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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New virus cases stay in 400s for 3rd day
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 400s for the third day in a row on Saturday, as health authorities scrambled to contain cluster infections linked to mission schools nationwide. The country added 458 more COVID-19 cases, including 423 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 77,850, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The figure was down from 469 on Friday and compared with 497 on Thursday and 559 on Wednesday. The countr
Social AffairsJan. 30, 2021
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NK envoy says strengthening of defense capabilities aimed at opening peace era
North Korea‘s top diplomat to Geneva has argued that Pyongyang’s push toward strengthening its military capabilities was aimed at opening an era of peace, according to the North’s foreign ministry Friday. According to Pyongyang’s foreign ministry, Han Tae-song, North Korea‘s ambassador to Geneva, said via videoconference at the meeting of the United Nations Disarmament Conference in Geneva on Tuesday that the reason his country was building up its war deterrent ca
North KoreaJan. 29, 2021
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1 missing, 2 injured as high winds sweep S. Korea
A freezing cold snap, accompanied by high winds, swept across South Korea on Friday, leaving one person missing and two others injured, authorities said. The day‘s lowest temperatures dropped below minus 10 C in Seoul and central regions and below minus 8 C in southern regions, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Seoul’s morning low plunged to minus 11.6 C, while low temperatures fell to minus 13.9 C in Dongducheon, just north of the capital; minus 14.4 C in Cheor
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Christian leaders apologize over clusters, urge distancing at churches
The National Council of Churches in Korea, along with Young Men’s Christian Association and Young Women’s Christian Association, apologized on Friday for Christian organizations’ frequent links coronavirus cluster infections and called on churches to follow distancing guidelines. “We look back on the reality of how Korean churches have been recognized as one of the main institutions causing harm to public health and sincerely apologize to the people of Korea,” sai
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Key suspect in Lime fund scandal gets 15-year prison sentence
A key suspect at the center of a financial fraud scandal involving Lime Asset Management was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday. The Seoul Southern District Court handed down the prison term to Lee Jong-pil, the hedge fund's former vice president, along with a fine of 4 billion won ($3.57 million) and a forfeit of 1.4 billion won. The court found him guilty of deceiving investors by concealing the massive loss the company's fraudulent fund product was making. Lime Asset, founded in 201
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Pro-unification group urges US Congress not to hold hearing on anti-leaflet law
A pro-unification organization on Friday urged the US Congress not to hold a hearing on a South Korean law banning the sending of anti-North Korean leaflets, calling such a move a "clear infringement" on their country's sovereignty and interference in domestic affairs. The North Korean Committee for the June 15 Joint Declaration, which was established to uphold the peace agreement from the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, made the appeal in a statement that the group said was co-sig
North KoreaJan. 29, 2021
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School official sentenced to 3 yrs in prison for leaking SAT papers
A high school faculty member has been sentenced to three years in prison for leaking the US Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) papers, judicial sources said Friday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Court handed down a three-year prison term to the 38-year-old US citizen, surnamed Lee, on charges of obstruction of business. Lee began to work at a high school in Yongin, about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, in 2009 and became its SAT coordinator in 2013. In mid-2017, a broker appr
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Controversy erupts over Seoul's possible push to build nuke plant in N. Korea
A political controversy appears to be brewing over the Seoul government's possible attempt years ago to help North Korea build a nuclear power plant, after a local broadcaster on Thursday disclosed the existence of relevant government documents. SBS TV, citing prosecutors investigating the destruction of government documents related to the closure of an aging nuclear reactor by some officials of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2019, reported that a number of files on inter-Korean
North KoreaJan. 29, 2021
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S. Korea to publicize Japan’s distortion of history over Hashima Island
South Korea is pushing to publicize attempts to distort the history of the Japanese historical industrial sites, including Hashima Island, inscribed on the UNESCO’s world heritage list, the country’s cultural agency said Friday. As one such effort, the Cultural Heritage Administration published a report taking issue with Tokyo’s failure to deliver on its promise to address the full history of the island, also known as Battleship Island, including Koreans coerced into labor dur
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Cigarette sales in S. Korea up 4.1% in 2020
Sales of cigarettes in South Korea rose 4.1 percent on-year last year as smokers' purchases via duty-free channels were thwarted amid the pandemic, the finance ministry said Friday. South Korean smokers purchased 3.59 billion 20-cigarette packs last year, compared with 3.45 billion packs the previous year, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The rise in domestic sales came as tobacco sales at duty-free shops sharply fell due to low overseas travel amid the pandemic, which helped
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Gwangju to ban in-person church worship following cluster infections
GWANGJU -- The southwestern city of Gwangju has decided to temporarily ban in-person church services following spikes in coronavirus infections centered on religious facilities, including a missionary organization, its mayor said Friday. The city, located 330 kilometers south of Seoul, reported about 210 church-related cases this week mostly linked to two unauthorized schools run by a Christian group called the International Mission (IM). "In-person worship at all churches in Gwangju will
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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N. Korea may resort to unofficial markets amid virus-hit economy: expert
North Korea's fiscal status has rapidly worsened due to the shutdown of borders over coronavirus concerns, leaving the communist country with no choice but to consider resorting to unofficial markets, a researcher said Friday. Lee Jong-kyu, a senior research at the state-run Korea Development Institute (KDI), made the case in a report published by the think tank, saying the North is likely to be considering utilizing local markets known as "jangmadang." "North Korea's finance an
North KoreaJan. 29, 2021
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Vice FM Choi meets new Costa Rican ambassador to discuss economic cooperation
Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with the new Costa Rican ambassador Friday to discuss cooperation on the Central American country's projects for infrastructure development and electronic governance, the foreign ministry said. In the talks with Alejandro Rodriguez Zamora, Choi asked for his cooperation in helping South Korean companies join the projects, expressing his hope that their participation will create new opportunities for bilateral economic exchanges in the post-coronavirus era
Foreign AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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PM warns against discrimination in COVID-19 vaccinations, pledges transparency
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday warned against any discrimination in administrating COVID-19 vaccines, pledging the government's efforts to keep the upcoming national vaccination campaign fair and transparent. "There shouldn't be any discrimination based on the level of status, wealth disparity, nationality, sex or others when administering the vaccines," the prime minister said during an interagency meeting on COVID-19 vaccines and treatment. The remarks came as all eyes are
PoliticsJan. 29, 2021
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S. Korea’s vaccination plan: Key questions answered
In a few weeks from now, South Korean will kick off its long-awaited plan for nationwide vaccination, following the steps of other countries to overcome the pandemic by obtaining herd immunity within this year. Under the government’s plan unveiled Thursday, the country will vaccinate 1.3 million people by March, 9 million by June and the rest of the 33.25 million in following months. Korea is also installing 250 vaccination centers to handle some vaccines that are harder to store and tran
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Seoul steps back on plan to raise tobacco price
South Korean health authorities have backtracked on a plan to raise tobacco prices to match the average levels of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, denying reports that it would hike up cigarette prices to 8,000 won a pack. In a set of plans unveiled on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said it would increase its health promotion levy on tobacco over the next 10 years to raise its price to the average level of OECD countries. The average retail price of a pack of
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Delivery workers end strike after reaching deal with logistics firms
Unionized delivery workers ended a strike Friday, saying they have reached a new agreement with logistics companies on ways to prevent them from overworking. The Parcel Delivery Workers' Solidarity Union said its 5,500 members, who began and ended the walkout the same day, will return to work Saturday, with less than two weeks until the Feb. 11-13 Lunar New Year holiday, when demand for deliveries is expected to soar. The decision came after a vote Friday, in which 89 percent of the union memb
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Extreme weather caused property damage worth W1.2tr in 2020: report
Extreme weather events such as an unusually long monsoon season and frequent typhoons last year caused 1.2 trillion won of property in South Korea, according to a report by the country’s weather agency. The Korea Meteorological Administration published a report on Thursday on last year’s extreme weather events and their social and economic impact on society, jointly with 24 related ministries and agencies. The annual report addresses the causes of abnormal weather patterns
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Freezing temperatures, high winds sweep S. Korea
A freezing cold snap, accompanied by high winds, swept across South Korea on Friday, with temperatures dipping far below zero in all regions, except the southern resort island of Jeju. The day's lowest temperatures dropped below minus 10 C in Seoul and central regions and below minus 8 C in southern regions, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Seoul's morning low plunged to minus 11.6 C, while low temperatures fell to minus 13.9 C in Dongducheon, just north of the capital; minu
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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Ruling party reviewing 4th round of COVID-19 relief fund
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has been discussing measures to provide a new round of a COVID-19 relief fund as stringent social distancing rules continue to weigh on small businesses and the self-employed, party officials said. Since May last year, the government has distributed more than 31 trillion won ($27.8 billion) to households, as well as small merchants and business owners, through three rounds of a COVID-19 relief fund. The need for a fresh, fourth round of emergency handouts has b
PoliticsJan. 29, 2021