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Heavy snow alerts issued in greater Seoul area, Gangwon Province; over 20 cm of snow seen in Seoul
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Seoul blanketed by heaviest Nov. snow, with more expected
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Seoul snowfall now third heaviest on record
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Samsung shakes up management, commits to reviving chip business
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Heavy snow of up to 40 cm blankets Seoul for 2nd day
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How $70 funeral wreaths became symbol of protest in S. Korea
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Seoul's first snowfall could hit hard, warns weather agency
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Why cynical, 'memeified' makeovers of kids' characters are so appealing
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BOK makes surprise 2nd rate cut to boost growth
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Hybe consolidates chairman Bang Si-hyuk’s regime with leadership changes
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Ecuadorian ambassador calls for Koreans' financial support for quake relief
The top Ecuadorian envoy in Seoul made a desperate appeal Friday for Koreans' financial support to help his country emerge from the devastation caused by last week's massive earthquake and ensuing aftershocks that claimed nearly 600 lives.During a press conference, Ecuadorian Ambassador Oscar Herrera Gilbert underscored the severity of material damages and human casualties, and the pressing need to secure relief supplies such as tents for more than 25,300 people displaced by the quakes."Your sup
April 22, 2016
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Korea slams Japan lawmakers' visit to war shrine
South Korea condemned a group of Japanese lawmakers Friday for paying tribute at a shrine viewed as a symbol of Japan's militaristic past.More than 90 Japanese lawmakers, most of them members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, visited Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine earlier in the day to mark the annual spring festival. The shrine honors millions of Japan's war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals."Our government cannot help but deplore the fact that some Japanese Cabinet members and lawmak
April 22, 2016
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Korea to offer relief supplies to Japan
South Korea will provide $100,000 worth of relief supplies to Japan, which was hit by massive earthquakes last week, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Friday.Two C-130 military transport planes carrying blankets, bottled water, tents and other supplies will arrive in the worst-hit Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan on Friday afternoon, the ministry said in a press release.Two powerful earthquakes struck the southern Japanese island of Kyushu last Thursday and Saturday, leaving nearly 60 dead and
April 22, 2016
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U.N. chief may visit Korea next month: source
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is considering visiting South Korea next month to attend a non-governmental organization conference nearly one year after his last visit here, a government source said Thursday.South Korea hosts U.N. Department of Public Information and Non-Governmental Organizations Conference in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers south of Seoul, from May 30 to June 1. The 66th conference will bring in U.N. officials, diplomats, policy experts and politicians to discuss education and su
April 22, 2016
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U.N. chief may visit S. Korea next month: source
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is considering visiting South Korea next month to attend a non-governmental organization conference nearly one year after his last visit here, a government source said Thursday.South Korea hosts U.N. Department of Public Information and Non-Governmental Organizations Conference in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers south of Seoul, from May 30 to June 1. The 66th conference will bring in U.N. officials, diplomats, policy experts and politicians to discuss education and su
April 21, 2016
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Korea voices concern over Abe's offering to war shrine
South Korea expressed concern Thursday over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, urging him to make efforts to develop a "future-oriented" bilateral relationship.Our government cannot help but express concern over the fact that he sent an offering again to the Yasukuni Shrine that glorifies the past colonial invasion and honors war criminals," Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said during a regular press briefing."We urge th
April 21, 2016
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South Korean War dead reunited with kin 66 yrs after death in North Korea
The remains of a South Korean soldier killed in a northwestern North Korean town during the 1950-53 Korean War were reunited with family 66 years after his death and a posthumous journey to the United States, the defense ministry said Thursday.Pfc. Lim Byung-geun was one of 12 South Korean soldiers whose remains were accidentally excavated by a U.S. team that was repatriating its own Korean War dead in 2001. Under a mutual agreement with the North, the U.S. was excavating the site of the Changji
April 21, 2016
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Korea to launch preparatory body for foundation for sex slaves
South Korea plans to launch a committee as early as next month to handle preparations for a foundation tasked with supporting South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, a government source said Thursday.The foundation is a centerpiece of last December's agreement under which the two countries agreed to settle their decades-long dispute over the so-called "comfort women." Tokyo apologized for the crime, acknowledged responsibility, and pledged to pay 1 billion yen ($9.1 million) into
April 21, 2016
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Korea to sign Paris Agreement Friday
Some 150 countries including South Korea will sign a universal climate pact this week in a collective step towards the effectuation of last year's landmark deal, Seoul's ministries of foreign affairs and environment said Thursday.The U.N. will hold a high-level signing ceremony on Friday (New York time) for the so-called Paris Agreement adopted in December to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The signing is part of the process for countries to formally join the new pact.Environm
April 21, 2016
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Korea, Japan hold director-general talks on sex slavery
South Korea and Japan held director-general-level talks over the implementation of last year's landmark agreement to settle the thorny issue of the latter's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.The meeting was held in Seoul, led by Chung Byung-won, director-general of the South Korean Foreign Ministry's Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau, and Kimihiro Ishikane, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau."In thi
April 20, 2016
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Korea to provide $700,000 in aid to quake-hit Ecuador
South Korea plans to provide Ecuador with humanitarian assistance totaling $700,000, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, joining global efforts to support the Latin American country’s search and rescue operations following a massive earthquake. Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck (Yonhap)Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude tremor was the nation’s worst disaster in decades, leaving more than 480 killed and thousands wounded or missing. In all, the quake has affected some 450,000 Ecuadorians, with aro
April 20, 2016
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Korea names new envoys to Vietnam, Singapore
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday announced a roster of new ambassadors to 15 countries including Vietnam, Singapore, Uzbekistan and Finland as part of a regular reshuffle of senior envoys. Lee Hyuk, ambassador for international relations to Incheon City and former representative to the Philippines, was tapped to head the embassy in Vietnam. Lee Sang-deok, former director general for Northeast Asian affairs at the ministry, was appointed the new ambassador to Singapore. President Park Geun-hye (
April 20, 2016
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China urges Russia to jointly keep strategic balance in Northeast Asia
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told his Russian counterpart that Moscow and Beijing should work together to maintain a strategic balance in Northeast Asia, in a thinly veiled warning against the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile-defense shield in South Korea.Wang made the remarks during a bilateral meeting in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, according to a script of his remarks published by China's foreign ministry on Wednesday. "China and Russia
April 20, 2016
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Park to make historic visit to Iran next month
President Park Geun-hye plans to make a historic visit to Tehran next month for talks with her Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday, a move that underscores South Korea's efforts to boost ties and tap into business opportunities in the resource-rich country.The trip -- set for May 1 to 3 -- comes as Iran has emerged as a lucrative business destination following the lifting of international sanctions earlier this year.The sanctions imposed on Iran over its disputed nuclea
April 18, 2016
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Korea directs overseas missions to check earthquake
South Korea ordered its overseas missions in the quake-prone basin of the Pacific Ocean to check its preparedness against natural disasters after Japan and Ecuador were hit by massive earthquakes, Seoul officials said Monday.The government has directed its embassies and consulates in the countries along the so-called circum-Pacific belt to check the number of Korean residents and tourists in the areas under their responsibility, and see if their disaster response systems are functioning.The 40,0
April 18, 2016
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Sri Lanka, the land of Ceylon tea
COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka, a British colony between 1802 and 1948, was called Ceylon until 1972 when the country became a republic. Despite the name change, its hallmark produce -- tea -- has survived and fed the revival of postcolonial Sri Lanka as a national beverage. Much like Koreans who habitually drink coffee throughout the day, Sri Lankans have long taken pride in the production and consumption of Ceylon tea, introduced to the country in 1867 by British planter James Taylor. Unleashing a poten
April 18, 2016
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Sri Lankan accommodations dazzle visitors
The hotel industry in Sri Lanka is rising, adding to a growing list of international accolades from guidebooks and magazines, including the Lonely Planet and the National Geographic Traveler. Along with infrastructures being built across the country, its connectivity with the world has improved, and the country welcomes tourists from all corners of the globe. Hilton Colombo, located in the capital city’s business district, offers a wide range of accommodation, from guest and executive rooms to s
April 18, 2016
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Sri Lanka, paradise for the restless
SRI LANKA -- Sri Lanka, known as “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean,” is a cool getaway for restive minds, offering exotic travel, fine food and superb relaxation.From pristine beaches lined with palm trees to Buddhist sites exuding beguiling beauty, Sri Lanka provides a melange of experiences for visitors.Throughout the country, Buddhist shrines, Hindu temples, churches and mosques dot the verdant landscape teeming with wildlife, flora and fauna. Religious festivals such as Kandy Esala Perahera, V
April 17, 2016
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[HERALD INTERVIEW] ‘Political solution key to global humanitarian crises’
Amid the exacerbating global humanitarian crises, the world must devise a sound political solution to relieve the suffering of fellow citizens, a United Nations World Food Program officer said.“Humanitarian needs have exploded over the years which have made our work more difficult,” Rasmus Egendal, officer in charge of the agency’s government partnership division, told The Korea Herald on Monday. “We have to generate more resources to meet those needs, which are growing faster than the internati
April 15, 2016
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With new Assembly, changes loom for Seoul’s foreign policy
Following the opposition camp‘s election sweep, the government is expected to face mounting calls for an overhaul of North Korea and other diplomatic and security policy, as well as a far-reaching Cabinet reshuffle, to include the foreign minister. Cheong Wa Dae appeared devastated the day after the Wednesday vote, which deprived President Park Geun-hye’s Saenuri Party of not only the majority, but also the largest share of the 300-strong National Assembly, with one official saying, “I can’t fig
April 14, 2016