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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Military says annual defense drill is defensive in nature amid NK criticism
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday an annual military exercise under way across the country is defensive in nature after North Korean propaganda outlets denounced it as an intolerable provocation. South Korea kicked off the Hoguk exercise on Oct. 19, involving the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, staging various programs including joint landing drills. On Monday, DPRK Today, one of the North's propaganda websites, bristled at the exercise, saying it represents "yet anot
DefenseOct. 29, 2020
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NK slams top S. Korean security official over remarks about inter-Korean ties
North Korea sharply criticized South Korea's national security adviser over his remarks during a recent trip to the United States that inter-Korean relations should be resolved through discussions with the US and other countries in the region. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the remarks by Suh Hoon, chief of the South's presidential National Security Office, represent a "denial and betrayal" of a series of inter-Korean agreements. "South Korea's security advi
North KoreaOct. 29, 2020
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USFK puts Itaewon off-limits for Halloween weekend over virus concerns
The US Forces Korea (USFK) has placed the popular nightlife district of Itaewon in central Seoul off-limits for the upcoming Halloween weekend to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The multicultural district has been popular among foreigners and some South Koreans for Halloween celebrations, but concerns have risen over possible COVID-19 infections among partygoers. Itaewon clubs were key sources of cluster infections in May. "The Itaewon entertainment district is off-limits to al
Social AffairsOct. 29, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court confirms 17-year prison term for ex-President Lee Myung-bak in corruption case
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 17-year prison sentence handed down by an appeals court for former President Lee Myung-bak on embezzlement and bribery charges. In February, the Seoul High Court sentenced the 78-year-old to 17 years in prison, a fine of 13 billion won ($10.9 million) and a forfeit of 5.7 billion won in a high-profile corruption case. The former president, who governed the country from 2008-2013, was charged in April 2018 with 16 counts of criminal allegations, including
Social AffairsOct. 29, 2020
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Xi renews commitment to firming up relations with N. Korea 'generation after generation'
Chinese President Xi Jinping has renewed his commitment to firm up relations with North Korea "generation after generation," saying the world is witnessing the "great rapid change unprecedented in 100 years," Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday. Xi made the remarks in a response message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after Kim sent a congratulatory message earlier this month on the occasion of the 71st founding anniversary of China, according to the Korean Central
North KoreaOct. 29, 2020
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Sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks continue in Greater Seoul area
South Korea reported a triple-digit increase in new COVID-19 cases for the second straight day Thursday, amid rising cases traced to nursing homes and hospitals as well as the emergence of new clusters of infections mostly within Greater Seoul. Korea reported 125 new coronavirus cases --106 cases locally transmitted and 19 imported from overseas -- in the 24 hours ending Wednesday at midnight, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Despite ups and downs in the daily
Social AffairsOct. 29, 2020
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S. Korean candidate behind Nigerian rival in global trade-chief race
GENEVA -- South Korea's trade minister has failed to drum up landslide support from member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to head the global trade body, with her Nigerian rival standing ahead in a two-way race, the outcome of a WTO General Council meeting showed Wednesday. The WTO said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria has garnered more support from the WTO's 164 member states than South Korea's Yoo Myung-hee. As the process to pick the new director-general of the WTO is based on
Foreign AffairsOct. 29, 2020
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Moon says S. Korea to keep working with WHO, int'l community on coronavirus
President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed South Korea's commitment Thursday to continued cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international community against COVID-19. He was replying to a Twitter message by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus regarding Seoul's "effective" handling of the pandemic. Moon thanked him for speaking highly of what South Korea has done so far. "Korea's response has been relatively successful thanks to our people who have tu
PoliticsOct. 29, 2020
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Peace on Korean Peninsula ultimate goal of US regardless of election outcome: Ambassador Lee
WASHINGTON -- Establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula will remain the ultimate goal of the US-South Korea alliance regardless of who wins the upcoming US presidential election, South Korea's top diplomat in the United States said Wednesday. Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuck said that both the Republican and Democratic parties agree on the need to denuclearize North Korea and establish lasting peace on the peninsula. "Regardless of which government comes next, making the establishment of a peace
Foreign AffairsOct. 29, 2020
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S. Korea urges Japan to show more sincerity to resolve forced labor row
South Korea urged Japan on Thursday to show more sincerity to resolve a prolonged row over wartime forced labor and swiftly remove its export curbs on Seoul, the foreign ministry said. Kim Jung-han, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at the foreign ministry, delivered the position during a meeting in Seoul with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, in their first talks since Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office last month. "Director General Kim again explai
Foreign AffairsOct. 29, 2020
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Denuclearization will bring prosperity of N. Korea, not end of regime: O'Brien
WASHINGTON -- North Korea's denuclearization would bring prosperity to the communist country, instead of the collapse of its regime as feared by leader Kim Jong-un, the top US security adviser said Wednesday. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said that was the vision President Donald Trump tried to lay out for Kim, for which he insisted the US leader deserved praise. "There is a lot of concern on the North Korean side that if the Kim family gives up their nuclear weapons, it could
North KoreaOct. 29, 2020
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Japanese diplomat arrives in Seoul for talks on wartime history, trade
A Japanese diplomat arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for talks with his South Korean counterparts amid a prolonged row between the two countries over Tokyo's wartime forced labor and export curbs. Shigeki Takizaki, director general at the Japanese foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau, began his three-day visit on his first trip to South Korea since Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office last month. On Thursday, Takizaki is set to hold separate talks with Kim Jung-han,
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Director Kim Ki-duk loses lawsuit against actress, broadcaster for airing sexual abuse allegations
Kim Ki-duk, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, has lost a compensation suit he filed against an actress and a local broadcaster, both of whom raised allegations of his sex crimes. The Seoul Western District Court on Wednesday ruled for the defendants, dismissing Kim's claims that the actress and the broadcaster MBC falsely accused him of sexual assault, thereby defaming him. The director, who was at the center of a massive #MeToo scandal from 2017-2018, had sought 1 billion won ($885,740)
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Seoul Brand Global Forum discusses city leadership in COVID-19 era
Scholars and experts virtually gathered Wednesday for a livestreamed forum hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to discuss the future of city leadership in the post-COVID-19 era. The fifth “Seoul Brand Global Forum” was held under the theme of “SEOUL Initiative-The Future of City Leadership,” at SEOUL ON, the city’s studio dedicated to video conferences. The one-day forum was organized to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the launch of Seoul’s ci
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Seoul ups club checks ahead of Halloween
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will toughen its on-site inspections on nightlife businesses to verify their compliance with antivirus measures ahead of Halloween amid concerns over another potential outbreak of mass coronavirus infections. Talks on temporary suspensions of operations on Halloween weekend are underway with owners of night entertainment venues including nightclubs, no-alcohol dancing halls called colatec and bars with dancing spaces, the city said. “The city will make
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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S. Korea to donate $10m to support coronavirus vaccine supplies to developing countries
South Korea decided to donate $10 million to a multilateral platform designed to fund coronavirus vaccine distributions to developing countries, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The money will be provided to the COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) to procure vaccines through pre-purchase contracts with manufacturers and distribute them to the relatively more vulnerable regions, the ministry said in a release. The COVAX AMC is run by the Gavi vaccine alliance, an inter
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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In aftermath of medical strike, hospitals face shortage of interns
Hospitals in South Korea anticipate fewer interns next year as more than two-thirds of medical students refused to take the licensing examinations in protest of the administration’s new health care policies. As the novel coronavirus is expected to persist, this shortage may prove a blow to the country’s pandemic response, experts worry. Yet another meeting between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medical Association fell through Tuesday, hindering further th
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Moon says 2021 budget will lay grounds for ‘leading economy’
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday pledged to focus on economic recovery, and to forge ahead with the Korean New Deal in order to reinvent Korea as a “leading economy.” “The 2021 budget bill the government is submitting is a budget for ‘overcoming the era of crisis to rise as a leading nation,’” Moon said. “The priority is given to quickly overcoming the crisis to support people’s livelihoods, and to achieve rapid and strong economic recovery. I
PoliticsOct. 28, 2020
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Front-runner in WTO chief race to emerge after last round of selection process
A front-runner in the race for the helm of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is set to be revealed Wednesday, as South Koreans are holding their breath to watch the fate of their country's finalist candidate, Yoo Myung-hee, in the hard-fought contest. Wrapping up the monthslong selection process marked by intense power politics and behind-the-scenes diplomacy, the WTO is set to notify its member states of the outcome of the third and last round of consultations during which they indicated thei
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Golf club gathering emerges as hotbed of novel coronavirus
A gathering at a golf club in Yongin, south of Seoul, has emerged as a new hotbed for cluster infections of the new coronavirus, health authorities said Wednesday. Virus cases traced to the golf gathering that took place on Oct. 17 came to 42, up 11 from a day earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Of them, 16 were participants, 25 were family members and acquaintances and one was a golf club employee, it said. The gathering was organized as part of an a
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020