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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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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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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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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[Seoul Struggles 2] Lack of booths leaves Seoul smokers cornered
A Friday night in Gangnam means restaurants and bars crowded with people socializing and celebrating the weekend, but come the morning, every back alley and corner is strewn with cigarette butts. Gutters that start relatively empty and clean in the morning end up filled with cigarette butts by nighttime, and the view is unpleasant for smokers and nonsmokers alike. “It’s flat-out disgusting,” said Yoon Eun-hye, a 26-year-old nonsmoker who visits the Gangnam Station area almos
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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Police arrest 40 members of drug trafficking ring
Police said Tuesday they have arrested about 40 members of a drug trafficking ring including its key figure. They were found to have smuggled methamphetamine from Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries and distributed the illegal drugs to individuals, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. Among them is a man in his 50s who is suspected to have played a leading role in the organization. Police apprehended him at a studio flat in southwestern Seoul in mid-February after a six-month m
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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Haemi martyrdom shrine proclaimed as Vatican's int'l pilgrimage site
The Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground, a Catholic sacred place in Seosan, central South Korea, has been proclaimed as an official international pilgrimage site by the Vatican, the city government said Tuesday. The Holy See designated and proclaimed the Seosan martyrdom holy ground, also known as the Shrine of Haemi, as an official international pilgrimage site on March 1, according to the municipality of Seosan, a South Chungcheong Province city about 280 kilometers south of Seoul. On Nov. 29 last y
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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S. Korea to open new test bed for antivirus home products, promote exports
South Korea said Tuesday it plans to establish new test facilities designed to verify the safety of antivirus home products to cope with their soaring demand amid the new coronavirus pandemic. The country plans to allocate a 4.8 billion won ($4.23 million) budget to establish infrastructure to test products, such as hand sanitizers and protective masks, under cooperation with the Korea Testing & Research Institute, according to the state-run Korean Agency for Technology and Standards. The
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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2 Army officers test positive for COVID-19
Two Army officers have tested positive for the new coronavirus after infections were reported at their bases, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The officers serving in the southwestern county of Jangseong and the northeastern county of Inje, respectively, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after they came into contact with soldiers at their units who tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among military peopl
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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NK economic officials blame themselves for lack of progress in development plans
North Korea's official newspaper on Tuesday carried contribution pieces by officials in the Cabinet and economic sectors holding themselves accountable for the lack of progress in economic development. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, carried a contribution piece in a newly added section written by Jo Yong-dok, department director of the Cabinet, criticizing the lack of cooperation between industries. "Production was hindered by the lack of cooperati
North KoreaMarch 9, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Police raid LH headquarters over land speculation scandal
Police on Tuesday launched a raid on the headquarters of the state housing corporation over allegations of land speculation by more than a dozen of its employees. The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency sent investigators to the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) headquarters in Jinju, 434 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to seize material on the transactions based allegedly on insider information. The police agency also dispatched investigators to LH offices in Gwacheon and Incheon, both located near S
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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Clusters, rising travel drag on virus battle; new infections over 400 again
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 400 on Tuesday as continued cluster infections and increased outdoor activity are feared to ignite another surge in virus infections. The country reported 446 more COVID-19 cases, including 427 local infections, raising the total caseload to 93,263, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections stayed below 400 on Monday apparently due to less testing over the weekend after exceeding the threshold f
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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S. Korea considers joining Quad Plus to steer US toward talks with N. Korea: policy adviser
WASHINGTON -- South Korea may be considering joining a US-led regional forum that it had previously shunned, in an effort to influence US policy toward North Korea, a member of South Korea's presidential policy advisory group said. Hwang Ji-hwan, a member of the president's commission on policy planning, said the Seoul government, just like the US government, does not aim for a sudden or complete removal of sanctions on North Korea but to do so gradually through a process of diplomacy and negot
Foreign AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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S. Korea, US reached 'fair' agreement on defense cost-sharing: S. Korean negotiator
South Korea and the United States have reached a "fair" agreement on the sharing of the cost to maintain US troops on the Korean Peninsula, a South Korean diplomat said Monday. Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's top negotiator in cost-sharing talks, said specific details of the new Special Measures Agreement (SMA) are still subject to internal reviews. "We did our utmost. I wish to say we have reached an agreement between South Korea and the United States that is reasonable and fair and is a
Foreign AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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US reaches consensus on new 'six-year' SMA with S. Korea: State Dept. spokesman
The new defense cost-sharing agreement between South Korea and the United States will be effective for six years if signed, a spokesman for the US State Department said Monday. The first detail of the agreement came one day after the countries said they have reached a consensus on the agreement that will set South Korea's share of the burden in maintaining US troops on the Korean Peninsula. "The United States and Republic of Korea negotiators did reach a consensus on a proposed text of a
Foreign AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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S. Korea, EU vow cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine supplies
South Korea and the European Union (EU) on Monday agreed to step up cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine supplies, with the EU pledging to smoothly supply vaccines to Seoul. The agreement was made in a telephone conversation between South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement. South Korea and the EU agreed to maintain their partnership in trade, investment, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, according t
Social AffairsMarch 8, 2021
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New virus cases under 400 on less testing; potential resurgence still worrisome
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 400 on Monday apparently due to less testing over the weekend, but health authorities remained wary of a potential resurgence as outdoor activity increases due to warmer weather. The country reported 346 more COVID-19 cases, including 335 local infections, raising the total caseload to 92,817, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections had been above 400 for two consecutive days, with 418 cases Satur
Social AffairsMarch 8, 2021
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Moon urges prosecution-police cooperation in probe of land speculation scandal
President Moon Jae-in called Monday for systemic cooperation between the prosecution service and the police in looking into the current land speculation scandal involving employees at the state housing corporation, Cheong Wa Dae said. "All administrative and investigative power that the country has should be mobilized. We must not let the people down," he was quoted as saying in his closing statement during a session to receive policy briefings from the Ministry of Justice and the Min
PoliticsMarch 8, 2021
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[#WeFACE] S. Korea’s ambitious climate goals need ‘road map’: EU ambassador to Korea
Last year South Korea pledged to invest more in clean energy and green infrastructure, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 -- ambitious climate goals for one of the world’s key emitters. It is time for Korea to turn its words into action by devising a concrete road map and bringing an end to financing for overseas coal plants, according to the top representative of the European Union here. “In less than a year, Korea politically committed to doing a lot of things for climate,
Diplomatic CircuitMarch 8, 2021
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No link found yet between COVID-19 vaccines and deaths: KDCA
South Korean public health authorities said Monday that they had yet to find any evidence that COVID-19 vaccines played a role in eight deaths that had occurred among newly vaccinated people. Jung Eun-kyeong, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency commissioner, told a news briefing that its investigations so far had found no link between the vaccines and the deaths. For three more vaccinated people who died in the past day, investigations will proceed swiftly, she said. Jung said th
Social AffairsMarch 8, 2021
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PM orders creation of police-led team over LH scandal
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Monday ordered the creation of a police-led investigative team to get to the bottom of a massive land speculation scandal involving public officials. Chung gave the order to Nam Gu-jun, the inaugural chief of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) under the National Police Agency, during a meeting in which Nam briefed the prime minister on the police's own investigation plans regarding the issue. The scandal centers on allegations that more than a dozen emp
PoliticsMarch 8, 2021
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7 Thais nabbed for allegedly trafficking meth disguised as vitamins
JEONJU -- A group of Thai nationals has been apprehended for allegedly smuggling narcotics worth tens of millions of dollars into South Korea, local police said Monday. The Jeonbuk Police Agency said they were investigating seven illegal immigrants from Thailand on charges of trafficking some 5 kilograms of methamphetamine and 10,000 tablets of "ya ba," a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine, and selling them to fellow Thais working in South Korea from September. The drugs we
Social AffairsMarch 8, 2021
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Constitutional Court dismisses motion by embattled former judge to veto justice in impeachment trial
The Constitutional Court on Monday rejected a request by retired judge Lim Seong-geun to exclude a particular justice from his impeachment trial. Lim filed the motion that the court should except Justice Lee Suk-tae from the upcoming trial, questioning Lee's capability to render a fair and impartial verdict, given his former legal activities. The eight justices of the court unanimously decided that there were not "objective circumstances" to accept the request. Lim was impeached las
PoliticsMarch 8, 2021
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Moon says state prosecutors have yet to gain public trust
President Moon Jae-in called on the state prosecution service Monday to earn public trust, saying the separation of its rights to investigate crimes and indict suspects is necessary to reform the prosecution. The prosecution should be able to assure the public that the exercise of its rights is fair, not arbitrary or selective, he stressed. There has been no improvement, however, in public confidence in the prosecution's impartiality despite efforts by most prosecutors, he added. The presiden
PoliticsMarch 8, 2021