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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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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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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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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National Assembly to shut down Thursday after reporter tested positive for COVID-19
The National Assembly will be closed Thursday following a positive COVID-19 test by a journalist who covered a ruling party meeting there earlier Wednesday. Parliament reached the decision at an emergency COVID-19 response meeting. A photojournalist who covered the ruling Democratic Party's supreme council meeting earlier in the day tested positive for the virus. Chairman Lee Hae-chan and floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon attended the meeting. The journalist was screened because a relative wit
Aug. 26, 2020
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Ruling party, some govt. offices grind to temporary halt due to virus cases
Work ground to a temporary halt for the ruling Democratic Party and several government offices Wednesday after confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases were reported at their workplaces. Top officials of the ruling Democratic Party, including Chairman Lee Hae-chan, voluntarily went under self-quarantine earlier in the day after coming in contact with a potential COVID-19 patient. Having covered a meeting of the party's top representatives Wednesday morning, a photojournalist was tested for the v
Aug. 26, 2020
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Diplomats of S. Korea, ASEAN hold videoconference on pandemic, bilateral ties
Senior diplomats from South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held their annual talks via video links on Wednesday to discuss bilateral ties and joint efforts to contain the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn and Brunei's Permanent Secretary Emaleen Abdul Rahman Teo led the talks on joint efforts to address shared transnational challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and terrorism. Participants also shared
Aug. 26, 2020
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S. Korea plans to spend W40tr on youth, ‘Korean New Deal’ next year
The government and ruling Democratic Party of Korea said Wednesday they will actively pursue expansionary fiscal policy next year, with plans to inject 20 trillion won ($16.9 billion) from next year’s budget into the “Korean New Deal” initiative and another 20 trillion won into youth support programs. After a meeting at the National Assembly between the government and the ruling party on the 2021 budget bill, they decided to continue to expand government spending on projec
Aug. 26, 2020
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Ultra-right-wing critics blast Moon while in quarantine
Ultra-right-wing critics of the Moon Jae-in administration who tested positive for the new coronavirus after attending a mass protest Aug. 15 continue to blast the government and complain about its policies, as well as the food provided to the people in quarantine. Jun Kwang-hun, pastor of Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, said in an interview with ultra-right-wing YouTuber Joo Ok-soon that “President Moon and the pro-North (Korea) left-wingers are trying to get rid of the church to turn Sout
Aug. 26, 2020
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Church confronts president, demands investigation on union group
The Sarang Jeil Church, which recently emerged as a hotbed of mass coronavirus infections, hit back at President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday, criticizing him for making accusations that the religious group obstructed the government’s antivirus fight. A statement issued from the “emergency committee representing participants of the Aug. 15 rally” said the church had actively cooperated with health authorities to contain the novel coronavirus by voluntarily shutting down the facil
Aug. 25, 2020
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Moon calls for extraordinary economic measures
President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday called for an “extraordinary economic response” to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Moon said the resurgence of COVID-19 has placed the country’s economy and its efforts to contain the virus in jeopardy. “If phase two social distancing is prolonged, economic difficulties will grow. An extraordinary economic response is required,” Moon said. In an apparent reference to the controversy
Aug. 25, 2020
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Five S. Korean sailors return home one month after release from captivity in Africa
Five South Korean sailors, who were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group in waters off the western African country of Benin, returned home Sunday, a month after they were freed. They arrived at Incheon International Airport in the afternoon, where reporters and TV cameras were waiting to have their comments. But they left the airport after only saying “Thank you.” They were abducted aboard a Ghana-flagged tuna-fishing vessel around 111 kilometers away from Cotonou Port of Ben
Aug. 23, 2020
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Main opposition leader says pastor should face consequences
Floor Leader Ju Ho-young of the main opposition United Future Party said Pastor Jun Kwang-hun of Sarang Jeil Church, the focal point of what has become Korea’s second-largest COVID-19 cluster, should face consequences, seeking to distance his party from some Christian groups resisting the government‘s anti-virus efforts. “What Rev. Jun has done is unforgivable. He should be held responsible for his actions that threatened the public good,” Rep. Ju said in an interview
Aug. 22, 2020
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S. Korea warns of stern law enforcement to prevent quarantine interference
South Korea's government on Friday called on health authorities to act strongly against any move to impede their efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. President Moon Jae-in called for "stern measures," including criminal charges, for anyone who tries to "hamper epidemiological studies" while visiting Seoul city government's office to check the city's quarantine operations. "If necessary, relevant laws should be enforced, including apprehension on site or
Aug. 21, 2020
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DP leadership contest suffers virus setback, with frontrunner Lee quarantined
The race for the ruling Democratic Party’s leadership has suffered a setback from a COVID-19 resurgence in the country, with its frontrunner, Lee Nak-yon, placed under two-week isolation. Its national convention slated for Aug. 28, where a new party chairperson was to be elected, is to be moved online, as indoor gatherings of 50 people or more are prohibited under renewed disease prevention guidelines. Party leaders were set to discuss other adjustments to the general assembly plan in a
Aug. 20, 2020
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Ratings for Moon, ruling party rebound amid resurgence of COVID-19
Approval ratings for President Moon Jae-in and the ruling Democratic Party inched up this week amid a major resurgence of COVID-19, which previously had declined for two consecutive weeks. A pollster attributed the uptick to the fact that anti-government rallies by conservative groups on Liberation Day, Aug. 15, were a factor in the latest spread of the coronavirus nationwide. Thousands of protesters, led by pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, gathered in Gwanghwamun on Aug. 15. Among them were members of
Aug. 20, 2020
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Presidential hopeful Lee tests negative
Ruling Democratic Party leadership contender Rep. Lee Nak-yon announced Wednesday that he was free of the novel coronavirus. Lee is a former prime minister and is considered one of the ruling bloc’s most promising presidential candidates. In a statement, Lee said he was given the negative test results at about 10:10 a.m. on Wednesday, and that he will follow the National Medical Center’s guidelines on resuming public activities. Lee was tested for the virus Tuesday after learn
Aug. 19, 2020
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Moon and opposition leader may hold 1-on-1 meeting
President Moon Jae-in could meet with Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the main opposition United Future Party, in a one-on-one meeting if necessary, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Kim, whose party earlier rejected the offer, told reporters that he is open to meeting Moon if the agenda and format of the meeting are satisfactory. Moon’s senior political affairs secretary Choi Jae-sung on Tuesday welcomed Kim’s remarks and said he hoped talks could begin soon between the presidenti
Aug. 18, 2020
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Parties clash over controversial rally
The main opposition party has come under fire after some of its members joined a rally against Moon Jae-in that was held in defiance of disease control orders and was also attended by Jun Gwang-hun, a right-wing pastor who has been leading a campaign against President Moon Jae-in. In response to the ruling party criticisms, leaders of the opposition United Future Party sought to distance themselves from Jun and the rally. The pastor, who faces charges of election law violations, tested posit
Aug. 18, 2020
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School reopening to face hurdles due to coronavirus spread: Moon
President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that full-fledged reopening of schools across South Korea will most likely be disrupted due to the new COVID-19 clusters centered in the Seoul metropolitan area. "With a surge in confirmed patients in the capital area, we are moving closer towards a critical juncture which will decide the success or failure of our quarantine efforts," Moon said during a videoconference with regional education superintendents held at Changdeok Girls' Middle School in
Aug. 18, 2020
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[Contribution] Yoo Myung-hee, a leader to navigate WTO through challenging times
Yoo Myung-hee, minister for trade of South Korea, announced her bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization, along with seven other candidates. These candidates are from the UK, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Mexico, Moldova, and Saudi Arabia. The candidates will be narrowed to five from voting among 164 members, with four votes for each member. Two candidates will then be shortlisted from two votes cast by each member, and ultimately, the appointment will be made in the
Aug. 18, 2020
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Moon warns of stern responses to church members' illegal acts against anti-virus efforts
President Moon Jae-in on Sunday warned of stern responses to unlawful acts by some church members that have hampered the country's anti-virus efforts, after a far-right pastor and his followers staged massive rallies in violation of a state ban amid a surge in new coronavirus cases. On Saturday, more than 10,000 people took part in rallies in downtown Seoul, including one led by a far-right group, and participated in by pastor Jun Kwang-hoon and other members of Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul. He
Aug. 16, 2020
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Wake-up call for ruling party with latest approval ratings flip
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has entered an emergency phase as its approval rating fell behind that of the conservative opposition United Future Party -- for the first time in almost three years -- a survey revealed Thursday. The Realmeter survey found the ruling party’s support rating reach 33.4 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from a week earlier, while the United Future Party gained 1.9 percentage points to 36.5 percent. It is the first time the main opposition party has su
Aug. 14, 2020
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Gyeonggi Gov. emerges as top presidential hopeful, as ruling party suffers backlash
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is leading in a popularity poll for the next presidency, a survey showed Friday. In a Gallup survey of 1,001 adults in South Korea conducted from Tuesday to Thursday, Gov. Lee for the first time raced ahead of Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Nak-yon in terms of popularity. Over 19 percent of the respondents preferred Gov. Lee, up 6 percentage points from a month earlier. The endorsement rate for his political rival Rep. Lee dropped 7 percentage points to
Aug. 14, 2020