Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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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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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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Ministry busts misleading cosmetics ads
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has found hundreds of advertisements falsely promoting certain cosmetics as the answer to skin troubles caused by wearing a face mask everywhere during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Altogether, 413 websites have been found to be in violation of the Cosmetics Act because of misleading or exaggerated advertisements, the Drug Ministry said Thursday. The pages have been shut down. According to the ministry, 318 of the sites advertised their cosmetics as if t
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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Minor party leader found guilty of forging internship certificate for ex-justice minister's son
The chief of a minor opposition party was convicted Thursday of forging an internship certificate for the son of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Rep. Choe Kang-wook of the Open Democratic Party to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of obstruction of business. If the ruling is finalized, Choe would lose his parliamentary seat. "The defendant's criminal act cannot be taken lightly as it undermines the fairness of the schoo
PoliticsJan. 28, 2021
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7 US service members, one dependent test positive for COVID-19
Seven American service members and one dependent have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea this month, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. Six of the service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights while the other service member and the dependent arrived on commercial flights via Incheon International airport, west of the capital, according to the US military. Five of them tested pos
DefenseJan. 28, 2021
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What is cheapest option for Lunar New Year grocery shopping?
Traditional markets are the cheapest option for grocery shopping for the upcoming Lunar New Year’s holiday, recent data showed, with food prices skyrocketing due to unusual weather patterns and the spread of bird flu. An average four-member household in South Korea can expect to spend about 240,700 won ($215) on groceries for the “charye” table at a traditional market, up 16.4 percent from last year, according to data collected by Korea Price Information. At a big supermarke
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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Gyeonggi Province plan to offer 100,000 won in cash relief, explained
Gyeonggi Provincial Government said Thursday that it will offer 100,000 won ($89) in emergency cash payouts to all registered residents, including foreigners, starting on Feb. 1, as part of efforts to help cope with the COVID-19 economic fallout. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung said at an online press briefing that now is “the right time” to distribute relief funds given the devastating economic situation and the slowing infection rate. Q. Who is eligible for the
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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[News Focus] South Korea No. 5 in relative income poverty: OECD
SEJONG -- South Korea has placed No. 5 in an indicator for relative income poverty among 33 countries, according to report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the French-based organization’s analysis of 2019 figures or the latest available data, it put the poverty rate at 16.7 percent for Korea. The OECD defines the poverty rate as the ratio of the number of people whose income falls below half of the national’s median household income. It made Korea t
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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Politics gets uglier as lawmakers on all sides face harassment claims
It has been harassment after harassment this week, with an opposition lawmaker using a “royal concubine” reference as she disparaged another female legislator, just a day after a progressive party leader was sacked for sexual misconduct against a fellow lawmaker. Adding to the series of disclosures, criminal actions, apologies and ensuing uproar was the accusation that the main opposition party leader made inappropriate physical contact on a reporter’s body as he pushed her ou
PoliticsJan. 28, 2021
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High-profile N. Korean defector leaves for US for congressional hearing on anti-leaflet law
A vocal North Korean defector activist has left for the United States for a congressional hearing on a controversial bill South Korea recently passed to ban the sending of anti-North Korea leaflets, his lawyer said Thursday. Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector who runs Fighters for a Free North Korea, flew to Washington on Wednesday to attend the hearing that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is seeking to convene to discuss the anti-leafleting law. "Park left for the US yesterday for the purpos
North KoreaJan. 28, 2021
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Here’s how S. Korea plans to get to herd immunity by November
The South Korean government on Thursday unveiled its long-awaited plan for vaccinating the public, with the rollout set to kick off in a few weeks. The first doses will be offered to front-line health care workers in the Seoul area, where the active outbreaks have been concentrated, starting next month. From March, older adults and workers at long-term care homes and other congregate settings and first responders, including contact tracers, will be getting the jabs. Next in line are adults ag
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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Coronavirus cluster from missionary group spreading nationwide
A coronavirus cluster originating from a local Christian missionary group called the International Mission (IM) appears to be spreading nationwide, as officials said Thursday as many as 340 people have been infected so far. According to local governments, 41 IM-related educational and research facilities in 13 metropolitan cities and provinces reported 269 COVID-19 cases out of their combined membership of 866 as of 10 p.m. Wednesday, marking an infection rate of 31.1 percent. The Internationa
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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ASEAN-Korea Centre recognizes 10 winners of 2020 essay contest
The ASEAN-Korea Centre presented awards on Wednesday to 10 winners of the 2020 ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest. The contest, jointly organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre, the Korea National Diplomatic Academy’s Center for ASEAN-India Studies and the Center for Strategic and International Studies Indonesia, received 112 entries from students throughout the ASEAN region and South Korea from August to November last year. The topic was promoting digital partnership between ASEAN countries
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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Man seeks compensation for spending 20 yrs in prison on wrongful murder conviction
A man has asked a court to compensate him for serving a prison term after he was wrongfully convicted of raping and killing a girl more than two decades ago, judicial sources said Thursday. According to the sources, Yoon Seong-yeo filed the claim on Monday with the Suwon District Court, south of Seoul, seeking more than 2.5 billion won ($2.25 million) in compensation for spending 20 years in prison on the wrongful murder conviction of a 13-year-old girl in 1989. The 54-year-old was arrested on
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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S. Korea to expand in-person classes and care programs at schools
South Korea will expand the proportion of in-person classes and improve the quality of online learning and child care programs so that the new academic year can proceed without delays, the Ministry of Education announced Thursday. The Education Ministry said the country’s new school year will kick off as scheduled in March and provide more than 190 class days for elementary, middle and high school students and over 180 days for those in kindergarten. The move will also allow Korea to car
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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New justice minister begins term with visit to detention center
New Justice Minister Park Beom-kye began his term Thursday by visiting a correctional facility at the center of a recent COVID-19 outbreak. During the visit to Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul, Park told reporters that he chose the facility as his first stop because the public's welfare depends on controlling the coronavirus pandemic. "I'm worried that the virus situation is getting worse again after getting better," he said. "I plan to focus judicial administration
PoliticsJan. 28, 2021
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Parking not fine: Abandoned cars cause Incheon Airport headache
On top of the crisis posed by the pandemic, Incheon Airport has another headache: A growing number of apparently abandoned vehicles in the airport parking lot, with one such car there for seven years. The number of such cars has doubled in the past year. Because long-term parking is not illegal in most airports, the process of disposing abandoned vehicles is not simple. According to the Incheon International Airport Corp. on Wednesday, some 48 vehicles have been in the airport parking lot fo
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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FM nominee: Boosting alliance with US 'primary task' for S. Korea diplomacy
Boosting the alliance with the United States is a primary task for South Korean diplomacy, the nominee for foreign minister said Thursday. Chung Eui-yong, who served as national security adviser to President Moon Jae-in before his nomination as foreign minister, made the remarks during a brief press availability, calling the alliance with the US "the foundation of our diplomacy." "I think one of the most important tasks for our diplomacy is to continue to develop our alliance wi
Foreign AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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Army draftee in Paju tests positive for new coronavirus
An Army draftee in Paju, north of Seoul, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The soldier was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 in a second virus test conducted after joining the boot camp, according to the ministry. All other conscripts who joined the camp with the soldier tested negative. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 546. Nationwide, South Korea added 497 new virus cases Thurs
DefenseJan. 28, 2021
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PM: COVID-19 situation turns unstable again, new distancing levels to be fixed with prudence
The government will "prudently" determine whether to lower social distancing levels this week against the backdrop of the still unstable COVID-19 situation, as well as the approach of the traditional Lunar New Year holiday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday. The prime minister's remarks were made during an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul. The government will announce new social distancing levels over the weekend ahead of
PoliticsJan. 28, 2021
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Civic groups demand suspension of military drills with US for confidence building with N. Korea
Nearly 400 local and foreign civic groups on Thursday urged South Korea and the United States to suspend joint military drills as a "major confidence-building measure" toward North Korea. A total of 387 organizations, including 197 South Korean civic groups, made the appeal weeks after North Korea demanded an end to such combined military exercises during a recent party congress. "Suspending these costly and highly provocative war exercises will be a crucial step toward re-start
North KoreaJan. 28, 2021
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New virus cases around 500 for 2nd day amid continued rise in cluster infections
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed around 500 for the second straight day on Thursday as cluster infections traced to religious facilities continued ahead of an adjustment of the level of social distancing measures this week. The country added 497 more COVID-19 cases, including 479 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 76,926, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was down from 559 on Wednesday. The new daily cases
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021