Most Popular
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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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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[Newsmaker] Newest iPhones to hit Korea’s Apple Store on Nov. 2
The first and only Apple Store in Korea will introduce the latest Apple smartphones on Friday: Get ready for the iPhones XR, XS and XS Max. Presales through local carriers SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus closed Thursday, and -- despite hefty price tags starting at 1 million won ($880) -- the new phones have set a record that slightly surpasses the presales volume of previous iPhones 8 and X. iPhone XS (Yonhap)The Korea Herald will visit the store early Friday morning to see how the ultra-expensive n
TechnologyNov. 1, 2018
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[Newsmaker] IT entrepreneur says will quit following abuse scandal
Yang Jin-ho, the chairman of file-sharing platform WeDisk and Hankook Mirae Technology, on Thursday delivered an “apology letter” via Facebook to the many victims that he “may have hurt,” adding on that he was willing to resign from his executive position at the company in light of abuse allegations. Korea’s police special crimes unit on Wednesday announced that it had taken over investigations into Yang, 47, after an independent media outlet revealed footage of Yang brutally beating and insulti
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Minister under fire as opposition chokes on NK’s naengmyeon remark
Taking issue with inaction against a remark by a high-ranking North Korea military negotiator, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party submitted a proposal for the dismissal of Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon on Wednesday.It cited the pushing of the inter-Korean railway without ratification of the Panmunjeom Declaration that calls for it, the banning of a defector from covering an inter-Korean meeting in Panmunjeom and an insulting remarks made to businessmen during September’s North-South
PoliticsOct. 31, 2018
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[Newsmaker] 19 private kindergartens said they will shut down
Nineteen private kindergartens said they will close as of Monday, days after a lawmaker revealed thousands of accounting fraud cases involving private kindergartens.Six of the kindergartens have submitted papers to the education authorities, seeking to terminate their businesses, and another 12 have informed parents that they will shut down. One said it has stopped accepting enrollment applications.Rep. Park Yong-jin of the Democratic Party revealed early this month that 5,951 financial irregula
Social AffairsOct. 30, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi governor grilled for power abuse, election law violations
The path seemed to be wide and smooth for lawyer-turned-politician Lee Jae-myung, a two-term mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and previously a prominent presidential primary candidate for the ruling party.Now, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee stands at the center of public scrutiny over a series of unsavory scandals related to family problems, an extramarital affair and organized crime.On Monday, Lee appeared at Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province for questioning over a series of allegati
Social AffairsOct. 29, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court reaffirms prison term for ex-Hanjin Shipping chairwoman for insider trading
The Supreme Court on Monday finalized an 18-month prison term for a former head of the now-defunct Hanjin Shipping Co. for selling off her family's stake in the firm using insider information. Choi Eun-young, 56, was convicted in December last year of unloading the stakes held by her and her two daughters after she learned that Hanjin's creditors decided against the additional liquidity support. She avoided about 1 billion won ($875,270) of possible losses. (Yonhap)She was imprisoned following t
IndustryOct. 29, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Anxiety heightens on stock market depreciation
Market observers remained tense throughout the weekend amid burgeoning skepticism that the stock benchmark Kospi might dip below the psychologically significant threshold of 2,000 this week, reeling under the prolonged US-China trade tension and visible losses in recent corporate earnings.Foreseeing further depreciation, especially in the market top cap companies, officials responsible for the securities sector are to put their heads together to devise countermeasures this week in response to th
EconomyOct. 28, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Me and my porn shadow: 'spycam' epidemic seizes South Korea
South Korea is in the grip of a ‘spycam’ epidemic, with covert footage of sex, nudity and urination posted online in what amounts to a “social death penalty” for thousands of women forced to live with a pornographic shadow. The footage may be taken surreptitiously by boyfriends or captured on covert devices as small as car keys. Daily camera checks are now part of life for cleaners in many public toilets. The spy camera phenomenon has reached such epidemic proportions in tech-savvy South Korea,
Social AffairsOct. 28, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Former senior judge arrested in judiciary power abuse scandal
A former senior judge was arrested early Saturday for his alleged role in illicit lobbying and trial manipulation involving the previous Supreme Court chief justice. The Seoul Central District Court issued the writ for Lim Jong-hun, former deputy head of the National Court Administration (NCA), the top court's governing body, saying that his charges are acknowledged and that he presents the risk of destroying evidence. Lim Jong-hun(Yonhap)Lim, 59, is suspected of being the key man who helped for
Social AffairsOct. 27, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Court holds hearing to decide on ex-judge's arrest
A Seoul court held a hearing Friday to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for a former senior judge accused of suspected illicit lobbying and trial manipulation that involved a former Supreme Court chief justice. Lim Jong-hun, former deputy head of the National Court Administration, the top court's governing body, arrived at the Seoul Central District Court at around 10:10 a.m. Prosecutors filed the writ request Tuesday. (Yonhap)Lim, 59, is suspected of being the key man who helped forme
Social AffairsOct. 26, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Governor’s purported ex-mistress up the creek as her lawyer is jailed
Actress Kim Bu-seon’s defamation suit against Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, who denies her claims that they had an extramarital affair, hit a snag Wednesday when her lawyer was jailed.Former lawmaker and lawyer Kang Yong-seok was sentenced to a year in prison for forging documents concerning an alleged extramarital affair between Kang and luxury products blogger Kim Mi-na. Kang immediately filed for appeal. Should his prison sentence be upheld in a higher court, Kang will not be able to practice
Social AffairsOct. 25, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Seoul’s ‘hero’ campaign sparks gender debate
Seoul’s new campaign to encourage people to help strangers has generated controversy with an illustration that depicts a male figure as the symbol of heroism. Critics argue that the campaign’s visuals suggest it is a man’s job to help others.The Subway Hero Zone, currently installed next to a couple of stairways at City Hall Station, depicts a muscular man with a cape next to a suitcase and a baby stroller.(Seoul Design Governance)The idea was to make asking for help less awkward by creating a d
Social AffairsOct. 25, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Indian prime minister wins Seoul Peace Prize 2018
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 68, was chosen for the Seoul Peace Prize this year for his contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, crediting “Modinomics” for reducing social and economic disparity between rich and poor.The Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, headed by Chairman Kwon E-hyock, made the announcement Thursday, following its final selection meeting in Jung-gu, Seoul.Selection Committee President Choe Chung-ho stated the 12-member committee conducted a r
PeopleOct. 24, 2018
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[Newsmaker] More Korean women choose to freeze their eggs
The number of South Korean women who chose to freeze their eggs increased 12-fold from 2013-2017, the country's major medical firm said. According to CHA Medical Group, a health care firm which owns a number of major medical facilities nationwide, 288 women froze their eggs at three of their hospitals -- CHA Gangnam Medical Center, CHA Bundang Medical Center and CHA Fertility Center Seoul Station -- a steep rise from the 23 in 2013.The three hospitals currently store the largest number of frozen
Social AffairsOct. 23, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Internet cafe murder case fuels debate on mental health and violent crimes
A heated debate on mental health and its link to violent crimes is underway after a murder suspect requested that his medical history be considered to mitigate punishment. He had been medically treated for depression before allegedly stabbing a man to death. Kim Seong-su, 29, is suspected of having stabbed a man to death at an internet cafe in western Seoul on Oct. 14. On Monday, he was sent to the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, for a monthlong examinatio
Social AffairsOct. 22, 2018
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[Newsmaker] University bans public, deliveries, taxis after naked trespasser
After students’ calls for action against trespassing on campus by people to commit sexual acts, Dongduk Women’s University officials announced measures Sunday to prevent recurrences.From November, non-registered members of the public will not be able to enter campus grounds, including food delivery men and taxi drivers. School identification card readers will also be installed in front of all campus buildings, according to school authorities. Initially, the school had rejected students’ demands
Social AffairsOct. 22, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Only 28% of school buildings reinforced for earthquake in Korea: lawmaker
Only 28 percent of schools in Korea have undergone earthquake-resistant construction, and it will take over a decade for all the buildings to be reinforced a lawmaker said Friday. According to the data Rep. Kim Hyun-ah of Liberty Korea Party received from the Education Ministry, only 28.1 percent of 61,670 schools have undergone seismic reinforcement in Korea.(Yonhap)By region, 17.2 percent of schools in Jeju were reinforced to withstand earthquakes; 20.3 percent in North Jeolla Province; 21.3 p
Social AffairsOct. 19, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Taxi drivers rise against Kakao’s new carpooling service
Tens of thousands of private and corporate taxi drivers took to the streets Thursday to protest Kakao Mobility, a new carpooling service to be launched by the end of the year. At Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, some 70,000 taxi drivers gathered, according to the rally organizers, to fight what they called “illegal carpooling services” to be offered by the mobile messaging giant Kakao. (Kim Sung-woo/The Korea Herald)“Let’s take down Kakao, which is stomping on the taxi industry,” chanted the p
Social AffairsOct. 18, 2018
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[Newsmaker] ‘Infidelity investigator’ accused of outing sex-trade clients, violating privacy laws
A website promoting the services of an “infidelity private investigator” has stirred controversy in South Korea about the disclosure of personal information. According to Seoul Gangnam Police Station, the site operator, a 36-year-old app developer surnamed Lee, was arrested Monday for allegedly violating Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act. He is accused of illegally obtaining personal data for unfaithful men and disclosing details to their romantic partners. He is currently under invest
Social AffairsOct. 18, 2018
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[Newsmaker] Online community of mothers blamed for teacher’s death
An online community of mothers of young children in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, is being blamed by the public for the recent death of a day care worker, who took her own life after one of the community members brought child abuse allegations against her online.The case has drawn attention as it involves several issues that have long been a social problem in South Korea, including child abuse, online bullying and widespread misogyny against young mothers. The late teacher, who had been working at
Social AffairsOct. 17, 2018