Most Popular
-
1
[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
-
2
Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
-
3
Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
-
4
Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
-
5
Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
-
6
Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
-
7
[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
-
8
N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
-
9
[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
-
10
[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
-
[Newsmaker] S. Korea considers wristbands to track those in quarantine
South Korea is considering using electronic wristbands to track whereabouts of those placed under compulsory home quarantine, authorities said Tuesday. But faced with concerns over privacy and human rights, the authorities stressed using wristbands is only one of the several options under consideration to counter increasing cases of self-quarantine violations. The government is considering connecting the wristband to a mobile application installed on a smartphone. The wristband would trig
Social AffairsApril 7, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] From drive-thru markets to flower challenges, virus-hit businesses go creative
Small businesses and local governments in South Korea are testing out creative ideas as they seek to overcome a slump stemming from the new coronavirus that has infected more than 10,000 here. In the southern cities of Gimhae and Seosan, farmers have set up drive-thru markets to sell vegetables and fruit, taking a cue from the government's successful drive-thru virus screening centers. A package of 11 kinds of vegetables is being sold for 20,000 won (A social media challenge aimed at helping
ConsumerApril 7, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Ivermectin latest drug candidate for coronavirus
Ivermectin, a parasiticide, could be the next breakthrough solution to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to initial reports, but further tests must prove the efficacy of the drug in living organisms, experts say. Ivermectin became the center of attention after scientists from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia found that a single dose of the parasiticide could stop the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in a cell culture. Ivermectin effectively eradicated all genetic material of
IndustryApril 6, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Korea to push for abolishing statute of limitations for child sex crime
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the government have agreed to push for abolishing the statute of limitations for sex crime involving children and minors. DP and government officials held a consultative meeting Sunday to discuss ways to strengthen the punishment of digital sex crime in response to a high-profile sex exploitation case at online chat rooms involving minors, widely known as the "Nth room case." At least 103 people, including 26 underage girls, are known to have been
PoliticsApril 6, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] US military uses Seoul lab to test troops outside Korea
A Seoul-based lab tested 72 American troops positive for COVID-19, but the US military in Korea said they belonged to soldiers stationed elsewhere, and not here, a local report said Sunday. A US hospital at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, where the US military is headquartered, sent clinical specimens to the lab, which shared the results with the city in Gyeonggi Province, as it was bound by law to do so. The city pressed the US military for more details, but it came to confirm only the fact t
DefenseApril 5, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Public bath emerges as a new cluster of infections
Concerns are rising that a public bath in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, may have become the site of a COVID-19 infection cluster as at least four people who used it have been confirmed with the virus. A 70-year-old woman who used the same public bath with a 67-year-old woman confirmed earlier was confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus Friday. A high school student and a woman in her 50s, who were confirmed a day earlier, were also found to have used the same public bath -- th
Social AffairsApril 3, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Not just Telegram: Predators also use Discord
South Korean authorities are zoning in on sex crimes involving encrypted messaging app Telegram, but the platform is not the only one used for sex crimes. After the discovery of an alleged sexual blackmail and abuse ring on Telegram operated by Cho Ju-bin, local reports say access to illegal material is also being sold on Discord, another messaging app that is newer, and less widely used than Telegram. One of the servers on Discord was found to carry content of a sexual nature with some 900
Social AffairsApril 2, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Prosecutor denies report he plotted against prominent liberal figure
A high-ranking public prosecutor accused of plotting with a journalist to tarnish the reputation of a vocal supporter of President Moon Jae-in denied Wednesday the accusation made against him by MBC. The terrestrial broadcaster reported Tuesday that a cable network sought to dig up dirt on Rhyu Si-min, using its connections with the prosecution. Lee Cheol, a major shareholder of biotech company SillaJen who is currently in jail for financial fraud, told MBC that a reporter at Channel A pres
Social AffairsApril 1, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] American soldiers' premature twins transferred to US from virus-hit Daegu
The US military has transferred prematurely born twins of an American soldier couple stationed in South Korea's coronavirus-hit city of Daegu to a Navy hospital in the United States to provide them with better care even though they were not infected with the coronavirus, an official has said. The babies were transported from a neonatal intensive care unit in Daegu to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington via Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, a
DefenseMarch 31, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Jeju sues coronavirus-carrying travelers
The southern province of Jeju Island said Monday it has filed a lawsuit against two travelers who tested positive for coronavirus after a five-day trip of the island. The lawsuit, filed by the provincial government and six local businesses, is seeking over 100 million won ($82,000) in damages and business losses. The defendants are a 19-year-old who attends a university in the US and her mother. They traveled to Jeju five days after the daughter returned from the US, and tested positi
Social AffairsMarch 30, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Germany bets on S. Korean model in virus fightback
BERLIN (AFP) -- In the race against the coronavirus, Germany is betting on widespread testing and quarantining to break the infection chain, a strategy borrowed from South Korea whose success in slowing the outbreak has become the envy of the world. Germany is already carrying out more coronavirus tests than any other European country at a rate of 300,000 to 500,000 a week, according to officials. But Chancellor Angela Merkel's government aims to ramp that up to at least 200,000 tests a day,
WorldMarch 30, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Telegram outrage spills over to Korean ‘Lolita’ game characters
Outrage over the Telegram sexual abuse ring is spilling over to children’s online games that depict preadolescent characters in sexualized ways. An online Cheong Wa Dae petition posted Tuesday raised alarm over video games in which characters who physically resemble children wear revealing costumes. This follows the news that at least 58 women and 16 underage girls were sexually abused over several months so the abusers could produce videos and sell them in Telegram chat rooms. &ldqu
IndustryMarch 29, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] S. Korean coronavirus test kit firms earn US FDA pre-approval
Three South Korean COVID-19 test-kit companies have obtained preliminary approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the foreign ministry said Saturday. The initial FDA approval will allow the Korean test-kit makers to sell the products in the United States, where the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 100,000, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said over the phone. The official did not provide the names of the three approved test kits or a time frame
PoliticsMarch 29, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Ex-FT Island singer additionally convicted for filming rape victims
The 31-year-old Choi was additionally indicted later on charges of filming and photographing his rape victims, sharing the footage and photos with friends in mobile chat rooms and offering 2 million won ($1,650) to a police officer after being caught driving under the influence in February 2016. The same Seoul court handed out the suspended jail sentence to Choi after finding him guilty of the additional allegations. It also ordered Choi to undergo 80 hours of sex offender treatment and barred
Social AffairsMarch 27, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] ‘Walk-through’ coronavirus testing begins at airport
South Korea began to operate “walk-through” testing facilities for the novel coronavirus at Incheon International Airport on Thursday to speed up screening amid an alarming rise in the number of cases imported from Europe and the US. Korea reported 104 new cases Thursday, bringing total infections to 9,241, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the new cases, 39 cases -- 34 citizens and five foreign nationals -- involved travelers arr
Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Churches respond to government’s recommendation of stricter social distancing
Churches showed different responses to the Korean government‘s urging of stricter social distancing before schools are due to restart on April 6. The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul on Wednesday announced that it has decided to suspend holding Mass and other large group activities until April 5. “We take the current situation very seriously so we have decided to delay our original plan and start our Masses from April 6, when elementary, middle and high schools start,” Cardinal
CultureMarch 26, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Seoul city cancels Shincheonji permit, blames religious sect for virus
The Seoul city government canceled a permit for a foundation apparently associated with Shincheonji Thursday, accusing the fringe religious sect of aggravating the coronavirus outbreak. The Shincheonji Church of Jesus, estimated to have more than 200,000 followers in the country, and its founder Lee Man-hee face multiple lawsuits. They are accused of hiding information that could help contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The group is linked to 55 percent of the country's more than 9,000 confirmed pa
Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] COVID-19: Are kids OK?
Most kids who catch COVID-19 will fare better than adults and get mildly sick, new findings suggest, but not all will be spared from falling severely ill. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tuesday data show the number of patients under 10 here stood at 105, accounting for 1.15 percent of the total 9,137 cases, and those under 20 stood at 475, or 5.2 percent. “No one under 20 is having severe or critical symptoms in Korea,” pediatric infectious disease specia
Social AffairsMarch 25, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] USFK begins issuing furlough notices to Korean employees
US Forces Korea began notifying 5,000 South Korean employees Wednesday that they would be furloughed starting next month, officials said, as defense cost-sharing talks between the two countries remain stalled. The two sides have been negotiating a new Special Measures Agreement that stipulates how much Seoul should pay for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong USFK. Salaries of about 9,000 South Korean employees are also funded under the agreement. The latest round of negotiations took place last w
Foreign AffairsMarch 25, 2020
-
[Newsmaker] Spring flower festivals say ‘No’ to visitors
Though spring flowers are in full bloom, local authorities are requesting that people refrain from visiting flower sightseeing spots, due to fears about the spread of COVID-19. Amid the health crisis, most festivals across the nation have been called off. However, it has been difficult to turn away visitors at areas where spring flower festivals are usually held. Though the events have been canceled, some are still showing up to view the flowers. Earlier this month, the southeastern city
TravelMarch 24, 2020