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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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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When two worlds collab: K-pop flexes power with global stars
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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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S. Korea warns against ‘hasty’ expectation about vaccine results
South Korea’s health authorities said Tuesday it is “encouraging” that US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer has made a breakthrough in developing a vaccine against the coronavirus, but warned against “hasty” expectations. Pfizer announced Monday that its vaccine candidate developed with BioNTech was found to be more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, raising hopes for bringing forward an end to the global fight against the pandemic. “As the virus s
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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‘Coronavirus blame game has to stop’
Coronavirus patients and their contacts being exposed to public shaming in the name of public health is a trend that could hurt the pandemic response, experts say. Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff Noh Young-min has come under fire after he called the organizers of an anti-Moon Jae-in protest “murderers” at last week’s parliamentary audit session. “Not thieves, the organizers of this protest are murderers,” he said, accusing them of coronavirus spread and economic decl
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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S. Korea's spy chief meets Suga amid protracted dispute over wartime forced labor
TOKYO/SEOUL -- South Korea's National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo on Tuesday, a senior Japanese official said, amid strained relations between the two countries over wartime history and trade. Tokyo's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a regular press briefing that Park paid a courtesy call on Suga, in the first high-level meeting between the two countries since Suga took office in September after his predecessor,
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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Estee Lauder apologizes for changing foundation color 'unfit for Asians'
US cosmetic giant Estee Lauder posted an apology on Instagram Tuesday after shipping the wrong color foundation to an online customer with a note saying that the product she ordered "does not suit Asians." Estee Lauder was accused of racism after an anonymous customer posted a review on the Korean e-commerce site 11st on Sunday, claiming a Seoul department state selling its products online arbitrarily switched the color of the foundation she ordered. The photo posted by the customer
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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Court public notice takes effect for compensation of wartime forced laborers
A public notice by a court went into effect on Tuesday to proceed with a stalled legal process to liquidate the assets of a Japanese firm and compensate wartime forced laborers. The Daejeon District Court in central South Korea has served the notice to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) to institute the compensation process, as the Japanese company failed to respond to a ruling by South Korea's Supreme Court to compensate five forced laborers and their families who suffered during World War
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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S. Korea considering arranging Moon-Biden phone talks at 'appropriate time': foreign ministry
South Korea is considering arranging phone talks between President Moon Jae-in and US President-elect Joe Biden at an "appropriate" time, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Lee Jae-woong, the ministry's deputy spokesman, made the remarks as speculation has grown over when Moon will hold his first phone conversation with Biden as President Donald Trump has refused to concede defeat in last week's election. "We are considering holding diplomatic events with the US president-elect,
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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Activists urge thorough environmental survey of former USFK base in Chuncheon
CHUNCHEON -- Civic activists in Chuncheon on Tuesday called on authorities to conduct a sweeping environmental survey on the site of a former United States Forces Korea (USFK) base in the center of the Gangwon Province capital, after about 30 vacant drum cans were found buried there last month. The activists said the recent discovery of massive drum cans on the former site of Camp Page in Chuncheon, about 90 kilometers east of Seoul, came after soil contamination more than six times the permiss
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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[News Focus] Will new investigative entity have authority to indict?
SEJONG -- A coming independent investigative unit in South Korea is drawing close attention as it is seen as a way to identify corrupt prosecutors and high-profile government officials. Its launch was initiated by left-wing politicians from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea as part of their prosecutorial reform efforts. It is tentatively dubbed the Senior Civil Servant Crime Investigation Unit. Though the main opposition People Power Party eventually agreed to the installation of the
PoliticsNov. 10, 2020
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101 suspected flu shot deaths reported in S. Korea
South Korea's health agency said Tuesday that a total of 101 people, most of whom were elderly, died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines. The deaths had stoked public anxiety over the safety of such vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 97 of those deaths have very limited relation with the flu shots. Another four cases are under investigation. Of the total, 84 people were aged over 70, followed by eight under 60 and nine in their 60s, the KDCA said. The
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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S. Korea proposes co-hosting youth sports competition with N. Korea
CHUNCHEON -- South Korea has made its first formal proposal to North Korea to co-host an upcoming international youth sports competition. The province of Gangwon on the east coast of South Korea said Tuesday it sent a letter to Pyongyang in August, with the help of civic organizations that provide aid to the North, seeking an opportunity to stage the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics together. Gangwon was named the host of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) event in January this year. Though t
North KoreaNov. 10, 2020
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Air Force officer indicted on bribery charges in 'emperor-like' military service case
Military prosecutors indicted an Air Force major Tuesday on charges of giving preferential treatment to an enlisted airman under his supervision, such as granting him frequent off-base trips, in return for expensive meals from his father, the Air Force said. Military investigators looked into the "emperor-like" military service case after allegations surfaced earlier this year that the staff sergeant enjoyed a variety of privileges, including having a noncommissioned officer do errand
DefenseNov. 10, 2020
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‘Squeezing’ N. Korea could backfire: experts
US President-elect Joe Biden’s potential national security advisers may recommend ratcheting up pressure on North Korea, but such moves, if pushed to the extreme, could backfire and a new strategy may be necessary. With the new Biden national security team yet to take shape, experts said prospective advisers understand the importance of sanctions to engage Pyongyang in talks. “These advisers believe Trump squandered the reputational weight of the presidency by meeting Kim Jong-un
North KoreaNov. 10, 2020
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Moon administration cut special activity spending by 40%: finance minister
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Tuesday the incumbent government has drastically cut its special expenses in the past four years, following the main opposition party’s demand for a comprehensive review on such kind of funds spent by government bodies. “The size of special activity funds has been reduced by 40.5 percent in the past four years since the current administration was launched,” Hong said during a meeting of the special committee on
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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S. Korea to continue consultation with Japan on wartime forced labor amid legal compensation process: ministry
South Korea will continue close consultations with Japan over the long-simmering issue of Tokyo's wartime forced labor, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, as a legal process to compensate victims took a step forward with no diplomatic solution in sight. A district court in the central city of Daejeon has served Mitsubishi Heavy Industries a public notice related to the victims' request to sell off local assets of the Japanese firm. The notice took effect at the start of Tuesday. The public not
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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Kang, Pompeo reaffirm close cooperation on peninsular affairs
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed their commitment for their countries to closely cooperate on ensuring the stable management of the Korean Peninsula situation. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said the top diplomats of the two countries held talks during a luncheon in Washington on Monday, discussing pending bilateral and regional issues. Kang and Pompeo agreed on continuing efforts to develop South Korea-US relations a
Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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Watchdog advises mandatory human rights training for nursing home workers
The state human rights watchdog on Tuesday called for the mandatory training of nursing home workers against human rights abuses of elderly patients. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said it has advised the health minister to come up with legal provisions on human rights training for the workers, and also to require such training for the certification of nursing homes. "Caregivers at nursing homes are not included in the official nursing and long-term care system and therefor
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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Arrest warrant denied for Korean child porn site operator
The South Korean national who operated the world’s largest child pornography website remains free, after a local court denied an arrest warrant for him late Monday night. The Seoul Central District Court denied the request from the prosecution on Monday, as the accused, Son Jong-woo, has been closely cooperating with the investigation and is deemed unlikely to flee or destroy evidence. “The suspect has acknowledged his crimes, and much of the basic evidence has been compiled alread
Social AffairsNov. 10, 2020
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Parties in process to pick inaugural chief of new anti-corruption probe body
Eleven seasoned legal professionals have been nominated to lead an envisioned organization tasked with investigating corruption among high-ranking government officials, as doubts remain over whether the organization will be launched anytime soon amid a drawn-out partisan strife. The nominations were filed earlier this week by a seven-member panel of government officials and outside experts, entrusted to designate two final candidates for the top post of the Corruption Investigation Office for H
PoliticsNov. 10, 2020
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Watchdog asks police to refrain from handcuffing suspects from the back
The nation's civil rights watchdog on Tuesday urged police to refrain from handcuffing suspects behind their backs to help reduce the possibility of human rights infringements. The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission said it has sent a recommendation on amending law enforcement guidance related to the use of handcuffs to the National Police Agency (NPA). In the recommendation, the commission asked that police officers always put on wearable cameras before arresting criminal suspects
PoliticsNov. 10, 2020
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Military to improve border security system following N. Korean's unhindered crossing
The military will take steps to improve the border security system after a North Korean man crossed the heavily guarded border into the South unhindered last week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. The man, whose identity was withheld, was captured Wednesday, 14 hours after he crossed the border in a suspected defection attempt. The military came under heavy fire in the wake of the security failure. JCS spokesperson Col. Kim Jun-rak said during a press briefing Tuesday that the mil
North KoreaNov. 10, 2020