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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S. Korea pushes to embrace cohabiting couples, non-traditional families
South Korean government pushes to reform family-related laws to accommodate various types of familial and household structures such as cohabiting couples who are not married. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family laid out a basic plan for family policy on Sunday to be effective from 2021-2025, though revisions to related laws must pass through the parliament before they take effect. The current civil law stipulates that a family involves direct family by blood, siblings, a spouse and t
Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021
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Lunar New Year travel plans pose new challenge in COVID-19 fight
Coronavirus-weary South Koreans are making travel plans for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, posing a new challenge in the country's fight against COVID-19. With the holiday two weeks away, daily coronavirus infections are down to the 300s from a peak of 1,241 on Dec. 25. Health authorities have warned it is too early for people to let their guard down and maintained a ban on private gatherings of five or more until the end of this month. Still, some say they are hopeful the ban will be li
Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021
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Four USFK-affiliated people test positive for COVID-19
Two US Department of Defense officials and two dependents of a service member based in South Korea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday. One of the officials, who works at US Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Saturday following his direct contact with a person who tested positive earlier, according to the US military. The other department official working at the
DefenseJan. 26, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Govt. to expand in-person classes for younger students this year
Younger students and disabled children will get more in-person instruction this year, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday, to fill their academic and social needs exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Announcing its work plan and goal for this year, the ministry said it will continue to ensure a safe learning environment at school despite the threat of the virus, and aim to bring more children back to school. "The ministry will prioritize to have preschoolers, lower graders of eleme
Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021
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Military to improve security system along eastern border after defection case
The military will take additional steps to improve the security system along the eastern section of the inter-Korean border this year following a recent unhindered border crossing case by a North Korean, officials said Tuesday. In November last year, the North Korean civilian crossed the border in the town of Goseong into the South undeterred in a suspected defection attempt. Malfunction of sensors installed at the fences and other loopholes in the military's scientific security system were bla
DefenseJan. 26, 2021
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NK paper calls for drawing up 'realistic' economic plans
North Korea's official newspaper called Tuesday for putting together thorough and workable plans to carry out a five-year economic development goal unveiled during a recent party meeting, urging its people to break away from the practice of setting far-fetched objectives. At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party earlier this month, the North put forward the new economic development plan focusing on self-reliance in the face of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and global sancti
North KoreaJan. 26, 2021
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S. Korea confirms 73rd case of highly pathogenic bird flu
South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it has confirmed the 73rd case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a poultry farm, sparking concerns over a prolonged battle with the animal disease. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from a duck farm in Hampyeong, 383 kilometers south of Seoul, on the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The country reported its first farm-related case in nearly three years in November. Since th
Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021
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Nation on alert as coronavirus cases linked to unauthorized school reported in other regions
State and local health authorities on Tuesday were cautiously tracing and monitoring the development of a mass coronavirus outbreak at an unauthorized missionary training school in Daejeon, as cases linked to the school and its operator were being reported in other regions. The IEM School in the central city, located 164 kilometers south of Seoul, experienced a cluster outbreak over the weekend, with the number of infected students and faculty members from the facility reaching 133 as of Tuesda
Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021
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New virus cases fall back to below 400 again; clusters tied to religious facilities on rise
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 400 on Tuesday on the back of tighter virus curbs, but authorities remain on alert over a rise in cluster infections tied to religious facilities. The country added 354 more COVID-19 cases, including 338 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 75,875, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was down from 437 on Monday and 392 on Sunday. A total of 171 confirmed cases were
Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021
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[Graphic News] Industrial accident death toll rebounds
Deaths from industrial accidents rebounded in South Korea last year, the labor minister said, despite the Moon Jae-in government’s pledge to halve the number of workers killed in the line of duty during its term. Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-kap said industrial disasters and work-related accidents took the lives of 882 workers in 2020, marking a rise of 27 deaths from the previous year. The number of workers killed on the job had increased from 964 in 2017 to 971 in 20
NationalJan. 26, 2021
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Biden's negotiators face choice between incremental NK nuke dismantlement or 'big deal': CRS report
US negotiators under the new Joe Biden administration could face a choice between the pursuit of an incremental dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program and a big deal calling for its complete denuclearization, a congressional report has said. The recently updated Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on diplomacy with Pyongyang comes as White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said Friday that the administration will adopt a "new strategy" in handling North Korean threats throu
North KoreaJan. 26, 2021
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S. Korea completes deployment of K-14 sniper rifle, observation device
South Korea has completed the deployment of K-14 sniper rifles and its observation device at infantry units to boost combat capabilities in missions involving precision attacks, the arms procurement agency said Tuesday. The K-14 rifle developed with domestic technology was first deployed for special forces in 2013 and was distributed to infantry battalions in 2017, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. With the deployment of the observation devices used along with the we
DefenseJan. 26, 2021
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Biden US will work with allies to face competition from China: Psaki
The Joe Biden administration will work with US allies to deal with challenges posed by China that include threats to the United States' alliances, a senior White House official said Monday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki also highlighted the need for a new "strategy" to deal with China. "We are in serious competition with China," Psaki told a press briefing, adding China's conduct "hurts American workers, our technological edge and threatens our alliances and ou
Foreign AffairsJan. 26, 2021
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Prosecution questions ex-industry minister over reactor shutdown controversy
The prosecution questioned former Industry Minister Paik Un-gyu on Monday as part of its probe into the controversial closure of South Korea's second-oldest nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Prosecutors Office grilled Paik over allegations that he abused his authority in the process of assessing the economic viability of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor ahead of its closure. In October 2020, state auditors said the economic viability of the nuclear reactor was unreasonably undervalued in det
PoliticsJan. 25, 2021
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Ex-Seoul Mayor Park sexually harassed secretary: watchdog
The state human rights watchdog said Monday that former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's actions toward his secretary amounted to sexual harassment. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said it reached the conclusion after looking into allegations Park sexually harassed the former municipal government employee over several years until his death in an apparent suicide in July. The announcement came after police wrapped up their probe into the case last month without seeking any indictments
Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021
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Court rules in favor of importing life-size sex dolls
Another court ruling came on Monday in favor of importing a life-size sex doll despite persistent controversy over the sex doll which many denounce as sexually objectifying women and prompting an increase in sex crimes. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of a firm seeking to import one life-size sex doll into the country from China, ordering the head of Gimpo Airport’s customs agency to revoke its decision to block the import of the doll. The customs agency suspended the imp
Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021
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Pohang city orders mandatory virus testing for each household
Pohang city has ordered its residents to have at least one person get tested for the coronavirus from each household. “Although the spread of COVID-19 is on the decrease across the country, the city of Pohang is seeing an increase in the number of local community transmissions including infections stemming from the Sangju evangelical church facility and sauna-related cases,” said Pohang Mayor Lee Kang-deok in a press conference Monday. “We are issuing an administrative orde
Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021
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Moon checks readiness for COVID-19 vaccination
President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for thorough readiness among government offices as the nation prepares to start COVID-19 vaccinations with the imminent arrival of the first batch of vaccines, possibly early next month. “The coronavirus response is entering a new phase. If the past year was a time when we protected ourselves from the virus through social distancing measures, now is a time to fight the virus with vaccines and treatments,” Moon said before receiving a policy br
PoliticsJan. 25, 2021
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Total cases of new COVID-19 variants reach 27 in S. Korea
South Korea reported nine more cases of COVID-19 variants over the past week, health authorities said Monday as they scrambled to block the influx of highly contagious new strains into the country. Nine people were infected with the mutated virus variants over the past week -- four from the United Kingdom, three from South Africa and two from Brazil, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Seven of the patients were confirmed to be infected during the quarantine process
Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021
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Investing 101 for teens in South Korea gain popularity
Korean teenagers have jumped on the stock investment bandwagon, as investment tutorials targeted at students -- as young as elementary school kids -- have soared over the winter holidays. Bae Jin-han from the Fine Start Academy recently launched a lecture series over the winter vacation aimed at teens interested in investing in stocks. Nicknamed “super ant” -- a term referring to retail investors -- Bae is a parent of a 15-year-old child who made 600 million won ($543,000) worth
Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021