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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S. Korea decides to ease social distancing, retains ban on gatherings of 5 or more
The government decided Saturday to lower social distancing levels by one notch each for the greater Seoul area and the other regions next week, but kept tight vigilance to curb COVID-19 by retaining a ban on gatherings of five people or more. Health authorities said that starting Monday, they plan to lower social distancing guidelines to Level 2 -- the third highest in a five-tier system -- for the greater Seoul area and Level 1.5 for other regions until Feb. 28. The
Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021
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Seoul's public transport ridership fell sharply last year due to COVID-19: data
Public transport usage in Seoul plummeted last year due to passengers' coronavirus fears, throwing their operators into management difficulties, official data showed Saturday. According to the data from the metropolitan government, Seoul's subway and bus passenger numbers plunged 27 percent and 24 percent, respectively, last year. Notably, airport bus ridership dived by as much as 85 percent. Seoul Metro, the operator of the city's vast subway system, saw its annual d
Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021
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Activists call for release of dolphins from aquariums
A group of animal activists called Saturday for South Korea to free captive dolphins in line with the upcoming policy banning newly established aquariums from displaying marine mammals. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it plans to ban newly established aquariums from displaying whales and dolphins, although existing facilities will be allowed to continue keeping them. The decision -- with details yet to be worked out -- came as a total of
Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021
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N. Korea ranks lowest in world democracy index last year: poll
North Korea ranked the lowest in a world democracy index last year for the 16th consecutive year, a recent report showed. North Korea placed at the bottom among the 167 countries polled, with an overall score of 1.08 out of a total of 10, according to the Democracy Index 2020 published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research division of the British weekly The Economist. The North has ranked the lowest in the EIU index since the agency began compiling t
North KoreaFeb. 13, 2021
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Fewer S. Korea-US combined drills staged in 2020 amid pandemic: data
South Korea and the United States conducted fewer joint military exercises last year compared with a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, defense ministry data showed Saturday. The two countries staged a total of 172 joint training sessions in South Korea last year, down from 191 in 2019. By service branch, joint maneuvers between their armies tumbled to 29 times last year from 89 in 2019, and their marine corps' combined programs were carried out seven
DefenseFeb. 13, 2021
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New virus cases dip below 400; govt. decides to ease social distancing level
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 400 on Saturday, apparently due to fewer tests during the Lunar New Year holiday, as the government decided to ease social distancing restrictions. The country reported 362 more COVID-19 cases, including 345 local infections, raising the total caseload to 83,199, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It added seven fatalities, bringing the accumulative death toll to 1,514. Saturday's inf
Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021
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[Newsmaker] N. Korean nuclear issue a top priority for Biden administration: State Dept.
The North Korean nuclear issue remains a top priority for the US government despite the recent lack of direct engagement with the country, a State Department official said Friday. Ned Price, department press secretary, also said continued advancement in the North's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities made it an "urgent" priority. "I hope you don't confuse a lack of direct engagement with North Korea as an indication that the challenge of North Ko
North KoreaFeb. 13, 2021
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[Herald Interview] ‘Foreigners in Seoul want more benefits, less discrimination’
Seoul is an attractive city for expats, but administrative discrimination must be addressed, says the new chair of the foreign resident council that represents around 500,000 foreigners in Seoul, vowing to improve the quality of their life in cooperation with council members and the government. “Seoul is a globalized and inclusive city that foreigners want to live. However, there is still discrimination against foreigners in the workplace and in terms of social benefits,” said Boqi
Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2021
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Discharged transgender soldier struggles to make a return
Byun Hee-soo, South Korea’s first transgender soldier, who was discharged from the military last year after undergoing sex reassignment surgery, is battling her way back into the Army. In January 2020, the Army fired the former staff sergeant, a tank gunner who served at an armored unit in Gyeonggi Province, saying the surgery rendered her mentally and physically unfit to be on active duty. Byun wanted to remain in the military as a female. In August, Byun petitioned the court to reverse
DefenseFeb. 12, 2021
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Main opposition to seek prosecution probe against chief justice
The main opposition People Power Party on Friday stepped up its pressure on the chief justice to step down for his alleged role in the parliamentary impeachment of a judge, threatening to file a criminal complaint against him if he refuses to resign. "(The PPP) has a stance that it will lodge a complaint against Chief Supreme Court Justice Kim Meong-su with the prosecution if he does not step down," Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, who heads the party's campaign against the chief justice, told Yo
PoliticsFeb. 12, 2021
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FM Chung, Blinken stress close cooperation for complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula
New Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed close bilateral cooperation for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during their first phone talks Friday, the foreign ministry said. They also shared the view of the importance of their countries' trilateral cooperation with Japan in the conversation that took place three days after Chung, a former top security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, took office. The talks came as Seoul seeks to
Foreign AffairsFeb. 12, 2021
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S. Korea, US nearing agreement on defense cost sharing: CNN
South Korea and the United States are getting close to a new defense cost-sharing agreement for American troops here, CNN reported showed Friday, as they seek to bolster their alliance and defense posture. The two sides may be "just weeks away" from signing a deal, CNN said, citing five sources familiar with the matter. The US news outlet reported that the deal is likely to be "a multi-year agreement that increases Seoul's contribution to cover the presence of US troops at arou
North KoreaFeb. 12, 2021
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N. Korean Foreign Minister Ri named politburo member
North Korean Foreign Minster Ri Son-gwon has been elected a member of the powerful politburo of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported Friday. Ri was by-elected as a politburo member during a four-day plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee that wrapped up on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim Song-nam, another ranking party official, was also named an alternate member of the politburo, while O Su-yong was elected as director of the party's De
North KoreaFeb. 12, 2021
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New virus cases fall back on Lunar New Year's Day, post-holiday virus fight in focus
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases retreated Friday, apparently due to fewer tests amid the Lunar New Year holiday, but health authorities are staying vigilant over a potential uptick after the traditional holiday. The country reported 403 more COVID-19 cases, including 384 local infections, raising the total caseload to 82,837, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's daily caseload was sharply down from 504 cases reported the previous day, when the number of ne
Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2021
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Too many in Korea can’t afford to get sick
South Korean workplaces have little sympathy for workers when they get sick. But “toughing it out” constitutes a public health hazard during a pandemic, experts say. Workplaces have emerged as one of the most common settings for coronavirus outbreaks in Korea. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s January data, 18 percent of all locally transmitted cases diagnosed that month were workplace-related, up 7 percent from the month prior. ‘Empty m
Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021
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[Animals in Korea (1)] Animals still things, not beings, in Korea
There is a saying that goes, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” At a glance, South Korea -- with 15 million pet owners -- is a decent place for animals. With a growing trend toward considering pets part of the family, some guardians spare no expense and shop around carefully for the best foods, toys, vets and groomers. Looking closely, however, there is a dark side. Many animals are abandoned when they are sick, old or no longer considere
Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021
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Defense minister rekindles debate over volunteer military
Mandatory military service is a rite of passage for every able-bodied man in South Korea, which technically remains at war with North Korea since the 1953 Korean War armistice. A military made up of volunteers seeking lifetime jobs as career soldiers was once unimaginable, but that has changed. “Everything -- including plans to shift to an all-volunteer military -- is on the table to restructure our armed forces by 2040,” Defense Minister Suh Wook told a New Year’s press brief
DefenseFeb. 11, 2021
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S. Korea reports another case of bird flu
South Korea on Thursday reported one more case of avian influenza (AI). The case of the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of avian influenza was confirmed at an egg farm in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The farm was home to some 240,000 hens, according to the government's AI response headquarters. Quarantine authorities imposed a travel ban on movement into and out of the poultry farms in the affected area, having culled chickens at nearby farms as part of precautionary measur
Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021
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One of sailors aboard S. Korean oil tanker seized in Iran returns home
One of the 20 crew members who were aboard a South Korean oil tanker seized by Iran last month has been released and returned home, the foreign ministry said Thursday. The Korean sailor, one of those detained along with the MT Hankuk Chemi by Teheran, entered his home country Wednesday afternoon for health reasons, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. He is the first among the detained sailors to be repatriated after the chemical carrier was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Cor
Foreign AffairsFeb. 11, 2021
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North Korea's Kim orders legal supervision over economic plan
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered tougher legal supervision to support his development plans and eradicate various economy-related unlawful acts, state media said Thursday, as he works to salvage an economy battered by the pandemic and other challenges. Kim spoke Wednesday during a ruling Workers' Party meeting this week convened to follow up on decisions made at the ruling party's congress in January, where he admitted previous economic plans had failed and announced a new five-year
North KoreaFeb. 11, 2021