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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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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When two worlds collab: K-pop flexes power with global stars
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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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Dismissal justifiable for teacher who showed film with nudity in class: court
A court ruled in favor of a local education office that dismissed a middle school ethics teacher for showing a film with nudity to students during class. The Gwangju District Court on Thursday dismissed a complaint from Bae-Lee Sang-heun filed against the Gwangju educational authority, which asked for the cancellation of his dismissal from a teaching position. The court said the dismissal is valid, as some students felt sexually offended and disturbed by the screening, and that Bae-Lee did no
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea rolls out measures to shorten couriers’ work hours
The government said Thursday that it would work to ensure shorter working hours for delivery workers following a recent series of courier deaths, allegedly from overwork, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Ministry and the Transport Ministry announced in a joint press briefing that the government will consult with logistics companies, push for legislative revisions and introduce improved workplace guidelines to protect couriers. “A limit to quantitative growth (of the e-commerce and
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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Pope Francis expresses hope to visit North Korea
Pope Francis has expressed hope of visiting North Korea sometime in the future, reaffirming his previous stance of wanting to bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula. The pontiff made the remark last month during a closed-door meeting with then-South Korean Ambassador to the Holy See Lee Baek-man, who paid the pope a farewell courtesy call before leaving his post, according to the Korean Embassy in the Vatican. When Lee asked whether the pope still wanted to visit the North, as he had s
Foreign AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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6 individuals affiliated with USFK test positive for COVID-19
Five American service members and a dependent have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. They arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on US government chartered flights between Nov. 3-10, according to the US military. Five of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test prior to entering quarantine, while the other was confirmed with the virus on a second test conducted before release. Al
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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NK leader out of public eye for 23rd straight day
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has not made any public appearances for the past 23 days, but his absence is nothing unusual, a unification ministry official said Thursday. Kim was last seen in public on Oct. 21 when he visited a cemetery in the North's South Pyongyang Province for fallen Chinese soldiers that participated in the 1950-53 Korean War. "We do not attach any special meaning to it as he has gone absent from public view for more than 20 days several times based on past records,
North KoreaNov. 12, 2020
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Court grants bail to Shincheonji leader indicted on charges of obstructing COVID-19 response
SUWON -- A court on Thursday granted bail to the leader of a minor religious sect at the center of the early coronavirus outbreak in South Korea. The Suwon District Court, south of Seoul, allowed the bail request of Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, citing a low risk of destroying evidence and his deteriorating health. The court set the bail bond at 100 million won ($89,700) and ordered him to stay at his residence and wear an electric device to trace his movement.
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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Seoul to launch city-wide response system against violation of public mask rules
The Seoul city government said Thursday it will launch a 24-hour response system to handle all queries about potential violations of rules on the wearing of masks in public places. The decision comes as all those not wearing a mask in public will face a 100,000 won ($90) fine starting Friday. The city government said each ward office will assign workers the same day to field phone calls on the mask rules and respond to the scene if necessary. The system will be in place for two weeks. "
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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[Herald Interview] Biden will be tough on China, but likely to rescind tariffs, experts say
US President-elect Joe Biden faces a number of crises at home, such as the coronavirus and its ensuing economic fallout, as well as a deep partisan divide and civil unrest. Such domestic imperatives cast doubts on how much Biden can do on the foreign policy front, especially in Asia. But he will no doubt be tough on China, a major threat to the US economy, experts told The Korea Herald, and he will likely do so by building a united front of allies and partners, rather than raging a trade war li
Foreign AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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Moon confers posthumous state medal on iconic labor activist
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday conferred a posthumous state medal on Chun Tae-il, one of the most important figures in South Korea's labor history, in recognition of his service to the country. Moon awarded the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit to Chun during a ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae attended by his family members and friends. The ceremony came on the eve of the country's annual commemoration of Chun's tragic death five decades earlier. Chun, who was a 22-year-old tailor at tha
PoliticsNov. 12, 2020
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Seoul hosts global labor forum in memory of iconic labor activist
In memory of an iconic labor rights activist who burned himself to death 50 years ago in the heart of Seoul to fight for better working conditions, an international academic forum is under way here this week for discussions on the future of the labor movement, the metropolitan government said Thursday. The forum, which kicked off at Seoul City Hall and other locations on Tuesday for a three-day run, has been organized as part of efforts to reflect on the legacy of the late Chun Tae-il, a garmen
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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Court rules for N. Korean defector in damages lawsuit over false accusation
A Seoul court on Thursday ruled that a North Korean defector and his family should be compensated for suffering sustained by having been falsely accused of being a spy. The Seoul Central District Court ordered the government to pay 120 million won ($107,900), 80 million won and 30 million won, respectively, to Yoo Woo-seong, his sister, Ga-ryeo, and his father, in compensation. Yoo, an ethnic Chinese who defected to the South in 2004, was indicted in February 2013 on the charge of espionage, l
North KoreaNov. 12, 2020
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Seoul in talks with Washington for communications with acting defense secretary
South Korea is in talks with the United States to continue close coordination on pending alliance issues following the appointment of Christopher Miller as the US acting defense secretary, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. On Monday, US President Donald Trump fired his defense chief, Mark Esper, just days after his election defeat to former Vice President Joe Biden. Esper was sworn in as secretary of defense in June last year. "We consider it a natural matter to communicate with t
DefenseNov. 12, 2020
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Biden says he is looking forward to working with Moon on challenges, including N. Korea
WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Joe Biden said Wednesday he looks forward to working closely with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on various challenges facing their countries, such as the North Korean nuclear issue and climate change. In his first phone call with Moon, Biden also expressed "his desire to strengthen the US-ROK alliance as the linchpin of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," according to a statement from his transition team. ROK stands for South Kore
Foreign AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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Moon, Biden reaffirm commitment to alliance, cooperation on global issues
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday spoke with US President-elect Joe Biden via phone, reaffirming their commitment to the alliance and to cooperating on global issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change. “I think that the election result is a reflection of US citizens’ high expectations for President-elect Biden’s long experience in state affairs, outstanding leadership and clear vision,” Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Min-s
Foreign AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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S. Korea probes 3 more suspected cases of bird flu
South Korea said Thursday it is investigating three suspected cases of avian influenza found from wild bird droppings, amid the growing concerns over the disease spreading to local poultry farms. Local authorities are looking into the three cases reported in Gyeonggi Province earlier this week, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It could take about five days to determine whether the virus is a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu. South Korea has raised its guard
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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Canadian aid group helps provide soy milk to 80,000 kids in N. Korea
A Canadian aid group has provided soy milk to around 80,000 children in North Korea as part of efforts to ease malnutrition among kids in the impoverished state, its website showed Thursday. First Steps Health Society said that 100 tons of soybeans have recently been shipped to "eight of our soymilk partner sites in three provinces, reaching more than 80,000 children with much needed soymilk at exactly the right time." The recently-delivered soybeans are part of 400 tons the group pr
North KoreaNov. 12, 2020
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[Graphic News] Total asylum applications tops 70,000 in Korea
The cumulative number of asylum applications filed in South Korea has topped 70,000, government data showed. According to data from the Korea Immigration Service, there have been 70,254 asylum-seekers here dating from 1994, when the government began to compile relevant data, to August this year. The number of asylum-seekers totaled a mere 5,069 between 1994 and 2012, but began to rise sharply from 2013, when the Refugee Act was brought into enforcement. The annual number increased to 1,
NationalNov. 12, 2020
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NSC officials review US presidential election outcome, alliance issues
South Korea's top national security officials on Thursday reviewed the developments of the recent US presidential election and ways to strengthen the Seoul-Washington alliance, Cheong Wa Dae said. The presidential office said the members of the National Security Council's standing committee discussed the developments of the American presidential election and means to sustain and further develop the South Korea-US relationship based on the bilateral alliance. It was their first weekly session s
PoliticsNov. 12, 2020
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FM Kang's late father-in-law to become state-honored independent fighter
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's late father-in-law will be posthumously recognized by the state as a patriot for his contribution to Korea's independence from the Japanese colonial rule, the veterans affairs ministry said Thursday. Lee Ki-eul, emeritus professor of Seoul's Yonsei University, applied for the recognition in April, which was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA). In 1940, when he was a high school
Foreign AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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New virus cases over 100 for 5th day; enhanced virus curbs in the offing
South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by triple digits for a fifth day Thursday, as sporadic cluster infections from private gatherings and facilities piled up across the nation, raising the possibility that the country may enhance social distancing measures. The country added 143 more COVID-19 cases, including 128 local infections, raising the total caseload to 27,942, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload marked a slight decrease from 14
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020