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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[Newsmaker] Parliament passes corruption probe unit bill amid opposition lawmakers' protest
The National Assembly passed a controversial bill to set up a separate unit to probe corruption by high-ranking public officials Monday, lending support to President Moon Jae-in's bid to reform the prosecution.A parliamentary vote came about eight months after the ruling party-led bloc placed related prosecution reform bills on a legislative fast track in late April, along with an electoral reform bill.The establishment of the proposed corruption probe unit is aimed at overhauling the prosecutio
PoliticsDec. 31, 2019
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea issues cold wave advisory for Fri
South Korea's state weather agency on Monday issued a cold wave advisory for most of areas of the country as the mercury is expected to drop sharply. The warning that went into effect as of 10:00 p.m. comes as the Korea Meteorological Administration predicted the temperature will drop by more than 10 degrees Celsius early Tuesday from the day before. It added that with many parts of the country to be affected by strong winds, the wind chill factor will cause people to feel the freezing tem
Social AffairsDec. 30, 2019
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[Newsmaker] From new IDs to pension boost, changes due in 2020
The new year sees a wide range of changes across the spectrum of South Koreans’ daily lives. From new passports to salary hikes for military conscripts, here are some of the changes that 2020 will bring. Sex offender registry available on mobileParents and guardians of minors will be able to view information about registered sex offenders in their districts on their mobile devices. Currently, the information is sent via mail to households with children under 19.Schools and other insti
Social AffairsDec. 30, 2019
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[Newsmaker] 3.5 magnitude quake hits southeastern city
A 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit the country's southeastern region early Monday in the seventh-strongest quake to occur on the Korean Peninsula this year, the weather agency saidThe quake occurred shortly after midnight at 00:32 a.m. at some 15 kilometers northeast of Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province, with a depth of 20 km, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.Tremors were felt across the province, but there were no reported damages. The local fire office received 26 calls on w
Social AffairsDec. 30, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Feud for helm of Hanjin Group intensifies
The family feud for the helm of Hanjin Group, the South Korean conglomerate that owns flag carrier Korean Air, appears to be intensifying as the chairman reportedly kicked up a storm at his mother’s house on Christmas.On Sunday, media outlets here reported that group Chairman Cho Won-tae visited the home of his mother, Lee Myung-hee, in the Jongno area of Seoul on Wednesday with his family. There, he reportedly broke a window and items in the house.The incident reportedly occurred because
MobilityDec. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seven bodies found on suspected N. Korean boat in Japan
TOKYO, (AFP) -- The badly decomposed remains of seven people have been found in a suspected North Korean fishing boat that washed up on a Japanese island, a coast guard official said Sunday.The remains were found on Saturday in a broken vessel on the shore of Sado Island, which lies around 900 kilometres (560 miles) from North Korea across the Sea of Japan."Five of the bodies were identified as men but the remaining two could not be identified" as they were badly damaged, the official
North KoreaDec. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutors request arrest warrant for Ulsan vice mayor over election-meddling allegations
Prosecutors here said Friday they have requested an arrest warrant for an Ulsan vice mayor suspected of illegally intervening in the 2018 mayoral election in the southeastern metropolitan city.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it asked the court Thursday evening to issue a pre-trial warrant to detain Song Byung-gi, Ulsan's vice mayor for economic affairs, on charges of conspiring with several presidential aides to influence the city's mayoral poll last year in violation of the P
Social AffairsDec. 27, 2019
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[Newsmaker] For college students, Samsung remains most coveted employer
University students in South Korea still view tech giant Samsung Electronics as the most desirable future employer, a local survey showed Thursday. According to the survey of 473 male students and 586 female students conducted by online job portal JobKorea, 10.6 percent chose Samsung Electronics as the company where they would most like to work. The next most popular answer was Korean Air (7.6 percent), followed by food manufacturer CJ CheilJedang (6.7 percent) and the Korea Electric P
IndustryDec. 26, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Over 3,000 S. Koreans seeking reunions with separated relatives in NK died this year
Over 3,000 South Koreans who had applied for reunions with their long-lost relatives in North Korea have died this year without having their wishes fulfilled, according to government data.A total of 3,147 South Koreans, registered as members of separated families since 1988, died from January to November this year, an online system jointly run by the unification ministry and the Red Cross showed on Tuesday. Among the total of 133,365 South Koreans registered as members of separated families, onl
North KoreaDec. 25, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Wi-Fi use latest hot spot of tension at Hyundai Motor
The latest bone of contention between the labor union and management at Hyundai Motor was unforeseen in a country that boasts one of the highest internet penetration rates -- Wi-Fi use.On Tuesday, the automaker changed its decision to allow employees to use Wi-Fi at its manufacturing plant in Ulsan, and placed restrictions on use only during meal times and break hours. The decision was taken after criticism that employees spent a lot of their time surfing the internet or watching YouTube vi
MobilityDec. 24, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Hanjin Group siblings up ante in battle for throne
A family war is brewing in Hanjin Group, one of Korea’s vast conglomerates which also owns flag carrier Korean Air, with siblings battling to assume management control. Late Chairman Cho Yang-ho’s eldest daughter Cho Hyun-ah is stepping up her attack against her younger brother and present Chairman Cho Won-tae, hinting at continued dispute about succession.Former Korean Air Vice President Cho Hyun-ah said in a statement Monday via a law firm that “ Cho Won-tae’s busi
IndustryDec. 23, 2019
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[Newsmaker] At least 2 killed in Gwangju motel fire, death toll expected to rise
At least wo people were killed and 31 others injured in an early morning fire at a motel in Gwangju, Sunday. Authorities said the fire, which broke out at 5:45 a.m. at the motel in the northern part of the city, was extinguished within 22 minutes at 6:07 a.m.The death toll could rise, as 13 people sustained serious injuries, including smoke inhalation and burns, according to authorities. Most of the 32 rooms of the five-story accommodation were occupied at the time of the fire.Police arrest
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Young parents sentenced for murder over death of infant
A teenage mother and a father in his 20s were sentenced to prison for the neglect of their newborn baby for five days and leaving it to starve to death. Incheon District Court on Thursday ordered 20 years of imprisonment to the 21-year-old father on charges of murder, abandonment of a body and negligence of a child. The 18-year-old mother faces a minimum of seven years to a maximum of 15 years of prison on the same charges. In Korea, where the age of adulthood is 19, juvenile law states tha
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Detained PDs of scandal-ridden audition show admit charges
A lawyer for two producers of a high-profile K-pop audition show admitted most of their charges involving vote-rigging during a preparatory hearing on Friday. Ahn Joon-young, a director of Mnet cable TV's "Produce X 101," and the program's chief producer, Kim Yong-beom, were detained early last month after they were accused of having tampered with mobile text message-based voting results of the high-profile show in favor of certain contenders.In July, a vote-rigging scandal hit hard th
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Dispute continues over military exemption for K-pop stars
Debate heated up over whether successful K-pop stars should be exempted from Korea’s mandatory military service during a public hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on Thursday.Chaired by Rep. Ahn Min-suk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the hearing saw a panel of lawmakers and culture critics call for reform of the country’s military exemption rules in order to give international K-pop stars like BTS military service exemption.Pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun said exempti
K-popDec. 19, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Govt. discloses personal info of 261 draft dodgers online
The state manpower agency on Thursday publicly disclosed the personal information of 261 citizens who failed to comply with state orders to fulfill mandatory military service last year without due reasons. The disclosure is in accordance with the 2015 revision of the Military Service Act as part of efforts to ensure fairness in the implementation of the compulsory system, according to the Military Manpower Administration. The list of dodgers has been disclosed once a year on its website since 20
Social AffairsDec. 19, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutors, police at odds over possible 1980s wrongful murder conviction
Police and prosecutors have issued conflicting views on a controversial forensics report that was used as key evidence in convicting a 53-year-old man surnamed Yun of the eighth of the notorious Hwaseong serial killings.Police on Wednesday disputed prosecutors’ suggestion that the 1989 forensic report that led to the suspected wrongful conviction had been a “fabrication,” saying the tested samples had not been manipulated.This follows a statement from the prosecutors Tuesd
Social AffairsDec. 18, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Police investigating ‘illegal’ rally by conservatives
The police said Tuesday that they have opened a probe into possible law violations and violence during a rally the previous day by conservative activists in front of the National Assembly building.Some 500 people belonging to right-wing organizations and supporting the main opposition Liberty Korea Party held a rally in protest against a set of reform bills. Following the rally, the protesters remained there for nearly nine hours, tried to break into the National Assembly building and some of th
Social AffairsDec. 17, 2019
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[Newsmaker] US Forces Korea ends night curfew for troops after 9 years
US Forces Korea said Tuesday it lifted a curfew for all of its troops, effective immediately. The curfew, set for between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., was imposed in 2011 amid public outcry over allegations of sexual violence and other crimes by USFK troops. Before making the termination decision, USKF temporarily suspended the curfew until Tuesday, and looked into the results for assessment. "After assessing the curfew data and consulting with USFK leaders including component commanders, I dec
DefenseDec. 17, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Cho Kuk appears for questioning
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk appeared at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning Monday. Cho is accused of wrongly suspending an internal investigation of former Busan Vice Mayor Yoo Jae-soo in 2017, then a senior official at the Financial Services Commission. Yoo, who is detained, was indicted Friday. Yoon Do-han, senior secretary to the president for public communication, denied that the Blue House stopped the inspection. He said Cho’s office ran the ins
PoliticsDec. 16, 2019