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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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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Foreign ministry denies reports it being 'bypassed' in Japan diplomacy
The foreign ministry dismissed as "groundless" a media report Monday that it has been "bypassed" in the country's recent diplomatic efforts to improve ties with Japan strained over wartime history and trade. The local newspaper report came after National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo last week, raising speculation that the spy chief had started to undertake a key role to restore relations between the
Foreign AffairsNov. 16, 2020
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12 people affiliated with USFK test positive for coronavirus
Eleven American service members and a civilian contractor have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. Seven of the service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, while four the others and the contractor arrived on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, according to the US military. Eight of them tested positive on their first mandato
Social AffairsNov. 16, 2020
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Incheon to host first international ocean forum this week
INCHEON -- Maritime industry experts and entrepreneurs from home and abroad will gather in Incheon, home to Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway, and Incheon Port, the nation's second-largest seaport, this week to open the city's first global ocean forum, the organizers said Monday. The Incheon International Ocean Forum (IIOF) 2020, hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Incheon metropolitan government and organized by the Incheon Port Authority and South Ko
PoliticsNov. 16, 2020
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Defense minister meets US Army chief, discusses alliance, cooperation
Defense Minister Suh Wook met with US Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville Tuesday and discussed ways to further boost military cooperation and the bilateral alliance, Seoul's defense ministry said. McConville arrived in South Korea late Monday for a three-day stay as part of his Asian trip, according to military officials. During the meeting in Seoul, Suh noted the US Army's contribution to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and asked for close coordinati
DefenseNov. 16, 2020
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[Newsmaker] 42 nabbed in Busan for alleged drug trafficking, purchases over dark web
BUSAN -- Over 40 people have been booked in the southeastern port city of Busan for allegedly trading narcotics online or using them, the local police said Monday. The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said 12 people have been booked for allegedly selling narcotics such as marijuana and methamphetamine online, while 30 others have been formally accused of buying or using them in violation of the Narcotics Control Act. According to the police, the 12 drug dealers used the dark web, accessible o
Social AffairsNov. 16, 2020
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[Graphic News] Ratio of babies born to multicultural families hits new high in 2019
The proportion of babies born to multicultural families out of all childbirths in South Korea reached an all-time high in 2019 due to the country‘s low birthrate, government data showed. The number of babies born to multicultural married couples came to 17,939 last year, down 0.8 percent from a year earlier and accounting for 5.9 percent of total newborns in the country, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The number decreased for seven years running last year after peaki
NationalNov. 16, 2020
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Daily COVID-19 cases could top 400 in a month: KCDA
South Korea’s new daily COVID-19 case numbers could soar to 400 in four weeks should the current infection rate continue, health authorities warned Monday, due to increased contact among people and the winter season keeping people in enclosed spaces. The rapid spread of the virus across the country might be imminent due to virus carriers showing no or mild symptoms, most of them relatively young, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s director, Jung Eun-kyeong, said at
Social AffairsNov. 16, 2020
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NK leader presides over politburo meeting in first public appearance in 25 days
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party in his first public appearance in 25 days and discussed nationwide anti-coronavirus measures, state media said Monday. During the enlarged politburo meeting held Sunday, Kim discussed "COVID-19 and the state anti-epidemic situation and clarified the tasks for the Party, military and economic fields to further tighten the emergency anti-epidemic front," according to the Korean Central News Agency.
North KoreaNov. 16, 2020
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea to heighten alert ahead of college entrance exam
The South Korean government on Sunday unveiled a plan to tighten monitoring of cram schools and study facilities ahead of the first national college entrance scheduled to take place during the new coronavirus pandemic. The exam, held annually in November, was postponed as school schedules were affected by the unprecedented virus outbreak. It was eventually scheduled for Dec. 3. Under the plan, the education ministry and provincial governments will inspect whether cram schools and study cafes a
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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S. Korea signs world’s largest free trading deal
South Korea on Sunday signed a mega free trade pact that would create the world’s largest open trading bloc of 15 economies, including China and Japan. President Moon Jae-in formally inked the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement at a virtual summit with the leaders of 14 partner countries, including 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said. “We note that the RCEP Agreement is an unprecedented mega re
Foreign AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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PM 'seriously' mulls toughing social distancing amid spike in virus cases
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday that the government is "seriously" considering toughening the social distancing scheme for the greater Seoul area and the eastern province of Gangwon as new coronavirus cases have risen sharply. During a government anti-pandemic meeting, Chung also said that the government has issued a "preliminary warning" for the two regions ahead of enforcing tougher social distancing measures. "Despite the global pandemic shaping up to be t
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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[News Focus] Women’s average age exceeds 45 in 8 of 17 areas in Korea
SEJONG -- South Korean women aged 44.2 on the average as of October, the oldest since the nation compiled the data, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. They have become older by about 12 months than two years earlier in October 2018, when the figure was 43.1. Their average age was 43.7 in October 2019. Eight of the 17 major areas in the nation saw the average age of their female residents exceed 45 as women’s lifespans lengthen in particular compared to men and&n
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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IHO to decide on new way of naming seas amid East Sea naming row
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) will decide this week on whether to adopt a new way of naming seas that is expected to affect a long-running dispute between South Korea and Japan over what to call the East Sea. In its virtual general assembly to be held from Monday through Wednesday, the IHO will announce whether it will revise the "S-23," an IHO standard for world map production that marked the body of water between South Korea and Japan as the Sea of Japan, not the
PoliticsNov. 15, 2020
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[Newsmaker] N. Korea unusually quiet after Biden elected president
North Korea has yet to address the outcome of the US election, let alone engage in anti-US rhetoric, more than a week after Joe Biden became president-elect on Nov. 7. Its silence stands in sharp contrast with its quick responses to past US elections. Previously Pyongyang has responded within a week, except in 2000 when it released a statement only after the US Supreme Court handed former President George W. Bush victory over former Vice President Al Gore in a vote recount dispute. Speculation
North KoreaNov. 15, 2020
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RCEP another impetus for export-reliant S. Korea
Rebuilding multilateralism and overcoming protectionism have been some of the most urgent tasks facing South Korea, which is heavily reliant on exports for its economy, amid the growing trade row between the United States and China along with an unprecedented pandemic. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his counterparts on Sunday, will help South Korea further boost its outbound shipments. The China-initiated deal will be of
PoliticsNov. 15, 2020
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Ruling party envisions moving National Assembly from Seoul to Sejong
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is considering whether to move 11 of the country’s 18 parliamentary committees out of Seoul as part of a plan to relocate the National Assembly to Sejong, some 120 kilometers south of the capital. The relocation is included in the party’s master plan to make Sejong the true administrative capital of the country, party officials said. It is expected to be unveiled in the coming days. “We will develop Seoul into an economic and financial c
PoliticsNov. 15, 2020
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Moon signs RCEP trade pact after summit with leaders of 14 nations
South Korea signed what will be the world's largest free trade agreement on Sunday after concluding related talks during a virtual summit of President Moon Jae-in and leaders of 14 partner countries. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) involves 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and their combined gross domestic product accounts for a third of the world's total. "We note that
PoliticsNov. 15, 2020
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Seoul to begin construction of Ulleung airport this month
South Korea will begin the construction of an airport on Ulleung Island later this month, with an aim to open the country's second island airport in 2025, the transport ministry said Sunday. The government will inject 665.1 billion won ($597 million) to build the Ulleung airport with a 1,200 meter-long runway and a passenger terminal. Flight services on 50-seat airplanes will be offered at the airport, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. "The travel ti
PoliticsNov. 15, 2020
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Ruling party lawmakers head to US for discussions on NK, alliance following Biden's election
Three ruling party lawmakers, including the chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, left for Washington on Sunday for meetings with US congressional leaders and experts in the wake of Joe Biden's election as US president. The three members of the Democratic Party's task force on Korean Peninsula issues -- Reps. Song Young-gil, Kim Han-jung and Yun Kun-young -- plan to meet with Brad Sherman (D-CA), a member of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia, and Rep. Thomas Suoz
Foreign AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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US House to vote on resolution calling for strengthening alliance with S. Korea
NEW YORK -- The US House of Representatives plans to vote this week on a resolution calling for further strengthening the alliance with South Korea, congressional sources said Saturday, as the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take over. The resolution, which was first introduced by Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) in January and passed unanimously through the House Foreign Affairs Committee in March, has been introduced to a House session set for Wednesday morning, the
Foreign AffairsNov. 15, 2020