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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‘Biden fully ready to invest in N. Korea denuclearization’
US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden seems to be fully prepared to engage in North Korean denuclearization, Joseph Yun, former US special representative for North Korea policy, said Thursday. Yun told the local Jeju Forum that he was surprised to see Biden addressing Koreans in the US as well as here, adding that it was evidence that Biden’s agenda included Korean issues. But Yun did not detail what exactly his message was. Earlier, Biden sent a contribution to Yonhap News Agency
North KoreaNov. 6, 2020
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Moon honors heroes, vows efforts for safer nation on Firefighters' Day
President Moon Jae-in on Friday reiterated his promise to upgrade the nation's disaster response system and improve the safety and welfare of firefighters during a ceremony to mark the 58th Firefighters' Day. About 200 people, including government officials, firefighters and bereaved families of those who died in the line of duty, attended the event at the National Fire Service Academy in Gongju, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul. It was the first Firefighters' Day since the government upgrad
PoliticsNov. 6, 2020
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Man sentenced to life in prison for brutally murdering two women
JEONJU -- A man has been sentenced to a life imprisonment for brutally murdering two women and abandoning their bodies, a local court said Friday. The Jeonju District Court delivered the life sentence to Choi Shin-jong, 31, convicting him of murder and robbery, as well as rape and abandonment of dead bodies, according to court officials. The court also issued an order, banning Choi from working at institutions for the underage and the disabled for 10 years. Under the order, Choi's identity an
Social AffairsNov. 6, 2020
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Aggravated penalties for promise of bribery by financial employees ruled constitutional
An anti-corruption law equating a promise of bribery by financial services company employees with actual bribery does not run counter to the nation's Constitution, the Constitutional Court ruled Friday. Under the aggravated punishment of specific economic crimes act, executives and employees of local financial services companies caught receiving or requesting 30 million won ($26,650) or more in job-related bribes are subject to increased punishments according to the amount. Notably, the standi
Social AffairsNov. 6, 2020
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Moon says Seoul to continue to seek denuclearization, permanent peace on Korean Peninsula
President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea will never give up efforts for the denuclearization of the peninsula and establishment of permanent peace in the region, as he underlined the need to revitalize the Korea peace process. "Even though the Armistice Agreement was signed, without a peace treaty in place, the Korean War has not ended yet, and neither has the pain and sorrow of the war," Moon said in a prerecorded speech delivered at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity,
PoliticsNov. 6, 2020
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S. Korea calls for US-N. Korea talks in high-level security consultations
A top South Korean national security official stressed the need Friday for the resumption of dialogue between North Korea and the United States, pointing out that the US presidential election has come to an end. Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, made the call during a virtual consultation session with his American and Japanese counterparts, Robert O'Brien and Shigeru Kitamura, Cheong Wa Dae said. They had discussions on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, e
Foreign AffairsNov. 6, 2020
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Jeju Gov. Won urges Japan to treat Fukushima water as 'human, environmental security issue'
SEOUL/JEJU -- Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong called Friday for Japan to deal with the contaminated radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant as a "human, environmental security issue." The governor made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, amid public concerns over Tokyo's possible discharge of the tritium-laced water in the ocean. "On Japan's decision to release radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, I urge Japa
Foreign AffairsNov. 6, 2020
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Defense minister meets brother of S. Korean official killed by N. Korea
Defense minister Suh Wook on Friday met with the elder brother of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea near the western sea border as the bereaved family raised doubts about the government's finding that the slain official attempted to defect to the North. On Sept. 22, North Korea fatally shot the 47-year-old official, who was adrift on its side of the Yellow Sea, and burned his body, according to the South Korean military. He went missing the previous day while on duty near
North KoreaNov. 6, 2020
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S. Korea investigating 4 more suspected cases of bird flu
South Korea said Friday that it is looking into four suspected cases of avian influenza found from wild bird droppings. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it could take about five days to determine whether the virus is a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu. In October, South Korea reported two outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu in Yongin, just south of Seoul, and the neighboring city of Cheonan, marking the first outbreak in 32 months. South Korea later found
Social AffairsNov. 6, 2020
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S. Korea to maintain lowest level of social distancing amid potential resurgence
South Korea will maintain Level 1 social distancing regulations under a revised five-tier scheme as the number of new cases remains below 100 this week, the health authority said Friday. The new five-tier scheme, which takes effect Saturday, breaks the current three levels into five -- 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 -- based on the average number of daily infections per week, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The new system divides the nation into seven zones to allow
Social AffairsNov. 6, 2020
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S. Korea to maintain least strict social distancing rules next week
South Korea will maintain the lowest level of social distancing rules across the country as the daily average of new cases from the previous week remained below 100, health authorities said Friday, with the new five-tier social distancing system to take effect starting Saturday. Korea reported 145 new coronavirus cases – 117 locally transmitted and 28 imported from overseas -- in the 24 hours ending Thursday at midnight, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. &ld
Social AffairsNov. 6, 2020
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Korea names new ambassadors to 11 nations
South Korea on Thursday appointed new ambassadors to 11 nations, including Germany and Switzerland, in a regular reshuffle, the foreign ministry said. Roh Tae-kang, former vice culture minister under President Moon Jae-in from 2017-2019, was appointed ambassador to Switzerland, the ministry said. The ministry said Roh "has the experience that will enable him to seek a higher level of cooperation with the host nation, which is ahead in the cultural and tourism sectors." Cho Hyun-
Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2020
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Foreign ministry denies report on S. Korean minister's withdrawal of WTO chief bid
South Korea's foreign ministry denied a news report Thursday that Seoul's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee will soon drop out of the race for the new director-general at the World Trade Organization. The Chosun Ilbo reported earlier in the day that the government had made the decision to have Yoo withdraw her candidacy and that she will be making an official announcement in due course. Yoo fell behind her Nigerian rival, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in the final round of consultations among the 164 memb
Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2020
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Korean American woman elected to US Congress for first time
Marilyn Strickland, the former mayor of Tacoma, Washington, won her race for the US House of Representatives, becoming the first Korean American woman elected to the US Congress in its 230-year history. Democrat Strickland won the open seat in Washington’s 10th Congressional District, defeating state Rep. Beth Doglio, who is also a Democrat. They were competing for the seat held by US Rep. Denny Heck, who stepped down to run for the state’s lieutenant governor. &ldquo
Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2020
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Foreign ministry to unveil 'highly tightened' rules on sexual misconduct: vice minister
The foreign ministry will soon announce highly tightened rules against sexual misconduct committed by foreign service officials posted overseas, a vice foreign minister said Thursday. "(The foreign ministry) has decided to unveil sexual misconduct-related rules that are highly tightened from the existing ones," First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said during a plenary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. He was responding to Rep. Lee Tae-kyu
PoliticsNov. 5, 2020
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[News Focus] Korea’s population decline accelerates in October
SEJONG -- South Korea posted the biggest population decline in October since the nation’s population began to fall again in December 2019. This also marked the second-largest decline since the nation began compiling the relevant data, after the figure of minus 5,303 reported in March 2008. But that drop was an outlier in the middle of steady positive growth. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the population was 51.838 million as of last month, falling by 3,770 (3,284 for
Social AffairsNov. 5, 2020
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Prosecution demands 7 years in prison for Cho Kuk’s wife
Prosecutors demanded a seven-year prison sentence for the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who stands accused of forging school documents and making illegal investments in a private equity fund. The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday held the final hearing in the trial of Chung Kyung-sim, a professor at Dongyang University who has been indicted on 11 charges, including falsifying official documents, obstruction of business, insider trading, embezzlement and withholding evidence.
Social AffairsNov. 5, 2020
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S. Korea bets on voluntary social distancing to keep country open
South Korea’s decision to move ahead with reopening counts on people voluntarily eschewing social activities while complying with other measures, such as wearing face masks. Korea carried out 11,446 tests on Wednesday and confirmed 125 more cases of the novel coronavirus -- 108 local and 17 imported -- according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s updates. The cumulative number of cases is 27,050. The baseline for daily local infections has risen to over
Social AffairsNov. 5, 2020
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Govt. bans storage of face images on thermal cameras over privacy concern
Organizations using thermal imaging cameras to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are banned from storing face images under a new government rule to protect privacy, effective as of Thursday. The Personal Information Protection Commission has set the new regulation after its recent inspection found thermal scanners in some offices in Seoul stored footage without the consent of people who were filmed, the government agency said. Under the rule, saving and transmission functions must be turned off
Social AffairsNov. 5, 2020
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Seoul says it’s ready for all eventualities in US election
The South Korean government on Thursday reiterated that it is prepared for all possible outcomes of the US presidential election. “The government will continue to cooperate with the US to maintain and further advance the Korea-US alliance regardless of the US presidential election’s outcome,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Min-seok said Thursday. “The government will cooperate with the new (US) administration to achieve denuclearization and establishment of peace on
PoliticsNov. 5, 2020