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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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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When two worlds collab: K-pop flexes power with global stars
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Bipartisan panel formed to address livelihood issues amid tension over first lady probe
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[News Focus] Koreans question ‘fairness’ in apartment policy
SEJONG -- In his speech at Cheong Wa Dae in mid-September, President Moon Jae-in expressed his willingness to provide more houses for newlyweds and those in their 20s and early 30s. The remarks came as part of his pledges to stabilize the real estate market by weeding out speculative investors. Moon reiterated the importance of fairness in the sectors such as employment, education, military draft, society and culture. He also commented the apartment supply for the young generation as a policy
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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PM announces new 5-level social distancing scheme
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Sunday announced a new social distancing scheme based on five levels instead of three, saying the new plan aims to improve anti-virus measures in a tailored fashion amid criticism the current system is too broad-brush. The scheme will take effect Saturday and break up the current three levels into Levels 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3. The government has divided the nation into seven zones, with the level of each zone determined based on the average number of daily infect
PoliticsNov. 1, 2020
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Front-line workers susceptible to mental disorders amid pandemic, a study finds
Front-line medical professionals taking care of COVID-19 patients are at risk of developing mental illnesses, a study said Sunday. According to a study conducted by Yeungnam University researchers published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science, 33.3 percent of 1,003 health care workers at a hospital in Daegu were found to be highly susceptible to depression. It also found 12.5 percent of them to be at a high risk of anxiety disorder. When compared to the general population, the figure was
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Mask rule violators to face fines
Those who violate the face mask mandate may face fines beginning next week, as South Korea aims to continue preventing the spread of the coronavirus with mandatory mask-wearing. After a one-month grace period, which ends Nov. 12, the government will begin imposing fines of 100,000 won ($88) on those who do not wear face masks in public. A face covering is mandatory for those using public transportation, participating in rallies, visiting medical and care facilities, as well as other designat
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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[US elections and Korea] Trump vs. Biden: Key advisers give clues on future foreign policy
US voters this week will choose the leader of the world’s largest economic and military power, faced with the starkly different choices of incumbent President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. The election could be a turning point for South Korea -- a key Washington ally in security, trade, and North Korea diplomacy -- which will face either Trump’s “America First” approach or Biden’s pledge to strengthen the alliance over the next four years.&nb
Foreign AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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[News Focus] Bird flu threat returns to haunt poultry farmers
South Korean authorities and farmers are on alert after a highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in wild bird droppings for the first time in 32 months. The first case was reported on Oct. 25 in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, and was soon followed by another discovery of the contagious H5N8 strain in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The discoveries prompted the Agriculture Ministry and local governments to step up quarantine and biosecurity measures to block a bird flu outbreak among d
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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S. Korea to launch 10-month ecological survey on Han River estuary this week
South Korea will launch an ecological survey on the Han River's estuary along the inter-Korean border this week as part of efforts to implement an agreement with North Korea to jointly use the now-restricted waterway, the unification ministry said Sunday. The survey will start Monday for a 10-month run on about 80 square kilometers of wetland on the southern side of the Han River, near the western border between the two Koreas, to collect "in-depth" ecological and environmental data,
North KoreaNov. 1, 2020
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S. Korean Marines announce first female chopper pilot
A female Marine Corps officer has been assigned to an aviation battalion after completing training as a helicopter pilot, becoming the Marines' first-ever female chopper pilot, officials said Sunday. Lieutenant Cho Sang-ah, 27, was assigned to Marine Corps' 1st Division 1st Battalion as a chopper pilot after successfully completing 9 months of training. This marks the first time a female helicopter pilot was stationed at the Marines in the 71 years since its 1949 establishment. Commissioned in
DefenseNov. 1, 2020
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Moon appoints new minister for food and drug safety
President Moon Jae-in on Sunday appointed Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip, known for his daily coronavirus briefing, as the new minister for food and drug safety in a reshuffle that also affected 11 other vice minister-level posts. Moon also appointed Vice Labor Minister Lim Seo-jeong as senior presidential secretary for jobs and Park Jin-kyu, a former presidential secretary for New Southern and New Northern policies, as vice minister of trade, industry and energy, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang
PoliticsNov. 1, 2020
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Court orders online mall to compensate 2,400 customers for data leak
A Seoul court has ordered a major online shopping mall to compensate more than 2,400 customers 100,000 won ($88) each for a data leak in 2016, legal sources said Sunday. The Seoul Central District Court handed a partial victory to the customers of Interpark Corp., who had demanded 300,000 won each in compensation for the breach. The information of more than 10 million customers, including IDs, passwords, mobile phone numbers and addresses, was compromised in May 2016. "(Interpark) inform
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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N. Korea's anti-virus law imposes requirements on foreigners
An emergency anti-virus law that North Korea recently enacted requires not only its citizens, but also foreigners, to unconditionally obey anti-virus measures, including a ban on entering the sea, according to a state newspaper report. The law also bans foreigners from making unauthorized visits to border regions, while stipulating that the bodies of those who die in an epidemic should be handled according to related regulations, according to the Minju Joson newspaper as obtained by Yonhap News
North KoreaNov. 1, 2020
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NK leader sends congratulatory message to pro-North Korean residents in Japan
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a message to pro-North Korean residents in Japan encouraging them to continue friendly relations with Japan and make sure to be safe from the coronavirus, state media said Sunday. "All the branches should ... create an external environment favorable for the existence and development of the community of the Koreans resident in Japan by taking the initiative in conducting activities for friendship with the Japanese people," Kim said in the letter rel
North KoreaNov. 1, 2020
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S. Korea introduce new 5-level social distancing system
South Korea introduced a new five-tier social distancing system on Sunday to make the government’s antivirus response more quick, effective and sustainable amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. In what Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called “meticulous antivirus response,” the level of antivirus restrictions will be divided into five stages, from the previous three, depending on the scope and magnitude of the virus spread. Also restrictions will be customized for different facil
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Seoul city to fine non-mask-wearers 100,000 won starting Nov. 13
The Seoul metropolitan government will begin imposing fines of 100,000 won ($88) on those who do not wear face masks in public next week, a measure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Enforcement of mandatory mask wearing will begin Nov. 13 after a one-month trial period, officials said. Exceptions will be made for children under the age of 14, the disabled and those diagnosed with a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to breathe through a mask. All others can al
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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Popular Seoul areas crowded on Halloween night despite COVID-19 woes
Popular areas in the South Korean capital were bustling with crowds celebrating Halloween on Saturday despite continued warnings by authorities against potential new coronavirus transmissions. While most major clubs in the popular areas of Hongdae, Itaewon and Gangnam were closed as part of precautionary measures, people instead flocked to bars in the areas to enjoy the weekend. Itaewon in the central Seoul ward of Yongsan was crowded with people wearing Halloween costumes. The lines to sign d
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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83 deaths reported among people who received flu vaccine: authorities
South Korea's public health agency said Saturday that a total of 83 people, most of whom are elderly, died after being administered with a seasonal flu vaccine. The deaths have stoked public anxiety over the safety of flu vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the deaths of 72 people have very limited relation with the flu shots. Another 11 cases are currently under investigation. Of the total, 37 people are in their 70s, followed by 34 people aged 80 or old
Social AffairsOct. 31, 2020
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[Eye Plus] A trip into the past
Located at the very center of Seoul, the palace Deoksugung is at the heart of Korean history, having served the long line of the Joseon era’s kings until the very last. Adopted as a royal palace in 1593 when King Seonjo returned to Seoul after he fled the capital during the Japanese invasion, Deoksugung served as the temporary residence of kings until 1897, when it became an imperial palace after Joseon’s last king, Gojong, proclaimed the country an empire. In the latest
Social AffairsOct. 31, 2020
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S. Korea confirms 3rd MIS-C cases
An additional case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) has been confirmed in South Korea, bringing the total caseload to three, health authorities said Saturday. The 14-year-old girl was admitted to a hospital and recovered from the disease earlier this year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). KDCA has conducted an investigation into eight suspected MIS-C cases and confirmed that a total of three children had the syndrome that affects seve
Social AffairsOct. 31, 2020
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3 killed, 19 injured in fishing boat collision with bridge
BORYEONG/TAEAN -- Three South Koreans were killed and 19 others were injured after their fishing boat collided with a bridge pier on the country's west coast earlier Saturday, the Korea Coast Guard said. The accident occurred at around 5:41 a.m. when the 9.77-ton boat carrying 21 recreational fishermen and a skipper collided with one of the piers of a bridge connecting Anmyeon Island and Wonsan Island. Three out of the four men found unconscious by the Coast Guard were pronounced dead at hospi
Social AffairsOct. 31, 2020
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UN panel says N. Korean mortar apparently used in terrorist attack in Somalia
The al-Shabab Islamic extremist group used what appears to be a North Korean mortar in an apparent attack against the United Nations compound in Somalia earlier this year, a UN panel has said, in a sign of possible arms deals between the two sides. The al-Qaida-linked group carried out six separate mortar attacks on the international airport in the Somalian capital, Mogadishu, between February and May. One of the attacks involved four 60-mm mortar rounds that were fired in the direction of th
North KoreaOct. 31, 2020