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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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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'1 million' Christians join anti-LGBTQ+ marriage rally
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Infection route of 1 in 5 COVID-19 cases unknown
Transmission routes were unknown for 1 in 5 coronavirus cases reported over the past two weeks in South Korea as of Tuesday, signaling a tough battle in reining in the spread of the virus as the world watches COVID-19 vaccinations begin in the UK. Korea added 594 coronavirus cases -- 566 locally transmitted and 28 imported from overseas -- in the 24 hours ending Monday at midnight, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. For the past two weeks, transmission routes for 2
Social AffairsDec. 8, 2020
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[Graphic News] Life expectancy of S. Koreans rises to 83.3 years in 2019
South Korean babies born in 2019 can be expected to live more than 83 years, data showed, amid improved medical systems and public awareness about health. Life expectancy at birth averaged 83.3 years last year, six months longer than a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Compared with 10 earlier, the average life expectancy was 3.2 years longer. The tally also marked a sharp hike from 62.3 years in 1970, when the country began compiling related data. Bab
NationalDec. 8, 2020
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UNESCO board unanimously adopts decision against racial discrimination
The executive board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has unanimously adopted a document that a South Korea-led multilateral group submitted in hopes of ending racial discrimination, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. During a virtual executive board session on Monday, the Group of Friends for Solidarity and Inclusion with Global Citizenship Education submitted the document amid growing concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened racial hatred and discrim
Foreign AffairsDec. 8, 2020
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Biegun visits Seoul for talks on bilateral alliance, N. Korea
US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for talks with South Korean officials on the bilateral alliance and the stalled nuclear negotiations with North Korea. Biegun landed aboard a chartered plane at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, at about 4:15 p.m., officials said. Among his delegation were Alex Wong, deputy assistant secretary of state for North Korea, and Allison Hooker, senior director for Asian affairs at the White House's Natio
Foreign AffairsDec. 8, 2020
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US not seeing weapons proliferation from N. Korea: O'Brien
WASHINGTON -- North Korea is not currently engaged in proliferation of weapons at any significant level, US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said, adding such activity would mean crossing the "red line." "It would be an extraordinarily risky venture for Kim Jong-un to get into the proliferation business when it comes to nuclear weapons. It's something that I am hoping won't happen. We don't see it on the WMD side -– we don't see that happening at this point," O
North KoreaDec. 8, 2020
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Judges decide not to respond to alleged surveillance of judiciary by prosecutors
South Korean judges on Monday decided not to officially respond to allegations of surveillance of the judiciary by prosecutors, a politically explosive accusation that, if proven, could unseat the country's top prosecutor. The National Conference of Judges, which meets biannually to discuss various issues affecting trials, said in a statement that while the issue was being discussed, more than a majority of the judges had reservations about the discussions being made public and wanted to remain
PoliticsDec. 7, 2020
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‘Heartbreaking choices’: If patients outnumber beds, who gets care first?
South Korea may soon be forced to choose which seriously sick patients get priority for care, as intensive care units at hospitals across the country are filling up in the third wave of COVID-19, experts warn. As of the weekend, only 13 beds were available at ICUs in hospitals in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province combined, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s latest data shows. All such beds in Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province had run out. Addressing t
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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S. Korea to announce COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans: official
The government will announce coronavirus vaccine procurement plans on Tuesday, including how much the country has secured so far and when those vaccines will be available, a foreign ministry official has said. The amount of vaccines that South Korea has secured so far is expected to be more than 30 million doses as the government had earlier said it would procure 10 million doses through the COVAX Facility procurement program and purchase 20 million doses more through negotiations with pharmace
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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17 USFK-affiliated people test positive for new coronavirus
Sixteen American service members and one civilian worker for the US military have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea over the past few weeks, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. Five service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, while the others arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, between mid-November and Friday, according t
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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Moon to send special envoy to Russia in December, source says
President Moon Jae-in plans to dispatch Woo Yoon-keun, a former three-term ruling Democratic Party lawmaker, to Russia this month as special envoy, an informed source said Monday. The move comes amid speculation that Woo may be tapped as Moon's new chief of staff. Woo, who served as ambassador to Russia from 2017-2019, is expected to have the mission of discussing pending Seoul-Moscow issues, including the possibility of President Vladimir Putin's trip here that has been delayed due to the COV
PoliticsDec. 7, 2020
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Veteran football administrator faces embezzlement investigation
GWANGJU -- Ki Yeong-ok, a longtime football administrator and father of former South Korean captain Ki Sung-yueng, is facing a police investigation into charges of embezzlement. Officials in the city of Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, said Monday that they have asked police to look into evidence of apparent misappropriation by the senior Ki while he was the general manager of the city-run K League 1 club, Gwangju FC, from 2015 to 2019. The city's auditors are claiming that Ki embezzled
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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‘Seoul unlikely to reclaim wartime role from US during Moon’s tenure’
South Korea is unlikely to reclaim its wartime operational command from the US by May 2022 as President Moon Jae-in has pledged, experts told The Korea Herald. Experts said little time is left in Moon’s tenure and the transfer will be delayed even after Seoul greets a new US military chief, as announced Friday. The new chief will replace Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of the United States Forces Korea who said it would be “premature” to set a date for the handover. The two a
DefenseDec. 7, 2020
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[Contribution] How can we achieve non-traditional security international cooperation?
The international order beyond the mask is shaking unstably. As COVID-19 has prolonged, depression and resentment across the world are also growing. It’s everyone‘s challenge and concern to figure out what is the consensus keyword and mindset that penetrate this era, and what can be the proper response in this fear of the virus. Already it has been a year of facing the COVID-19 era. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, the most distinguished security forum in Asia along with the Shangri-la D
Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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Moon offers public apology for 'confusion' related to prosecution reform drive
President Moon Jae-in apologized publicly Monday for "confusion" from his administration's push for the reform of powerful institutions, especially the state prosecution service. He expressed his wish that it would be the "last pang" in efforts for the democratic reform process. The president was apparently responding to a conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. "I am very sorry as the president for the confusing political s
PoliticsDec. 7, 2020
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Rival parties seek last-minute negotiations on contentious corruption probe unit
Rival parties agreed Monday to seek last-minute negotiations on the contentious issue of picking the inaugural chief of a new investigative unit specializing in corruption by high-ranking government officials. The agreement between the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) came during a meeting between their floor leaders, Reps. Kim Tae-nyeon and Joo Ho-young, respectively, mediated by National Assembly Speaker Rep. Park Byeong-seug. The DP is aiming to
PoliticsDec. 7, 2020
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Go stones, jewel beetle ornaments, guilt-bronze crown unearthed at Silla-era tomb
Hundreds of Go stones and jewel beetle ornaments were some of the unusual relics found alongside a guilt-bronze crown and gold accessories at an ancient tomb presumed to belong to a woman from a royal family in the Silla era, cultural heritage authorities said Monday. The relics were found at an ancient tomb -- Tomb No. 44 -- in Jjoksaem in the southern city of Gyeongju last month, where the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (GNRICH) has been running an excavation projec
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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Govt. buildings to have AI face recognition, QR code access control system
A new access control system utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) face recognition and quick response (QR) code technologies will be introduced to government buildings to enhance their security and improve the convenience of visitors, as well as civil servants, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Monday. The new entry log system will be test-operated in parts of the government complex in the central administrative city of Sejong and later expanded to other government buildings in Seou
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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Japan's info disclosure on Fukushima water disposal insufficient to judge safety: official
Japan has provided South Korea with insufficient information so far about its plan to release radioactive water into the sea from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, a foreign ministry official said Monday. Tokyo appears close to announcing the plan to gradually release into the Pacific Ocean more than 1.2 million tons of radioactive water stored in tanks since the 2011 meltdowns following an earthquake and tsunami. Japan argues that it is the most realistic and relatively harmless disp
Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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45-year-old workers earn highest labor income during life cycle: data
The average annual labor income peaked at the age of 45 for South Korean workers in 2017, while those aged 59 began spending more than they earned, data showed Monday. People aged 45 saw their annual average labor income hit 33.54 million won ($31,000) per person in 2017 during their life cycle, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. People aged between 0 and 27 posted a life cycle deficit, a gauge of the gap between consumption and labor income, due largely to education fees. Suc
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Questions remain as infamous child rapist set for release on weekend
Infamous child rapist Cho Doo-soon is set to be released Saturday, with controversy lingering as to whether he should be released and what the country should do to protect potential victims. Cho, who brutally assaulted an 8-year-old girl in 2008, will be released from prison Dec. 12 after 12 years in prison. It is not known which correctional facility he will be released from on that date, but he will be set free between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Upon release, Cho will be tracked at all times via a GP
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020