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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US envoy Biegun to visit Seoul
US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who doubles as Washington’s point man on North Korea, is set to visit South Korea on Tuesday to discuss alliance issues and the stalled talks on North Korea’s denuclearization, officials said Monday. Biegun will stay in Seoul from Tuesday to Friday, in what is likely his last trip to Seoul as the No. 2 American diplomat and the US special representative for North Korea, as the Donald Trump administration’s single four-year term
Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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S. Korea, Netherlands sign MOU on discovery of Dutch troops missing in Korean War
South Korea and the Netherlands agreed to expedite efforts to discover and identify Dutch troops who went missing during the 1950-53 Korean War, the defense ministry said Monday. Defense Minister Suh Wook and the Dutch Ambassador to South Korea Joanne Doornewaard signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that calls on Seoul to establish a system designed to excavate the remains of service personnel missing in action and identify them in a swifter manner, according to the ministry. The Netherl
Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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44% of voters said only Choo should resign: pollster
President Moon Jae-in’s support rating hit its lowest point ever last week, marking the sharpest weekly drop since his term began, local pollster Realmeter said Monday. In a separate poll by the same pollster, 44.3 percent of voters said only Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae should resign after her monthslong conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over control of the prosecution and its work. On Nov. 24, Choo announced her decision to remove Yoon from duty, and the two are in a legal
PoliticsDec. 7, 2020
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Military to maintain toughened social distancing rules until year-end
The military will maintain a toughened social distancing scheme until the end of the year, banning troops from vacationing and taking off-installation trips, the defense ministry said Monday, as South Korea struggles to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. The military began enforcing Level 2.5 social distancing guidance late last month following a series of cluster COVID-19 infections at barracks across the country. The greater Seoul was placed under Level 2 distancing rules at that time.
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Moon urges measures for thorough tracing of coronavirus infections
President Moon Jae-in instructed the government Monday to mobilize "every available" workforce for thorough tracing of COVID-19 infections, Cheong Wa Dae said. He called for measures to enhance the capabilities of tracking and tracing coronavirus-related contacts in response to continued surges in infections especially in and around Seoul, according to Chung Man-ho, senior presidential secretary for public communication. Health authorities here have been suffering increased difficult
PoliticsDec. 7, 2020
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S. Korea to draw up rules for better working conditions for foreign fishing crews
South Korea said Monday it will launch a new set of rules next year to improve the working environment of foreign crews on local fishing boats, which centers on providing a standardized contract and guaranteeing enough break time. The latest measures came amid growing concerns that the country has been lacking clear guidelines to protect the rights of foreign fishermen, which account for roughly a fifth of the total workforce in the segment. With younger South Koreans avoiding physically stren
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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South Korea faces 'biggest crisis' in fight against COVID-19
President Moon Jae-in ordered the government Monday to step up its contact-tracing and testing capacities in the Seoul metropolitan area as the country battles “the biggest crisis” since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. Despite a fall in the number of coronavirus tests carried out over the weekend, South Korea added 615 coronavirus cases -- 580 locally transmitted and 35 imported from overseas -- in the 24 hours ending Sunday at midnight, according to
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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S. Korea warns of further virus spike to over 900 next week as new infections above 600 for 2nd day
South Korea's health authorities warned on Monday that the country's daily virus cases may top 900 next week as a string of cluster infections from private gatherings and infection-prone facilities continued amid a surge in untraceable infection cases. They will streamline test procedures for quick results to rein in fast spread of the new coronavirus. The country added 615 more COVID-19 cases, including 580 local infections, raising the total caseload to 38,161, according to the Korea Disease
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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Standstill issued for poultry farm in Gyeonggi on suspected bird flu case
South Korea on Monday issued a standstill order for all poultry farms in Gyeonggi Province after the region that surrounds Seoul identified one suspected case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI). Under the decision, all poultry farms will be banned from moving birds as well as related automobiles for the next 48 hours through early Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. On late Sunday, the ministry said it was carrying out an investigation into the s
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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Biegun to visit Seoul for talks on alliance, N. Korea
US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will visit Seoul this week for talks with South Korean officials about alliance issues and the stalled nuclear dialogue with North Korea, officials said Monday. The four-day trip starting Tuesday is expected to be Biegun's last visit to Seoul as the No. 2 American diplomat and the US point man on North Korea before the administration of President Donald Trump ends its four-year term. "He will meet with officials in the Republic of Korea to discu
Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2020
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S. Korea investigating another suspected case of bird flu from farm
South Korea is looking into another suspected case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) from a chicken farm in the south of Seoul, in yet another sign that the disease could be spreading quickly nationwide. Local authorities are carrying out an investigation into the suspected case at an egg farm in Yeoju, 105 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm raises around 193,000 chickens. The ministry said it may take up to three days
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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Seoul belatedly begins stricter social distancing
The second-strictest social distancing rules in South Korea’s COVID-19 playbook will be imposed across the Seoul metropolitan area for the next three weeks from Tuesday, the government said Sunday. The Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo told a news briefing escalating the country’s response to the pandemic was necessary to “keep the health care systems from collapsing.” The next tier of restrictions, which is set to last until Dec. 28 at midnight, reduces th
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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[News Focus] Deaths outnumber births in 12 of 13 months
SEJONG -- The number of births in South Korea renewed its all-time low last month at 21,043, with the gap with the number of deaths widening after the latter overtook births last year. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, there were 25,997 deaths in November. Since the tally for deaths overtook births in November 2019, the gap has widened, with the previous biggest gap of 4,778 posted in October. The births tally in November 2020 contrasts with 34,847, posted five years earlier in
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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[Herald Interview] Openness to internal change needed to complete prosecution reform
President Moon Jae-in’s initiative to curb the immense power of state prosecutors is now at its halfway point, with related bills having cleared hurdles in the parliament. For the reform measures to really take root, prosecutors need to step up and play a greater role in driving internal and cultural changes among themselves, said Kim In-hoe, a professor at Inha University Law School in Seoul who is often dubbed the architect of Moon’s prosecution reform scheme, “Once a
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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S. Korea confirms another highly pathogenic bird flu case at poultry farm
South Korea confirmed another case of highly pathogenic bird flu at a duck farm in a southern county Saturday, putting quarantine authorities on high alert. The latest case was reported at a duck meat farm in South Jeolla Province‘s Yeongam County, according to the provincial government. It marks the third highly pathogenic case reported at a poultry house this year and the first such case confirmed in South Jeolla Province in three years. Having blocked access to the affected farm and
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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S. Korea to raise social distancing to Level 2.5 in capital area
South Korea on Sunday decided to raise distancing regulations for the greater Seoul area to the second-highest level as part of its utmost efforts to stem a resurgence of the novel coronavirus. The government announced that the Level 2.5 distancing, the second highest in the country's five-tier COVID-19 alert system, will be applied to the nation's capital area, which covers Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, for the next three weeks. Health authorities are expected to announce when the upgr
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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[Newsmaker] International human rights group condemns anti-leafleting bill as violation of free expression
A human rights group condemned the South Korean parliament’s push to penalize the launching of propaganda leaflets into North Korea as a violation of the freedom of expression, calling on the National Assembly to reject the proposed legislature. Human Rights Watch, a New York-based organization, said in a statement Saturday that if the bill that bans leafleting campaigns is enacted, it would violate South Koreans’ rights to the freedom of expression, making “engaging
North KoreaDec. 6, 2020
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Foreign minister highlights global solidarity, cooperation on COVID-19 pandemic
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Saturday stressed the importance of global solidarity and international cooperation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and future crises. She made the remark at the Manama Dialogue, an annual regional security forum held in Bahrain that involved security and political officials and experts. Kang was on a four-day trip to the region from Thursday, visiting Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates for meetings with officials. “Global gove
Foreign AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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S. Korea to give additional support to overseas Koreans' fight against recent COVID-19 surge
South Korea will support an additional 200 billion won ($184,000) worth of relief and sanitary goods to help overseas Koreans fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic, the foreign ministry said Sunday. Face masks, hand sanitizers and other health care items will be sent to 57 ethnic Korean associations in 26 countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aid is aimed at helping overseas Koreans who are struggling with lockdowns or curfews in many countries amid the recent hug
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020
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Third wave-hit Korea to decide whether to begin tougher rules nationwide
South Koreans are due to find out later today whether or not more social distancing restrictions will be implemented as the country reels under third wave of the coronavirus. Korea on Saturday conducted 14,371 cases and confirmed 631 new infections -- 599 locally transmitted and 32 imported --, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Sunday situation report, which is the third-highest total in a single day since the onset of the outbreak here. The cumulative numbe
Social AffairsDec. 6, 2020