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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[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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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
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Ex-Seoul mayor Oh announces conditional bid to run for reelection
Former two-term Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday announced a conditional bid to run for the seat again in the upcoming by-election. Oh, also a former lawmaker affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said he will run in the Seoul mayor election slated for April 7 unless Ahn Cheol-soo, another main mayor candidate, joins the party. Ahn, head of the minor opposition People's Party, declared his Seoul mayoral bid last month, saying he wants to run as a "unified candida
PoliticsJan. 7, 2021
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W14.5b vanishes from Jeju casino
Police have launched an investigation after 14.5 billion won ($13.4 million) disappeared from the foreigners-only Landing Casino on Jeju Island. Hong Kong-based Landing International Development, which owns the casino, reportedly discovered the cash was missing on Monday and informed the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The casino staffer who was in charge of the money is unreachable after failing to return from a year-end vacation without giving notice, a casino employee who wished to rem
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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S. Korean delegation heads to Iran for talks to free seized tanker
A South Korean government delegation arrived in Iran on Thursday for talks to seek the release of an oil tanker and its crew seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf earlier this week. “I plan to meet my counterpart at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, and will meet others through various routes if that will help to resolve the issue of the ship’s seizure,” Koh Kyung-sok, director-general for African and Middle Eastern Affairs at the Foreign Ministry who is leading the dele
Foreign AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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Adoption agency takes heat in abuse death case
Children's rights activists on Thursday urged the health ministry to look into the role, if any, of a major adoption agency in the death of a 16-month-old adoptee. At a press conference near Cheong Wa Dae, the activists, including those who advocated for the rights of adoptees and single-parent households, urged the ministry to check whether there were any lapses in the agency's work to protect the child. They also demanded Holt Children's Services, the country's biggest adoption agency, revea
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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S. Korea confirms 3 more COVID-19 variant cases, raising total to 15
South Korea's health authorities on Thursday confirmed three more cases of a more contagious variant of the new coronavirus that was first identified in Britain, bringing the variant's total caseload to 15. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the three people, all family members of a COVID-19 patient who was infected with the variant, were confirmed to have the new COVID-19 strain. The patient arrived in South Korea from Britain on Dec. 19 last year. The KDCA said it is
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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Snow, cold wave disrupts travel in S. Korea
Heavy snow that fell overnight combined with a cold wave have disrupted travel in South Korea, snarling traffic on icy roads, suspending rail services and canceling flights. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow began to fall in Seoul from around 7 p.m. the previous day and recorded 13.7 centimeters of snow as of 1 p.m. on Thursday. Temperatures in the city dropped to minus 16.5 degrees Celsius. As roads became icy and cars slowed down, traffic slowed to an average
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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S. Korea to revise COVID-19 rules as cases fall
South Korea is revising its social distancing guidelines to allow certain businesses to operate, as strict virus control measures have wreaked havoc on the lives of small merchants. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a meeting Thursday that the government would take steps to assure fairness and address the financial difficulties facing small businesses, with details to be announced in the coming days. “As frustration continues and seems endless, people have questioned the virus contr
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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Infected inmates demand compensation from state
Four inmates infected with coronavirus at a detention center in Seoul filed a compensation suit against the Ministry of Justice over for a negligence of quarantine. This is the first time that prisoners at a correctional facility have filed a lawsuit against the state in relation to COVID-19. Four inmates at Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul filed a petition with the Seoul Central District Court to claim a total of 40 million won ($36,771) -- 10 million won per person -- at around 11 a.
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Seoul city government under fire for sexist tips for pregnant women
The Seoul city government came under fire after it published sexist and gender-stereotyped guidelines on its website for pregnant women suggesting household chores and child care are women’s responsibility. According to the guidelines, a pregnant woman needs to prepare food, clothes and daily necessities for her family so that they are not inconvenienced by her absence while she is in hospital to give birth. The guidelines also suggested a woman should take care of her appearance during
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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All eyes on surveilling digital sex crimes in the year 2021
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will more than double the number of staff at government agencies supporting victims of digital sex crimes, from 17 in 2020, to 39 this year. The services provided by the Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center, established by the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea under the ministry, includes victim counseling, help getting illegal videos deleted, investigative support, litigation support, and post-monitoring. Since its launch in April 2
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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Top court overturns acquittal in illicit filming of woman in leggings
Taking photos of body parts covered by tight clothing can also be considered a type of sexual offense, the nation's top court has said. The Supreme Court said Wednesday it has remanded the case of a man who was found not guilty of sexual crimes to an appeals division at the Uijeongbu District Court, north of Seoul, for retrial. The man, whose identity was withheld, was charged with filming the lower body of a woman from behind using his mobile phone for about eight seconds on a bus in 2018. T
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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Govt. tightens monitoring after death of foreign worker in vinyl greenhouse
The government said Wednesday it will not issue employment permits to those who provide foreign workers with unsuitable shelters such as makeshift structures inside vinyl greenhouses. The move by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs comes after a Cambodian female worker at a farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, was found dead on Dec. 20 in a prefabricated dwelling unit with a malfunctioning heating system inside a greenhouse made of plastic after temperatures fell to minus 18 degr
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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[Photo News] Heavy snowfall turns Korea into a winter wonderland
Heavy snowfall overnight covers Seoul and its surrounding areas in white on Thursday morning. People struggle to commute to work as the cold weather and slippery roads disrupt travel. A snowman can be seen in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. The main palace Gyeongbokgung in central Seoul has transformed into a dazzling, winter wonderland, with its main throne hall, Geunjeongjeon, and gate Heungnyemun cloaked in a blanket of white. Sejong residents rush to work thro
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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Checking toxicity info becomes easier on smart devices
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Thursday launched a mobile web service for its toxicity information service system, Tox-info. The simplified layout is tailored for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the ministry said in a press release. Information from the website is now easier to share on social media. Previously, the website was optimized for desktop use and this made it difficult for mobile users to search for information. Tox-info (nifds.go.kr/toxinfo) offers infor
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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S. Korea culls 15m poultry as highly pathogenic bird flu cases reach 47
South Korea's agriculture ministry said Thursday that it has so far culled 14.9 million poultry since identifying its first farm-linked, highly pathogenic bird flu case in late November, further sparking concerns over a long-term battle against the contagious animal disease. The country has reported a total of 47 highly pathogenic bird flu cases, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Birds within a 3-kilometer radius of infected farms are destroyed. The latest case
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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New infection cases under 1,000 for 3rd day; restrictions eased on indoor sports facilities
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 1,000 for the third consecutive day on Thursday amid signs of a slowdown, and the government eased virus curbs on indoor sports facilities in response to growing complaints from small business owners. The country added 870 more COVID-19 cases, including 833 local infections, raising the total caseload to 66,688, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's daily caseload was up from 840 on Tuesday and 71
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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Cold wave, heavy snow disrupt morning traffic
A cold wave combined with heavy snowfall overnight created a rush among morning commuters Thursday. The temperature in Seoul dropped to minus 16.1 C at 7 a.m. but with a wind chill of minus 25.3 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, the city had received 3.8 centimeters of snow. The suburbs of Gwacheon and Hanam also received 11.6 cm and 9 cm of snow, respectively. Subways were packed well before 7 a.m., and buses crawled on icy roads. "I left h
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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US employee at Yongsan base, family members test positive for COVID-19
A US Department of Defense (DoD) employee working in Seoul and two of his family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. The employee, his spouse and their dependent were confirmed to have contracted the virus Wednesday following their contact with another DoD official who previously tested positive, according to the US military. The civilian employee and his spouse work at US Army Garrison Yongsan in central Seoul, and they last visited
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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FM Kang calls for continued intl. support for peace efforts on peninsula
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has called for steadfast international support for South Korea's efforts to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, her office said Thursday. Kang made the remarks during Wednesday's virtual session of the Ministerial Meeting of the Stockholm Initiative on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a multilateral forum on nuclear arms control issues. "Minister Kang explained our government's efforts for the Korean Peninsula peace process fo
Foreign AffairsJan. 7, 2021
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S. Korean delegation departs for Iran to negotiate release of seized oil tanker
A government delegation left for Iran on Thursday to negotiate an early release of the South Korean oil tanker and its crew seized by Iranian authorities earlier this week. The delegation, led by Koh Kyung-sok, director-general of the foreign ministry's Africa and Middle Eastern affairs, boarded a plane early Thursday and is set to arrive in Iran via Qatar, foreign ministry officials said. On Monday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) seized the MT Hankuk Chemi carrying 20 crewme
Foreign AffairsJan. 7, 2021