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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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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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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Critics dismiss ruling party’s olive branch to North Korea
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is desperately seeking to carry on President Moon Jae-in’s legacy and revitalize inter-Korean ties, but with North Korea still unwilling to engage, its last-minute attempt at diplomacy stands little chance, critics say. Recently, the party has said it will seek parliamentary approval of the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration -- the first of Moon’s two peace deals with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- to rekindle talks. At the 2018 summits, Moon and Kim
July 7, 2021
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Former top auditor expresses will to join politics
Choe Jae-hyeong, former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), on Wednesday officially expressed his intent to enter politics. The former BAI chairman told Yonhap News Agency that he "has determined to participate in politics" but added that he will need more time to streamline his future plans, possibly including whether to run in next year's presidential race. Choe resigned in late June in a move widely viewed as a prelude to joining the presidential election race. The re
July 7, 2021
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Moon urges swift measures to trace COVID-19 infections amid another wave of pandemic
President Moon Jae-in instructed the government Wednesday to step up efforts to speedily trace COVID-19 infections amid a sharp hike in confirmed cases. He called for the establishment of more temporary testing centers in areas with many residents or visitors and swift mobilization of military personnel, police officers and civil servants to that end, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president ordered "preemptive" steps to expand testing on people related t
July 7, 2021
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S. Korea's opposition leader thanks acting US envoy for America's vaccine provision
South Korea's main opposition party leader on Tuesday thanked the acting US ambassador to South Korea for his country's COVID-19 vaccine provision. Lee Jun-seok, head of the People Power Party (PPP), noted that he was one of the beneficiaries, during his meeting with Robert Rapson, the acting US ambassador to Seoul, at the National Assembly. "I was among those who benefited from the US' recent provision of 1 million doses of the Janssen vaccine," Lee said. "It is something that
July 6, 2021
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S. Korean, Fijian leaders note bilateral agreement on aid in letters
The leaders of South Korea and Fiji have exchanged letters on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the two sides establishing diplomatic ties, Cheong Wa Dae said. In a letter to his Fijian counterpart, Jioji Konousi Konrote, President Moon Jae-in pointed out that bilateral relations have constantly developed since 1971, according to Moon's spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon expressed hope that the two countries will expand cooperation in various fields, including politics, business and cultu
July 6, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Korea needs a leader who can handle external issues: Lee Nak-yon
Rep. Lee Nak-yon, a Democratic Party of Korea heavyweight who announced his presidential bid Monday, believes South Korea now needs a new leader befitting its raised status. “South Korea’s status has risen to a high level,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “The public has gained a lot of confidence both internally and externally, but at the same time we face a lot of challenges. “We need a leader who is worthy of strengthening the nation’s s
July 6, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Lee Jae-myung says ‘shall I pull down my pants’ on TV
Gyeonggi Province governor and presidential front-runner Lee Jae-myung asked in a televised debate “shall I pull down my pants again?” when asked to explain his scandal with an actor. During the debate among eight candidates for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s primary for next year’s presidential election Monday evening, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun asked Lee to explain a previous scandal, saying the morality of a president is very important. Lee explaine
July 6, 2021
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Moon pledges Korea’s bigger role as ‘advanced nation’
President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday pledged to play a bigger role in the international community, touting the nation’s recent status upgrade as an “advanced nation” as recognized by an UN agency last week. “I’m very proud that the status change is the first of its kind since the establishment of the UN Conference on Trade and Development in 1964,” the president said at the start of a weekly Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. “We will continue to move for
July 6, 2021
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Ex-top prosecutor Yoon ahead of Gyeonggi Gov. Lee in latest polls
Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl maintained his lead over Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung in two polls on presidential hopefuls released Monday. In a Realmeter survey conducted over the weekend, Yoon came out on top with 33.9 percent of support, with Lee trailing at 26.3 percent. Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon was a distant third at 12.5 percent, with others who have thrown their hats into the ring only garnering single digits of support. Realmeter polled 1,015 South Koreans ag
July 6, 2021
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Main opposition party selects 20-something co-spokespeople
With a 36-year-old leader in charge, the main opposition People Power Party selected a pair of 27-year-olds as its new co-spokespeople. The party will continue to serve the youth, with Lim Seung-ho and Yang Jun-woo having finished first and second in the final round of the open audition for the PPP spokespeople positions. Lim is a former deputy youth spokesman for the central-right Bareun Party. Yang was previously unemployed and, in his own words, "was playing video games at home and tak
July 5, 2021
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Moon warns of stern punishment against acts of hampering antivirus fight
President Moon Jae-in warned Monday again that the government will take stern measures against the violation of social distancing rules. He made clear that illegal massive rallies cannot be an exception, apparently referring to collective action by the members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a major umbrella labor union, last weekend. "(The government) can't help taking stern legal steps against collective actions, including illegal large-scale rallies, that violate so
July 5, 2021
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Rival parties to pass COVID-19 response extra budget bill by late July
Rival parties agreed Monday to advance the latest COVID-19 response extra budget bill through the National Assembly by late July. The agreement was made during a meeting earlier in the day between Rep. Han Byung-do and Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, deputy floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party, respectively. Under the agreement, the parties will work toward approving the supplementary budget bill in a plenary parliamentary meeting by July 23 and host a re
July 5, 2021
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Former ruling party leader Lee Nak-yon runs for president
Former Democratic Party leader Rep. Lee Nak-yon announced his presidential bid Monday. With Lee’s announcement, the race among the ruling bloc’s “Big Three” -- the others being Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun -- began in earnest. In a video clip released on YouTube at 10 a.m., the former prime minister and Democratic Party leader presented a five-point policy blueprint for South Korea that consisted of a new approach to social welf
July 5, 2021
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S. Korea, Netherlands to hold virtual summit talks Wednesday
The leaders of South Korea and the Netherlands will hold virtual summit talks this week on bilateral ties and global issues, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. President Moon Jae-in plans to have the summit with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The summit, the first between the two sides in three years, comes amid an increasing need for them to cooperate, especially on semiconductors, renewable energy and other future industries
July 5, 2021
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Moon says his govt. should maintain political neutrality amid presidential election race
President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Monday for his administration to maintain political neutrality, as South Korea's political parties have effectively entered the presidential election season, according to his office. The president issued the message during a meeting with his Cheong Wa Dae aides, according to his spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon was quoted as saying that Cheong Wa Dae and the government should "thoroughly" maintain political neutrality. He called on them to co
July 5, 2021
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Ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon declares presidential bid
Ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon officially launched his presidential bid Monday, pledging to recover the country's dwindling middle class. Lee, also a former five-term lawmaker and ex-chief of the ruling Democratic Party, announced that he will join the race to win the party's ticket to run in the March 9 presidential election. With the slogan of "a country that safeguards my life," Lee focused his campaign message on his pledges to relieve the country's growing economic disparity and
July 5, 2021
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Gyeonggi Gov. Lee ahead of ex-prosecution chief Yoon in latest poll
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung garnered more support than former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl in the latest poll on prospective presidential contenders released Sunday. In the survey by Global Research, Lee received 44.7 percent of support, while Yoon had 36.7 percent in a hypothetical one-on-one battle. The gap was larger than the poll's margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. It was conducted from last Wednesday to Friday on 1,000 people aged 18 and older and had a 95 percent co
July 4, 2021
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GCF board endorses $500m for new projects to support climate action
SEJONG -- The Green Climate Fund (GCF), the South Korea-based United Nations climate fund aimed at helping poor nations fight global warming, has approved $500 million in funding for new projects and programs, according to Seoul's finance ministry Sunday. During a virtual meeting held from June 28 to July 2, the GCF's board discussed new funding and accreditation proposals. Launched in late 2010, the GCF aims to channel money from industrialized nations to developing countries to help them tac
July 4, 2021
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Probe into reactor shutdown wrapped up amid dispute over additional indictment charge
A high-profile criminal investigation into an early shutdown of the country's second-oldest nuclear reactor has wrapped up, along with indictments of former Cheong Wa Dae and energy ministry officials on power abuse charges. State prosecutors have looked into the circumstances surrounding the closure of Wolsong-1, which was shut down some three years earlier than scheduled in late 2019, by the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. based on an economic viability survey. The decision wa
July 3, 2021
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‘Consumption will lead to more consumption’
Gov. Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province asserted his determination to root out unfairness and inequality in a recorded speech released Thursday, in which he announced his presidential bid. The video was made public on social media. Reiterating his signature policy, universal basic income, Lee vowed to turn a crisis into an opportunity to make Korea a world-leading economy, with the public sector paving the way for the private sector to increase investment and innovation. Similarly, the Gyeon
July 2, 2021