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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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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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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S. Korea may extend current social distancing rules with more exemptions
Authorities are in discussion to potentially adjust social distancing rules for next week, as the country looks to address demands from small merchants while controlling the ongoing third COVID-19 wave. South Korea on Friday saw 513 new COVID-19 cases -- 484 locally transmitted and 29 from overseas -- raising the total number of cases recorded here to 71,241, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. By Thursday’s end, Korea had also reported a total of 1,217 deaths f
Social AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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Ex-BIGBANG member Seungri additionally indicted for inciting assault
YONGIN -- Seungri, the disgraced former member of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, has been additionally indicted for allegedly mobilizing gang members to threaten people he got into a fight with at a bar. Prosecutors on Thursday added the charge for the 31-year-old, according to the general military court under the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, about 50 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Seungri, whose legal name is Lee Seung-hyun, was at the center of a major sex and drug scandal that roiled the c
Social AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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Delivery workers threaten strike ahead of Lunar New Year
Unionized delivery workers on Friday threatened to launch a general strike unless measures are put in place to prevent their overwork before next month's Lunar New Year. Parcel deliveries are expected to increase around the holiday, which falls on Feb. 12 this year, as people travel to their hometowns and exchange gifts with family and friends. Couriers have complained for months that their workloads are unbearable, especially after a surge in online orders caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Social AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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S. Korea's highly pathogenic bird flu caseload reaches 62
South Korea's agricultural ministry said Friday the total number of highly pathogenic bird flu cases traced to farms reached 62 amid the growing concerns over the spread of the disease across the country. The latest confirmed case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Anseong, 77 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. South Korea saw its first farm-traced case in nearly three years in November 2020. Later on Friday
Social AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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Ministry replaces top envoy to Nigeria amid probe into alleged unfair hiring
The foreign ministry appointed a new ambassador to Nigeria on Friday, replacing the former envoy under a probe over alleged misconduct in the hiring of an ex-embassy employee. Kim Young-chae, who previously served as the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, will head the mission in the African country, according to a ministry release. Kim, a career diplomat, also served as the head of the South Korean missions to the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and in Libya be
Foreign AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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Seoul's top nuke envoy holds phone talks with Biegun after NK party congress
Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, spoke by phone with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun on Friday and discussed North Korea issues following a key party congress in the communist state, the foreign ministry said. The North wrapped up its eight-day gathering of the Workers' Party on Tuesday, in which it called the United States the North's "foremost principal enemy" and pledged to bolster its nuclear arsenal. During a military parade that followed the part
Foreign AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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S. Korea extends pandemic-driven advisory against overseas travel until Feb. 15
South Korea on Friday extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the continued spread of the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The measure, which will be effective until Feb. 15, calls for citizens to cancel or postpone their planned trips abroad. The current monthlong advisory is set to expire Saturday. The ministry said that it extended the advisory, as many countries around the world continue to restrict entries of people arriving from overseas an
Social AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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New virus cases in 500s for 4th day in sign of downturn in infections
The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 500s for the fourth consecutive day Friday, in a sign that the third wave of the pandemic has slowed down following a peak on the back of monthlong tougher virus curbs. The country added 513 more COVID-19 cases, including 484 local infections, raising the total caseload to 71,241, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Friday's daily number marked a slight drop from 524 posted a day earlier, the KDCA
Social AffairsJan. 15, 2021
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Military postpones reserve forces' training to second half due to COVID-19
The military has decided not to hold regular training sessions for reserve forces in the first half of this year due to the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The training for the country's 2.75 million-strong forces was slated to kick off in March across the nation, but it will be held in the second half in consideration of the COVID-19 situation, according to the ministry. South Korean reservists are required to go through one training session of one to three days per year. I
DefenseJan. 15, 2021
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N. Korea displays new submarine-launched ballistic missile during parade
North Korea showcased yet another new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in just three months during a recent military parade, experts said Friday. During the parade held on Thursday night at Kim Il-sung square in Pyongyang, the North rolled out SLBMs on transporter erector launchers (TEL), which it labeled as the Pukguksong-5ㅅ, along with a new short-range ballistic missile and various other kinds of weaponry. The Korean letter "ㅅ" appears to indicate that it is a sea-based
North KoreaJan. 15, 2021
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[Newsmaker] N. Korea holds military parade, showcases new SLBM
North Korea held a military parade Thursday evening in central Pyongyang to celebrate the recently concluded party congress, showing off its state-of-the-art weapons, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), state media reported Friday. The parade held in Kim Il-sung square came after Pyongyang wrapped up its eight-day congress of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday, at which leader Kim Jong-un pledged to bolster the nuclear arsenal of the country. North Korea appears to aim a
North KoreaJan. 15, 2021
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No new COVID-19 cases reported at correctional facilities for 2nd day
Correctional facilities in South Korea reported no new coronavirus cases on Thursday for the second day in a row, after an alarming surge in a cluster infection at a Seoul prison. A total of 1,249 COVID-19 cases linked to prisons across the countryb had been reported as of Thursday, unchanged from Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice said. The government has announced a set of enhanced COVID-19 measures for prisons following the outbreak at the Seoul detention center that has emerged as a hotbed
Social AffairsJan. 14, 2021
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N. Korea seen staging military parade: source
North Korea appeared to have staged a military parade on Thursday, a South Korean government source said, after Pyongyang wrapped up a rare party congress with calls to bolster its nuclear arsenal. The military parade began at around 6:00 p.m. and was in progress as of 8:00 p.m., the source said on condition of anonymity. Asked whether North Korea staged a military parade, a South Korean military official replied that the military was keeping a close watch on North Korea. Earlier in the da
North KoreaJan. 14, 2021
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President Moon calls for 'future-oriented' relations with Japan
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday urged Japan to swiftly work toward "future-oriented" bilateral relations, after a Seoul court ordered Tokyo to compensate South Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japan's Imperial Army during World War II. Moon made the remarks during a meeting with outgoing Japanese ambassador to South Korea, Koji Tomita, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon told the Japanese envoy that South Korea and Japan are the "closes
PoliticsJan. 14, 2021
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S. Korea’s refugee approval rate hits all-time low
South Korea’s refugee approval reached an all-time low over a 10-month period last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, dipping below 1 percent, government data showed Thursday. The number of asylum-seekers granted refugee status here was 44 from January to October last year, putting the proportion of refugee claims accepted during the period at 0.8 percent, according to statistics from the Justice Ministry. This marks the lowest figure since the country began to compile relevant data in 19
Social AffairsJan. 14, 2021
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7 American workers on Yongsan base test positive for coronavirus
Seven American civilians working at US Forces Korea (USFK)'s Yongsan garrison in central Seoul have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Thursday. One US Department of Defense (DoD) employee and four contractors, who work together on the base, have been in isolation after coming into direct contact with their colleague who earlier tested positive for COVID-19, according to the USFK. The sixth case is the spouse of one of the contractors, who works at a separate locatio
DefenseJan. 14, 2021
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Ruling party, govt. eye loosening of COVID-19 closure rules for small biz
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the government agreed Thursday to seek ways to partially loosen restrictions imposed on private gyms and other indoor business establishments to control the latest wave of COVID-19. The understanding between the DP and top state health officials was reached during a meeting of the party's COVID-19 response committee, ahead of the government's planned deliberation on Saturday of whether or not to adjust the current social distancing scheme. The current Level
PoliticsJan. 14, 2021
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COVID-19 survivors suffer hair loss, shortness of breath after recovery: survey
Survivors of COVID-19 reported hair loss and decreased breathing capacity months after their infections, and some had lingering lung troubles, the health authority said Thursday. A survey on 40 adult patients who were hospitalized for the virus infection showed that hair loss and shortness of breath during exercise were the most common symptoms experienced three months after recovery, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Six months after infection, the discharged patien
Social AffairsJan. 14, 2021
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Corruption case of ex-President Park should never be repeated: Cheong Wa Dae
Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday issued a statement on the Supreme Court sentence of former President Park Geun-hye, stating the corruption scandal that led to imprisonment of an ex-president should never be repeated. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court upheld a 20-year sentence for Park on bribery and other charges, closing the legal process that gripped the country and ultimately removed her from office in 2017. "Such an incident should never be repeated, through taking the tragic incident o
PoliticsJan. 14, 2021
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Hundreds of cafe owners file lawsuit against govt. over COVID-19 losses
Hundreds of cafe owners filed a lawsuit against the government on Thursday seeking compensation for losses suffered under COVID-19 business restrictions. An association of cafe owners said the suit, which was lodged with the Seoul Central District Court, calls for around 1.8 billion won ($1.64 million) in damages, or 5 million won for each of the 358 plaintiffs. "The inconsistent and unfair antivirus regulations have led us to resort to legal action," the association said in a statem
Social AffairsJan. 14, 2021