Most Popular
-
1
[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
-
2
Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
-
3
Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
-
4
Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
-
5
Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
-
6
[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
-
7
Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
-
8
N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
-
9
[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
-
10
[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
-
[Newsmaker] Moon pays respect to late cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk
President Moon Jae-in paid respect to the late cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, former archbishop of Seoul, on Thursday. Moon visited Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul, together with first lady Kim Jung-sook, to pay his last respects to Cheong. He passed away Tuesday at age 89, having suffered an unspecified illness. His funeral will be held at the cathedral on Saturday. Moon wrote on his social messaging accounts Wednesday that, "He left us a teaching on sharing and coexistence&quo
PoliticsApril 29, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Disaffected young men call for gender equality in conscription
South Korea’s mandatory military service is back in the limelight as younger men step up calls for conscription for women as a matter of gender equality. But experts say this movement faces a long road ahead. The fresh debate about subjecting both men and women to mandatory military service was sparked by ruling Democratic Party Rep. Park Yong-jin, who suggested revamping the conscription system as part of his 2022 presidential election campaign. Park proposed an all-volunteer military o
DefenseApril 28, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Power generator, construction materials delivered to Seongju THAAD base despite protest
SEONGJU -- The Ministry of Defense on Wednesday successfully delivered non-weapon materials and construction equipment onto a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base here after briefly running into protests from residents and activists opposed to the deployment of the American missile defense system. Early in the day, a few dozen protesters staged a sit-in and blocked the passage of vehicles heading to the base for the THAAD system in the central town of Seongju, about 300 kilometers s
Social AffairsApril 28, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Fighting dirty? Army bans bathing as anti-COVID-19 measure for recruits
The South Korean Army deprived recruits of basic hygiene as part of its anti-COVID-19 measures, a civic group revealed, criticizing the military for neglecting soldiers’ basic rights. The Center for Military Human Rights Korea said in a statement Monday that the Korea Army Training Center was too strict in enforcing its COVID-19 prevention measures for recruits, even barring access to basic hygiene options during their weekslong training period. According to the nonprofit human rights ad
DefenseApril 27, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Biz community joins calls for pardon of Samsung heir
South Korea's major business lobby groups on Tuesday said they have submitted a petition for the pardon of Lee Jae-yong, the imprisoned de facto leader of Samsung Group, to the presidential office for the sake of the national economy amid a global semiconductor shortage. The five major lobby groups -- the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Enterprises Federation, the Korea Federation of SMEs, the Korea International Trade Association and the Federation of Middle Market Enterprise
IndustryApril 27, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi governor in spat over proposal for fines proportional to property
Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and opposition lawmaker Rep. Yoon Hee-sook argued on Monday over Lee’s proposal of a system where the amount of fines is based on how rich the offender is. Lee, who has long been among the ruling party’s strongest presidential hopefuls in public polls, wrote via Facebook on Sunday that the amount of fines should be proportionate to the offender’s property. “Finland adopted the system 100 years ago in 1921, and Germany in 1975,”
Social AffairsApril 26, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Local official indicted for land speculation in 1st for govt. task force
A senior official of the Pocheon municipal government has been indicted on charges of land speculation, in a first for a government task force investigating speculative behavior by public officials, prosecutors said Monday. The Uijeongbu District Prosecutors Office indicted the 52-year-old official, surnamed Park, on Friday for allegedly using information he gained at work to purchase land near the site of a planned train station in September. Park, who was in charge of railway planning for th
Social AffairsApril 26, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Jailed Samsung chief’s effort to secure 20m more Pfizer vaccinations in spotlight
After South Korea closed a deal with Pfizer to obtain additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Samsung Electronics’ de facto chief, Lee Jae-yong, is receiving much attention in local media for his reported role in facilitating talks between the two sides. Seoul announced Friday that it had secured enough additional vaccine for 20 million people in a deal that soothed public worries over a shortage. Adding to those worries were the reported side effects associated with the AstraZeneca
IndustryApril 25, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Bookstore chain pulls memoirs of NK founder over controversy
South Korea's biggest bookstore chain has ceased sales of memoirs of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung following a legal and political controversy surrounding the eight-volume series. On Wednesday, a local publishing company said it has begun selling the memoirs, titled "With the Century," here for the first time since the books were published by the North Korean regime in the early 1990s. The memoirs, which mostly feature Kim's anti-Japanese fight, have sparked controversy as they ar
Social AffairsApril 25, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] BTS Jimin’s hanbok pulled out of auction last minute
A traditional Korean outfit worn by BTS’ Jimin that was scheduled to go under the hammer was removed last minute on Thursday. His fans however are calling for the modern “hanbok” suit to be put up for auction as planned. The K-pop superstar wore it for a September performance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Myart Auction on Thursday removed the outfit from its online auction list last minute and it was only available for preview as the a
Arts & DesignApril 23, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Police search public housing developer in bribery investigation
Police searched offices of a public housing corporation in Seoul on Friday as part of an investigation into bribery allegations involving its employees. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said investigators searched the headquarters and two branch offices of Seoul Housing and Communities Corp. (SH) affiliated with the city government. Three employees of the company are being probed over suspicions they took bribes from real estate agents operating in an SH-led housing development area. The
Social AffairsApril 23, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Belgian ambassador apologizes for wife’s assault
The Belgian ambassador to South Korea apologized on Thursday for his wife’s assault of a clothing store staffer in Seoul, which was captured on security camera and spread on social media earlier this week. The footage shows Xiang Xueqiu, wife of Ambassador Peter Lescouhier, slapping a storekeeper who tried to stop her from approaching a colleague behind the store counter. The colleague suspected that Xiang, 63, was trying to leave the shop wearing a piece of clothing she didn’t pay
Foreign AffairsApril 22, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] New mayor of Seoul promises to make city 'leap again'
New Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon promised Thursday to bring hope and vitality to a city plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic and matters of people's livelihoods. Oh said he would make five pledges to the nation's capital of 10 million during a virtual inauguration ceremony held two weeks after he took office. Those promises, he implied, are based on the failures of the Moon Jae-in administration to address the plight of small business owners in a pandemic and fix a turbulent housing market. "The R
PoliticsApril 22, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Were they ever gone?
As the movie “Seobok” hit the top of South Korean box office, lead actor Gong Yoo conducted interviews and promoted the movie. However, co-star Park Bo-gum was nowhere to be seen – he is serving his mandatory military service. Still, with last year’s tvN drama series “Record of Youth” featuring Park, “Seobok” currently in theaters and upcoming movie “Wonderland” scheduled for release later this year, Park’s absence from the ente
CultureApril 21, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] N. Korea continues to work on submersible missile test barge at Nampo: report
North Korea is continuing to work on a submersible missile test stand barge at its Nampo shipyard, a US think tank said Tuesday, suggesting the work could be part of preparations for a ballistic missile test. Citing satellite imagery taken Monday, the think tank said the North has positioned a "cylindrical object on the submersible missile test barge at Nampo." It said the image alone could not confirm an imminent missile launch, but noted the round object could be a launch tube for
North KoreaApril 21, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Too soon to draft women into military: Defense Ministry
Conscripting women into the armed forces now would be premature, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday, amid fresh debate about making military service compulsory for both women and men. At present, all able-bodied men in South Korea are required to serve in the military or complete an alternative public service program. Women can join the military as officers or noncommissioned officers. “Expanding conscription isn’t a yes-no, black-and-white question because we need to l
DefenseApril 20, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Nuclear experts call on Japan to nix Fukushima water release plan
A group of South Korean nuclear researchers on Tuesday called on Japan to withdraw its decision to release contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, urging for more information over the plan. South Korea has expressed concerns over Japan's announcement last week to release about 1.3 million tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the plant, citing potential health risks. A group of experts at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute said J
Social AffairsApril 20, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Yoon far ahead of rivals as presidential hopeful: poll
Former chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl, who rose to stardom by defying the Moon Jae-in administration’s prosecutorial reform drive, beat his closest rival by a whopping 16.2 percentage points in the latest poll on presidential preference. In the survey of 1,011 adults nationwide, conducted Friday by Realmeter and commissioned by YTN, 37.2 percent chose Yoon as their most preferred presidential hopeful. The second-most-popular choice was Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung with 21 percent support
PoliticsApril 19, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Number of S. Korean stay-at-home fathers hits new high in March
SEJONG -- The number of South Korean stay-at-home fathers reached an all-time high in March as fewer women took charge of bringing up kids, government data showed Monday. A total of 13,000 South Korean men outside the labor force were in charge of child care last month, up 6,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS). It was the largest number since data tracking began in 1999. The on-year increase was also the biggest since March 201
Social AffairsApril 19, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] With Mayor Oh in office, eyes are on Kim Ou-joon of TBS’ ‘News Factory’
Left-wing radio host Kim Ou-joon of Traffic Broadcasting System’s “News Factory” is under fire from right-wing party members as they challenge Kim’s outspoken political partisan views on a public-funded traffic news radio station, as well as his pay. TBS’ “News Factory” has been the most popular radio program in Korea since 2018, according to Hankook Research. Kim, who has been the show’s host since 2016, was listed as the second most influential
CultureApril 18, 2021