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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Moon accepts resignation of chief state auditor
President Moon Jae-in on Monday accepted the resignation of the head of South Korea's state audit agency after he offered to step down earlier in the day in a move widely viewed as a prelude to joining the presidential election race. The resignation of Choe Jae-hyeong, the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), came six months before the end of his four-year term and the presidential election slated for March. Moon approved Choe's offer to be relieved of his post at around 5:50 p
June 28, 2021
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Watchdog launches probe into main opposition party lawmakers' real estate dealings
The state anti-corruption watchdog launched an investigation Monday into real estate dealings by lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and their families. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) said the probe will look into real estate transactions involving a total of 427 people -- 101 PPP lawmakers and their family members -- over the past seven years. The ACRC conducted a similar investigation targeting all lawmakers of the ruling Democratic
June 28, 2021
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6 in 10 Koreans against Moon’s attendance at Tokyo Olympics
A poll showed Monday that almost 6 in 10 Koreans were against the idea of President Moon Jae-in visiting Japan for the Tokyo Olympics next month. Of the 500 people surveyed by Realmeter over the past week, 60.2 percent responded in opposition to the president’s visit to Japan, while 33.2 percent said they were in favor of the visit. Among age groups, people in their 40s opposed the visit most strongly, with the rate reaching 71.5 percent. Unlike other polls, political inclination had a
June 28, 2021
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BAI chief offers to resign; may join presidential race
The chief of the state-run audit agency offered to resign Monday, potentially as a precursor to a presidential bid, marking the start of another important chapter ahead of next year’s election. Choe Jae-hyeong, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, told reporters Monday morning that he had conveyed his intent to resign earlier and now planned to “spend time contemplating what role I can play for the future of South Korea.” “I expressed my intent to resign to t
June 28, 2021
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[Newsmaker] 2 DP presidential candidates to merge campaigns by next week
Two presidential candidates of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Monday they will merge their campaigns by next week in a bid to boost their party's chances of winning the 2022 presidential election. Chung Sye-kyun, former prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration, and three-term lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae announced the decision to unify their presidential candidacies by next Monday, during their visits to the headquarters of the bourse operator in western Seoul. "With a visio
June 28, 2021
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Chief state auditor offers to resign amid speculation on his political ambition
Choe Jae-hyeong, head of South Korea's state audit agency, offered to step down Monday in what is viewed as a prelude to joining the presidential election race. If President Moon Jae-in accepts his resignation, the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) would quit the job half a year before his four-year term finishes. Choe told reporters that he had tendered his resignation earlier in the day. He added he had thought that it is "inappropriate" to carry on his duty amid
June 28, 2021
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Gyeonggi Gov. Lee to declare presidential bid this week: aide
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is expected to announce his presidential bid this week, joining the race to pick the ruling Democratic Party's standard-bearer for next year's election, a close aide said Sunday. Lee is to declare his bid for presidency on Thursday after completing the registration as a preliminary candidate with the DP, according to Rep. Park Hong-geun, one of his close aides. Lee, who is currently leading polls among potential candidates in the ruling bloc, will be the l
June 28, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Presidential anti-corruption aide offers to resign over property speculation allegations
The presidential secretary for anti-corruption, Kim Gi-pyo, has offered to resign, the presidential office said Sunday, following allegations of real estate speculation involving multimillion dollar loans. President Moon Jae-in also immediately accepted his resignation, according to Park Soo-hyun, Cheong Wa Dae's senior secretary for public communication. "Presidential secretary Kim Gi-pyo has expressed his views that, although he did not acquire the real estate for purposes of speculatio
June 27, 2021
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Tight presidential race ahead, cohesion expected to be key for each rival bloc
With South Korea's presidential election less than nine months away, the race promises to be a tight battle between the ruling and opposition blocs. The curtain is about to rise first on the primaries of the ruling Democratic Party. It is getting off to a rough start, as demonstrated by in-house disputes over when to choose its flag bearer. A boisterous attempt, albeit foiled at last, by dozens of lawmakers apparently against the front-runner Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung to postpone the event
June 26, 2021
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DP opts not to postpone primaries for next year's presidential election
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Friday decided not to postpone its primary elections to pick the standard bearer for next year's presidential election in March. The DP's supreme council made the decision at a close-door meeting held earlier in the day, confirming the party's schedule to pick its sole presidential candidate by Sept. 10. "The supreme council decided, via a unanimous agreement, to elect the (final presidential) candidate in accordance with the current party constitution
June 25, 2021
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S. Korea holds 71st Korean War anniversary event for first time in Busan
South Korea marked the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War with a ceremony held for the first time in the southern city of Busan that served as a temporary capital during the conflict. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Defense Minister Suh Wook and around 240 people, including veterans and bereaved family members, attended the ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center, which was the site of an airfield used by United Nations forces during the war. "The choice of the event
June 25, 2021
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BAI chief to soon offer resignation amid presidential bid speculation: source
Choe Jae-hyeong, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), plans to soon tender his resignation, a well-informed source said Friday, suggesting that the state audit agency chief has reached a decision to compete in next year's presidential race. The source close to the BAI head said that Choe will "arrange an occasion early next week to announce his decision," adding that the chairman will explain his future plans to his father over the weekend and reassure him amid concern
June 25, 2021
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[Contribution] Creating a supporting ecosystem for innovative venture firms to enter global market
As the global business environment changes due to the 4th Industrial Revolution and COVID-19, the structures of industries and markets are rapidly changing. Thus, the role of small and medium-sized venture companies (SMEs), the backbone of the Korean economy, is becoming more important. The total exports of all Korean companies in 2020 amounted to $512.8 billion, down 5.4 percent from $542.2 billion last year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the total exports of
June 24, 2021
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Ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to declare presidential bid Tuesday
Ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl will declare his presidential bid next week, officially launching a political career three months after he stepped down from public office, according to his spokesperson Thursday. Yoon will appear in front of the public in an event at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at the memorial hall for Yun Bong-gil, a national independence fighter, in southern Seoul, according to the spokesperson. He is set to announce his widely anticipated presidential bid there. "I wi
June 24, 2021
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Cheong Wa Dae under fire for appointing student as senior official
Cheong Wa Dae’s recent pick of a 24-year-old college student as a senior official handling youth policy is facing backlash both from opposition party members and young job seekers. On Wednesday, Park Seong-min, a former supreme council member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea who studies Korean language and literature at Korea University in Seoul, started her work as a secretary for the presidential political affairs office. This is the first time that anyone in their 20s has ser
June 23, 2021
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Gwanghwamun Square set to get facelift by April
Gwanghwamun Square, a landmark of Seoul, will get new historical and cultural attractions by next April, the Seoul metropolitan government said Wednesday. Construction has been under way to expand the square and turn part of it into a park as part of a controversial project launched by the administration of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. The announcement of the new attractions comes two months after new Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he would keep the project despite opposition from some citizens du
June 23, 2021
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Ex-prosecutor general's mother-in-law cleared of fraud charges by police
The mother-in-law of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, one of the prospective presidential candidates for the conservative bloc, has been cleared of fraud charges, police said Wednesday. Yoon's mother-in-law, surnamed Choi, was accused of embezzling entrusted shares of a columbarium business and taking over the control of the entity from the rightful owner. The 75-year-old was also suspected of forging a balance sheet as if she had around 35 billion won ($31 million) deposited at a ban
June 23, 2021
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Moon undecided on attending Tokyo Olympics
President Moon Jae-in remains undecided on whether to attend the Tokyo Olympics next month amid a yearslong stalled diplomacy with Japan over wartime history and trade. “Nothing has been decided yet,” Moon’s chief of staff for policy Lee Ho-seung told a radio interview Tuesday when he was asked whether the president intended to attend the Summer Olympics that kicks off in the Japanese capital on July 23. As for the prolonged feud between the two countries, he said the Korea
June 22, 2021
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Former ruling party leader Lee calls for soft power diplomacy
Rep. Lee Nak-yon, a former Democratic Party leader and presidential hopeful, said Tuesday South Korea should aim for “soft power diplomacy” in line with a global paradigm shift for peace and creativity. “The paradigm of the world order and development has been changing since the post-cold war era,” Lee said in his keynote speech of an international conference on international order. “The scope of the territory, the size of the population and military power are b
June 22, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Culture minister implies no boycott of Tokyo Olympics amid Dokdo spat
South Korea's culture minister said sports should be separated from politics regarding calls for a boycott of the Tokyo Olympics amid a renewed territorial spat over the East Sea islets of Dokdo between the two countries. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee made the remark during a parliamentary committee's general meeting held Monday evening, implying that the ministry is not considering boycotting the upcoming Olympics, only a month away. Calls for such a measure emerged among th
June 22, 2021