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] Korea calls on Japan to halt 'inappropriate' media campaign over radar dispute
South Korea's defense ministry on Monday renewed its calls for Japan to stop an "inappropriate media campaign" over a military radar dispute, with Tokyo poised to reveal fresh evidence that is likely to aggravate tensions.Japan's defense ministry plans to announce its "final view" on the dispute later in the day and disclose a recording of a sound made when its maritime patrol aircraft detected radar signals, to back up its claim that a South Korean warship directed its fire-control radar at the
DefenseJan. 21, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Lawmaker accused of real estate speculation quits ruling party
Rep. Sohn Hye-won of the ruling Democratic Party on Sunday cut ties with the party over alleged property speculation, but nevertheless vigorously denied the allegations.Sohn maintained her initial stance that her relatives and aides had invested in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, to “revive the southern city.”“I cannot push the public into a meaningless war of attrition. I will give up my party membership,” Sohn said in a joint press conference held with party floor leader Rep. Hong Young-pyo at t
PoliticsJan. 20, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seoul court orders Japanese firm to compensate forced laborers in separate ruling
South Korea’s appeals court upheld on Friday a lower court ruling ordering a Japanese company to compensate a group of Koreans forced into labor during Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula, amid an escalating diplomatic row between the neighboring countries. (Yonhap)The Seoul High Court upheld the 2014 ruling that robot supplier Nachi-Fujikoshi must pay 80 million to 100 million won to each of the 17 Korean victims forced to work at Fujikoshi’s arms factories in Japan from 1944 to
Social AffairsJan. 18, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Seoul-Tokyo radar tussle spreads to YouTube
While the ongoing clash between Seoul and Tokyo over a recent radar incident at sea shows no signs of abating, it has also triggered controversy on YouTube, with the defense ministries of the two countries explaining their positions on the online platform. Japan was the first to take the issue to YouTube, uploading a 13-minute video of the incident to its YouTube channel on Dec. 28 with subtitles in Japanese and English to reinforce its accusations against South Korea. The video was shot from th
DefenseJan. 17, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Court dismisses indictments against Jeju massacre survivors after over 70 years
The district court on the southern island of Jeju on Thursday dismissed the charges against over a dozen survivors of a bloody 1948-1954 government-civilian clash, effectively ruling them not guilty of mutiny after 71 years. The Jeju District Court made the landmark decision in a retrial involving 18 survivors, including 99-year-old Lim Chang-eui. (Yonhap)The ruling essentially quashes the convictions handed down by a military court in 1949, as it means the court is revoking the initial indictm
Social AffairsJan. 17, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Ministry asks auditors to look into athletes' village after skater's rape allegations
Sports Ministry asks audit body to look into athletes’ village after gold medalist Shim Suk-hee's sexual assault allegations The South Korean government on Wednesday announced a series of measures to prevent the sexual abuse of athletes, including a state-level inspection of all related organizations, in the latest response to Olympic gold-medalist speedskater Shim Suk-hee’s claims that her coach sexually assaulted her multiple times. In a press briefing Wednesday, the Ministry of Culture, Sport
Social AffairsJan. 16, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Ex-prime minister joins main opposition party, distances himself from ousted former president
Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday joined the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, distancing himself from irregularities under ousted former President Park Geun-hye and emphasizing “unity” as a key value, amid political parties’ criticism of his party membership.Hwang’s return to politics has ramped up competition at the conservative party’s national convention next month, with the real possibility he may run for the party’s leadership and in the 2022 presidential race.Referring to
PoliticsJan. 15, 2019
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[Newsmaker] No breakthrough from Korea-Japan military talks over radar tussle
Despite having held military talks, South Korea and Japan failed to narrow differences Monday in stand-offs over a recent radar incident, an informed source said.General-grade representatives from the two sides met in Singapore in a bid to resolve "mutual misunderstandings" over a dispute regarding Seoul's use of military radar for humanitarian search operations last month, according to Seoul's defense ministry. (Yonhap)It marked the first face-to-face contact between officials from the two nati
Foreign AffairsJan. 15, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutors resummon ex-top court chief
Prosecutors again summoned former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae for questioning on Monday over his alleged involvement in a power abuse scandal, as they plan to decide this week whether to request a warrant to detain him.The team handling the case at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office began interrogating the 71-year-old former top court chief Monday morning, three days after they grilled him for over 14 hours. (Yonhap)Prosecutors suspect that Yang sought to use politicall
Social AffairsJan. 14, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Police to question skating coach over sexual assault allegations
Former short track speedskating coach Cho Jae-beom may be questioned by the police over allegations of sexual assault as early as Wednesday, local media reported Sunday. According to reports, the investigators plan to question Cho at the prison in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where he is serving a 10-month sentence for habitually assaulting Olympic gold medalist Shim Suk-hee. Former short track coach Cho Jae-beom seen before his court appearance in June last year. YonhapThe assaults for which Cho i
Social AffairsJan. 13, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Speed skater accuses ex-teammate of harassment
South Korean speed skater Kim Bo-reum, who was embroiled in a bullying controversy during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, on Friday accused her former teammate of harassment, saying that she was actually the victim of bullying.In an interview with local cable station Channel A, Kim said that she had been bullied by Noh Seon-yeong, who competed together with her and Park Ji-woo in the women's team pursuit competition at the PyeongChang Winter Games. (Yonhap)"I first entered the national tra
More SportsJan. 11, 2019
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[Newsmaker] 3 dead, 2 missing in fishing boat collision
A fishing boat carrying 14 people overturned after colliding with a cargo vessel off the country's southern coast, leaving three people dead and two missing, authorities said Friday. The 9.77-ton Mujeok, carrying the captain, a sailor and 12 anglers, capsized after running into a 3,000-ton cargo ship in waters about 80 kilometers south of Yokji Island at around 5 a.m., according to the Coast Guard. (Yonhap)The island is located near the coastal city of Tongyeong, about 330 km south of Seoul. Two
Social AffairsJan. 11, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Second cab driver dies after self-immolation protesting Kakao carpool service
In the midst of heightened tensions between the country’s taxi union, information technology market players and the government over ride-sharing and ride-hailing services, a taxi driver surnamed Lim, 65, died early Thursday morning after setting himself on fire to protest the launch of Kakao’s carpool service, police said. Lim’s death is expected to further fuel conflict between the concerned parties, who have locked horns since a similar incident last month involving another taxi driver, 57, wh
Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Two Korean students die of unknown cause while volunteering in Cambodia
Two South Korean college students have died of an unknown cause in Cambodia while doing volunteer work, officials said Thursday. The Konyang University students had been treated at a hospital in the capital city of Phnom Penh since Tuesday, after they had acute stomach pains, according to the university officials. Cambodia(AP)They returned to the lodge the next day, only to start showing the same symptoms and be again transferred to the hospital. One of the two died Wednesday night and the oth
Social AffairsJan. 10, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Short track gold medalist sues ex-coach over alleged sexual assault
Olympic short track gold medalist Shim Suk-hee has sued her former coach Cho Jae-beom over alleged sexual assault, police said Tuesday. Cho, who has been serving jailed for committing violence toward short track speedskaters including Shim, denied the allegation. Short track skater Shim Suk-hee (Yonhap)According to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Shim filed the complaint against Cho on Dec. 17, which includes the allegation that Cho had raped and sexually molested her since the summer o
Social AffairsJan. 9, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Korea introduces measures to wipe out sexual misconduct in sports
South Korea on Wednesday unveiled a set of measures to wipe out sexual assault and abuse in sports following a sex crime case involving an Olympic short track gold medalist.The sports ministry issued an apology and introduced measures to prevent and eliminate sexual misconduct in the country's sports community, one day after Shim Suk-hee's allegations that her former coach Cho Jae-bum had sexually assaulted her for years were revealed. Vice Sports Minister Roh Tae-kang (Yonhap)"We apologize to a
More SportsJan. 9, 2019
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[Newsmaker] KB Kookmin Bank stages strike, 600 branches affected
Workers at KB Kookmin Bank, South Korea's leading lender, launched a nationwide strike Tuesday for the first time in 19 years over bonuses and wage system reforms, its labor union said.The one-day walkout started at 9 a.m., as last-minute overnight negotiations between the labor and the management did not lead to a breakthrough. (Yonhap)The last time unionized workers took collective action was in 2000, when the bank acquired the Housing & Commercial Bank.The exact numbers of participants and br
Social AffairsJan. 8, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Labor Ministry lays out details of revised minimum wage calculation process
Amid ongoing debate over the minimum wage hike, the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday laid out a rough draft of the revised minimum wage calculation method, which contains details about the composition of the committees in charge of deciding the annual hourly minimum wage.But the changes face escalating opposition from labor groups, which argue that the new process is less likely to reflect their position.“The minimum wage decision-making process has remained the same since 1988, while
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Missing intelligence agent found dead in his car
An active officer at the National Intelligence Service was found dead Sunday inside his car, which was parked at a vacant lot near his home.According to a police station in western Yongin, a city located south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, the body of the missing NIS agent, 43, was found at 1:25 p.m. Sunday, nine hours after his family reported his disappearance.Yongin Seoubu Police Station (Yonhap)The police also found at his home a three-page document that appeared to be his will. The content
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Ex-North Korean ambassador urges former colleague to defect to South Korea
A former senior North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 2016 on Saturday urged a former colleague who has gone into hiding before ending his term in Italy to come to Seoul, as opposed to the US where he is reportedly seeking asylum. Thae Yong-ho, who was the deputy ambassador in London and the most recent senior diplomat to defect, wrote an open letter to Jo Song-gil, 44, until recently North Korea’s acting ambassador to Italy, who fled the Rome embassy with his wife in early November
North KoreaJan. 6, 2019