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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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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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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[Newsmaker] JTBC chief Sohn countersued
Sohn Suk-hee, a popular news anchor and president of cable TV network JTBC, has been countersued by a freelance journalist who threatened to go public about a car accident involving Sohn.Kim Woong, 49, sued Sohn, 62, for assault, blackmail and libel on Thursday.According to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office, Kim claimed that Sohn not only punched him, but also pressured him to agree to a settlement, and spread false information by issuing a press release.Kim had filed a police repor
Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2019
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[Newsmaker] IT entrepreneur under probe for attempted contract killing
An IT entrepreneur recently indicted for abusing his employees is now under investigation for allegedly attempting contract killing.In September 2015, Yang Jin-ho, chief of several local online storage service firms and robot developer K-Technology, allegedly asked a Buddhist monk to murder the brother-in-law of his ex-wife who at the time was going through a divorce suit against him.Police found that Yang paid 30 million won to the monk, who told police that Yang asked him to stab the husband o
Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Subcontracted workers prone to industrial accidents: lawmaker
With the authorities scrambling to improve industrial safety measures, Rep. Lim Lee-ja of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Wednesday released data that showed subcontracted workers at power plants are vulnerable to industrial accidents.According to figures Lim received from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, 20 workers killed at power plants -- Korea South-East Power, Korea Western Power, Korea Midland Power, Korea Southern Power, and Korea East-West Power Corp. -- between 2014 and
PoliticsFeb. 6, 2019
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[Newsmaker] External sources account for 75% of Korea's fine dust pollution
External sources accounted for 75 percent of South Korea's ultrafine dust air pollution in January, a state-run environment agency said Wednesday. South Korea saw a drastic rise in the average level of ultrafine dust particles, those smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, in between Jan. 11 and 15. According to the National Institute of Environmental Research, a think tank under the Ministry of Environment, external sources from China, Mongolia, North Korea and Japan were responsible for 75 p
Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2019
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[Newsmaker] After 2 years of rancor, Trump to appeal for unity in speech
After two years of bitter partisanship and personal attacks, President Donald Trump will call for unity and cross-party cooperation in Washington during Tuesday’s State of the Union address, a message likely to ring hollow with Democrats determined to block his push for a border wall.Trump’s prime-time address comes at a critical moment in his presidency. He pushed his party into a lengthy government shutdown over border security, only to cave to Democrats. With another shutdown deadline looming
Foreign AffairsFeb. 6, 2019
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[Newsmaker] K-pop stars rise as marketing bonanza for banking industry
Seeking to boost overseas business and expand their young customer bases, South Korea’s major banks have adopted a new marketing trend over recent years -- using K-pop groups as brand ambassadors.K-pop celebrities were for some time viewed as an unconventional choice for the banking industry, but partnerships soon rose as an effective way to overcome the conservative and rigid image of the market.The biggest beneficiary was KB Kookmin Bank, which recently renewed its advertising contract w
MarketFeb. 3, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Court overturns ruling, finds ex-governor guilty of rape in #MeToo case
A high court on Friday sentenced former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung to 3 1/2 years in prison for raping his female aide, overturning a lower court’s not-guilty ruling, in the country’s highest-profile case amid the ongoing #MeToo movement. (Yonhap)The Seoul High Court ruled that An, who was once considered a strong presidential contender, had used his authority to sexually assault the victim, citing sufficient evidence to prove that Kim’s sexual freedom was violated against her w
Social AffairsFeb. 1, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Suspected FMD outbreak reported in Chungju
A suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease was reported in North Chungcheong Province on Thursday, amid escalating concerns over the highly contagious animal disease spreading in the country ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday that a cattle farm in Chungju reported that a cow had showed symptoms of FMD, such as drooling and blisters.As the cow tested positive for FMD in an initial inspection, quarantine authorities culled 11 cows
Social AffairsJan. 31, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Firebrand politician Hong Joon-pyo seeks second term as conservative party leader
Former conservative party leader Hong Joon-pyo has announced his bid for leadership of the Liberty Korea Party, ramping up competition in the race.“I will run (for the party’s leadership), and it is right for me to do so. I have never seen an administration fall this fast. Only I can counter the current government,” Hong said during a publication event for his biography in Yeouido, western Seoul.“Today marks the starting point of the last challenge in my life.”(Yonhap)While declaring his bid at
PoliticsJan. 30, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Ex-short track coach sentenced to 18 months for assaulting athletes
Former national short track speed skating coach Cho Jae-beom was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Wednesday over repeated assaults against Olympic champion Shim Suk-hee and other athletes.The Suwon District Court in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, handed down the sentence in an appeals trial. Cho had earlier received a 10-month term, against which he unsuccessfully appealed. Cho Jae-beom (Yonhap)The court noted that Cho once had an indictment over an earlier assault charge suspended but
Social AffairsJan. 30, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Former ‘comfort woman,’ women’s activist Kim Bok-dong dies
Kim Bok-dong, a South Korean victim of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II and a symbol of the fight against wartime violence, died late Monday, bringing the number of survivors to 23. She was 92.Kim, who was at the forefront of raising awareness about Japanese military sexual slavery and campaigning to end violence against women around the world, died at 10:41 p.m. Monday at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance.
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] US charges Huawei in technology theft, sanctions violations
The US Justice Department on Monday unveiled sweeping charges against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in two cases likely to ratchet up tensions between the two superpowers -- including that of a top executive arrested in Canada on a US warrant.The department unveiled 13 charges against Huawei Technologies, its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou -- the daughter of the company's founder who is currently out on bail in Canada -- and two affiliates related to violating US sanctions on Ira
World NewsJan. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] New twists and turns in case against JTBC chief
Sohn Suk-hee, the president of cable channel JTBC and a popular news anchor, offered company money to keep a freelance journalist from going public about an assault Sohn allegedly committed, a vernacular newspaper reported Monday.Freelance journalist Kim Woong, 48, filed a complaint with the police last week accusing Sohn, 63, of punching him in the face several times during a dinner meeting in Seoul on Jan. 10.Sohn Suk-hee (Yonhap)Kim reportedly submitted medical documentation to the police ind
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Ex-Supreme Court chief hires another lawyer in preparation for legal battle
Former Supreme Court Chief Yang Sung-tae, currently in detention, has hired another lawyer to prepare for what will be a tough legal battle over allegations that he politically influenced trials to lobby the previous government, sources said Sunday.Yang recently brought in judge-turned-lawyer Lee Sang-won in addition to his two legal representatives, as he appears likely to face an unprecedented corruption probe as the former head of the country’s judiciary.Former Supreme Court chief Yang Sung-t
Social AffairsJan. 27, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Govt. to launch special probe team to investigate sexual violence in sports
The South Korean government said Friday it will launch a special probe team to look into sexual violence and other human rights violations in the country's sports community, following a series of claims by athletes that they were assaulted by their coaches.Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae and Gender Equality Minister Jin Sun-mee convened for a ministers meeting on social affairs and discussed measures to prevent and eradicate violence in sports. Sports Minister Do Jon
Social AffairsJan. 25, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seoul focuses on military elements in friction over Japanese warplanes
Seoul is focusing on the military aspects of inappropriate actions by Japanese military planes, in an apparent move to avoid the matter being politicized by Tokyo, following another close-proximity flight by a Japanese patrol plane. On Wednesday, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense revealed that Japan’s P-3 patrol plane flew at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and 540 meters away from South Korean destroyer Daejoyeong in international waters near Ieodo, a submerged rock near Jeju Island. Military
DefenseJan. 24, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Korea eyes artificial rain in fine dust fight
South Korea plans to conduct this year’s first artificial rain experiment over the Yellow Sea on Friday, as part of efforts to tackle fine dust pollution amid growing concerns over public health. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Wednesday the one-hour experiment will be conducted in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and China on Friday morning, with a plane, boat and other devices mobilized to measure meteorological conditions. The KMA will carry out a cloud seeding experiment a
Social AffairsJan. 23, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Appeals court upholds another wartime forced labor victim's compensation claim
A Seoul appellate court on Wednesday upheld another compensation claim by an elderly South Korean victim of Japan's wartime forced labor, ordering Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. to pay her 100 million won ($88,754). The appeals division of the Seoul Central District Court made the ruling in favor of Lee Choon-myeon, 88, who filed litigation accusing the Japanese company of forcing her to toil without pay in poor working conditions during World War II. Lee Choon-myeon (Yonhap)Wednesday's court ruling add
Social AffairsJan. 23, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Human rights watchdog to set up independent monitoring system to root out sexual violence in sports community
Following rampant allegations of sexual misconduct by authority figures in the skating community, the chief of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea on Tuesday vowed to establish an independent monitoring system to root out widespread violence in sports.“Physical and sexual harassment in the sports community take place repeatedly within a structured system, rather than accidentally. Violence is exonerated in the performance-centered culture,” said Choi Young-ae, the head of the rights wa
Social AffairsJan. 22, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seoul to expand Gwanghwamun Square, create underground path by 2021
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is to expand Gwanghwamun Square 3.7-fold, create an underground passage connecting major spots in central Seoul and make the area a public transport hub, according to a plan to transform the square unveiled Monday. Blueprint of new Gwanghwamun Square to be completed in 2021 (Seoul Metropolitan Government)Iconic statues of King Sejong the Great and Adm. Yi Sun-sin at Gwanghwamun Square will be relocated in order to secure an expansive view of Bugaksan and Gyeong
Social AffairsJan. 21, 2019