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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Centennial College and Air Canada partner to give Korean students an easier path to Canada
Centennial College and Air Canada signed an agreement on Monday to smooth the pathway to Canada for South Korean students who wish to study at Toronto’s Centennial College. The Canadian college is a designated learning institution, meaning it can host international students, with an approved COVID-19 readiness plan. Students can enroll in online or hybrid programs and can travel to Canada with study permit approval and the college’s support. The partnership with Air Canada -- Canad
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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Senior officials vow to complete reform of prosecution, spy agency, police
Senior government officials vowed Wednesday to complete the reform of the prosecution, state spy agency and police in line with a set of newly passed contentious laws. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won and Interior and Safety Minister Chin Young held a joint press briefing to mark the passage of three bills aimed at breaking up the powers of the three state institutions. The bills were passed at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after winning app
PoliticsDec. 16, 2020
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Once again, Korea’s COVID-19 cases soar to new daily high
Korea recorded a new daily high of 1,078 cases Wednesday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s situation report, bringing the cumulative number of official cases to 45,442. This is the third time in December that a new daily case record has been set. Korea saw a record number of 950 new cases on Saturday. On Sunday, the number reached 1,030 cases, another record. Twelve more deaths were announced Wednesday. Thirteen deaths, the highest ever in a single day, wer
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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NK focused on domestic issues ahead of party meeting, but provocations possible at any time: defense chief
North Korea is focused on economic and domestic issues ahead of a rare party congress set for next month but can undertake provocations at any time, according to South Korea's defense minister and top military commanders Wednesday. The assessment came during a biannual meeting of top commanders presided over by Defense Minister Suh Wook. It was attended by dozens of high-level military officers and government officials from related agencies, with some participating via a video link due to the n
North KoreaDec. 16, 2020
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Moon-Biden summit is critical to alliance, says Seoul’s envoy to US
A summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President-elect Joe Biden is critical to bolster the alliance and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s ambassador to the US said Tuesday (US time). “The most important task facing us is to hold a US-South Korea summit at an early date after the new US administration takes office to further strengthen the alliance and achieve progress on the Korean peace process,” Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuck said
Foreign AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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[Newsmaker] High school dropouts no longer exempt from active duty
High school dropouts will no longer be exempt from mandatory active duty from next year, South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration said Wednesday. All able-bodied men here aged between 18 and 30 must serve active duty for 18 to 21 months. Currently, those who do not graduate from high school must complete alternative service. Unlike soldiers on active duty, participants in the program do not live together or take part in training at military bases. Instead they work as delegates to d
DefenseDec. 16, 2020
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Seoul city to conduct COVID-19 tests on all workers at high-risk facilities
The city government of Seoul said Wednesday it will conduct COVID-19 tests on all workers at facilities with high risks of virus infections, such as courier companies and nursing homes. Seo Jeong-hyup, the acting Seoul mayor, announced the plan during an online press briefing, as South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hit an all-time high. Under the plan, the city will test all employees at high-risk facilities with crowded working conditions, such as call centers, courier companies, restau
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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S. Korea speeds up culling of poultry to prevent highly pathogenic bird flu
South Korea said Wednesday it is speeding up efforts to cull poultry around farms infected with highly pathogenic bird flu amid growing concerns over the virus spreading nationwide. The country has culled 5.59 million birds as preventive measures since reporting the first farm-related case in late November, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Chickens accounted for 3.5 million, followed by quails with 1.2 million and ducks with 880,000. Local authorities slaughte
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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S. Korea-led UN group discusses pandemic responses with disease monitoring board
A South Korean-led group of UN member countries held a videoconference with an international disease monitoring board to discuss policy directions for effective coronavirus responses, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The UN Group of Friends of Solidarity for Global Health Security was launched in May under Seoul's initiative with a view to bring up a UN-level response to the coronavirus pandemic and other global health problems. It has 44 countries and the European Union as members. The vi
Foreign AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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Asia forest cooperation agency gains observer status in UN General Assembly
A Seoul-based international forest cooperation agency established under South Korea's initiative has won observer status in the UN General Assembly, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, in a milestone likely to bolster its presence on the world stage. On Tuesday, the 75th session of the General Assembly adopted a resolution on the observer status of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) launched in 2018 under Seoul's proposal to ensure sustainable forest management to help address c
Foreign AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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960 more soldiers mobilized in virus fight as daily new infections hit record high
Nearly 1,000 additional soldiers were dispatched to public health centers Wednesday to help the government cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the Army said, as the country's daily new virus cases hit a new record high. About 960 soldiers from the Capital Defense Command, along with 41 medical staff members, were sent to 160 public health centers in the greater Seoul area to guide citizens visiting the virus test facilities for the next three weeks, according to the military. The move came as
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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Cheong Wa Dae checks cybersecurity amid growing non-contact activities
Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday it has reviewed South Korea's cybersecurity posture during a high-level interagency meeting, as non-contact activities have sharply increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, pointed out that the importance of cybersecurity has been highlighted more this year than at any other time. He cited the spread of contactless activities, such as online classes and working from home. Speaking at the annual &qu
PoliticsDec. 16, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Virus death toll experiences double-digit rise for 2nd day, hospital bed shortage looms
South Korea's coronavirus death toll continued to rise Wednesday, posting a double-digit increase in virus fatalities for the second straight day as critically ill patients piled up amid spiking virus cases. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the country reported 12 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the total to 612. The country reported a daily high of 13 COVID-19 deaths Tuesday. The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 226, sharply
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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Rare COVID-19 cluster of foreign nationals occurs at college dorm
Twenty-one Vietnamese students living in a college dormitory in a central South Korean city have been diagnosed with COVID-19, local officials said Wednesday, reporting a rare coronavirus cluster of foreign nationals here. The nation's latest mass infection occurred at Ajou Motor College in Boryeong, a South Chungcheong Province city about 200 kilometers south of Seoul. The college reported its first confirmed case Monday, when a Vietnamese student residing in its dormitory tested positive for
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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PM urges govt. steps against economic impact from possible lifting of distancing rules
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called Wednesday for thorough measures to minimize the negative impact on the economy and the people's livelihoods in case of tougher anti-coronavirus social distancing restrictions. "(We) can't rule out (the possibility of) a decision to raise (the rule) to Level 3," while the government is making all-out efforts to curb the COVID-19 spread without using the "last means," he stressed during a daily interagency meeting on the pandemic. Currentl
PoliticsDec. 16, 2020
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Daily virus caseload hits another high, S. Korea closer to toughest virus curbs
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hit another new high Wednesday in the face of alarming increases in cluster infections across the country, prompting health authorities to seriously consider adopting the toughest virus curbs. The country added 1,078 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,054 local infections, raising the total caseload to 45,442, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's daily caseload is higher than the previous record of 1,030 on Sun
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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Govt. to disregard education levels in military service recruitment
The government will disregard education levels in determining whether one is fit for active military service, the military recruitment agency said Wednesday. Under the current law, the government is required to recruit men with at least high school diplomas for active military service. Those with lower levels of education are assigned to reservist duties, though they can still serve active duty if they volunteered and met certain physical criteria. The government will abolish the education-bas
DefenseDec. 16, 2020
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Moon-Biden summit key to establishing peace on Korean Peninsula: Amb. Lee
WASHINGTON -- South Korea's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday stressed the importance of dialogue between the countries' leaders in strengthening their alliance. Amb. Lee Soo-hyuck also said a summit between President Moon Jae-in and incoming US President Joe Biden will help enhance the countries' joint efforts to establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. "The most important task facing us is to hold a South Korea-US summit at an early date after the new US administratio
Foreign AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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Trump to veto US defense bill partly for limiting troop withdrawal: NcEnany
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump plans to veto the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) partly for limiting troop withdrawal from countries including South Korea, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday. The remarks came days after the US Congress passed the defense bill that seeks to provide $740 billion in defense spending in the fiscal year 2021. Trump earlier said the defense bill will be one of the first he will veto, claiming it will only benefit China. &quo
Foreign AffairsDec. 16, 2020
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Job losses extended to 9th month in Nov. amid pandemic
The number of employed people in South Korea declined for the ninth straight month in November as the new coronavirus outbreak continued to deal a blow to the job market, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people reached 27.2 million last month, 273,000 fewer than a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. But the pace of the decline eased last month from October, when the number of jobs fell by 421,000, the sharpest on-year decline in six months, as softene
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2020