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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Eastar Jet founder's relative indicted for embezzlement
JEONJU -- A senior financial official of the troubled budget carrier Easter Jet has been indicted on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, prosecutors said Sunday. The official, whose identity was withheld by the prosecution, is accused of underselling 5.2 million company shares owned by its affiliates to a specific subsidiary in 2015, which caused damage to the carrier, according to the Jeonju District Prosecutors Office. The shares were worth around 54 billion won ($48.06 million), bu
Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021
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Foreign minister says vaccine hoarding will lengthen pandemic
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Friday that the hoarding of vaccines by a few countries would only undermine the public interest and lengthen the pandemic. “It is especially important to keep a distance from ‘vaccine nationalism’ and guarantee fair provision of vaccines to everyone at affordable costs,” Kang said during a congratulatory speech at a sustainable development forum hosted by Yonsei University. “We need to invest in bolstering the national health
Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021
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Restaurants, gyms outside metropolitan area to be open until 10 p.m.
Restaurants, cafes and sporting facilities located outside the greater Seoul area will be allowed to stay open until 10 p.m. starting Monday, as the government decided to ease restrictions on their operating hours. Under the current social distancing scheme, businesses are required to close at 9 p.m., but the government decided Saturday to ease the rule for those in the provincial regions amid growing complaints over the prolonged virus curbs. The greater Seoul area is currently under Level 2.5
PoliticsFeb. 7, 2021
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Food poisoning cases fall to record low
The number of food poisoning cases last year was the lowest ever recorded as the COVID-19 pandemic forced cafeterias to close and increased an emphasis on personal hygiene, data showed Sunday. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the number of reported food poisoning cases reached 178, down 52 percent from five-year average of 343 cases since 2015. The number of food poisoning patients reached 53 per million, down 40 percent from an average of 133 patients per million from 2015 t
Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021
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New virus cases under 400 for 3rd day ahead of eased social distancing
South Korea's daily coronavirus cases were under 400 for the third consecutive day Sunday in the latest sign of a possible slowdown in the virus curve, with the country set to launch an eased social distancing scheme outside the greater Seoul area starting the next day. The country added 372 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 326 local infections, raising the cumulative caseload to 80,896, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added 393 cases
Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021
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N. Korea to hold party plenary meeting this week for New Year plans
North Korea is scheduled to hold a plenary meeting of its party this week to finalize plans for "strategic tasks" for this year, state media said Sunday. The second plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea will be held "within the first 10 days of February to examine and decide the 2021 working plans of all fields to thoroughly carry out the strategic tasks" set forth during the eighth party congress, the official Korean Central News Agency
North KoreaFeb. 7, 2021
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Ultrafine dust density falls to lowest for January
Last month's ultrafine dust density was the lowest for January since record keeping began in 2015, the environment ministry said Sunday. The average PM 2.5 reading across the country was 20 micrograms per cubic meter, down from 26 micrograms per cubic meter in January 2020, the ministry said, referring to a measure for ultrafine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. PM 2.5 dust particles are a class one carcinogen. There were 10 "good" ultrafine dust days in January, u
Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021
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S. Korea adds 393 new COVID-19 cases, govt. eases business curfew outside greater Seoul
South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 400 for the second consecutive day Saturday, while the government decided to relax a business curfew starting next week in most cities outside the greater Seoul area. The country added 393 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 366 local infections, raising the cumulative caseload to 80,524, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday's figure is higher than the 370 reported the previous day but lower tha
Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2021
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US committed to 'mutually acceptable' SMA deal with S. Korea: State Dept.
WASHINGTON -- The United States is committed to quickly reaching a defense cost-sharing agreement with South Korea that will be acceptable to both and help strengthen their alliance, an official from the US Department of State said Friday. The remarks came after Seoul officials said the sides agreed to seek an early conclusion of talks on Seoul's share of the cost in maintaining 28,500 US troops on the Korean Peninsula in a meeting held Friday (Seoul time). "We decline to comment on
DefenseFeb. 6, 2021
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Govt. to ease restriction on business operating hours outside greater Seoul area
The government said Saturday it will allow businesses outside the greater Seoul area to operate until 10 p.m. starting next week, relaxing the distancing rules amid growing discontent over the prolonged virus curbs. The revised measure will permit businesses like restaurants and fitness clubs to extend their operating hours by one hour under Level 2 distancing currently imposed on the provincial regions, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a government response meeting. "After careful d
Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2021
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8 US Space Force guardians serving on peninsula
Eight members of the US Space Force are currently serving at an American air base in South Korea, US military officers have said. CM Sgt. Philip Hudson, 7th Air Force command chief, made the revelation during a webinar held on Tuesday, saying "now we have eight guardians on the peninsula." Earlier, the US military said an enlistment ceremony was held at the Kunsan Air Base in the western city of Gunsan on Monday to mark the transition of three airmen from the 8th Communications Squad
DefenseFeb. 5, 2021
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7 foreigners deported for breaching quarantine rules
The Ministry of Justice said Thursday that seven foreigners had been deported from South Korea for breaking the country’s quarantine rules since November. Fourteen others were fined. One of the deportees was an Indonesian sailor who arrived at Incheon Airport on Dec. 17 and was instructed to enter a government-designated quarantine facility. But the man went into an airport restroom to change clothes and escaped in a taxi, the ministry said. The police arrested him a week later. A tota
Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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Seoul designates garbage discharge dates during Lunar New Year holiday
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it will implement the city’s comprehensive cleanup measures to help residents spend Lunar New Year‘s Day in a pleasant environment. To prevent inconvenience during the holiday period, the government plans to designate both discharging and collection dates of domestic waste, dividing the dates for different regions into three sections: before, during and after the Lunar New Year’s Day. Starting next week, from Monday to
Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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UN grants sanctions waiver to S. Korean group for improving drinking water in NK
The United Nations has granted a sanctions waiver for a South Korean organization working on a project to provide safe drinking water to North Korea, a UN website showed Friday. This marks this year's first UN sanctions exemption to North Korea. The organization was given an exemption for nine months until Oct. 22, 2021, according to the website. The website did not identify the name of the organization, nor did it specify the size of the assistance and other details. In November, a UN Securi
North KoreaFeb. 5, 2021
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DP urges finance minister to make 'bold decision' on virus handouts amid policy disagreement
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Friday pressed Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki to make a "bold decision" in providing a new round of COVID-19 relief payments amid an ongoing policy disagreement between the party and the ministry. "(The government) should further intensify its fiscal role so that it safeguards the lives of the people and the economy with a desperate attitude that befits a crisis situation," DP floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon said in a party leadership meetin
PoliticsFeb. 5, 2021
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Korean Harvard students decry professor's claims on sex slaves as 'incorrect and misleading'
A group of Korean students at Harvard Law School has decried a professor's recent controversial claims that victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery were willing prostitutes as "factually incorrect and misleading." On Thursday, the Korean Association of Harvard Law School issued a statement criticizing a recent article by J. Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi professor of Japanese Legal Studies at the Harvard school, which is titled "Contracting for sex in the Pacific War." The art
Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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Moon pledges full support for new sea wind energy project
President Moon Jae-in said Friday his government won't spare support for a project to create the world's biggest offshore wind power generation complex in southwestern South Korea, declaring a vision for turning the nation into one of the top five powerhouses in the field. He was attending the signing ceremony of a relevant investment deal, worth 48 trillion won ($43 billion), in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, about 400 kilometers south of Seoul, where the facilities with a maximum capacity of 8
PoliticsFeb. 5, 2021
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Foreign ministry restores phrase 'closest neighbor' describing Japan in white paper
The foreign ministry has restored the expression "closest neighbor" to refer to Japan in its latest white paper published this week, as Seoul pushes to improve ties with Tokyo frayed over wartime issues. "Japan is South Korea's closest neighboring country that we should work with not only for bilateral relations but also for the peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia and the world," according to the 2020 white paper released Friday. In the 2019 version, Japan was described
Foreign AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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Police to invest in AI-based emergency support system
Artificial intelligence is on the way to help out police officers pinched for time, as they are overloaded with filing reports and handling disputes on the scene simultaneously. The National Police Agency said Thursday that it will invest some 7 billion won ($6.2 million) in government contributions to develop the AI-based 112 Emergency Decision Support System by 2024. Currently, the city and provincial police departments’ integrated situation rooms receive an average of 19 million 112 e
Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2021
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S. Korea, US agree to seek early conclusion of defense cost-sharing talks
South Korea and the United States agreed to pursue an early conclusion of their defense cost-sharing talks to help strengthen their alliance and defense posture during their video talks Friday, the foreign ministry said. Seoul's top negotiator, Jeong Eun-bo, and his US counterpart, Donna Welton, led their first such meeting since last month's launch of the Joe Biden administration to advance their negotiations to determine Seoul's share of the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong US Forces Ko
DefenseFeb. 5, 2021