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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Moon vows speedier deregulation for AI sector
President Moon Jae-in said Thursday his government will accelerate its drive for the introduction of legislation and deregulatory measures to foster the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. He was speaking in his video message for a ceremony held in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, to kick off a major project to create a "national AI complex." A total of 620 billion won ($550 million) will be spent over the coming four years, with more than 1,200 jobs expected to be created. N
PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021
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S. Korea welcomes extension of New START treaty between US, Russia
South Korea welcomes the extension of a key nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, the foreign ministry said Thursday, expressing expectations that it would contribute to global peace and stability. Washington and Moscow extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, which was set to expire Friday, for five years, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday. He said the extension makes "the US, allies and partners, and the world safe
Foreign AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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Navy cadet tests positive for coronavirus
A Naval Academy cadet has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 553. The cadet at the academy in the southeastern city of Jinhae was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 upon return from vacation, according to the ministry. All other cadets who were tested after returning from vacation tested negative for the virus, it said. Nationwide, South Korea added 451 new virus cases Thursday, b
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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PM instructs changes to virus distancing rules to address negative opinions
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Thursday instructed officials to revamp the nation's social distancing scheme against COVID-19 once again to allow better public receptiveness, citing negative opinions toward its coercive aspects. In an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul, Chung told authorities to reorganize the current distancing rules under the assumption that "the public is involved" in the process. South Korea first adopted a thre
PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea culls 25.4m poultry amid bird flu outbreak
South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it has completed culling 25.4 million poultry amid the outbreak of avian influenza among local farms, with the confirmed caseload reaching 85. The latest case of the malign H5N8 strain of bird flu was reported from a duck farm in Chungju, about 150 kilometers south of Seoul, the previous day, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said. Since the country reported the first highly pathogenic bird flu case traced to poultry farms in
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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Navy chief stresses need to secure light aircraft carrier for national interest
The chief of South Korea's Navy on Thursday called for securing a light aircraft carrier to boost the country's defense capabilities, saying it will be a key strategic asset to protect maritime sovereignty and national interest. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Boo Suk-jong made the remark at a webinar as the Navy seeks to build a 30,000-ton-class light aircraft carrier under a 3 trillion-won ($1.8 billion) project with a plan to put the ship into operation by 2033. "The light aircraft carr
DefenseFeb. 4, 2021
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Defense industry promotion law to take effect this week
A newly legislated defense industry promotion law will go into effect this week, requiring the government to give priority to locally developed parts in the country's weapons systems, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. Under the new law that will take effect Friday, the government will expand support to local companies' weapons parts development and help them be used more in broader weapons system development projects, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. To inc
DefenseFeb. 4, 2021
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Nearly one-third of S. Koreans experienced online violence last year
Over 30 percent of South Koreans experienced online violence either as a victim or an abuser last year, according to a survey by the country's media regulator Thursday. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said 32.7 percent responded that they had experienced online violence last year in a survey of 7,458 people, down 0.8 percentage point from 2019. The survey found that experience in online violence as a victim last year reached 29.7 percent, compared with that as an abuser at 16.8 perce
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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New virus cases over 400 for 2nd day; no letup in cluster infections
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 400 for a second straight day on Thursday as cluster infections continue to pop up across the country despite extended virus curbs. The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 429 local infections, raising the total caseload to 79,762, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload bounced back to over 400 on Wednesday after staying under 400 the three previous days. New virus infections h
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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N. Korea to convene congress of largest youth association to support party decisions
North Korea will convene a congress of the country's largest youth association for the first time in four years, state media reported Thursday, in an apparent move to enlist support for new policies and decisions adopted at last month's Workers' Party congress. During the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party, the North unveiled a new five-year economic development plan focusing on self-reliance in the face of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions on its regime. T
North KoreaFeb. 4, 2021
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South Korean Embassy in US to showcase new documentary on kimchi
WASHINGTON -- The South Korean Embassy in Washington said Wednesday it will soon release a documentary on kimchi, the most well-known traditional Korean dish that is also part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The first of the three-part documentary, "Kimchi Universe," will be released next Friday, Lunar New Year's Day, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Washington. It will be available for anyone to watch at the center's website at http://washingtondc.korean-cultur
Foreign AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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Moon, Biden to map out 'comprehensive' N. Korea strategy together
SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- The leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to draw up a joint "comprehensive" strategy on North Korea during their phone talks, Cheong Wa Dae announced. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Joe Biden also agreed to work together for the shared goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and bringing lasting peace to the region, according to Moon's spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon proposed that the two sides make joint effort
Foreign AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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Minor party will not compete in mayoral by-elections amid sexual harassment scandal
The minor progressive Justice Party decided Wednesday not to field candidates in the April mayoral by-elections in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal that led to the expulsion of its leader. Kim Jong-cheol resigned as head of the party on Jan. 25 after admitting to sexually harassing a female lawmaker of the same party. He was expelled from the party Thursday. At a meeting of its national committee, the party decided not to nominate candidates in the by-elections as a way of "abiding by t
PoliticsFeb. 3, 2021
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Govt. to announce plan to supply 850,000 homes to cool property market
The government is expected to announce a plan this week to provide a total of 850,000 homes to cool down the overheated property market, government and parliamentary officials said Wednesday. Under the plan, likely to be unveiled Thursday, about 325,000 units will be supplied in Seoul, and the rest in other major cities, including Busan, Daegu and Gwangju, where property prices have soared over the recent months, the officials said. Public companies like Korea Land
Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021
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Unification minister says S. Korea 'sufficiently' communicating with US on anti-leaflet law
Unification Minister Lee In-young said Wednesday that South Korea has been sufficiently communicating with the United States about a recently legislated ban on the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea. The amendment to the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act, set to take effect next month, has raised concerns among critics that it could hurt freedom of expression and undercut efforts to send outside information into the reclusive North. "South Korea and th
North KoreaFeb. 3, 2021
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Civic groups file petition over human rights violations by chatbot Luda
South Korean civic groups on Wednesday filed a petition with the country’s human rights watchdog over a now-suspended artificial intelligence chatbot for its prejudiced and offensive language against women and minorities. An association of civic groups asked the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to look into human rights violations in connection with the chatbot Lee Luda, which was developed by local startup Scatter Lab. The groups, which include the People’s Solidarity
Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021
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Govt. to improve living infrastructure for foreigners, N. Korean defectors
The government will put efforts into improving the basic living infrastructure for foreigners and North Korean defectors, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Wednesday. The ministry plans to provide a total of 2 billion won ($1.8 million) for the project. Local governments across the country can apply for the financial support with their individual plans to help foreigners and North Korean defectors in each region. If selected, each applicant can receive up to 200
Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021
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Iran agrees to free sailors of S. Korean tanker, but timing uncertain
Iran agreed on Tuesday to free the 19 crew members of a South Korean oil tanker that was seized a month ago, but it is uncertain when the sailors will return home. Tehran has not yet released the ship or its captain, who is to remain in Iranian custody until the investigation into what the country has described as a breach of its environmental pollution laws is completed. According to the operator of the MT Hankuk Chemi, at least 13 sailors are required to be on board th
Foreign AffairsFeb. 3, 2021
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Public outcry grows against welfare grants for child rapist
Public outrage is mounting after it was reported that Cho Doo-soon, one of Korea’s most notorious child rapists, and his wife are receiving basic livelihood grants and the pension for senior citizens. Cho, 68, who was released from prison on Dec. 12 after serving a reduced sentence of just over a decade for kidnapping, beating and grotesquely raping a young girl, now lives with his wife in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and is unemployed. After news surfaced that Cho and his wife began to re
Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2021
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Harvard professor invites fury by calling ‘comfort women’ prostitutes
A journal article written by a Harvard professor has provoked fury here for its assertion that “comfort women” were not sex slaves, but prostitutes who chose to work at military brothels under voluntary agreements. In the paper, titled “Contracting for sex in the Pacific War” and published in the International Review of Law and Economics, Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School, argued that Korean comfort women -- as th
Foreign AffairsFeb. 3, 2021