Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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[Herald Interview] Young president hopeful pledges volunteer military
Ruling Democratic Party’s Rep. Park Yong-jin, 50, the first politician who announced a run for president in next year’s election, has vowed that he would reform the military conscription system. Park says it is time to transition to a voluntary military, with compulsory service restricted to basic training for men and women. “The debate on volunteer military system in our society has been quite long. But we are not going in that direction yet. We still conscript young peo
May 27, 2021
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Moon to chair fiscal strategy meeting
President Moon Jae-in will convene a meeting with top government and ruling party officials Thursday on next year's budget and midterm fiscal policy, according to his office. The 2021 National Fiscal Strategy Meeting comes as South Korea is taking expansionary fiscal policy measures in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other participants include Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki and Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party. They plan to discuss a 2021 state
May 27, 2021
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Moon publicizes upcoming climate summit in person via special footage
President Moon Jae-in has rolled up his sleeves to raise public awareness on a global climate summit to open this weekend. South Korea is scheduled to host the two-day virtual summit of global leaders, officially named the 2021 P4G Seoul Summit, which opens Sunday. It will be joined by dozens of leaders of foreign countries and international organizations, according to Cheong Wa Dae. It has not revealed the list of participants yet. P4G, which stands for Partnering for Green Growth and the Glo
May 27, 2021
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S. Korea vows to lend hand with global vaccine supply shortages
South Korea vowed Wednesday to play a bigger role in easing global shortages of COVID-19 vaccines during a meeting with a group of countries supporting a multilateral trading regime. "To promptly overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that the production and supply of vaccines are expanded around the globe," Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee said during the virtual meeting of the Ottawa Group. The Ottawa Group refers to a group of 14 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
May 27, 2021
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Party leaders show mixed reactions to Moon-Biden summit
The outcome of last week’s summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden drew mixed reactions from political party leaders here on Wednesday. Moon held a luncheon meeting with five party leaders at Cheong Wa Dae to brief them on the results of the summit. It was his first group meeting with the party leaders in a year and three months. During the meeting, the president urged bipartisan support for follow-up measures to implement key commitments made during the summit. The discussio
May 26, 2021
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S. Korea to ramp up investment in Green New Deal projects: finance minister
South Korea plans to invest about 73 trillion won ($65.4 billion) in its signature green energy projects by 2025 as it seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the finance minister said Tuesday. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the country is working to attain the goal of going carbon neutral in a bid to transform the country‘s fossil-fuel reliant economy into an eco-friendly one. “We plan to invest 3.8 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025 in Green New Deal proj
May 25, 2021
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Maskless summit in the pandemic era
Friday’s mask-free summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden not only upgraded the 70-year Seoul-Washington alliance but also demonstrated how far the two nations have come in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Cheong Wa Dae sources on Tuesday, going maskless was almost unthinkable when Seoul’s presidential office was preparing for the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting, as they also took reference to an earlier summit between Biden and Japanese Prime Min
May 25, 2021
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PM calls for follow-up steps on 'unprecedented' summit deal with US
South Korea's prime minister on Tuesday instructed the Cabinet to make thorough efforts in preparing follow-up measures to the agreement reached in last week's summit between South Korea and the United States, saying the summit produced "never-before-seen" outcomes. On Friday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, held their first face-to-face summit in Washington and agreed on a wide range of issues, including a vision to pursue a global COVID-19 vacci
May 25, 2021
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No possibility of China's economic action against S. Korea over its summit deal with US: Cheong Wa Dae official
A top Cheong Wa Dae official dismissed speculation Tuesday that China may launch another round of economic retaliation against South Korea over its latest summit agreement with the United States that touched on a sensitive regional security issue. Asked about the odds of Beijing's action against Seoul during a radio interview with CBS, a Seoul-based broadcaster, the official said, "I don't think so." Related speculation, reported by some media outlets, is based on "excessively p
May 25, 2021
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Moon orders thorough steps to follow up on his summit deal with Biden, Cheong Wa Dae says
President Moon Jae-in instructed the government and his Cheong Wa Dae team Monday to take thorough follow-up measures to implement his summit agreement with US President Joe Biden, according to his office. Moon convened a meeting with his Cheong Wa Dae aides and also had a weekly meeting with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum as scheduled, a day after returning from his visit to the US for the summit talks. Citing deals on economic cooperation, COVID-19 vaccines, the alliance and the Korea peace pro
May 25, 2021
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DP chief says S. Korea-US relations pick up momentum for 'complete change' through summit
The ruling party chairman on Monday hailed the outcome of the recent South Korea-United States summit, assessing that the bilateral relationship picked up momentum for a "complete change." "I evaluate that the Korea-US relationship has (gained) momentum for a complete change, qualitatively unprecedented in the past. It has, in other words, entered into a strategic tipping point," Rep. Song Young-gil, who leads the Democratic Party (DP), said in a meeting of the supreme party
May 24, 2021
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Politicians raise voices in support of Samsung chief
Some politicians have raised their voices in support of granting clemency to jailed Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, after remarks from President Moon Jae-in appeared to open up that possibility. Earlier this month, Moon said he would “judge after hearing many opinions from the public,” suggesting Lee might be pardoned. He had taken a different tone at a New Year’s press conference, saying, “Now is not the time to say pardon.” In his more recent statement he said, &ld
May 24, 2021
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Moon’s vision for vaccine hub gains big boost
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in’s vision for a global vaccine production hub has gained a big boost from his summit talks with President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday. The two leaders unveiled a new vaccine partnership to expand manufacturing and scale up global vaccine supply, pledging unified efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic. The US is home to high-tech vaccine developers like Pfizer and Moderna, while Korea is the world’s second-largest manufacturer of b
May 23, 2021
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Moon, Biden agree to bolster chip alliance, lift missile ban
President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden agreed to work together on expanding semiconductor supplies and terminate a missile pact that capped Seoul’s missile development at their first in-person meeting over the weekend in the US. Moon wrapped up the five-day trip Sunday. The two allies are seen as bolstering economic and military ties as the US increasingly finds itself at odds with China seeking to exert influence in the region. Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest me
May 23, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Memorial service held for ex-President Roh Moo-hyun
South Korea held a ceremony Sunday to commemorate former President Roh Moo-hyun, marking the 12th year of his death. It took place at Bongha Village in Gimhae, Roh's hometown located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, bringing together a number of key government and political figures. They included Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum; Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP); Kim Gi-hyeon, acting chief and floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP); and Lee Cheol-hee,
May 23, 2021
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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon faces steep uphill battle against city’s ruling bloc
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon from the main opposition People Power Party faces a steep wall of resistance within the city’s political scene, dominated as it is by the ruling Democratic Party. This is likely to serve as a roadblock to his reelection next year. The council of district mayors announced Thursday that it was rejecting Oh’s proposal to jointly submit a tax break proposal to the central government. That proposal called for a discount on property taxes on real estate assets valu
May 22, 2021
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S. Korea, US agree to end missile guidelines
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced a joint decision Friday with the United States to terminate guidelines that have long restricted Seoul's development of missiles. He was speaking right after the summit with President Joe Biden at the White House. "I am pleased to announce the termination of the missile guidelines," Moon told reporters, with Biden standing next to him. Moon described it as a "symbolic and substantive" measure demonstrating th
May 22, 2021
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Biden says US will provide COVID-19 vaccines for all S. Korean troops
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- US President Joe Biden said Friday his country will provide full COVID-19 vaccinations for all 550,000 South Korean troops and enter a partnership with Seoul on global vaccine supply. Biden made the announcement at a joint press conference with President Moon Jae-in at the White House following their summit talks. "There are 550,000 Korean soldiers, sailors, airmen who work in close contact with the American forces in Korea," the US president said. "We'll pr
May 22, 2021
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Moon, Biden agree on strong alliance in summit talks
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his American counterpart, Joe Biden, agreed Friday on the importance of a stronger alliance between the nations, in their first-ever summit at the White House. Moon said he and Biden has confirmed a "joint commitment" to the strengthening of the alliance and peace on the Korean Peninsula. He was speaking at the outset of an expanded summit session following one-one-one talks and a follow-up meeting joined by a few key aides.
May 22, 2021
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Biden goes maskless in meeting with Moon
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- In a noticeable shift since his last meeting with a foreign leader, US President Joe Biden did not wear a mask during his first face-to-face with President Moon Jae-in in Washington on Friday. Moon is only the second foreign leader to visit Biden at the White House since the US president took office in January. The first leader was Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last month. Whereas in meeting Suga on April 16, Biden wore a double mask as an extra precaution against
May 22, 2021