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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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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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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S. Korea 'seriously considering' stricter social distancing
South Korea’s new daily COVID-19 case count topped 200 for the second consecutive day on Sunday due to sporadic clusters of infections, prompting health authorities to “seriously” consider tightening antivirus restrictions. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday that the government issued a “preliminary warning” for the Greater Seoul area and Gangwon Province grappling with surges in coronavirus cases. Korea reported 208 new coronavirus cases -
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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[Newsmaker] 3 missing, 2 rescued in fishing boat capsizing near border island
INCHEON -- A fishing boat capsized in waters near a northwestern border island Saturday, leaving three crew members missing, the Coast Guard said. The 12-ton vessel was overturned in waters 43 kilometers from the border island of Soyeonpyeong at 6:07 p.m., the authorities said. The cause of the capsizing was not immediately known. Three crew members, including the 63-year-old captain, went missing, while two others were rescued. One of the rescued remains unconscious, officials said. Prime Mi
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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Moon joins ASEAN summit with Japanese, Chinese leaders, urges closer ties for post-coronavirus economy
South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a virtual summit with the leaders of Japan and China as well as 10 Southeast Asian countries Saturday and stressed the need for closer partnerships for health care and economic growth. "As the COVID-19 situation is being prolonged, there's an increasing number of problems that we have to resolve together," Moon said, delivering his opening remarks at the annual ASEAN Plus Three Summit. ASEAN stands of the Association of South East Asian Nati
Foreign AffairsNov. 14, 2020
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[Weekender] Yoga for women, lifting for men?
For women in South Korean society, where many struggle to fit rigid beauty standards, getting skinnier and looking feminine has been a lifelong mission and working out has been mainly for weight loss. But more and more women are challenging the perception that muscles are only for men, turning to strength training and team sports for their health, pleasure and self-satisfaction. On Tuesday evening at a popular franchise gym in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, the weights section was predominan
Social AffairsNov. 14, 2020
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New virus cases in S. Korea exceed 200 as govt. mulls enhancing social distancing
South Korea’s new coronavirus cases exceeded 200 for the first time in 73 days Saturday amid lingering cluster infections across the nation, with health authorities considering raising the social distancing scheme by a notch in the five-tier system. The country added 205 more COVID-19 cases, including 166 local infections, raising the total caseload to 28,338, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The number of new infections stayed in triple digits for the seve
Social AffairsNov. 14, 2020
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Ruling party chief calls on Biden to keep 2018 deal between Kim Jong-un, Trump
The ruling party chairman expressed hope Friday that a 2018 deal signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will be retained under the incoming US administration under President-elect Joe Biden. "I wish that South Korea and the US will work together to reactivate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the chairman of Democratic Party, said during a top party council meeting. "The starting point for that will be the re
PoliticsNov. 13, 2020
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S. Korean lawmakers meet Suga in effort to mend diplomatic ties
A group of South Korean lawmakers met Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday amid growing expectations for improvement in ties between the two nations frayed over historical and trade issues. Seven members of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union, who arrived in Tokyo for a three-day visit on Thursday, paid a courtesy call on the new Japanese leader. It marked the first time for Suga to meet South Korean lawmakers since he took office as prime minister in September. South Korea an
Foreign AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Unions all over S. Korea to demonstrate against ‘regressive’ labor reforms
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather across South Korea on Saturday to protest labor reforms and to call for enhanced labor rights protections. Han Sang-jin, the spokesperson for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said Saturday’s demonstrations are intended to “highlight unfair labor practices that are perpetuating through the pandemic” as well as to honor the anniversary of labor rights activist Chun Tae-il’s death. “Industrial disaster
Social AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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Bleak coronavirus winter projected as controls ease and cases rise
Health experts once again urged people to continue exercising precaution on Friday as the number of daily new infections marked its highest tally since early September. Korea on Thursday performed 11,639 tests and confirmed 191 more cases -- 162 locally transmitted and 29 imported -- which translates to a positivity rate of 1.64. In the past week, Korea did 10,728 tests and detected 134 cases a day on average. The cumulative number of official cases is 28,133. Seoul continues to claim t
Social AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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S. Korea, Greece hold defense talks, vow to strengthen cooperation
The vice defense ministers of South Korea and Greece held a meeting Friday and agreed to enhance bilateral defense cooperation, Seoul's defense ministry said. Greece's vice defense chief, Alkiviadis Stefanis, is in South Korea at the invitation of Seoul's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War. During the talks held in Seoul, Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min and Stefanis "vowed to make efforts to beef up defense cooperatio
Foreign AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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S. Korea should send strong message to N. Korea. not to make provocations: ex-UN chief
South Korea should send strong message to North Korea to make it refrain from provocations, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday, amid speculation Pyongyang could soon launch missiles to test the incoming Joe Biden administration. Ban made the remark in a keynote speech at a seminar in Seoul, saying the North's denuclearization issue is likely to be back "on a rollercoaster" following the inauguration of Joe Biden as the next US President. "There is a possibility
DefenseNov. 13, 2020
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Some 13,000 visit royal palaces during festival despite pandemic
Some 13,000 people took part in a monthlong festival highlighting Korean royal palaces despite the new coronavirus pandemic, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Friday. The royal palace festival, which ran from Oct. 10 to Nov. 8 at four palaces in central Seoul -- Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu and Changgyeong -- as well as Jongmyo Shrine, offered visitors a chance to explore Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) era heritage both online and offline. Around 13,000 people attended 12 programs
Social AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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No formal request from US over 'Quad' coalition, Cheong Wa Dae official says
South Korea has not received any formal request from the United States to join the so-called Quad, a regional strategic coalition widely viewed as aimed at containing China's assertiveness, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official Friday. "In connection with the Quad, there has been no formal request at all made by the US government to our government," Suh Choo-suk, deputy director of Cheong Wa Dae's national security office, said during a parliamentary session. The Quadrilatera
PoliticsNov. 13, 2020
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Korea, Mekong nations upgrade relations, adopt joint statement
South Korea and countries along the Mekong River on Friday upgraded relations to that of strategic partners, and adopted a joint statement outlining ways to further increase cooperation at the second Korea-Mekong Summit held via video link. Friday’s summit among the leaders of Korea and Mekong River nations – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – was the second to be held since Moon proposed the summit in 2018. At Friday’s summit, Moon stressed the need for
Foreign AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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Moon names sociology professor to head state reconciliation panel
President Moon Jae-in on Friday named a sociology professor to head a state panel tasked with investigating past cases of human rights violations. Jung Keun-sik of Seoul National University will lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set to resume its operation on Dec. 10, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a written briefing. The 62-year-old has over 30 years of experience researching East Asian social history and the subject of unification and peace. He has been noted for h
PoliticsNov. 13, 2020
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Seoul seeks breakthrough in ties with Tokyo
The South Korean government is seeking to make a breakthrough in its strained relations with Tokyo over a wartime labor dispute, with Seoul officials racing to Japan for talks with political leaders. A delegation of bipartisan lawmakers from the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians’ Union, led by Rep. Kim Jin-pyo of the ruling Democratic Party, is in Tokyo from Thursday to Saturday to meet with its counterparts and officials to discuss ways to improve bilateral relations deteriorated by a f
Foreign AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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Screening process begins to pick anti-corruption agency chief
The screening process to select two finalists who are qualified to head an envisioned anti-corruption agency that will investigate high-ranking government officials has begun Friday amid fierce partisan strife. A seven-member panel of government officials and outside experts will choose two candidates out of 10 legal professionals they recommended to be the first chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, or CIO. During a day-long meeting, the panel members revie
PoliticsNov. 13, 2020
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Ahn woos chief prosecutor who rose to presidential hopeful in polls
A minor opposition party leader has wooed the prosecutor general who suddenly rose to presidential hopeful in polls thanks to his defiance against the justice minister. Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl has been at odds with Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative command authority in a number of cases including a high-profile financial scandal, and openly expressed his disagreement during a televised parliamentary audit last month. Choo upped the ante on Wednesday by calling for Yoon&rsq
PoliticsNov. 13, 2020
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S. Korea to donate $10m for COVID-19 vaccine support to developing nations, Moon says
President Moon Jae-in on Friday held a summit with leaders of Southeast Asia's Mekong River nations via video links, in which he promised to contribute $10 million to help provide new coronavirus vaccines to developing nations. "We will contribute $10 million for coronavirus vaccine support to developing countries through the COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX)," Moon said during his second annual summit with leaders of the five Mekong River nations -- Vietnam, Cambodi
Foreign AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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Ministry says cancellation of Samsung-chartered flights to China does not mean halt of 'fast-track' program
The foreign ministry said Friday that this week's cancellation of two Samsung-chartered flights to China does not mean a suspension of a bilateral "fast-track" program to ease COVID-19 entry restrictions for essential businesspeople. The ministry called the cancellation an "isolated" case, amid speculation that the cancellation of the flights, initially set to depart for the Chinese cities of Xian and Tianjin on Friday, amounted to a halt of the fast-track program. "I
Foreign AffairsNov. 13, 2020