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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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Newsmaker] Police conduct raids against local lawmaker, public servants amid LH scandal
Police on Monday raided the homes and offices of local public servants and a council member in a widening investigation into land speculation nationwide. Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency sent investigators to the home and office of a ruling Democratic Party council member of Siheung and the home and office of a Gwangmyeong municipal government employee. Siheung and Gwangmyeong, both south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, are at the center of a massive scandal sparked by allegations of land speculati
Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Investors flock to unicorns after Coupang's IPO jackpot
The race to bid for unlisted companies‘ next initial public offering bonanza among South Korean investors is intensifying, data showed Sunday, as the recent high-profile deals including Coupang’s $4.6 billion US IPO whet investor appetite. Krafton, which develops and publishes battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, saw its trading price spike on over-the-counter platforms here. The game developer is the country’s largest unicorn -- a term used to describe a
MarketMarch 14, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Egg prices expected to soar 68% in March-May: think tank
Prices of eggs in South Korea may jump by up to 68 percent in the March-May period this year, as the spreading avian influenza is expected to further exacerbate the supply shortage, a state-funded think tank said Sunday. In the three-month period, the supply price of a large-size 10-egg carton is estimated at 1,600 won ($1.41) to 1,800 won, considerably higher than the 1,069 won-1,158 won per carton a year ago, according to the forecast by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI). As of Frida
EconomyMarch 14, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Coupang’s stellar NYSE debut hoists related stocks in Korea
The landmark debut of Coupang Inc., the parent company of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang Corp., gave a boost to stocks that have business ties with the firm here on Friday. Following its strong first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, related firms enjoyed a ripple effect as their shares surged. KEC Holdings, a company that offers business management and consulting services, saw its shares spike by the daily permissible limit of 29.96 percent to reach 1,735 won
MarketMarch 12, 2021
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea's Christian community expresses concern about situation in Myanmar
South Korea's Christian community has expressed concerns about political instability in Myanmar in connection with the recent coup and vowed for solidarity with the pro-democracy movement there. "The Catholic Church in Korea expresses her deepest concern about the outbreak of violence and the subsequent bloodshed in our neighboring country, Myanmar," the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea said in a statement released Thursday. It said South Korea has gone through similar military
Social AffairsMarch 12, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Hazing among nurses comes back to spotlight with online post
An online community post has once again shed light on the prevalence of hazing among nurses. In a post uploaded onto local community website Nate Pann on Friday, a user who claimed to be a nurse accused a nursing professor of verbally and physically harassing her over a 13-month period around nine years ago. The post alleged that the female professor, who was then a senior nurse, had bullied the younger staff member when both worked in an intensive care unit at the Chungbuk National Universit
Social AffairsMarch 11, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Yun Jung-hee's siblings request guardianship over iconic actress in S. Korean court
Siblings of actress Yun Jung-hee, known to be long suffering from Alzheimer's disease in France, have requested guardianship for their older sister at a South Korean court, according to sources. Yun, 76, is best known outside the country for her lead role in South Korean director Lee Chang-dong's "Poetry," which won best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. She has been long married to renowned pianist Paik Kun-woo. The development is the latest in a legal fight over her g
Social AffairsMarch 11, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Moon says land speculation scandal ‘unacceptable’
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday denounced the alleged speculative purchases of land by officials of the state-run housing developer, calling the snowballing insider trading scandal “unacceptable.” “It is unacceptable that officials at public organizations or public servants make speculative land purchases based on related information. This is an act of undermining our society’s integrity and trust,” Moon said before a luncheon meeting with floor leaders o
PoliticsMarch 10, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ex-opposition leader Hwang Kyo-ahn signals return to politics
Hwang Kyo-ahn, a former leader of the main opposition party who has been out of the public eye since an election defeat last year, said Wednesday he will rise up against what he calls the Moon Jae-in government's "tyranny," practically declaring his return to politics. "I will be the first to rise up, however meager (my capacity is). I will muster my courage ... to go 'among the people' again to share their indignation against the Moon administration and safeguard the spark of ho
PoliticsMarch 10, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Game firms under increasing scrutiny over loot box odds
Calls to regulate the gaming industry are growing in South Korea after local game companies have come under fire for what users call a “deceptive” system of randomized, for-purchase game items. Yeo Myung-sook, the former head of the Game Rating and Administration Committee, threw her weight behind the pro-regulation argument, saying that games with a loot box feature, which offers randomized in-game items for sale, should be subject to the same tax imposed on casinos. “Ga
IndustryMarch 9, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Police raid LH headquarters over land speculation scandal
Police on Tuesday launched a raid on the headquarters of the state housing corporation over allegations of land speculation by more than a dozen of its employees. The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency sent investigators to the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) headquarters in Jinju, 434 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to seize material on the transactions based allegedly on insider information. The police agency also dispatched investigators to LH offices in Gwacheon and Incheon, both located near S
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Polls show opposition only has chance if Seoul mayoral vote is two-horse race
Survey results released by two pollsters Monday showed that the opposition could win the Seoul mayoral election next month, but only if they unify their candidacies. The same day People Power Party’s Oh Se-hoon and minor opposition People’s Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo revealed they had begun talks on doing so. Oh and Ahn said in radio interviews Monday morning that they met Sunday night over beer and agreed that unifying the candidacy was a must, and that it should be done before o
Social AffairsMarch 8, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Another delivery worker dies from apparent overwork
Another parcel delivery worker was found dead from apparent overwork last weekend, a labor union said Monday. The 48-year-old man, surnamed Lee, was found dead by police at his "gosiwon," a low-cost accommodation facility, in southeastern Seoul on Saturday afternoon, according to the Taekbae Union, which represents couriers here. Lee, who was employed by Coupang Corp., the country's leading e-commerce operator, is the latest delivery worker to die from apparent overwork. Last year, 1
Social AffairsMarch 8, 2021
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[Newsmaker] ‘Korea fails to respond to human trafficking’
In July 2016, a woman from Thailand came to Korea believing she could work as a masseuse. As soon as she arrived in Incheon, she was sent by brokers to a massage parlor in Gwangju. There, the owner took her passport and told her to go to a room for a test. Soon after, she was raped by the owner. When she said she wanted to return to Thailand, the owner and the brokers demanded that she pay them 2 million won ($1,775) in commission before leaving. She was forced to stay and work in the massage
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Political circles eye on Yoon’s next move
The prosecutor general who rose to prominence by standing firm against pressure from the Moon Jae-in administration, shook political minds as he resigned Thursday over moves to deprive the prosecution of its investigative rights, a month ahead of the local by-elections. Yoon Seok-youl had adhered to the customary reticence of a chief prosecutor, limiting his public speech to parliamentary sessions, until he took his first media interview this week, four months before his two-year term was to ex
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ban Ki-moon asked to act on complaint against Beijing Games
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is being asked to rule on an ethics complaint filed against the International Olympic Committee by a human-rights group representing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is being asked to rule on an ethics complaint filed against the International Olympic Committee by a human-rights group representing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China. Ban is the chairman of the IOC's ethics commission. The Wor
Olympic GamesMarch 5, 2021
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea reports no additional avian influenza case for past week
South Korea's agricultural ministry said Friday the country has not reported a farm-linked highly pathogenic bird flu case for around a week, in a possible sign of a letup. No suspected cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza were reported from local poultry farms since Friday last week, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The 103rd case of bird flu was reported from an egg farm in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul. South Korea identified its first bird fl
Social AffairsMarch 5, 2021
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[Newsmaker] FSS head faces ire over staff picks
Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Yoon Suk-heun, whose three-year term ends in two months, is facing intense backlash from the related labor union, which holds him responsible for the watchdog‘s alleged failure in personnel management. Last month, the market watchdog reportedly promoted two officials who had received heavy sanctions due to their involvement in hiring irregularities, immediately prompting fierce criticism from union members. “The FSS’ latest decision to pr
MarketMarch 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ex-Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon wins main opposition's ticket for Seoul mayoral election
Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday won the main opposition party's ticket to run in the upcoming Seoul mayoral election seen as a barometer of public opinion ahead of the 2022 presidential election. Oh, who served as Seoul mayor from 2006-2011, won the People Power Party's primary for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, solely based on a two-day public opinion poll, according to the polling results. He beat former four-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won, former two-term lawmaker Oh Sh
PoliticsMarch 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Chief prosecutor’s outcry against loss of investigative rights draws mixed responses
Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl’s outcry against the ruling party’s move to deprive the prosecution of investigative rights by creating a new crime agency drew mixed reactions Wednesday, with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun saying he was acting like a politician. Following a yearlong brawl with former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative rights, the prosecutor general strongly criticized the plan to launch a new agency for “serious crimes,” modeled after Britain&
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2021