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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103 autumn foliage paths in Seoul
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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Seoul aims to halve current suicide rate by 2030
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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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When two worlds collab: K-pop flexes power with global stars
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Bipartisan panel formed to address livelihood issues amid tension over first lady probe
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S. Korean government, ruling party settles on tax relief proposals
The government and the ruling Democratic Party agreed on tax relief for single homeowners and retail stock investors, in an apparent move to soothe public anger over increased levy burden under the Moon Jae-in administration. According to Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki on Tuesday, the government scrapped its initial plan to broaden the tax base for capital gains to include retail stock investors who own stocks worth over 300 million won in a single company. This means the current standard -
PoliticsNov. 3, 2020
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NK leader orders new probe into S. Korean civil servant killing: NIS
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have ordered an investigation into the killing of a South Korean civil servant, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service revealed Tuesday. “Chairman Kim ordered an investigation into the incident. There was circumstantial evidence of a search for the body,” Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party told reporters after the parliamentary audit of the NIS. Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the ruling Democratic Party added that he
North KoreaNov. 3, 2020
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Will Korea’s decision to lift restrictions ahead of winter backfire?
South Korea’s latest coronavirus strategy is intended to make social distancing more bearable while simultaneously saving the economy, public health authorities said Sunday. The new social distancing guidance unveiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare over the weekend allows Korea to stay open with most restrictions lifted even for high-risk businesses -- unless worse comes to worst and there takes place what officials deem a nationwide spread. The bar for elevating the social dis
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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Moon says carbon neutrality is a necessity for survival
President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday urged the government to move forward with its preparations for carbon neutrality by 2050, saying that achieving the goal is "not a choice but a necessity." Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Moon reiterated his administration’s commitment to laying the foundations for South Korea becoming a net-zero emitter. "I made the heavy promise of moving toward the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 in the parliamentary address. It is a declarat
PoliticsNov. 3, 2020
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Kim Jong-un orders probe into recent shooting death of S. Korean official: spy agency
South Korea's state intelligence agency said Tuesday that there is circumstantial evidence indicating that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered a probe into the military's fatal shooting in September of a South Korean fisheries official, according to lawmakers. Officials from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the remarks during a parliamentary intelligence committee's regular audit session into the agency, lawmakers who attended the meeting said. "According to intelligen
North KoreaNov. 3, 2020
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FM Kang likely to visit US next week for talks with Pompeo: sources
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is expected to visit the United States early next week for talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. Details have yet to be finalized, but Kang is expected to make a three-day visit to Washington starting Sunday, the sources said. The envisioned trip, if realized, will take place after this week's US presidential election. The trip is expected to include meetings with Pompeo and other senior officials and experts. Lee Do-h
Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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Seoul braces for uncertainty on peninsula as US head to polls
As Americans head to the polls Tuesday, the South Korean government is watching closely and bracing itself for uncertainty. Whoever is elected, the result will have a lasting impact on the Korean Peninsula and the bilateral alliance for the next four years. Seoul’s national security officials and related ministries are monitoring the election that will determine whether US President Donald Trump will lead the country for another four years or Democratic challenger Joe Biden will sweep
Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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Prosecutors raid McDonald's Korea over 'burger patty' scandal
The prosecution on Tuesday raided the local unit of McDonald's over allegations that undercooked burgers sold at its restaurants caused illness among some customers, officials said. Prosecutors and investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office seized documents, including those on food material management, from the office of McDonald's Korea in Seoul's Jongno Ward during the raid, officials said. The raid came one year and nine months after nine groups of activists lodged a c
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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Some 90 suspected flu shot deaths reported in S. Korea: authorities
South Korea's public health agency said Tuesday that a total of 88 people, most of whom were elderly, died after being administered with seasonal flu vaccines. The deaths have stoked public anxiety over the safety of such vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 83 of those deaths have very limited relation with the flu shots. Another five cases are under investigation. Of the total, 38 people were in their 70s, followed by 35 people aged 80 or older, seven un
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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S. Korea eyes no fleet cap for mobility platform providers
A state panel on mobility innovation has proposed the government place no cap on the number of vehicles that new mobility platform business providers can operate, officials said Tuesday. The proposal is part of the commission's policy recommendations aimed at helping nurture the new industry, following the passage of a related law earlier this year. Under the recommendations, those mobility providers should be equipped with platforms for ride-hailing, reservations, fleet control and advance fa
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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[News Focus] How South Korea plans to keep 500,000 students safe for national college entrance exam
Amid a prolonged battle against the coronavirus, South Korea is set to hold another massive-scale national event next month, the annual college entrance exam, more widely known here as the Suneung. On Dec. 3, approximately 500,000 students will sit the back-to-back marathon tests from 8:40 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. at 1,352 exam sites across the country set up in accordance with quarantine protocols. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae on Tuesday vowed a successful administration of the Suneung, asking for
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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N. Korea repeats zero COVID claims: WHO
North Korea has yet to report a single infection case of the noble coronavirus as of Oct. 29, the World Health Organization said in its latest report released Friday. The country has tested 10,462 people, it added. The WHO said in August it had been informed of zero infections in the North. Only about 3,000 North Koreans had been tested until September, according to Edwin Salvador, WHO representative to Pyongyang. All the rest took the test in October alone, but the WHO report did not offer
North KoreaNov. 3, 2020
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S. Korea does not need extra missile defense: ex-US commander
South Korea would need no extra American anti-missile defense against North Korea because the existing ones would work in tandem with other missile networks in place, former US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks told Radio Free Asia on Monday. The retired general referred to the latest simulation test the US Missile Defense Agency conducted on Oct. 1, where a Patriot missile took down incoming fire using the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense radars. Seoul maintains a missile defense
DefenseNov. 3, 2020
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Moon says S. Korea's 2050 carbon-neutral goal is 'heavy promise,' urges calm preparations
President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that South Korea is seriously committed to its stated aim of going carbon neutral by 2050 to support the global fight against climate change. He called for national efforts to attain the goal via a "calm and cool-headed" approach, speaking during a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. "Carbon neutrality is the direction in which the world should move to respond together to the climate crisis," he stressed. "We should actively part
PoliticsNov. 3, 2020
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S. Korea establishes first Air Force reconnaissance wing for Global Hawk, other key assets
South Korea launched a new Air Force unit Tuesday in charge of operating the country's key reconnaissance assets, such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft, in a move to enhance the country's capabilities to monitor threats from North Korea and beyond, officials said. As the country's first reconnaissance wing, the 39th Reconnaissance Wing stationed at an air base in the central city of Chungju will operate five types of key Air Force reconnaissance assets, including the advanced unmanned Global H
DefenseNov. 3, 2020
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One USFK family member tests positive for new coronavirus
A dependent of an American service member stationed in South Korea tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday. The family member, who resides in the central city of Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have been infected during a routine screening at a hospital inside Camp Humphreys, located in the same city, and was immediately taken to isolation, according to the US military. The service member, who is stationed at the Pyeongt
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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Mountain peaks see first snow of season
The first snow of the season fell on Mount Seorak near the east coast on Tuesday as temperatures nationwide dipped below 5 C, the weather authorities said. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, snow also fell on the peaks of Mounts Taebaek, Sobaek and Gwangdeok. The morning low in Seoul was 2 C, but the wind chill was minus 1 C. As of 6 a.m., the morning low ranged from minus 3.2 C in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, to minus 7.7 C on Mount Seorak and minus 10 C in Gyeryon
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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New virus cases below 100 for 2nd day amid concerns over post-Halloween surge
South Korea's new coronavirus infections stayed in double digits for the second consecutive day Tuesday, but concerns remain over cluster infections following Halloween celebrations over the weekend. The country added 75 more COVID-19 cases, including 46 local infections, raising the total caseload to 26,807, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure marked a fall from Monday when the triple-digit growth fell back to double digits for the fir
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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Police decide not to conduct autopsy on comedian Park Ji-sun
Police said Tuesday that they will not conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death of comedian Park Ji-sun at the request of her family. Seoul Mapo Police Station said, "No foul play is suspected, as there was no sign of a break-in and what was presumed to be a suicide note was found." The police said they will continue to investigate the exact cause of death. On Monday, the police discovered the 35-year-old comedian and her mother lying dead at around 1:44 p.m. at Park's re
Social AffairsNov. 3, 2020
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Sitting lawmaker detained over election wrongdoing allegations
CHEONGJU -- A sitting ruling party lawmaker was put under pre-trial detention on Tuesday for alleged campaign accounting fraud and other wrongdoing ahead of the parliamentary election in April. The detention came shortly after the Cheongju District Court in the namesake city, 120 kilometers south of Seoul, approved a detention warrant requested by prosecutors for the lawmaker based in the city. This made Rep. Jeong Jeong-soon of the Democratic Party (DP) the first incumbent lawmaker of the 21
PoliticsNov. 3, 2020