Most Popular
-
1
Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
-
2
[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
-
3
Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
-
4
Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
-
5
Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
-
6
Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
-
7
[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
-
8
[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
-
9
Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
-
10
First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
-
Watchdog set to announce results of probe into ex-Seoul mayor's alleged sexual abuse
The state human rights watchdog is set to announce the results of its investigation into former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's alleged sexual abuse of a secretary as early as this week. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has been looking into allegations Park sexually harassed the former municipal government employee over several years until his death in an apparent suicide in July. The results will be discussed during a plenary meeting of the watchdog's members on Monday, according to
Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] 3 missing as fishing boat capsizes near Geoje Island
GEOJE -- Search operations were under way off the southern island of Geoje after three crew members of a capsized fishing boat went missing on Saturday, authorities said. The 339-ton vessel capsized at around 4 p.m. in waters 1.11 kilometers southeast of the island, located some 400 km south of Seoul, with 10 crew members aboard -- nine South Koreans and one Indonesian -- according to the Coast Guard. Seven of them, including the Indonesian, have been rescued, but search operations were still
Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021
-
Korea calls new variants big risk in pandemic fight
South Korea's health authorities warned Saturday that their efforts to contain COVID-19 face a potentially major challenge from the spread of new variants. Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, even raised the possibility that the nation will be drawn back into a "nightmare" similar to that in December last year, when the daily number of infections exceeded 1,000. "Mutant viruses are more contagious than existing ones," he said during
Social AffairsJan. 23, 2021
-
[Feature] Dispute rages over ban on propaganda leafleting
It all began in June. North Korea threatened retaliation over the cross-border launch of anti-North propaganda leaflets. Municipal leaders representing residents of border towns demanded a halt to the leafleting. A lawmaker drafted legislation that would ban the practice. The fate of the law, which was approved in the National Assembly in December and is set to take effect in late March, is hanging in the balance as critics have petitioned the Constitutional Court to review it, saying it infrin
North KoreaJan. 23, 2021
-
S. Korean, US security chiefs discuss Korea peace, global issues: Cheong Wa Dae
The top national security officials of South Korea and the United States agreed on the need for close bilateral cooperation in advancing the Korea peace process and the handling of global issues during their phone call Saturday, Cheong Wa Dae said. It was the first formal conversation between Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, and his new American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, since the launch of the Joe Biden administration this week. Suh congratulated Sullivan on his ina
Diplomatic CircuitJan. 23, 2021
-
PM directs ministry to mull expanding in-person classes
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun directed the education ministry Saturday to consider expanding in-person classes in schools in the new semester. South Korean schools mostly offered remote learning or limited physical attendance last year to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. "This year should be somewhat different," Chung said at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Seoul. "The Ministry of Education is directed to consult with healt
Social AffairsJan. 23, 2021
-
3 more service members diagnosed with coronavirus: defense ministry
Three South Korean service members have been newly confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, bringing the total caseload in the military to 543, the defense ministry announced Saturday. Two Air Force soldiers in a base in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, have been diagnosed with the virus while in quarantine following a report of confirmed cases, the ministry said. A total of 15 infections have been reported so far in the installation. Another solider at an Army unit in Suncheon, South Jeolla
DefenseJan. 23, 2021
-
New COVID-19 cases back above 400 as authorities warn of danger of variants
South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases rose back to above 400 on Saturday, health authorities said. The country added 431 more COVID-19 cases, including 403 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 74,692, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of new infections was tallied at 404 on Wednesday and 401 the following day. It then fell to 346 on Friday in the midst of weeks of toughened social distancing restrictions. Seoul, Gyeonggi
Social AffairsJan. 23, 2021
-
S. Korea confirms another case of highly pathogenic bird flu
South Korea confirmed another case of highly pathogenic bird flu in poultry Firday, raising the total caseload to 69. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza (AI) came from an egg farm in Icheon, just south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. All poultry within a 3-kilometer radius of the infected farm were culled, officials said. The farm was raising 478,000 chickens. The country has discovered 69 cases of highly contagious bird flu since
Social AffairsJan. 22, 2021
-
Japanese FM says Tokyo won't appeal Seoul court ruling over wartime sexual slavery
The Japanese government will not appeal a Seoul court order to compensate South Korean women who were forced to work in military brothels during World War II, its foreign minister said Friday. Toshimitsu Motegi made the remarks hours before a midnight deadline to file an appeal against the landmar ruling, which rekindled diplomatic tensions between the two neighbors. On Jan. 8, the Seoul Central District Court ordered Tokyo to pay financial reparations of 100 million won ($91,300) each to 12 s
Foreign AffairsJan. 22, 2021
-
US govement isses movement restriction order for Kunsan base over virus cases
US Forces Korea (USFK) on Friday imposed movement restrictions on all individuals affiliated with its air base in the western city of Gunsan due to the recent coronavirus outbreak there. Under the order, travel to and from Kunsan Air Base is prohibited until Monday, though members can be granted exceptions “to perform assigned and authorized duties and missions only,” USFK said in a Facebook post. The directive came a day after three service members on the base tested positive for
Social AffairsJan. 22, 2021
-
Moon to accept Britain's invitation to G-7 summit, official says
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has formally invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to an in-person G-7 summit, scheduled to be held in June, via a personal letter, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Moon plans to reply it, expressing his commitment to making contributions so that this year's summit of the G-7 nations can produce a significant accomplishment, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. A presidential official later told reporters that they may construe the message as
PoliticsJan. 22, 2021
-
Seoul education office’s push for LGBT students protection faces opposition
Seoul education office’s push to protect LGBT students and eradicate discrimination at schools is facing opposition after the office released its 2021-23 draft plan to protect the human rights of students. In the draft plan, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education included its plan to support and protect minority pupils –- from multicultural to LGBT students -- to make sure schools are free from hatred and discrimination for their safety and welfare. The education of
Social AffairsJan. 22, 2021
-
S. Korean, Costa Rican leaders discuss partnerships on coronavirus, green projects
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Costa Rican counterpart, Carlos Alvarado, had phone discussions Friday on the COVID-19 pandemic and other major issues including efforts to promote a green and emissions-free economy, Cheong Wa Dae said. Alvarado expressed his gratitude to South Korea for support related to the antivirus fight. The government has provided the Central American nation with high-efficiency KF-94 face masks, worth a total of around $1 million, and shared its virus control
Foreign AffairsJan. 22, 2021
-
Appellate court approves 7-year sentence for late Hanbo founder's son
An appellate court on Friday upheld a lower court's seven-year prison sentence for a son of Chung Tae-soo, the late founder of the now-defunct Hanbo Group, who was convicted of embezzlement and other crimes last year after 21 years on the run abroad. The Seoul High Court also ordered Chung Han-keun, the fourth son of the late Hanbo founder, to forfeit 40.13 billion won ($32.6 million) after finding him guilty of embezzlement, illicit capital flight and violating the foreign exchange law. The j
Social AffairsJan. 22, 2021
-
1 in 2 N. Koreans underfed, worst in Asia-Pacific: UN report
Nearly five out of ten North Koreans were undernourished from 2017 to 2019, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, the UN said in an inter-agency report. East Timor and Afghanistan followed. In the same period, seven out of ten North Korean children aged two or below did not have minimum acceptable diet. In the report released Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Program, World Health Organization and UNICEF, seven out of ten infants younger than six months old i
North KoreaJan. 22, 2021
-
Peace deal Moon wants Biden to inherit flawed: experts
North Korean experts said Thursday it would be a mistake for US President Joe Biden to build on the 2018 Singapore agreement to address North Korea’s denuclearization. President Moon Jae-in has suggested Washington start re-engaging with Pyongyang based on the deal. “What the administration should strive for instead is a comprehensive, well-crafted agreement such as the arms control agreements we had with the Soviet Union,” Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow for Northe
North KoreaJan. 22, 2021
-
Court refuses to cancel seizure of annex to ex-President Chun's house
A Seoul court on Friday rejected a request to cancel the seizure of a building owned by former President Chun Doo-hwan's family in western Seoul. The Seoul Administrative Court issued the ruling in response to an October 2018 lawsuit filed by one of Chun's daughters-in-law, surnamed Lee, who claimed the seizure of the annex inside the former president's residential compound was unjustified because it is under her name. The entire residence was put up for auction in 2018 at the request of the p
PoliticsJan. 22, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Rocker Jeon In-kwon faces police investigation over neighbor dispute
Korean rock icon Jeon In-kwon is facing a police investigation over a dispute with his neighbor, multiple media reported Friday. Seoul’s Jongno Police Station called in the legendary rocker on Wednesday over property damage allegations, according to reports. Jeon allegedly threw a roof tile at his neighbor’s front door in September. The rocker had gotten into a dispute with his neighbor, claiming that the neighbor re-constructed their house to raise the height of the roof by one
Social AffairsJan. 22, 2021
-
S. Korea remains alert over possible uptick ahead of Lunar New Year, reports under 400 new cases
Authorities warned against coronavirus complacency as potential risk factors still remain at large even though South Korea has been reporting fewer cases in recent days due to tougher virus curbs. Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said in a press briefing Friday that the government is cautious about easing social distancing rules as conditions still remain for the virus to gain force under the nation’s third COVID-19 wave. “Although (the number of new cases) has stayed in the 30
Social AffairsJan. 22, 2021