Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
The South Korean government has raised its terror alert level from the lowest to the third-highest in its four-tier system, specifically targeting five overseas diplomatic missions, in light of intelligence indicating potential terror threats from North Korea. The announcement was made Thursday by the Foreign Ministry and the Office for Government Policy Coordination following a meeting convened under the National Counter Terrorism Center. The purpose of the meeting was to "assess the count
Foreign AffairsMay 2, 2024
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Medical schools to increase up to 1,509 seats for 2025
South Korea will see an increase of additional seats in medical school admission next year ranging from 1,489 to 1,509, said the Ministry of Education Thursday, less than the 2,000 slots the government had initially allocated. The Education Ministry and the Korean Council for University Education unveiled the finalized enrollment quota submitted by 31 out of 32 medical schools that have been allocated additional seats. Thirty-one medical schools handed in a total of 1,469 slots to increase by 20
Social AffairsMay 2, 2024
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Yoon's office to set up task force to keep growth momentum
The presidential office will establish a pangovernmental task force dedicated to protecting the country's strategic industries and encourage concerted efforts among government bodies, following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's projection of South Korea's economic growth this year, Thursday. "(South Korea) won't be able to sustain victory in the battlefield of countries pouring efforts on key industries, without removing barriers between ministr
PoliticsMay 2, 2024
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Public backlash against division of Gyeonggi Province under 'corny' name
Gyeonggi Province’s plan to split off a northern section of the province under a new name as the special self-governing province of "Pyeonghwa Nuri” is facing public backlash, with an online petition against the proposed name drawing over 27,000 participants as of Thursday afternoon. The petition was filed shortly after Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon unveiled the winning name following a monthlong competition held in January, in a press conference Wednesday. Abbreviated, a
Social AffairsMay 2, 2024
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
The opposition-led National Assembly unilaterally passed a special bill on Thursday to open an investigation into suspicions that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration abused its power to disrupt a probe into the death of a young Marine last year. Of the current total 296 members of the single-chamber National Assembly, all 168 who participated in the vote moved in favor of passing the bill, which seeks to launch an investigation into suspicions that the Yoon administration coerced an investigator
PoliticsMay 2, 2024
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Seoul to loosen building height restrictions after 50 years
Seoul's "high-altitude" regulations that control building heights near mountains and major facilities are poised to be relaxed for the first time since their adoption over 50 years ago. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that the city’s Urban Planning Commission signed and approved an amendment to reorganize high-altitude regulations on Wednesday. High-altitude regulations are a part of Seoul’s city management plan, which sets a maximum height limit f
Social AffairsMay 2, 2024
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Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
The Yoon Suk Yeol government on Thursday unveiled its plans to more than double its military drone fleet by 2026 to enhance the military's readiness against threats from North Korea's unmanned aerial vehicles. The meeting of the presidential Defense Innovation Committee, chaired by National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin, focused on strategies to bolster drone capabilities directly tied to the military's readiness posture, according to President Yoon Suk Yeol's office. "O
DefenseMay 2, 2024
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
Over 60 percent of South Koreans supported an initiative of providing a 100 million won ($72,500) cash incentive for each newborn, aiming to tackle the country's low and declining birth rates, a government survey showed Thursday. The survey, conducted from April 17 to 26 by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission involving 13,640 individuals, aimed to assess the effectiveness of providing direct support to beneficiaries of birth boost policies. The survey queried whether significant
Social AffairsMay 2, 2024
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Another suspect grilled in probe of alleged interference in Marine's death inquiry
The anti-corruption investigation office questioned a former defense ministry official as a power abuse suspect Thursday over allegations of external pressure placed on the military investigation into last year's death of a young Marine. Park Gyeong-hun, the former acting chief of the ministry's National Investigation Headquarters, appeared at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, Thursday morning, while remaining tight-lipped when
Social AffairsMay 2, 2024
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Yoon vows to protect 'value of labor' on Labor Day
President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to protect the "value of labor" as he marked Labor Day on Wednesday. Yoon also said in a Facebook post that South Korea's remarkable growth was thanks to the "sweat and efforts" of its 28.4 million workers. "The government and I will protect the precious value of labor without fail," he wrote. "We will make your workplaces safer and fairer, and thoroughly see to it that you can find the meaning of life through labor." Mea
PoliticsMay 1, 2024
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
In this series, The Korea Herald sits down with newcomers who were chosen by South Koreans to serve on the National Assembly for the next four years, to talk about their visions and takes on issues in Seoul and beyond. -- Ed. The complete denuclearization of North Korea is not only the ultimate goal but also a viable aim of the security efforts of South Korea and the US, according to Kim Gunn, who was until recently Seoul’s top nuclear envoy. Kim, who was elected by proportional representa
PoliticsMay 1, 2024
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
Over 30,000 workers affiliated with the country's two major umbrella labor unions held rallies in Seoul on Wednesday on International Workers' Day, criticizing President Yoon Suk Yeol's proposal to hire foreign domestic workers outside the minimum wage system. Unionized workers described Yoon's proposal addressed earlier this month as an attempt not only to discriminate against foreign workers but also to deny the application of the minimum wage system to a select group of pe
Social AffairsMay 1, 2024
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New hard-line leadership of doctors group prepares for govt. dialogue
The Korean Medical Association, the largest group in the medical community representing some 140,000 doctors nationwide, inaugurated its new leader Wednesday, seeking to unite the voices of doctors in preparation for a possible dialogue with the government. The association's new leader, Lim Hyun-taek, has maintained a hard-line stance against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's move to increase the number of doctors in the country to cope with population aging. The 54-year-old pediatrician is ant
Social AffairsMay 1, 2024
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
Former US President Donald Trump has criticized South Korea's contribution to US Forces expenses, claiming they were "free of charge," and scrutinized the Biden administration's defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea. "I want South Korea to treat us properly," Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election in November, said during his interview with Time magazine released Tuesday. Trump reiterated his long-standing personal belief
Foreign AffairsMay 1, 2024
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
Seoul Metro, the operator of the Seoul subway system, is set to adopt a tougher stance to combat persistent harassment and verbal abuse by imposing restrictions on complaints and considering legal action against repeat offenders. “We will actively pursue measures to address repeated malicious complaints that disrupt our operations,” the operator said Wednesday in a statement. Under the new measures, repeat offenders will be registered on a blacklist and will be barred from submitti
Social AffairsMay 1, 2024
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S. Korea lowers COVID-19 warning level, lifts last-remaining antivirus mandates
Wearing marks at hospitals in South Korea is not a must anymore as the government downgraded the infection level of COVID-19 and lifted most last-remaining antivirus regulations. Effective Wednesday, the country lowered the four-grade COVID-19 crisis level from the second-highest "alert" to the lowest "concern" in a move to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The decision came more than four years a
Social AffairsMay 1, 2024
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
South Korea's potential participation in part of the AUKUS security partnership was among the agenda items it discussed with Australia during a "two plus two" meeting among their foreign and defense chiefs Wednesday, the Korean defense minister said. Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark during a joint press conference, noting that his country's possible participation in the minilateral security partnership, comprising Australia, Britain and the United States, will co
Foreign AffairsMay 1, 2024