Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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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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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] NK to convene party meeting this week
North Korea is set to convene a meeting of top ruling party officials to finalize policy plans for this year set forth at last month’s Workers’ Party congress, state media said Sunday. The second plenary meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea will take place within the first 10 days of this month, according to the official Korea Central News Agency. The state media did not specify an exact date in the report, but considering the disclo
North KoreaFeb. 7, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Myanmar anti-coup protests grow as army broadens internet crackdown
YANGON (AFP) -- Myanmar saw its largest anti-coup protests yet on Saturday with young demonstrators spilling on to the streets to denounce the country's new military regime, despite a nationwide internet blackout aimed at stifling a growing chorus of popular dissent. Soon before nearly all lines of communication in and out of the country went dark, an Australian advisor to ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi told media he had been detained. The shutdown did not stop thousands of demonstrat
World NewsFeb. 7, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Tokyo Olympics chief in hot water over sexist remarks
The chief of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee has apologized for making derogatory comments about women, but refuses to resign amid the ongoing controversy. “The Education Ministry has been very insistent about choosing female directors,” former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said Wednesday during a Japanese Olympic Committee board of directors meeting. “But a board meeting with plenty of women will make it drag on.” Describing women as having a “strong sen
Olympic GamesFeb. 5, 2021
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[Newsmaker] National Assembly impeaches judge accused of power abuse
South Korea on Thursday impeached a sitting judge for the first time in its history, as lawmakers voted to remove Lim Seong-geun, a senior judge at the Busan High Court for meddling in a number of politically controversial trials during the Park Geun-hye administration. During the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, 179 lawmakers voted to impeach Lim while 102 voted against it, marking the first time a judge has been removed from the post while in service. There were two motions in
PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court chief justice in hot water over judge impeachment
Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su acknowledged that he had considered politicians’ plans to impeach Lim Seong-geun, a senior judge at the Busan High Court, when he refused to accept Lim’s resignation in May. Kim said in a statement to reporters Thursday that he regretted making the erroneous claim that he had never mentioned anything about impeachment during the conversation he had with Lim at the time. “I apologize for responding falsely based on uncertain memories o
PoliticsFeb. 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea culls 25.4m poultry amid bird flu outbreak
South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it has completed culling 25.4 million poultry amid the outbreak of avian influenza among local farms, with the confirmed caseload reaching 85. The latest case of the malign H5N8 strain of bird flu was reported from a duck farm in Chungju, about 150 kilometers south of Seoul, the previous day, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said. Since the country reported the first highly pathogenic bird flu case traced to poultry farms in
Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ruling camp bigwigs clash over COVID-19 relief funds
Tensions flared between South Korea’s fiscal chief and the ruling party leader on Wednesday, as they publicly disagreed over the timing of an additional release of COVID-19 relief funds and who should benefit. Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki struck a defiant tone against the idea pitched by the ruling Democratic Party Chairman and a leading potential contender for 2022 presidential race Lee Nak-yon to begin discussions on a fourth round of emergency handouts to all househo
EconomyFeb. 3, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, will step down as CEO
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon as an online bookstore and built it into a shopping and entertainment behemoth, will step down later this year as CEO, a role he's had for nearly 30 years, to become executive chairman, the company announced Tuesday. Bezos, 57, will be replaced in the summer by Andy Jassy, who runs Amazon's cloud-computing business. In a blog post to employees, Bezos said he planned to focus on new products and early initiatives being developed at Amazon. He
World BusinessFeb. 3, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Cheong Wa Dae rules out disclosing USB handed over to North during 2018 summit
Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday ruled out disclosing the contents of a flash drive containing a broad cross-border economic cooperation vision that President Moon Jae-in handed over to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their first summit meeting in 2018. “It is an irresponsible request,” Choi Jae-sung, the president’s senior secretary for political affairs, said in a radio interview in response to the opposition bloc’s demand for a full disclosure of the contents of the
PoliticsFeb. 2, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ruling party will seek extra budget to prepare 4th round of COVID-19 relief fund: chief
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) will seek an extra state budget to provide the fourth round of a COVID-19 relief fund, party Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday. "(The DP) will prepare the fourth round of the disaster assistance fund. It will draw up a sufficient supplementary budget," the party chief said in his parliamentary speech marking the recent launch of a monthlong extra parliamentary session. Since May last year, the government has distributed more than 31 trillion won
PoliticsFeb. 2, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Cheong Wa Dae denounces ‘ideological offensive’ over ministry documents
Cheong Wa Dae condemned what it called an outdated ideological offensive surrounding documents the Energy Ministry deleted, which allegedly indicated plans to help North Korea build a nuclear power plant at the time of the 2018 inter-Korean summit. “They crossed the line,” a ranking Cheong Wa Dae official said Monday in response to main opposition People Power Party leader Kim Chong-in accusing the government of “benefiting the enemy.” “It is a ridiculous insti
PoliticsFeb. 1, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, other senior figures detained in late-night raid: ruling party
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in anearly morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy (NLD) said on Monday. The move came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent. Spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by phone that Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and othe
World NewsFeb. 1, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Family, business community mourns KCC honorary chairman
Local business leaders paid tribute on Sunday to KCC’s Honorary Chairman Chung Sang-young, who died Saturday at the age of 84. The youngest brother of the late Hyundai Group Honorary Chairman Chung Ju-young, the KCC chief suffered from a chronic illness and had been hospitalized recently after his health deteriorated. He was the only surviving member of his generation within the legendary Chung family that built South Korea’s big companies, including Hyundai, in postwar Korea. M
IndustryJan. 31, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Seoul steps back on plan to raise tobacco price
South Korean health authorities have backtracked on a plan to raise tobacco prices to match the average levels of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, denying reports that it would hike up cigarette prices to 8,000 won a pack. In a set of plans unveiled on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said it would increase its health promotion levy on tobacco over the next 10 years to raise its price to the average level of OECD countries. The average retail price of a pack of
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Another suspected bird flu case reported, total now at 79
South Korea's agricultural ministry said Friday it is investigating another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the total confirmed caseload reaching 79. The latest suspected case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza was reported from Anseong, 77 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 790,000 chickens. The number of cases from wild birds also piled up to reach 117. Authorities have so far destroy
Social AffairsJan. 29, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Ikea labor conflict deepens over ‘discriminatory’ treatment of local staff
Ikea Korea, the local subsidiary of the Swedish furniture brand, is facing an escalating internal conflict as its labor union has gone on another round of strikes, accusing the company of discriminatory treatment. The Ikea Korea’s labor union started Tuesday a sit-in protest in front of its Gwangmyeong outlet in Gyeonggi Province for an indefinite period, claiming that the company has failed to deliver its promises to improve the working conditions and avoided answering their main reque
ConsumerJan. 28, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Heavy snow advisory issued for Seoul, northern Gyeonggi
A heavy snow advisory was issued for Seoul and northern Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, the state weather agency said, predicting up to two hours of snowfall in the morning. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the advisory took effect in northwestern Gyeonggi at 8:30 a.m. and in Seoul and northeastern Gyeonggi at 9 a.m. The warning is issued when the expected snowfall is 5 centimeters or more within 24 hours. Incheon, the western coast of Gyeonggi and northwestern Gyeonggi will likely
Social AffairsJan. 28, 2021
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[Newsmaker] N. Korea touts nicotine replacement supplements
For many smokers, quitting smoking might be on top of their list of new year’s resolutions, and it appears that North Korea is also no exception. An article titled, “Anti-smoking and our lives” was published on Meari, one of North Korea’s propaganda media websites, on Monday, promoting the nation’s anti-smoking activities, campaigns and research centers specializing in treatments to stop smoking. Since the enactment of an anti-smoking law on Nov. 4. last year that
North KoreaJan. 27, 2021
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[Newsmaker] NK paper stresses importance of admitting flaws along path to economic progress
North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday stressed the importance of admitting flaws and fixing them at the right time as the country steps up efforts to carry out key policy goals unveiled in a rare party meeting earlier this month. "Revolutionaries must strictly stay away from praising one's own accomplishments and drifting into indolence, which is equal to giving up their struggle for the revolution," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, said i
North KoreaJan. 27, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Belligerence of pro-Moon extremists
A cohort of President Moon Jae-in’s unwavering loyalists who are most active on the internet has long been criticized or even abhorred for going to extreme lengths to attack anyone they think is berating Moon or his administration. For years, members of the pro-Moon legion have threatened to lynch reporters or anyone who appears “disrespectful” of the administration, going after their personal information and hurling verbal abuse on internet forums. Most recently, a pro-Moon
PoliticsJan. 26, 2021