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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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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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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Joint efforts of S. Korea, Japan critical to denuclearization of N. Korea: State Dept.
Any US effort to denuclearize North Korea will not be as effective without the support and close cooperation of both South Korea and Japan, a US State Department official said Friday, highlighting the importance of the two US allies working together. Ned Price, press secretary at the State Department, also said three-way cooperation between the countries is important to promoting their shared values in the Indo-Pacific region. “We know that any approach to North Korea, one that puts den
Foreign AffairsFeb. 20, 2021
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Anti-Asian crimes a disgrace to US, must be stopped: US lawmakers
A group of US lawmakers,including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Friday insisted on an immediate stop to racially motivated crimes, including those targeting Asian Americans, calling them a total disgrace to the country. The call comes amid a sharp increase in anti-Asian hate crimes. “I always say, ‘Our diversity is our strength, our unity is our power,’ and we have unity on this subject. So thank you for the opportunity to salute you, and this precedent to call attention to s
Foreign AffairsFeb. 20, 2021
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Coronavirus cases fall below 500 amid resurgence concerns after eased distancing rules
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 500 for the first time in four days on Saturday, but sporadic infections continued to be reported amid worries over a potential resurgence after the government eased social distancing rules earlier this week. The country reported 448 more COVID-19 cases, including 416 local infections, raising the total caseload to 86,576, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest caseload was down from the previous day's 56
Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2021
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Search under way for fishing boat off eastern coast
POHANG -- The South Korean Coast Guard was searching for a fishing boat with six crew members aboard Friday after it made a distress call in choppy seas off the southeastern coast. The Pohang Coast Guard said it received a report at 6:49 p.m. that the 9.77-ton crab fishing boat was flooding in waters some 42 kilometers east of Gyeongju. Six crew members -- three South Koreans, two Vietnamese and one Korean-Chinese -- were aboard, officials said. The Coast Guard and the Navy dispat
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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200 old Japanese maps define Dokdo as Korean territory
As many as 200 ancient Japanese maps have been confirmed to mark Dokdo in the East Sea as Korean territory, a government-funded foundation here said Friday. The Dokdo Foundation said it has secured the undisputed evidence to deny Tokyo‘s territorial claim to Dokdo after examining some 1,000 old maps owned by various local institutions, including the National Assembly Library, the Northeast Asian History Foundation and the National Map Museum run by the National Geographic Information Ins
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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Coronavirus field inspections due at foreigner-dense workplaces
Quarantine authorities are to conduct intensive coronavirus field inspections at foreigner-dense areas and workplaces and other places deemed highly vulnerable to the pandemic, a government agency said Friday, after recent outbreaks of virus clusters at factories. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, about 1,000 places nationwide, including industrial plants, large-scale workplaces and construction sites, will be subject to such field inspections from Monday
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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Hundreds of cafe, restaurant owners sue govt. over COVID-19 losses
More than 200 owners of cafes and restaurants sued the government on Friday over losses caused by COVID-19 business restrictions. The plaintiffs -- 170 cafe owners and 70 restaurant owners -- said they are seeking 1.2 billion won ($1.08 million) in compensation from the government. The lawsuit, which was filed with the Seoul Central District Court, is the second of its kind. The first one was lodged last month by a group of 358 coffee shop owners seeking 5 million won each. "Ever since t
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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Supreme Court chief justice apologizes, but refuses to quit
Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su apologized again Friday for lying about his alleged role in the recent impeachment of a senior judge as he faces growing heat from opposition lawmakers to step down. "I give my deep apology for causing grave disappointment and concerns with my uncareful reply," the chief justice said in a post uploaded in the intranet for judges and court employees. This marks his second apology over the controversy after the first one issued early this mont
PoliticsFeb. 19, 2021
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N. Korea appoints former trade minister as ambassador to China
North Korea has appointed a former trade minister as the new ambassador to China, the country's foreign ministry said Friday, in what appears to be aimed at strengthening economic ties with its closest ally. Ri Ryong-nam, 61, replaced Ji Jae-ryong, who has served as top envoy in Beijing since 2010, according to a posting on the official website of the ministry. Ri is known for his expertise on trade and the economy as he worked as trade minister in 2008 and as external economic affairs ministe
North KoreaFeb. 19, 2021
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Gay couple sues state health insurer over canceled coverage
A gay couple has sued the state health insurer for canceling its coverage of one of the partners as a dependent, an activist group said Friday. So Seong-wook and his partner Kim Yong-min filed the administrative lawsuit against the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) with the Seoul Administrative Court on Thursday, according to the Korean Network for Partnership and Marriage Rights of LGBT. The NHIS first granted So coverage under Kim's employer-based health insurance program in February
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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Kolon Life executives acquitted of falsifying data of gene therapy drug
Two Kolon Life Science executives were acquitted Friday of involvement in the company's allegedly fraudulent report on a key ingredient in its gene therapy drug. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the ruling to the drugmaker's two executives, surnamed Cho and Kim, who were indicted on charges that included fraud related to the company's suspected illegalities in the development and sales of Invossa, a cell and gene therapy for osteoarthritis. But the court separately ordered Cho, a s
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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S. Korea makes final check on vaccine deployment plan in mock drill
South Korea carried out a final government-wide mock drill Friday for the planned transport of COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the beginning of the inoculation program next week, the defense ministry said. Earlier this month, health authorities and related agencies conducted the first mock drill at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, for the transport of the foreign-made Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Friday's second and final rehearsal focused on transporting the AstraZeneca's vaccine, to be p
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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Sejong University cleared of corruption allegations
Sejong University has been cleared of corruption charges, the institution said Friday. “All charges the Ministry of Education requested investigation on were dropped in December 2020,” the university said in a statement. “There were no violations of laws nor fall in profitability resulting from negligence by Daeyang Foundation board members,” it said, referring to the education institution that operates Sejong University. The university had been under investigation
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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Two court officials arrested over attempt to rape, assault
Two court officials have recently been arrested in separate incidents this month on suspicion of attempting to rape a woman, and assaulting a karaoke owner in Seoul, police said. A drunk official in his 30s chased a woman into a restroom in a building in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where he then beat and attempted to rape the victim on Thursday, police said on Friday. The man, surnamed Kim, fled as the victim resisted and later was arrested by police. The police are investigating him on charges of at
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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Moon says govt. open to special 'consolatory money' for Korean people over coronavirus damages
President Moon Jae-in floated the idea Friday of providing South Korean people with special "consolatory money" once the COVID-19 pandemic is overcome, according to his office. It was unveiled during his meeting with leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) at Cheong Wa Dae. The president was responding to the proposal of offering another batch of emergency cash handouts to support people and businesses against the fallout of the pandemic, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok sai
PoliticsFeb. 19, 2021
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S. Korea exploring ways to help ease food shortage in N. Korea
South Korea is exploring various ways to provide food and fertilizer to North Korea in humanitarian assistance as Pyongyang is believed to be faced with worsening food shortages, the unification ministry said Friday. On Thursday, Unification Minister Lee In-young told lawmakers that the North appears to be faced with a food shortage of about 1.2 million to 1.3 million tons this year mainly due to damage from last year's heavy downpours. "Our position remains the same that humanitarian iss
North KoreaFeb. 19, 2021
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Diplomats of S. Korea, US, Japan agree to closely cooperate on peninsula denuclearization, peace
Diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to closely cooperate to achieve complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula in video talks Friday, the foreign ministry said. Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, Sung Kim, acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Tokyo's foreign ministry, held the conversation to discuss North Korea-related issues.
Foreign AffairsFeb. 19, 2021
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2 Army soldiers, Marine test positive for COVID-19
Two Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The Marine was confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 in a test required before returning to his unit in the city of Gimpo, west of Seoul, after vacationing in the central city of Boryeong, according to the ministry. In Boryeong, a full-time reservist soldier tested positive following direct contact with another person who contracted the virus. An Army officer based in Hwaseon
DefenseFeb. 19, 2021
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PM points to severity of pandemic, vows all-out response for swift containment
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that authorities saw the current state of the pandemic in the nation as being severe and pledged to swiftly deal with the crisis with the government's full capabilities. "Experts are warning that the worst may arrive if the latest growth trend cannot be quickly contained," Chung said during an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul. Chung added, "The government confronts the current situation
PoliticsFeb. 19, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Funeral of activist Paek Ki-wan draws thousands of mourners
A funeral ceremony took place early Friday for activist Paek Ki-wan, who devoted his life to the reunification of the two Koreas and many labor and social issues. Paek died at Seoul National University Hospital on Monday at age 88. He had battled complications of pneumonia for a year. Hundreds of mourners had been waiting outside the hospital, holding signs with the lyrics of "March for the Beloved," a famous pro-democracy movement anthem Paek wrote. They watched the vehicle carryin
Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2021