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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'1 million' Christians join anti-LGBTQ+ marriage rally
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
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3 more military members test positive for new coronavirus
Two Navy officers and a soldier tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Saturday. The Navy officers stationed in the southeastern city of Jinhae underwent COVID-19 tests after their colleague was confirmed to have been infected earlier, according to the ministry. The soldier in the border city of Paju also tested positive while in isolation after coming in contact with other patients at his barracks, it added. The latest cases brought the total number of COVID-19 in
DefenseDec. 19, 2020
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N. Korea's Kangson facility may not be uranium enrichment plant: Heinonen
North Korea's long suspected uranium enrichment facility in Kangson may instead be dedicated to producing related components, a former official of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday. Olli Heinonen, former IAEA deputy director-general for safeguards, noted the facility appears to be linked to the North's uranium program, but not in a way that had been suspected. "The available evidence suggests that Kangson is not a uranium enrichment plant, although it is likely still tied
North KoreaDec. 19, 2020
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Daily virus cases above 1,000 for 4th day, concerns rise over hospital capacity
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases topped the 1,000 mark for the fourth consecutive day Saturday on continued cluster infections nationwide, deepening concerns over hospital bed shortages for seriously ill patients. The country added 1,053 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,029 local infections, raising the total caseload to 48,570, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It is the first time that the daily number has stayed above 1,000 for four straight days. After
NationalDec. 19, 2020
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Civic groups decry criticism from US of leafleting ban as 'interference in internal affairs'
A group of 17 civic organizations on Friday issued a joint statement decrying criticism from some quarters of the United States of a recently legislated ban on sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea as "interference in internal affairs." The group, including the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, stressed that flying propaganda leaflets has nothing to do with freedom of expression but is an "act that foments conflict." "The interference in int
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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Moon expects closer S. Korea-Indonesia ties with free trade pact
President Moon Jae-in expressed expectations Friday for closer South Korea-Indonesia partnership and co-prosperity under their free trade agreement. The two sides signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) earlier in the day. "With CEPA, we became even closer and more special friends," he wrote on his social media account. "With CEPA, Indonesia and Korea came to open markets to a greater extent than when we signed RCEP and Korea-ASEAN FTA." Thanks to
Foreign AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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All frontline workers, high-risk people to be vaccinated by November next year
South Korea said Friday it would prioritize frontline workers and people in high-risk groups in vaccinations, but some of them may have to wait until November next year. Yang Dong-gyo, head of the medical safety prevention bureau of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said at a briefing that the government aims to complete the vaccinations before the flu season begins in November. Priority groups include the elderly, residents of group facilities such as nursing homes, chronic
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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Ex-Unification Minister urges Biden administration to be flexible on NK sanctions
Former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul on Friday called on the incoming Joe Biden administration to be flexible on using sanctions against Pyongyang in achieving denuclearization. “Ultimately, sanctions are not a purpose, but a means. It is Biden administration’s task to use it flexibly,” Kim said during a videoconference organized by the Unification Ministry on Friday, adding the Donald Trump administration had taken a “rigid” approach in working with sa
North KoreaDec. 18, 2020
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea faces shortage of hospital beds as cases on the rise
South Korea faces a dearth of hospital beds due to a surge in confirmed cases especially in Seoul and nearby areas. A total of four coronavirus patients have died while waiting for hospital treatment in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, authorities said Friday. And 251 patients, most of them severe cases, in Gyeonggi Province and 580 patients in Seoul are on standby for available hospital beds. According to Gyeonggi Provincial government Friday, two coronavirus patients in their 70s and a pati
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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US lawmakers to hold hearing on Seoul’s leaflet ban in Jan.
The US Congress is reportedly set to hold a hearing on January to discuss South Korea’s recent passage of a bill that penalizes activists sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets and other materials across the border, amid an escalating backlash from Washington and international human rights groups that Seoul is undermining free speech. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan body in the House of Representatives that promotes, defends and advocates human rights, is set to conv
North KoreaDec. 18, 2020
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Ceremony held to honor over 500 sets of remains of soldiers killed in Korean War
South Korea held a ceremony Friday to honor a total of 514 sets of recently unearthed remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, vowing to make every effort until the last remains are returned to loved ones. The ceremony took place at the Seoul National Cemetery, attended by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Defense Minister Suh Wook and around 50 senior government and military officials. The remains include 127 sets discovered during this year's excavation work on Arrowhead Ridge
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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USFK commander calls for 'immediate, aggressive' antivirus scheme
US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Friday called for "immediate and aggressive" measures against the new coronavirus, as the US military was set to raise its antivirus scheme by one notch. Effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, USFK will heighten the Health Protection Condition (HPCON) by one notch to Charlie, or HPCON C, for all areas in the country due to the resurgence of COVID-19 nationwide. The decision on the tighter guidance was announced earlier this week. The cou
DefenseDec. 18, 2020
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S. Korea keeping close eye on N. Korean FM amid report he lost key party position
The unification ministry said Friday it is keeping a close eye on the North Korean foreign minister's status following a media report that he has recently been removed from a key party position. A local newspaper reported earlier in the day, citing an unidentified government source, that Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon appears to have lost his position as an alternate member of the political bureau of the Workers' Party Central Committee. "There has been no official announcement yet, but we
North KoreaDec. 18, 2020
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Watchdog says forced discharge of transgender soldier violates human rights
South Korea's human rights watchdog said on Friday that the Army's forced discharge of a sergeant who underwent a sex reassignment surgery while serving in the military was an infringement of human rights by a public authority. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said its plenary meeting held Monday concluded the Army's decision in January not to allow Byun Hee-soo, then a staff sergeant, to continue to serve in the military as a female soldier had no legal grounds. The NHRCK
DefenseDec. 18, 2020
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Moon wishes Macron quick recovery from COVID-19
South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a consolation message Friday to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has tested positive for the coronavirus. It's "regrettable to hear the news of your sudden coronavirus infection," Moon wrote on his Twitter account. The note, written in French, began with "M. le President @EmmanuelMacron." Moon pointed out that he and Macron talked about overcoming COVID-19 in their phone talks two weeks earlier. He expressed hope for Macron's qu
PoliticsDec. 18, 2020
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‘Prosecutor General’s legal counterattack is against President Moon’
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl has taken aim at the president in the latest of his ongoing conflict with the incumbent administration and its close officials. Yoon’s defense told reporters Thursday that Yoon is fighting the “illegal and unfair” two-month suspension from his post with a lawsuit against President Moon Jae-in, as he is the one who signed and approved the disciplinary action. “This lawsuit is a complaint against an action from the president, so this is a
PoliticsDec. 18, 2020
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Ex-Busan mayor admits to sexual harassment but again claims he 'does not remember'
BUSAN -- Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don attended a court hearing here Friday on an arrest warrant sought against him over sexual harassment allegations. In a press statement released via his lawyer, Oh acknowledged the "charge," but he maintained that he does not remember exactly what happened. He apologized to Busan citizens and victims as well. Earlier this week, the Busan District Prosecutors Office requested the warrant against him on charges of sexual harassment, inflicting inj
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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Random testing finds 170 COVID-19 cases in capital area in 4 days
The government's ongoing random testing, launched in the greater Seoul area at the beginning of this week, has identified 170 cases of COVID-19 so far, a government agency on the coronavirus pandemic said Friday. In a bid to preemptively find "hidden infected people" through random testing, the government has been installing temporary coronavirus testing facilities at about 150 locations in the capital area, including Seoul City Hall and Seoul Station, since Monday. Those random testi
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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S. Korea pushes to strike COVID-19 vaccine deals with Janssen, Pfizer this month
South Korea said Friday it will push to sign COVID-19 vaccine procurement contracts with Johnson & Johnson's Janssen and Pfizer later this month and ink another deal with Moderna next month. The health ministry last week said it has secured early access of the vaccines developed by four pharmaceutical companies and from a global vaccine project for 44 million people, enough to cover 88 percent of the nation's population. The government has formally struck a purchase deal with AstraZeneca,
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea culls 6.1m poultry as farm-related bird flu cases reach 18
South Korea has completed the culling of 6.1 million poultry nationwide to curb the nationwide spread of highly pathogenic bird flu, as the total farm-related caseload reached 18, the agricultural ministry said Friday. The destroyed poultry included 4 million chickens and 1.2 million quails, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Under the local law, poultry within a 3-kilometer radius of farms infected with highly pathogenic bird flu must be culled. South Korea has
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2020
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Prime minister says ‘social consensus necessary’ to raise distancing rules to Level 3
With growing interest in whether social distancing rules will be raised to Level 3 after the daily average number of confirmed cases in Korea surpassed 900 this week, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday social consensus should be achieved sufficiently before moving to stricter rules. The government would “make a bold decision” when it deemed it necessary, he added. “We are collecting opinions from related ministries, local governments and experts as we need to quickly
PoliticsDec. 18, 2020