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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Moon picks new land minister in partial Cabinet shake-up
President Moon Jae-in on Friday nominated a new land minister in a partial Cabinet shake-up, Cheong Wa Dae said, amid a fierce public backlash against the government's real estate policy. Byeon Chang-heum, head of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, also known as LH, was tapped as the new land and transport minister. The nomination comes as Kim Hyun-mi, the current minister, has come under intense public criticism as of late after a series of government policies aimed at curbing skyrocket
PoliticsDec. 4, 2020
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Japan negligent in carrying out UNESCO recommendations on wartime forced labor: official
Japan remains negligent in carrying out UNESCO recommendations that the country offer correct accounts of wartime forced labor when describing the history of industrial sites recognized as World Heritage, an official said Friday. When the 23 Meiji-era industrial sites won the World Heritage recognition in 2015, Japan promised to set up an information center to remember and honor the victims in a way that recognizes that they were forcibly mobilized for labor. But the promise was not kept. A
Foreign AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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Seoul orders closure of stores, theaters, internet cafes after 9 p.m.
The Seoul city government said Friday that stores, theaters and multiple other facilities must close after 9 p.m. for two weeks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Acting Seoul Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup announced the new restriction during a virtual press briefing, saying the order will go into force Saturday. "Seoul is currently facing a desperately dangerous crisis," he said. "We have no room left to retreat. Starting tomorrow, we are halting Seoul after 9 p.m." The o
PoliticsDec. 4, 2020
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Prosecutors demand life sentence for child pornography offender
JEJU -- Prosecutors have demanded life imprisonment for a sex offender indicted for allegedly producing about 1,300 child sexual exploitation photos and videos and distributing some of them online, judicial officials said Friday. The sentencing demand was made during a hearing held at the Jeju District Court on Thursday on the case of Bae Jun-hwan, a 37-year-old who was arrested in July on charges of forcing 44 minors encountered in an open online chat room to produce 1,293 sexual exploitation
Social AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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Moon, first lady invite charity group representatives to Cheong Wa Dae
President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook on Friday invited representatives of major charity organizations to Cheong Wa Dae to thank and encourage them for their much-needed work in helping out the needy. The participants represent 14 charity groups, including the Salvation Army, Good Neighbors, the Korean National Tuberculosis Association, the Korean Red Cross and Babonanum, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Also invited were actor Jang Hyun-sung, mountaineer Um Hong-gil and singer Bada, w
PoliticsDec. 4, 2020
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College hopefuls may be denied early admissions if they have COVID-19 or have to self-quarantine
Fear is growing among college hopefuls after Thursday’s national college entrance exam, as the coronavirus situation could hinder their chances of gaining admission to the colleges of their choice. Starting this weekend, a number of universities are kicking off written exams and interviews for early admissions. Universities are looking to recruit 77 percent of their new students for next year by Dec. 27. Konkuk University will have a written exam Saturday, followed by Sogang University,
Social AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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Unification minister cites European Coal and Steel Community as model for inter-Korean cooperation
Unification Minister Lee In-young said Friday that South and North Korea should look for creative ways to build peace and prosperity just as the European Coal and Steel Community led Europe into unity "beyond the barrier of ideology and boundaries." Lee made the remark during a video speech at a forum on peace in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), stressing the importance of inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation. The European Coal and Steel Community is an organization established in 1952
North KoreaDec. 4, 2020
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6 soldiers, 1 Marine test positive for COVID-19
Six Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. Three Army officers at the Sangmudae Artillery School in Jangseong, 310 kilometers south of Seoul, were diagnosed with COVID-19 while in quarantine after cluster infections were reported at the base, according to the ministry. Another officer in the central city of Gyeryong tested positive while in quarantine after he was found to have had contact with a person who was later found to
Social AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea probes 10 suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu
South Korea said Friday it is investigating 10 suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) found from wild bird droppings, sparking concerns over the nationwide spread of the virus among poultry farms. The new suspected cases came from samples gathered from major wild bird habitats across the nation, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It will take up to five days to determine whether they are highly pathogenic. South Korea reported its first highl
Social AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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Proposed US defense budget bill limits reduction of USFK troop level
WASHINGTON -- The US defense budget bill for next year seeks to prevent a reduction of US troop levels in South Korea, a US congressional record showed Thursday. According to the Conference Report on the defense budget, the US Congress seeks to prevent the use of the national defense budget to reduce the number of US Forces Korea from the current level of 28,500. "None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act may be used to reduce the total number of members of the Armed For
DefenseDec. 4, 2020
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PM says virus crisis still ongoing, tougher measures to be considered
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that the country's latest COVID-19 infection crisis is still ongoing and that authorities will consider enforcing tougher antivirus measures after monitoring the situation. "The number of new COVID-19 infections, which shrunk a bit as of late, is again increasing, and the crisis situation is still ongoing," Chung said during a government meeting of top officials in charge of dealing with the pandemic. The meeting of the Central Disaster and S
PoliticsDec. 4, 2020
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Military to use Samsung smartphone-based combat information device
The military will introduce a Samsung smartphone-based combat information device on a trial basis next year that will enable troops to view real-time battle information without relying on communications networks. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said it has signed a contract with LIG Nex1 Co. to buy the individual combat equipment for the Army and the Marine Corps, which will allow troops to communicate, sharing intelligence and battle situations, without a separate communications
DefenseDec. 4, 2020
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S. Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases top 600
Tougher antivirus restrictions will take effect in Seoul starting Saturday, with a record number of new daily COVID-19 cases reported in the capital and the country’s daily case count surpassing 600 on Friday. The spike in coronavirus cases is also fueling fears of the health system becoming overwhelmed, causing shortages of hospital beds and other resources for critically ill patients. At this pace, according to health officials, hospital beds can be expected to run out in 10 to 14 days
Social AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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US Army Pacific commander named new USFK chief: sources
US Army Pacific Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has been nominated to be the next commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK), sources said Friday. If confirmed, LaCamera will succeed Gen. Robert Abrams to lead the 28,500 American troops based in South Korea, as well as to take the helm of the UN Command and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command. Abrams took office in November 2018. The nomination is part of a routine reshuffle, though no official term of office is set for a USFK commander, the
DefenseDec. 4, 2020
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Seoul logs record high 295 coronavirus cases
Seoul posted 295 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the most ever for the city, health authorities said. The new high came only a day after the capital city set its previous record for daily coronavirus cases with 262 new infections on Wednesday. Across the country 629 new cases were reported on Thursday, the highest total in nearly nine months, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. "It's hard for the antivirus measures to keep up with the pace of spread because c
Social AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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In UN speech, PM stresses need for 'equitable access' to COVID-19 vaccines
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that the international community must work together to ensure each nation has evenhanded access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are developed and available for use. "To envision a resolution to this crisis that leaves no one behind, we must guarantee equitable access to vaccines and treatments, once available," Chung said in a video speech during the 31st special session of the United Nations General Assembly held in response to the COVID-19 pa
PoliticsDec. 4, 2020
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S. Korea, US need to work together in Asia but first set objectives: officials
WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea can and must work together to promote their shared values and check China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, a US diplomat said Thursday. A South Korean diplomat here agreed on the need for the allies to work together, but highlighted the importance of first laying out their common goals. "We have a long standing cooperative relationship and one that I foresee going forward, I mean, because basically it comes down to the kind of
Foreign AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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US commission claims launch of 'Quad Plus' denied by US govt.
WASHINGTON -- An expanded security forum has taken root in the Indo-Pacific region, a US commission reported Thursday, despite consistent US government denials of any attempt to broaden the so-called Quad. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission claimed China's increasingly assertive behavior has led to an increase in cohesion among the countries participating in the multilateral forum, known as the Quad, initially consisting of the United States, Japan, India and Australia. "
Foreign AffairsDec. 4, 2020
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Cheong Wa Dae denies report of S. Korea-China-Japan summit postponement
The South Korean presidential office on Thursday denied a news report that an annual trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan, which Seoul plans to host this year, will be postponed to next year. Japan's Nikkei reported earlier in the day that the hosting of this year's annual three-way summit will be delayed as the environment in which South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga can meet in person has not been arranged. "No decision has b
Foreign AffairsDec. 3, 2020
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US should signal willingness for dialogue with N. Korea at early date: official
The incoming US administration of President-elect Joe Biden should signal its willingness to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff through dialogue so as to prevent Pyongyang from undertaking provocations to grab US attention, an official said Thursday. The foreign ministry official made the case, pointing out that the Biden administration might be unable to pay enough attention to the issue of North Korea in its early months as it could be focused on domestic matters first. "We need
North KoreaDec. 3, 2020