Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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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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First lady’s controversies to top agenda at meeting of party leaders
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Moon asks opposition party leader to present details of relief bond offer
President Moon Jae-in responded prudently to an opposition party's call for a 40 trillion-won ($32.5 billion) government bond program meant to help businesses and households here hit by the coronavirus. He publicly requested that Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the conservative main opposition Future Korea Party, provide details, including how it would be financed and work. Hwang earlier criticized the Moon administration's package of emergency aid to prop up the livelihoods of the people amid a mon
March 26, 2020
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Moon notes S. Korea's virus testing ability, says Trump also wants it
President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday his government would help facilitate exports of South Korea's new coronavirus diagnostic materials, revealing that US President Donald Trump has requested the supply of test kits and other quarantine-related goods during their latest phone conversation. Moon was visiting Seegene Inc., a Seoul-based developer of COVID-19 diagnostic solutions. He met with the heads of Seegene and four other local producers of novel coronavirus diagnostic reagents -- Kogene
March 25, 2020
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Parties draw up proportional candidate lineup
The ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition United Future Party are heading into a double clash in the April 15 general elections, with both fielding satellite parties for proportional representative seats. The Future Korea Party, a satellite party of the United Future Party, has shortlisted 40 candidates. The ruling Democratic Party’s satellite party, whose name roughly translates to “Citizen’s Party,” is entering the race with 30 candidates. In proportional
March 24, 2020
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Moon pledges W100tr of emergency funding for virus-stricken business sector
President Moon Jae-in unveiled plans Tuesday to double the size of his administration's emergency-financing aid package to 100 trillion won ($80 billion) for businesses here under growing stress from the coronavirus pandemic, and he announced a set of special funds to stabilize South Korea's bond and securities markets. He stressed that the government would serve as a "stout breakwater" to prevent the huge crisis facing the nation's firms, speaking at the second session of the emerge
March 24, 2020
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New law to enhance protection of consumers from humidifier sanitizers
The Ministry of Environment said Monday it will proclaim a revision of the current law regulating humidifier sterilizers this week, seeking to expand the scope of diseases caused by the use of the chemical products and facilitate victims' lawsuits against their manufacturers. A revision of the Special Act on Remedy for Damage Caused by Humidifier Disinfectants will be proclaimed Tuesday before being enforced six months later, the ministry said. Under the revised law, people who become sick wi
March 23, 2020
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Moon against discussing permanent change in academic calendar, Cheong Wa Dae says
President Moon Jae-in expressed a negative view Monday about formally considering a change to South Korea's academic year in response to a call for a review of whether to introduce the autumn semester system. He said it's "not desirable to discuss" the issue in connection with the current situation, receiving a report from Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, according to Cheong Wa Dae's deputy spokesman Yoon Jae-kwan. Yoo, who doubles as deputy prime minister for social affairs, briefed
March 23, 2020
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Ruling party, President Moon earn high grade in polls
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea saw a slight uptick in the polls with some 42 percent support, while President Moon Jae-in flagged his highest approval rating this year, a poll showed Monday. Support for the liberal party inched up 0.6 percentage point from last week and stood at 42.1 percent, followed by the main opposition United Future Party 33.6 percent, up 1.5 percentage points, and the People’s Party on 4 percent, according to local pollster Realmeter. The survey was conducte
March 23, 2020
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Moon replaces four vice ministers, two Cheong Wa Dae secretaries
The office of President Moon Jae-in announced the replacement of four vice minister-level officials and two of Moon's secretaries in a partial shake-up Monday as his administration nears its third anniversary. It followed the resignation of some senior officials seeking to run in the April 15 general elections, affecting the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the National Agency for Administrative City Construction. Moon
March 23, 2020
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S. Korea to take legal actions against churches violating coronavirus guidelines
South Korea will take legal action against some Protestant churches for violating the government's guidelines for preventing the massive spread of the new coronavirus, the prime minister said Monday. As part of the government's drive for stricter social distancing, health authorities advised churches to follow quarantine measures, including keeping the distance between followers at least 2 meters while attending services and having their temperature checked. But some churches, including Saran
March 23, 2020
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PM says disaster management funds can be used for small businesses, vulnerable people
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Saturday that the government will allow state disaster management funds to be used to help small businesses and support those socially vulnerable in regards to the novel coronavirus crisis. "We are now facing an unprecedented situation, so we need to use all possible means to handle the situation," Chung said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Seoul. Under a current law, sta
March 21, 2020
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Chief of main opposition's affiliated party resigns ahead of April elections
The chief of the Future Korea Party (FKP) stepped down Thursday amid strife with the main opposition party over the selection of candidates for proportional representation (PR) seats. The FKP was established in February as the satellite party of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) specially to target PR slots in the April 15 parliamentary elections. But tensions between the two parties heightened as only one person that the UFP had recruited from outside was included in a list of 20
March 19, 2020
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Government rolls out W50tr aid package for small businesses
Deadlines on corporate loans will be extended, and a fund to stabilize the country’s stock markets will be established as part of Seoul’s efforts to deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Under the measures, deadlines for loans taken out by small and medium-sized enterprises and small merchants will be extended by more than six months. In addition, debtors will be given six-month extensions on their interest payments. According to the government, the measures --
March 19, 2020
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[Newsmaker] First-ever strong wind warning to be issued for Seoul
South Korea's weather agency on Thursday issued a strong wind advisory for the entire nation, calling for concerted preparedness for typhoon-class winds and forest fires throughout the day. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour, or 25 meters per second, will blow across the nation, due to the difference in air pressure between cold low pressure over North Korea and warm high pressure southeast of the peninsula. The KMA put the entire nat
March 19, 2020
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Moon to hold 1st emergency economic council session against coronavirus impact
President Moon Jae-in plans to convene an inaugural "emergency economic council" session Thursday to discuss ways to minimize the fallout of the coronavirus. Moon has urged his economy team to explore "aggressive special measures" to prop up the economy amid what he calls the "unprecedented multi-crises" arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. He told related officials not to quibble over policy precedents. Moon and other participants in the Cheong Wa Dae meeti
March 19, 2020
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Opposition leader Hwang shows softer side
Hwang Kyo-ahn, chief of the conservative opposition United Future Party, gave his first-ever solo broadcast on YouTube and sang a song he wrote as a teenager. He also told viewers how he proposed to his wife many years ago. During the 30-minute show, livestreamed on his YouTube channel Tuesday night, the 62-year-old judge-turned-politician reached out to viewers and answered their questions. “I didn’t do any romantic marriage proposal. I think I just said something like, ‘S
March 18, 2020
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Ruling camp floats 2nd extra budget, supports anti-virus cash transfers
A day after the parliament endorsed a 11.7-trillion-won supplementary budget, the ruling Democratic Party on Wednesday started official preparations for another extra budget, as the country fights a double whammy of a deadly virus and economic recession. It also said it was desirable that some local governments were seeking to provide something similar to basic income for disaster relief. “What the local governments are doing can help the central government prepare,” Lee Nak-yon
March 18, 2020
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Moon calls for business, unions’ support in reducing COVID-19 economic impact
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday called for the support of businesses, labor unions and financial institutions in minimizing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the government’s efforts alone would be insufficient. Speaking at a meeting with leaders of business, financial and labor organizations, Moon said that the country’s economy is facing an unprecedented crisis. “COVID-19 is impacting both supply and demand, and causing a compound crisis of real (ec
March 18, 2020
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Moon meets leaders of business, labor groups, says pandemic-led economic crisis to continue
President Moon Jae-in warned Wednesday that the global economic crisis could be drawn out and stressed South Korea should explore bold preemptive measures without being restricted to precedents. He was speaking at a rare group meeting with the heads of the country's major business-related associations and umbrella labor unions. COVID-19 is bringing about a "combined crisis" in the real economy and finance, Moon pointed out. "Now that it's a problem that the whole world is unde
March 18, 2020
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Ruling party urges govt. to take more bold action to fight coronavirus
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) called on the government Wednesday to consider drawing up another extra budget and come up with bold market-stabilizing and economic measures to fight the new coronavirus. The National Assembly passed an 11.7 trillion won ($9.44 billion) supplementary budget bill Tuesday to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the economic fallout of the outbreak. But the ruling party urged additional and unprecedented steps to tackle the potentially devastating im
March 18, 2020
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S. Korea's parliament passes extra budget bill to fight coronavirus
The National Assembly on Tuesday approved an 11.7 trillion-won ($9.42 billion) extra budget to help contain the novel coronavirus and minimize the economic fallout from the outbreak. The supplementary budget bill passed through the parliamentary plenary session, with 222 of the 225 lawmakers present voting in favor. One voted against the bill while the remaining two lawmakers abstained. The overall size of the budget was unchanged from the original government proposal but details have been ad
March 17, 2020