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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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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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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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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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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[Newsmaker] Mask rationing system kicks off, confusion in some areas
South Korea on Monday launched a mask rationing system aimed at stabilizing supply amid the coronavirus outbreak, but confusion was reported in some areas as consumers adjusted to the new system. Under the measure that took effect earlier in the day, citizens can only buy up to two protective masks per week from pharmacies, on designated days of the week, depending on the final digit of their year of birth. Public frustration has built up due to a mask supply crunch, triggered by growing dema
Social AffairsMarch 9, 2020
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[Newsmaker] 46 infections confirmed at apartment complex in Daegu
Forty-six residents of an apartment complex in Daegu, the city at the center of South Korea’s novel coronavirus outbreak, were confirmed to have contracted the virus. All 46 confirmed patients from the apartment block were followers of a fringe religious sect and were admitted to hospitals or community treatment centers for quarantine, according to the Daegu Metropolitan Government. Daegu authorities faced criticism for their failure to detect early signs of epidemiological links to
Social AffairsMarch 8, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Shincheonji’s W12b donation rejected
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus said Friday that its donation of 12 billion won ($10.1 million) to aid the country’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak has been rejected. Shincheonji is a Christian sect that is at the center of the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Korea, with more than half of the country’s over 6,300 confirmed cases being members of its congregation. Apparently mindful of the widespread criticism that it is not taking full responsibility for the ongoing public h
Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020
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[Newsmaker] No. of coronavirus cases in military remains unchanged at 34
The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for the second straight day on Friday, with the total number of infections remaining unchanged at 34, the defense ministry said. Of the total COVID-19 cases, 19 were in the Army, 11 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry, it said. Around 5,020 service members are quarantined at their bases. Of them, around 820 have either show
DefenseMarch 6, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Former Big Bang member Seungri to start military service March 9
Seungri, formerly of boy band Big Bang, will begin his mandatory military service on Monday. According to reports, Seungri will go through a five-week training program at the 6th Infantry Division in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. This is the same training facility bandmate Taeyang began his enlistment at in March 2018. Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, enlistment ceremonies have been suspended until further notice. Some of Seungri’s close associates posted pictures of what seemed to
PerformanceMarch 5, 2020
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[Newsmaker] How the coronavirus has hit global sport
PARIS (AFP) -- The International Olympic Committee insist that a potential cancellation or postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics due to the global spread of the deadly coronavirus were "not mentioned" at a meeting of their Executive Board on Wednesday. However, the virus, which has killed 3,200 people while infecting 90,000 in more than 60 countries worldwide, is having a major impact on world sport. AFP Sport looks at the latest effects on Wednesday: TOKYO OLYMPICS Int
World NewsMarch 5, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Plastic surgery clinics endure drop in Chinese customers over coronavirus
South Korea’s 5-trillion-won ($4.2 billion) plastic surgery industry is bleeding Chinese demand amidst the worsening coronavirus outbreak. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute said that Chinese patients are canceling plastic surgeries while the Ministry of Health and Welfare is recommending hospitals to delay their medical services to foreigners after February to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. “After monitoring whether major hospitals and plastic surgery clinics are foll
IndustryMarch 4, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Confirmed virus-infected man caught queuing to buy mask
A man confirmed with COVID-19 infection was caught violating the self-quarantine order to buy a face mask in Daegu, and was handed over to health authorities by police on Monday. The man in his 50s was queueing to buy a mask at the post office in Daegu’s Pojeong-dong, Jung-gu, at around 11:40 a.m. on Monday, according to the Daegu Jungbu Police Station. He told a reporter of broadcaster KBS there that he was informed of his COVID-19 infection that morning, and came out to buy a mask. T
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee refuses to answer question about eternal life
Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee, the figure at the center of the spread of COVID-19 in Korea, refused to answer a question about eternal life, concerning a claim he is said to have made to his believers, during a press briefing held in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. As of 4 p.m. on Monday, the number of novel coronavirus patients had jumped to 4,335 in Korea with more than half of the patients either Shincheonji Church of Jesus followers or those who had contact with them. Before the
CultureMarch 2, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee tested for coronavirus
The founder of a religious sect at the center of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea underwent testing Saturday for the new virus, reports said Sunday. The results were not available as of press time. Lee Man-hee, 88, started Shincheonji Church of Jesus in 1984 which now has 12 branches nationwide and some more in other countries. ‘(He) has been in self-isolation like other (Shincheonji) believers,” an official at the church said. Shincheonji, regarded a heretic by main
Social AffairsMarch 1, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Asiana flight turns back en route to Vietnam on coronavirus
A South Korean flight turned back while en route to Vietnam on Saturday after the Vietnamese authorities prevented it from landing in Hanoi, with more flights connecting the two countries expected to be suspended amid the spread of the new coronavirus. The flight of Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's second-biggest carrier, arrived back at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around two hours after departing for Hanoi at 10:30 a.m. Asiana said it decided to return flight OZ729 when
MobilityMarch 1, 2020
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[Newsmaker] After recovery from coronavirus, Korean woman tests positive again
A Korean woman who had been discharged after recovering from the novel coronavirus has tested positive for the disease again, health officials said Saturday. Kwon Jun-wook, director of the National Institute of Health, said it was not believed to be a case of reinfection from someone else. He said the virus was thought to have been dormant in the patient, and the illness was able to recur because she was old and had a weak immune system. “A normal person would have been able to de
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Arrested pastor sticks to mass Sunday service plan
Seoul police and the city government plan to block a joint worship service, slated to take place at a plaza in central Seoul on Sunday, amid concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. Led by a controversial pastor, who is now in police custody for violating the election law, a civic group has held street rallies opposing President Moon Jae-in for months, with some in the form of outdoor worship services. Despite repeated warnings, the group, which calls itself the “Pan-national Alliance for
Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2020
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[Newsmaker] BOK holds first press briefing via YouTube amid coronavirus fears
The Bank of Korea held a press conference on its rate decision via YouTube on Thursday, in a first for the central bank. The conference was held online as part of the central bank’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus and ensure the safety of its officials and reporters, a BOK official said. Following the announcement of its decision to keep its interest rates unchanged at 1.25 percent, BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol answered questions from reporters in the livestream on YouTube.
EconomyFeb. 27, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Shincheonji Wuhan church emerges as possible link to Korea virus spread
Members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus reportedly held meetings in the Chinese city of Wuhan until late last year, raising the possibility that the group’s South Korean members could have contracted COVID-19 virus there and brought it back to Korea. Korea now has the greatest number of COVID-19 infections outside China with over 1,000 confirmed cases. The majority are tied either to the religious sect’s church in Daegu or to the Cheongdo Daenam Hospital in the nearby county of C
Social AffairsFeb. 26, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi authorities seize PCs from Shincheonji to obtain list of members
Gyeonggi Provincial authorities on Tuesday seized computers from an annex building of the Christian sect confirmed as a transmission cluster for a novel coronavirus, as part of efforts to track the potential spread of the disease and contain it. A list of 42,000 followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus was secured during a digital forensics investigation, according to the provincial government. The move came after a 33-year-old resident of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, tested positive for
Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2020
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[Newsmaker] US CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel to S. Korea over coronavirus
WASHINGTON -- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday issued the highest type of travel health notice for South Korea, recommending that Americans avoid all nonessential travel to the country due to the spread of the coronavirus there. The Level 3 notice constitutes a "warning" to avoid all nonessential travel over the high risk posed to travelers by the outbreak and the absence of precautions to protect against the risk. The new action came only two days after t
Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Six countries deny entry to Koreans over COVID-19
Following the rapid spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea, a growing number of countries are denying entry to Koreans and others who have traveled here. Jordan on Sunday announced an entry ban for Koreans and foreigners who have traveled via Korea within the past two weeks, becoming the sixth country to do so. The Middle Eastern country also barred people from China and Iran. As of Monday, six countries or territories have slapped entry restrictions on Koreans. They are Jo
Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2020
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[Newsmaker] 4-year-old becomes youngest COVID-19 patient
A 4-year-old girl in Daegu has been confirmed with the novel coronavirus, in the first case involving a patient under the age of 10, fueling fears of the virus affecting young children, local authorities said Sunday. She is the youngest patient among 556 cases in Korea. Prior to her confirmation, the youngest patient was 11 years old. She had been in self-isolation with a mild fever after a teacher at her nursery tested positive for the virus. “The 4-year-old child has a minor sickne
Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Virus-infected hospital staff stoke concerns over further transmission to patients
Some nurses at a hospital here have contracted the new coronavirus, fueling fears that more virus cases will be identified, public health officials said Friday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), and public health authorities in North Gyeongsang Province said Thursday that five nurses at the psychiatric ward at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, have all tested positive for COVID-19. The country's first death from the virus was reported
Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2020