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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[Newsmaker] Ex-vice minister jailed for 30 months for taking bribes
Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui was sentenced to 30 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for business favors. The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling last year that cleared Kim of all charges due to lack of evidence and the statute of limitations. Kim, who served as vice justice minister in 2013, was accused of having received sexual services arranged by a local developer, Yoon Joong-chun, on 13 occasions and having recei
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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[News Focus] Koreas to see population gap narrow
SEJONG -- South Korea and North Korea have been posting a similar level of growth in demographic figures since 2000, according to data held by Statistics Korea. The South saw its population increase by 10.1 percent over the past two decades to reach 51.78 million this year, while the figure for the North climbed 11.7 percent to 25.36 million. But the government agency predicted that the two Koreas would see a divided pace -- negative growth for the South and positive for the North -- for the c
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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[US elections and Korea] What would 2nd Trump term mean for Korea?
In September during the first televised presidential debate of the election season, US President Donald Trump said “elections have consequences.” His remark holds true not only to Americans, but to countries around the world closely watching the US election and trying to determine what the outcome will mean for them. South Korea is no exception. As a key Washington ally from security to trade and North Korea diplomacy, Seoul has a lot at stake depending on who controls the Whi
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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End-of-war declaration invites nuclear-free Korea: Moon adviser
Signing a declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War is the first step toward denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, Moon Chung-in, President Moon Jae-in’s special security adviser, said Tuesday. “With the end-of-war declaration as a steppingstone for denuclearization, we must play our part to bring about a peace regime here,” security adviser Moon told a forum hosted by the National Unification Advisory Council, a state body offering counsel to the president on in
North KoreaOct. 28, 2020
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Paraguay airport adopts S. Korean military lab-made COVID-19 test kit
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Paraguay will use a coronavirus test kit developed by a South Korean military lab, South Korea’s Armed Forces Medical Command said Wednesday. The command’s medical research lab came up with the technology called the Face Infection Control System in May, and a local firm has commercialized it. The kit is faster and cheaper in screening for the coronavirus than the popular polymerase chain reaction test, which amplifies a small sample of DNA
DefenseOct. 28, 2020
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State medical aid for low-incomers gains 10% in 2019
South Korea's medical care aid for people in the low-income bracket rose nearly 10 percent in 2019 to surpass the 8 trillion won mark for the first time, data showed Wednesday. Low-incomers' medical costs covered by the country's national health insurance came to 8.4 trillion won ($7.43 billion) last year, up 9.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the National Health Insurance Service. State medical aid for low-income households had been on a steady rise since reaching 5.9
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Absence of US commitment to troop levels not aimed at 'twisting Korea's arm': Knapper
The absence of a phrase committing the United States to maintaining troop levels in South Korea in a recent joint statement should not be taken as a threat or negotiating leverage aimed at pressuring Seoul with a possible troop cut, a US diplomat said Wednesday. Marc Knapper, US deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, made the remark during a virtual seminar, referring to the joint communique issued after annual talks between Defense Minister Suh Wook and US Defense Secretary
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Senior diplomats of S. Korea, US hold phone talks on WTO chief selection
Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States on Wednesday held phone talks to discuss the ongoing race for the top post of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other bilateral and regional issues, the foreign ministry said. The call between Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his US.counterpart, Stephen Biegun, came as Seoul's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid for the WTO helm faced a setback with the European Union and Japan reportedly backing her Nigerian competitor, Ngozi Oko
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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NK paper highlights friendly ties with Laos on summit anniv.
North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday highlighted friendly ties with Laos on the occasion of the anniversary of the first summit between their leaders more than 50 years ago. North Korea and Laos marked the 55th anniversary of the first summit held between then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and Kaysone Phomvihane, the leader of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, in 1965. "(The summit) was a historic event that generated the precious tradition of friendly ties between the two
North KoreaOct. 28, 2020
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Prosecution traces down alleged slush fund by Optimus CEO in fraudulent fund scheme case
The prosecution is said to have been tracking down secret money allegedly hidden by the CEO of a financial company involved in a fraudulent fund scheme scandal, industry sources said Wednesday. Prosecutors have secured testimony from a person familiar with the matter that Optimus CEO Kim Jae-hyun had stashed away around 20 billion won ($17.7 million) in a real estate development company, which is constructing a resort in Incheon with an aim to finish in February 2022, according to the sources.
PoliticsOct. 28, 2020
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S. Korean monk receives Niwano Peace Prize, donates prize money
Ven. Pomnyun, a South Korean Buddhist monk renowned for his social activism, has won this year's Niwano Peace Prize and donated the entire $191,500 in prize money to global causes, a local foundation he heads said Wednesday. The annual Niwano Peace Prize, known as the Asian Nobel Peace Prize in religion, is awarded by the Tokyo-based Niwano Peace Foundation to a living person or an organization that has made significant contributions to world peace by promoting interfaith cooperation. "Du
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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[Newsmaker] School counselor arrested for allegedly leaking SAT questions
A former high school counselor suspected of leaking copies of a US college entrance exam was arrested in Seoul late Tuesday night. The man, identified only by the surname Lee, is under police investigation for allegedly taking photos of US Scholastic Aptitude Test papers for three years beginning in 2017 while he was working as a career counselor at the Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies, a high school in Gyeonggi Province, and selling them to a broker. The broker, arrested last month, is alleg
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Opposition raises call for special probe of financial scams
The main opposition party doubled down on its demand for a special counsel investigation into high-profile financial scam scandals Wednesday, chanting slogans as President Moon Jae-in arrived at the National Assembly to deliver a speech on next year's state budget. The leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) boycotted a meeting among leaders of three parties and Moon that was held ahead of the budget speech, in protest of Moon and the ruling Democratic Party's refusal to launch a special cou
PoliticsOct. 28, 2020
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In budget speech, Moon says time for full-scale push to revitalize economy
President Moon Jae-in declared a full-fledged policy drive Wednesday for the clear recovery of South Korea's economy, coupled with the firm stabilization of the COVID-19 situation here. In his parliamentary speech on the state budget, Moon assured lawmakers that the government would create a record high budget, proposed for 2021, with a focus on creating jobs, reinvigorating the economy and winning the fight against the coronavirus. His administration has drawn up a 555.8 trillion-won ($469.8 b
PoliticsOct. 28, 2020
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Two more military officers test positive for new coronavirus
An Army officer in the northeastern county of Inje and another service member in the central city of Nonsan tested positive for the new coronavirus Wednesday, the defense ministry said. The Army officer was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after visiting a local bank that reported a virus patient earlier, according to the ministry. Another officer affiliated with a unit under the wing of the defense ministry was presumed to have been infected after coming in direct contact with a civilia
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Seoul's participation in 'Quad' may jeopardize regional security: S. Korean adviser
WASHINGTON -- South Korea's participation in a NATO-like multilateral military alliance in the Indo-Pacific may destabilize, rather than promote security, in the region as China will treat Seoul as an enemy, a special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday. The adviser, Moon Chung-in, also insisted the US' drive to form a regional coalition against China may prompt a counter-reaction from Beijing to form an alliance with Russia and North Korea. "The United States is ou
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Revised social distancing rules to be announced this weekend
Changes to the current three-tier social distancing system will likely be announced Sunday, health authorities said Wednesday, as part of efforts to make it more effective, acceptable and sustainable amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. “In that we cannot help but inevitably be living with COVID-19 before vaccines and treatment are developed, it is crucial to stably control the virus at a manageable level,” said Yoon Tae-ho, a senior official from the Central Disaster Management
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Pro football player tests positive for COVID-19
DAEJEON -- A professional football player in the central city of Daejeon has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first athlete from his sport to be infected during the pandemic. According to the municipal authorities in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, late Tuesday, a member of Daejeon Hana Citizen in the second-tier K League 2 has tested positive for COVID-19. The player, whose identity is being withheld, had come in direct contact with another patient based in Hana
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Obama says dictators want Trump's victory because he gave them everything
WASHINGTON -- Former US President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump Tuesday for coddling dictators, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and giving them everything they want. "You think he is going to stand up to dictators?" the former president asked while speaking in support of his former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden. Obama's remarks came one day after Trump said Kim, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President
Foreign AffairsOct. 28, 2020
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Popular Seoul clubs to close on Halloween weekend
Popular clubs in Seoul's hip districts of Itaewon, Hongdae and Gangnam will close this Halloween weekend to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to customer notices seen Wednesday, these large-capacity clubs will close the same day until next Tuesday. "Following consultations with health authorities and local governments, we came to our own decision to close temporarily during the Halloween period as a precaution against COVID-19," one such notice read. Health authoritie
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2020