Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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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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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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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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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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N. Korea unresponsive to US calls for dialogue: White House
WASHINGTON -- North Korea continues to remain unresponsive to US calls for dialogue, a White House spokesperson said Monday. Jen Psaki also said the US will continue its diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea while working closely with US allies in the region. "I can confirm that we have reached out. We obviously have a number of channels as we always have had that we can reach out through," Psaki told a press briefing. A senior US administration official earlier told Yonhap
Foreign AffairsMarch 16, 2021
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S. Korea, Japan alliances critical to regional issues: US secretaries
WASHINGTON -- US alliances with South Korea and Japan are the key to addressing most pressing issues in the Indo-Pacific region that include China's aggression and North Korea's nuclear programs, top US officials said, calling the alliances force multipliers. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said the US will continue to address such issues diplomatically but also maintain the world's most powerful military to support its efforts. "Our alliances
Foreign AffairsMarch 16, 2021
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Korea to vaccinate 12 million against COVID-19 by June: minister
South Korea will vaccinate 12 million people against COVID-19 by the end of June, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said in a government meeting Monday morning. The minister said the next phase of the vaccination efforts put Korea closer to its hope of exiting the pandemic. “Our destination is clear: To get to herd immunity and return to normal life,” he said. President Moon Jae-in has promised to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to 70 percent of Korea’s 51 million-st
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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Moon, first lady to receive COVID-19 vaccines next week
President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook will receive COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday next week ahead of their planned trip to the UK for the G-7 summit in June, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. The presidential couple will be given the two-dose AstraZeneca vaccines like other citizens here, the presidential office added. “Their planned vaccination also aims to eradicate safety and efficacy concerns surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Moon’s spokesperson Kang Min-seok s
PoliticsMarch 15, 2021
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Moon pledges to clean up corruption in housing market
President Moon Jae-in on Monday vowed to root out corruption in the housing market, calling real estate speculation another form of “deep-rooted evil” that has long been prevalent in society. “Eradicating deep-rooted evil and restoring order in the real estate market will become one of the key goals in the remaining time of the administration,” Moon said in a weekly meeting with his key aides at Cheong Wa Dae. “We should keep in mind that this is the most import
PoliticsMarch 15, 2021
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Family of late transgender soldier to continue legal battle for her reinstatement
The family of Byun Hee-soo, a transgender former soldier who was forcibly discharged from the Army last year, will press ahead with an administrative lawsuit she had filed against the Army before her death, an advocacy group said Monday. Byun's attorneys and family decided on Wednesday to apply for succession of the suit to "fulfill her dream (of serving the country as a transgender soldier) by winning the legal battle at all costs," the group working for Byun's reinstatement and res
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Police seek another missing child in case of toddler’s death
A police investigation looking into who had left a 2-year-old girl alone in an empty house for months continues, after her death reported last week ignited a public uproar. The toddler named Boram was found dead on Feb. 10 in the southeastern city of Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province. Police arrested a 22-year-old woman surnamed Kim on charges of homicide and child neglect as they suspected she had left the child alone as she remarried. Recent DNA test results showed, however, that Kim’s
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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S. Korea reports 31 more cases of COVID-19 variants, total now at 213
South Korea on Monday reported 31 more new cases of major COVID-19 variants, including 12 local infections, prompting health authorities to stay on guard against the spread of the more transmissible strains here. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 24 people were confirmed to have been infected with the British variant, and seven tested positive for the South African strain, raising the total to 213. Among them, 12 were Korean nationals infected with the British varian
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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S. Korea to host forum on digital cooperation with Latin America this week
South Korea will host an annual forum on bilateral cooperation with Latin American countries in Seoul later this week with a focus on digital technologies, the foreign ministry said Monday. The Korea-LAC Digital Cooperation Forum is set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, both online and offline, to discuss cooperation on 5G networks, digital governance, cybersecurity and other issues, the ministry said. LAC stands for Latin American and Caribbean countries. Through this forum, Seoul seek
Foreign AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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US consulted with S. Korea in advance on behind-the-scenes outreach to NK
The United States consulted with South Korea in advance before attempting to reach out to North Korea recently, the unification ministry said Monday. Citing a senior official in the Biden administration, Reuters earlier reported that the new US administration has made several behind-the-scenes attempts to reach out to the North, although unsuccessfully so far. "South Korea and the United States have maintained close consultations and cooperation throughout the overall process of the US po
North KoreaMarch 15, 2021
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Ultrafine dust pollution continues, with yellow dust expected Tuesday
Authorities are under pressure as fine dust levels remain threateningly high in South Korea despite emergency measures to reduce air pollution. An ultrafine dust alert was issued in Seoul on Monday at 11 a.m., as the concentration level reached 76 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the Korea Environment Corporation. Similar alerts were issued for 13 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, where ultrafine dust levels were as high as 81 micrograms per cubic meter. Alerts are issued when
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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US stresses Korea-Japan relations before Blinken trip
The US stressed the importance of the trilateral relationship with South Korea and Japan, as well as between the two neighbors, as the country’s top diplomat embarked on a trip to East Asia amid the rising possibility that Washington could pressure the bickering allies to bury the hatchet and move forward. The State Department released a statement titled “Reaffirming the Unbreakable US-Japan Alliance” on Sunday in the US, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secr
Foreign AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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US seeks stronger alliances to balance China in Seoul trip
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday they expect to forge stronger alliances with South Korea and Japan to resolve global security challenges and counter an assertive China, in their trip to Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday, which immediately follows a visit to Tokyo. “Our diplomats and defense leaders strategize together on how to confront shared threats such as North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs,” the to
DefenseMarch 15, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Police conduct raids against local lawmaker, public servants amid LH scandal
Police on Monday raided the homes and offices of local public servants and a council member in a widening investigation into land speculation nationwide. Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency sent investigators to the home and office of a ruling Democratic Party council member of Siheung and the home and office of a Gwangmyeong municipal government employee. Siheung and Gwangmyeong, both south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, are at the center of a massive scandal sparked by allegations of land speculati
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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Majority of experts say division, conflicts of S. Korean society at serious levels: survey
Nearly 90 percent of experts view the level of social division and conflicts in South Korea as serious, a survey by a parliamentary advisory committee showed Monday. In its survey conducted from March 2-6 on 1,801 experts in social, political or economic affairs who are registered in the National Assembly Library's database, 89 percent of the respondents said social division and conflicts within the country are at serious levels, according to a subunit of the Committee for National Cohesion tha
PoliticsMarch 15, 2021
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S. Korea hopes for N. Korea to take part in World Cup qualifiers despite global pandemic
South Korea on Monday expressed hope for North Korea to take part in an inter-Korean World Cup qualifier scheduled for June as it is preparing to host the soccer match amid the global coronavirus pandemic. The second round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifying tournament began in September 2019 and was supposed to resume in March 2020, but the schedule has been postponed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two Koreas belong to the same Group H, and they played to a scoreless d
North KoreaMarch 15, 2021
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5 military members test positive for COVID-19
An Air Force officer, two Army draftees and two civilian workers for the military have tested positive for the new coronavirus over the weekend, the defense ministry said Monday. The officer stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu was confirmed to have been infected in a test required to exit quarantine, as he has been in isolation after one of his family members tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. One Army draftee in the border town of Goseong and the other one in Yeonche
DefenseMarch 15, 2021
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New infection cases at 1-week low on fewer tests, potential surge woes growing further
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 400 for the first time in a week on Monday as the number of people taking virus tests decreased over the weekend, but health authorities warned that the virus curve is set to follow an upward cycle amid warm weather and an increase in nontraceable cases. The country reported 382 more COVID-19 cases, including 370 local infections, raising the total caseload to 96,107, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The f
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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Moon's approval rating falls to five-week low amid LH land speculation scandal
President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped to its lowest in nine weeks, a poll showed Monday, as his administration struggles to calm public outcry over alleged speculative land purchases by officials at the state-owned housing supply enterprise. Public support for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) also dipped, while that for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ascended, with less than a month left before the all-important Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, according to Realmete
PoliticsMarch 15, 2021
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‘Korea still not through third wave of COVID-19’
The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet in Korea, experts said Sunday, calling on public health officials to keep social distancing measures in place to avoid a new surge in cases. For the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, Korea’s single-day case count exceeded 400 -- reaching 459, of which 436 were locally transmitted and 23 imported, according to government statistics. The cumulative number of cases stood at 95,635. Although the Ministry of Health and Welfare said
Social AffairsMarch 14, 2021