Most Popular
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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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[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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4 in 10 young South Koreans take up 'irregular' jobs: data
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
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'1 million' Christians join anti-LGBTQ+ marriage rally
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[Newsmaker] South Korea’s environmental quality among worst in OECD
South Korea’s environmental quality, particularly air quality, is among the worst in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to its latest report. Seoul’s Namsan Tower is blanketed in thick smoke. (Yonhap)The report, titled “How’s Life,” pinpoints that Korea’s long-term unemployment rate also marks the lowest in the OECD, while labor market insecurity is also low. The country’s life expectancy at birth is high, at 82 years, but barely a third of people consider their
Social AffairsJan. 7, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Young mobile shoppers spending more on small pleasures: data
Young mobile shoppers in their 20s and 30s are increasingly choosing to open their wallets for products and services that offer small, instant pleasures rather than self-improvement products, data showed this week.According to social commerce firm Tmon, sales over the past two months shifted from self-improvement products such as health supplements and exercise equipment associated with New Year‘s resolutions to items that offer entertainment.In particular, board games and remote-controlled elec
IndustryJan. 5, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Who is Ri Son-gwon, NK messenger of hotline's revival
North Korea’s announcement of its willingness to revive an inter-Korean hotline was delivered by a man viewed as one of the regime’s key military negotiators. Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK, reads a statement on North Korea`s state-run broadcaster Korean Central Television on Wednesday. (Yonhap)On Wednesday, Ri Son-gwon, chairman of North Korea’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification, spoke on behalf of Kim Jong-un, saying North Ko
North KoreaJan. 4, 2018
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[Newsmaker] WHO’s labeling of gaming addiction as a disorder sparks concern in Korea
The World Health Organization’s latest decision to classify gaming addiction as an official mental health disorder this year has ignited an international controversy. The issue is gaining particular attention in South Korea -- home to a strong gaming industry and an avid gaming population -- which has long been caught between the responsibility to fight adolescent game addiction and the need to promote the country’s thriving gaming sector. Last week, the WHO revealed plans to recognize “gaming
TechnologyJan. 3, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Two minor opposition parties speed up merger process
South Korea’s two minor parties are speeding up their merger process, following the People‘s Party’s all-member vote that favored the proposed merger with Bareun Party.In the four-day vote of confidence for Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, who proposed the merger with the center-right Bareun Party, 74.6 percent voted for Ahn, while 25.6 percent opposed, the party’s election committee announced on Sunday. Ahn vowed to take the lead in creating a new party that would bring changes to South Korean politics.
PoliticsJan. 2, 2018
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[Newsmaker] NK leader says nuclear button always on his desk
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned Monday that his country’s nuclear arsenal was complete and the launch button was always on his desk, even as he expressed a willingness to send a delegation to the upcoming PyeongChang Olympics. In his nationally televised New Year’s speech, the young leader claimed the country had mastered full-fledged nuclear force and deterrence capability against the US, as the Trump administration threatened military actions on the North’s nuclear and missile facilit
North KoreaJan. 1, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Panamanian vessel probed over suspected oil supplies to N. Korea
PYEONGTAEK -- South Korea has seized and inspected a Panama-flagged ship suspected of selling oil to North Korea at sea in violation of U.N. sanctions, maritimeauthorities said. The 5,100-ton KOTI is being held in the western port of Pyeongtaek-Dangjin, Gyeonggi Province. Security and customs officials held a meeting on Dec. 21 and decided not to allow the vessel to depart from the port, the local maritime office said. File photo of Pyeongtaek Harbor (Yonhap)It is the second known vessel und
North KoreaDec. 31, 2017
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[Newsmaker] NK nuclear scientist takes own life after failing to defect
A North Korean nuclear scientist, who was caught in China while attempting to defect to South Korea, took his own life after he was forced to return home, a US broadcaster said Friday. According to Radio Free Asia, the defector who was a researcher at the physics center of the State Academy of Sciences in Pyongyang took poison in a state security cell while awaiting interrogation. (Yonhap)“He killed himself only a few hours after he was placed in solitary confinement at the State Security Depart
North KoreaDec. 29, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Korea's Drug Ministry confirms safety of locally-sold sanitary pads
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Thursday concluded that the level of chemical substances found in sanitary pads sold here are not hazardous to the human body. The conclusion came after the ministry conducted toxicity tests on sanitary pads, tampons, panty liners and diapers sold in Korea to check for levels of 74 volatile organic compounds such as cholorobenzene and acetone.“After conducting reviews and toxicity tests on 74 VOCs found in sanitary pads, we’ve concluded that thei
IndustryDec. 28, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Will Samsung unveil foldable phones next year?
Anticipation is rising over Samsung’s foldable smartphone, with concept images and videos of the so-called Galaxy X making the rounds every month. However, industry insiders are cautious about the high expectations, saying there are still many unaddressed technical challenges. A new concept video of the Galaxy X from US tech media outlet Tech Configuration caught attention Wednesday. It showed that the device’s 5-inch display can be used as a normal smartphone in the folded mode and as an 8-inch
TechnologyDec. 27, 2017
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[Newsmaker] SK Chairman Chey seeks sharing economy
The sharing economy can simply refer to well-known platforms like Uber and Airbnb, or in the broader sense of all democratized marketplaces. Unlike its vibrant use in North America, though, the term remains relatively unfamiliar to the public here. Now a Korean chaebol is seeking to bring this economic concept to life in the South Korean market.Chey Tae-won, the chairman of telecom and energy giant SK Group and the nation‘s fifth-richest man, according to The Investor, has been pursuing ways to
IndustryDec. 26, 2017
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[Newsmaker] South Korean gyms face scrutiny after Jecheon deadly fire
South Korean police looking into the deadly fire that killed 29 people at a fitness center in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, are set to request an arrest warrant Tuesday morning for the building’s managers, who allegedly violated fire safety rules, according to a police official on Monday.Visitors pay their respects to the 29 victims of Thursday’s fire in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, at a memorial set up in Jecheon Gymnasium on Sunday. YonhapEarlier Monday, police raided the homes
Social AffairsDec. 25, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Prosecution to question Park over NIS fund scandal
Prosecutors will question former President Park Geun-hye this week in a detention center as part of their investigation into allegations that the presidential office during her term had received illicit money from the spy agency.Four officials from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office will visit the detention center on Tuesday to interrogate the ousted chief executive over suspicions that the National Intelligence Service had offered her office a total of 4 billion won ($3.7 million) b
Social AffairsDec. 25, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Prosecution to visit Park in jail for questioning
The prosecution plans to visit former President Park Geun-hye in jail for questioning over alleged bribery involving the state spy agency, as she refused to appear before the prosecutors’ office for questioning Friday. In a document sent to the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday, Park said that she could not appear for questioning due to her frail health. Park, who is standing trial on corruption charges, has been in custody since March at the Seoul Detention Center. Park Geun-hye (Yo
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2017
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[Newsmaker] South Korean police suicides on the rise
[Herald Interview] From writing speeding tickets to arresting criminal suspects to calming a knife-wielding drunken man, police officers deal with almost every emergency situation imaginable.YonhapThese everyday heroes, however, often end up with mental health problems as they serve and protect the public. In the past five years, as many as 100 law enforcement officers have killed themselves, 27 percent more than the 79 who died while on duty during the same period. Last year alone, 26 took thei
Social AffairsDec. 21, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Success of PyeongChang Olympics hinges on KT
PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province – With 50 days until the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, engineers at KT are working hard to ensure a flawless worldwide broadcast of the Olympics.It took 1,000 days for KT, an official telecommunications partner of the Olympics, to establish telecom networks for streaming and broadcasting the games. “In the worst case, if the network for game streaming has some errors, it’s the end of the world, and all games will be stopped,” said Lee Jong-dae, vice preside
TechnologyDec. 20, 2017
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[Newsmaker] S. Korean FM to visit Tokyo as ‘comfort women’ issue looms
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is scheduled to visit Japan on Tuesday with the issues of North Korea and Japan’s wartime sexual slavery of Korean women likely to loom over the entire stay. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)The two-day visit will include a meeting with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday. “During the meeting to be held on Tuesday, the two ministers will exchange views on issues of mutual concern, such as South Korea-Japan relations, Nor
Foreign AffairsDec. 18, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Ban on after-school English education faces backlash
Starting from March next year, elementary schools nationwide will be banned from running English education to first and second graders. The measure’s stated goal is to alleviate study burdens on young students by banning advanced learning. Currently, English is taught from third grade on. But critics argue it would also lead to the loss of thousands of jobs of English instructors and eliminate low-income students’ access to affordable education. “My son has received high quality English
Social AffairsDec. 15, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Tillerson: Top US diplomat seeking balancing role in Trump administration
Surrounded by former generals, hawkish politicians and a hard-mouthed command-in-chief, US State Secretary Rex Tillerson has been trying to find a balance in the Trump administration’s approach to resolve a nuclear standoff with North Korea. While President Donald Trump and his security aides have warned about the North’s relentless nuclear ambition and floated the idea of a preventive strike against it, the US top diplomat has offered a softer line and called for a diplomatic solution. Desp
Foreign AffairsDec. 14, 2017
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[Newsmaker] Main opposition plagued by corruption allegations
President Moon Jae-in’s ongoing campaign to right past wrongs has put the main opposition Liberty Korea Party on edge. From a first-term lawmaker to party heavyweights, over seven of its politicians have been investigated for corruption or are soon to face interrogation. The latest to come under scrutiny was five-term lawmaker Rep. Won Yoo-chul, who on Wednesday was questioned by the prosecution on the allegation of receiving hundreds of millions of won in illicit political funds from local busi
PoliticsDec. 13, 2017