Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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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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'1 million' Christians join anti-LGBTQ+ marriage rally
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea on high alert over nationwide spread of bird flu
South Korea said Monday it is speeding up efforts to cull poultry in areas affected by highly pathogenic bird flu amid growing concerns over the nationwide spread due to migratory birds. The country has identified 13 highly pathogenic bird flu cases across the nation so far this year, with the latest case being reported at a chicken farm in Gimpo, located just west of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. South Korea reported its first farm-related case in Je
Social AffairsDec. 14, 2020
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PM says 'cautious deliberation' required in elevating distancing scheme to top level
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Monday that implementing the toughest social distancing scheme requires careful examination despite increasing calls from experts and the public to raise the level to curb the fast growth of COVID-19 cases. "(Implementing) the Level 3 social distancing scheme is the last resort that we can choose, and it requires cautious deliberation, as it calls for confidence and social consensus on its effectiveness," Chung said during a government meeting of top
PoliticsDec. 14, 2020
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New virus infections under 1,000 on fewer tests; efforts extended to find more potential cases
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 1,000 on Monday on fewer tests over the weekend after topping the mark for the first time the previous day, with health authorities struggling to conduct more virus tests to rein in further spread. The country added 718 more COVID-19 cases, including 682 local infections, raising the total caseload to 43,484, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). On Sunday, the country reported its largest daily caseload e
Social AffairsDec. 14, 2020
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Hundreds of special forces personnel mobilized to support virus fight
More than 300 Special Warfare officers were dispatched to public health centers Monday to help with the government's handling of the new coronavirus, the Army said. A total of 379 officers from the Army's Special Warfare Command were sent to 79 public health centers in Seoul and the surrounding areas to conduct diverse supporting roles, such as contact tracing, data management and transferring samples for virus tests for two months, according to the Army. The move came as the metropolitan ar
Social AffairsDec. 14, 2020
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Moon's approval rating at new low of 36.7%: Realmeter
President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating has hit a new record low of 36.7 percent, the second consecutive week that it has stayed below 40 percent, a poll showed Monday. In the five-day Realmeter survey through last Friday, 36.7 percent of respondents gave a positive assessment of Moon's leadership, down 0.7 percentage point from a week earlier. The rating, in particular, dropped 4.2 percentage points in Seoul and 5.0 percentage points among those in their 20s. Moon also lost support in h
PoliticsDec. 14, 2020
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S. Korea develops mine detector capable of finding nonmetal explosives
South Korea has developed a new mine detector capable of finding nonmetal explosives, such as wooden-boxed land mines with the country's indigenous technologies, the arms procurement agency said Monday. Equipped with a ground penetrating radar, the PRS-20K detector also has an improved detection rate in finding metallic mines compared with the PRS-17K currently used by the military since the late 1990s, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Developed by Hanwha Systems C
DefenseDec. 14, 2020
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Assembly passes revised spy agency law after eliminating opposition filibuster
The National Assembly on Sunday passed a contentious bill aimed at transferring the state spy agency's authority to conduct anti-communist investigations to the police. It is the last of the three bills that were recently approved by the assembly as part of the Moon Jae-in administration's long-planned push to reform so-called powerful institutions, such as the state prosecution service. Last week, parliament approved a major police law revision that introduces a local autonomous police syst
PoliticsDec. 14, 2020
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Govt. plans to secure 10,000 hospital beds in capital area
The health ministry said Sunday it plans to secure a total of 10,000 hospital beds in the capital area to treat a surging number of COVID-19 patients. With 10,000 beds, the region comprising Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province can cope with 1,000 new cases a day for the next 20 days if 500 people are released from quarantine each day, the ministry said. Of the 10,000 patients, 300 were assumed to be critically ill, 2,700 moderately ill or high-risk, and 7,000 asymptomatic or mildly ill. Acco
PoliticsDec. 14, 2020
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More than 2m facilities to face restrictions under Level 3 social distancing: ministry
More than 2 million multiuse facilities and businesses will face restrictions if the government raises the social distancing scheme to Level 3, the health ministry said Sunday. Son Young-rae, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing that the highest level calls for a no-assembly order on around 450,000 facilities and restricted services at around 1.57 million others. South Korea operates a five-tier social distancing scheme, with the greater Seoul area currently under the second-high
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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[Newsmaker] ‘Winter did not have to be this bad’
A winter surge of COVID-19 infections was something that Korea was well warned against but did not do enough to prepare for, experts say, arguing that any further delay in response could exact a greater toll in lives than earlier heights of the pandemic. Korea just saw its worst weekend yet for COVID-19 cases, tallying record-high numbers of new infections for two consecutive days at 950 cases and 1,030 cases. For the first time since the virus took hold, the number of patients under treatment
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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What will build people’s trust in COVID-19 vaccines?
Recent blunders with flu shots should serve as a lesson that clear communication backed by science is key to bolstering the public’s embrace of the coming COVID-19 vaccines and offsetting mistrust, experts say. Earlier in the fall, more than 1 million doses of flu vaccine were recalled over suspected contamination or exposure to temperatures outside their safe range. Public health authorities were accused of withholding information on the mishandling for at least three days -- during whi
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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S. Korea confirms two more cases of highly pathogenic bird flu in poultry
South Korea confirmed two more cases of highly pathogenic bird flu at a poultry farm in a southern region on Sunday amid growing concerns over the disease spreading nationwide despite tougher measures. Avian influenza (AI) of H5N8 strain was found from samples collected from two duck farms in Yeongam county, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It marked the country's 11th and 12th highly pathogenic AI case in domestic birds this year
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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Sunfull Foundation leads campaign for wearing mask to fight COVID-19
As a second and even third wave of the pandemic continues to rise in many parts of the world, the Sunfull Foundation has been working on overcoming the crisis by spreading awareness online all around the world. On Dec. 4, the foundation led by Dr. Min Byoung-chul, a professor at Hanyang University, initiated the #WearAMask4All Global Challenge, taking a cue from US President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s message to stand in solidarity in overcoming the pandemic. The campaign aims to remind th
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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Moon says S. Korea's antivirus fight at crucial juncture, toughed social distancing may be necessary
President Moon Jae-in called on Sunday for all-out efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections in South Korea, saying the country's antivirus fight stands at a "crucial phase" before deciding whether to lift the social distancing alert to the highest. "There is nowhere to step back," he stressed during an interagency meeting on virus response at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters in Seoul. He presided over the emergency session hours after loc
PoliticsDec. 13, 2020
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Ruling party chief vows efforts to begin using coronavirus vaccines before March
The chief of the ruling Democratic Party on Sunday pledged efforts to start administering coronavirus vaccines in South Korea before March. Rep. Lee Nak-yon made the remark during a press conference marking the 100th day since he took the helm of the party, saying he will do his best to move up the use of coronavirus medicines and vaccines as much as possible while ensuring their safety and efficacy. "We will do our best to expedite the use of coronavirus medicines and vaccines as early a
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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[Herald Interview] Korea kindles talks for eco-based ‘pan Yellow Sea’ economy
South Korea has taken the initiative in pushing forward protecting the maritime ecosystem and biodiversity of the Yellow Sea -- also called the West Sea here -- as part of its efforts to achieve regional sustainable development for oceans via carbon neutrality. During the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on Dec. 12, 2015, 192 UN members unanimously adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals as common goals for the international community to attain together by 2030. T
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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2 more military members test positive for COVID-19
The military reported two new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday. A civilian worker for the Navy in Jinhae in the southeastern city of Changwon tested positive for COVID-19 before his release from quarantine, after a fellow worker was confirmed to have been infected on Dec. 1 upon returning from a recent business trip to Colombia, according to the defense ministry In Samcheok, Gangwon Province, an Army officer was also confirmed to have been infected with the virus following his recent trip t
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi Gov. Lee seeks emergency mobilization of college dorm to treat COVID-19 patients
SUWON -- Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Sunday that he will seek an emergency measure to mobilize a private university dormitory to accommodate new coronavirus patients. In a tweet, Lee announced his first such plan to mobilize a private facility to tackle the public health care crisis, as the province is running short on hospital beds and other facilities to treat the growing number of COVID-19 patients. Earlier in the day, the provincial government sent a document to Kyonggi Unive
Social AffairsDec. 13, 2020
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Moon to preside over emergency anti-virus meeting
President Moon Jae-in will preside over an emergency anti-coronavirus meeting on Sunday, officials said, after South Korea's daily virus cases hit an all-time high of over 1,000. It will be the first time in about 10 months for Moon to chair an anti-virus meeting since he did so on Feb. 23. That underlines how seriously he views the recent spike in virus cases. Such meetings have usually been presided over by the prime minister. Cheong Wa Dae said Moon's decision to preside over the meeting is
PoliticsDec. 13, 2020
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Panmunjom tours to be suspended again over coronavirus concerns
Tours to the truce village of Panmunjom will be suspended again this week due to coronavirus concerns, the unification ministry said Sunday, just about a month after the program resumed following a yearlong suspension over worries about African swine fever. The ministry made the announcement to suspend the program on Tuesday as South Korea's single-day coronavirus cases broke the 1,000-mark for the first time since the country saw its first COVID-19 case in January. "We have decided to te
North KoreaDec. 13, 2020