life balance in Korea?
Seoul, the capital of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, may seem like a busy metropolis with the country’s most overworked people, but it was actually the best city for work-life balance in South Korea last year. Seoul was the highest-ranked city by earning 58.8 out of 100 points in terms of work-life balance among 17 cities and provinces in the country, a government index showed Wednesday. Jeju Island came in second with 56.7 points, followed by Busan with 56.2 points, South Jeolla
Social AffairsDec. 30, 2020
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[Best Brand] 100 Classics offers customized English learning for kids
100 Classics is an English education service brand for children and teenagers not only in Korea, but also the US and Japan. Owned by education company In Times In, 100 Classics provides a systematic program that helps students with reading, writing and discussions in English, in addition to consulting services for those applying to prestigious schools in the US. 100 Classics helps students enhance their English communication, creative thinking, critical thinking, writing and debating ski
Social AffairsDec. 30, 2020
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[Newsmaker] N. Korea to set new policies at key party meeting soon
North Korea said Wednesday it will open a party congress in early January where leader Kim Jong-un is expected to set fresh economic and foreign policies. “At a politburo meeting Kim chaired Tuesday, matters that will top the agenda at the congress were discussed,” the Korean Central News Agency said, without revealing exactly what the agenda will be or when the congress will convene. North Korea watchers speculate Kim will launch new economic plans in the face of worsening food
North KoreaDec. 30, 2020
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How COVID-19 changed Koreans’ pastimes
South Koreans had more spare time than before, but many spent it alone this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, government data showed, with more people taking walks and enjoying mobile content. According to a report on Koreans’ pastimes and cultural activities by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, they spent about 3.7 hours on leisure activities during the week and 5.6 hours on weekends this year, up 12 minutes from the previous
Social AffairsDec. 30, 2020
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Prosecutors demand 9-year prison term for Samsung heir, final ruling on Jan. 18
Prosecutors demanded a nine-year prison term for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who was indicted on bribery charges involving former President Park Geun-hye, at a final retrial Wednesday. The court designated Jan. 18 next year as the date for a final ruling. Prosecutors also demand seven-year jail terms for two other former Samsung executives, Jang Choong-ki and Park Sang-jin. “Samsung is a group with such overwhelming power that it is said that Korean companies are
Social AffairsDec. 30, 2020
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5 NK defectors face forcible repatriation after arrest in China: UN human rights office
Five North Korean defectors, including a teenager and a pregnant woman, are facing forcible repatriation after they were arrested in China in September, Five North Korean defectors, including a teenager and a pregnant woman, are facing forcible repatriation after they were arrested in China in September, according to a letter released by the UN human rights agency. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) disclosed a letter that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
North KoreaDec. 30, 2020