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] 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] S. Korea to heighten alert ahead of college entrance exam
The South Korean government on Sunday unveiled a plan to tighten monitoring of cram schools and study facilities ahead of the first national college entrance scheduled to take place during the new coronavirus pandemic. The exam, held annually in November, was postponed as school schedules were affected by the unprecedented virus outbreak. It was eventually scheduled for Dec. 3. Under the plan, the education ministry and provincial governments will inspect whether cram schools and study cafes a
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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[Newsmaker] N. Korea unusually quiet after Biden elected president
North Korea has yet to address the outcome of the US election, let alone engage in anti-US rhetoric, more than a week after Joe Biden became president-elect on Nov. 7. Its silence stands in sharp contrast with its quick responses to past US elections. Previously Pyongyang has responded within a week, except in 2000 when it released a statement only after the US Supreme Court handed former President George W. Bush victory over former Vice President Al Gore in a vote recount dispute. Speculation
North KoreaNov. 15, 2020
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[Newsmaker] 3 missing, 2 rescued in fishing boat capsizing near border island
INCHEON -- A fishing boat capsized in waters near a northwestern border island Saturday, leaving three crew members missing, the Coast Guard said. The 12-ton vessel was overturned in waters 43 kilometers from the border island of Soyeonpyeong at 6:07 p.m., the authorities said. The cause of the capsizing was not immediately known. Three crew members, including the 63-year-old captain, went missing, while two others were rescued. One of the rescued remains unconscious, officials said. Prime Mi
Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Unions all over S. Korea to demonstrate against ‘regressive’ labor reforms
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather across South Korea on Saturday to protest labor reforms and to call for enhanced labor rights protections. Han Sang-jin, the spokesperson for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said Saturday’s demonstrations are intended to “highlight unfair labor practices that are perpetuating through the pandemic” as well as to honor the anniversary of labor rights activist Chun Tae-il’s death. “Industrial disaster
Social AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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[Newsmaker] S. Koreans urged to wear masks or face new fine
South Koreans taking the bus or subway to work Friday morning were greeted by public officials warning them of a 100,000 won ($90) fine should they fail to wear a mask in public. In a country that has received widespread praise for its response to the coronavirus pandemic, most people were already wearing a mask and did not need to be told to do so. But for the few who chose not to wear a mask, or did not put it on properly, the officials were there to remind them of a new law that would make
Social AffairsNov. 13, 2020
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea rolls out measures to shorten couriers’ work hours
The government said Thursday that it would work to ensure shorter working hours for delivery workers following a recent series of courier deaths, allegedly from overwork, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Ministry and the Transport Ministry announced in a joint press briefing that the government will consult with logistics companies, push for legislative revisions and introduce improved workplace guidelines to protect couriers. “A limit to quantitative growth (of the e-commerce and
Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Top prosecutor surges to No. 1 in presidential poll
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl emerged as the favorite to win the next presidential election, outpacing two seasoned politicians from the ruling party who had dominated similar surveys, a poll showed Wednesday. The outspoken top prosecutor’s favorability rating stood at 24.7 percent in the survey conducted by pollster Hangil Research. It was the first time that Yoon, who was appointed by liberal President Moon Jae-in but is widely supported by conservatives after feuding with the in
PoliticsNov. 11, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Pfizer: COVID-19 vaccine looking 90% effective
Pfizer Inc. said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine may be a remarkable 90 percent effective, based on early and incomplete test results that nevertheless brought a big burst of optimism to a world desperate for the means to finally bring the catastrophic outbreak under control. The announcement came less than a week after an election seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's handling of the scourge, which has killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide, including almost a quarter-m
World NewsNov. 10, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Jill Biden: Chance to transform first lady's role
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Jill Biden is no stranger to the glare of the political spotlight. Her husband has been a Washington insider since they wed in 1977, and she was America's second lady for eight years. But now that Joe Biden has won the White House, his 69-year-old wife will have the opportunity to push the role of first lady into the 21st century -- by keeping her full-time job as a professor. "Most American women have both a work life and a family life, but first ladies have never bee
World NewsNov. 9, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Election officials worried by threats and protesters
Election officials in several states said Thursday they are worried about the safety of their staffs amid a stream of threats and gatherings of angry protesters outside their doors, drawn by President Donald Trump's baseless claims of widespread fraud in the race for the White House. "I can tell you that my wife and my mother are very concerned for me," said Joe Gloria, the registrar in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas. He said his staff was bolstering security and trac
World NewsNov. 6, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Trump sues in 3 states, laying ground for contesting outcome
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's campaign filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, laying the groundwork for contesting battleground states as he slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. The new filings, joining existing Republican legal challenges in Pennsylvania and Nevada, demand better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, and raise ab
World NewsNov. 5, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Finance minister, other chiefs get COVID-19 tests
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki and scores of other chiefs of governmental and private organizations got tested for the coronavirus Wednesday at the health authorities’ request. Results were not known as of press time. Health authorities earlier in the day requested that those who were at the late Samsung chairman’s wake on Oct. 26 get tested for COVID-19 after a member of the press who also attended was confirmed to have the virus. In an emergency text message sent Wednesday, the C
Social AffairsNov. 4, 2020
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[Newsmaker] US ambassador 'confident' next leader to continue to value alliance with S. Korea
US Ambassador Harry Harris said Wednesday that he believes whoever takes the White House for the next four years will value the alliance with South Korea and work to further strengthen it. He made the comment in a video tweet shortly after the polls started closing on election day in his country, where Americans were choosing between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden for the next leader. "Whatever the outcome of the election, I'm confident that we'll have a
Foreign AffairsNov. 4, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Former President Lee Myung-bak put behind bars
Former President Lee Myung-bak was placed behind bars Monday, after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction for bribery and embezzlement and revoked his bail. The 78-year-old, who led the country from 2008 to 2013, faces 16 more years in jail. Lee left his residence in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, at around 1:45 p.m., as supporters and longtime aides, including former Rep. Lee Jae-oh, gathered to bid him farewell. “They can arrest me, but they can’t confine the truth” his
PoliticsNov. 2, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Govt. to inform bereaved family of whether to provide intel on slain official
The Defense Ministry said Monday it will soon inform the bereaved family of a South Korean official killed by North Korea in September of whether it will provide them with the military intelligence collected in the course of the incident. On Sept. 22, North Korea fatally shot the 47-year-old official, who was adrift in its side of the Yellow Sea, and burned his body, according to the South Korean military. He went missing the previous day while on duty near the western border island of Yeonpyeo
North KoreaNov. 2, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Mask rule violators to face fines
Those who violate the face mask mandate may face fines beginning next week, as South Korea aims to continue preventing the spread of the coronavirus with mandatory mask-wearing. After a one-month grace period, which ends Nov. 12, the government will begin imposing fines of 100,000 won ($88) on those who do not wear face masks in public. A face covering is mandatory for those using public transportation, participating in rallies, visiting medical and care facilities, as well as other designat
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Seoul city to fine non-mask-wearers 100,000 won starting Nov. 13
The Seoul metropolitan government will begin imposing fines of 100,000 won ($88) on those who do not wear face masks in public next week, a measure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Enforcement of mandatory mask wearing will begin Nov. 13 after a one-month trial period, officials said. Exceptions will be made for children under the age of 14, the disabled and those diagnosed with a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to breathe through a mask. All others can al
Social AffairsNov. 1, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Justice Minister’s reform moves spark heated online debate among prosecutors
State prosecutors have posted a slew of online criticism decrying Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s prosecutorial reform and her decision to sideline the prosecutor general from certain cases involving politicians and prosecutors suspected of corruption. The heated discussion was triggered by an online statement that began “Prosecution reform has failed,” posted Wednesday by Lee Hwan-woo, a prosecutor at the Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office, via the bulletin board at Eprose
Social AffairsOct. 30, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court upholds 17-year sentence against ex-president Lee
The country’s highest court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling sentencing former President Lee Myung-bak to 17 years in prison for bribery and embezzlement. The Supreme Court also upheld the 13 billion won ($11.4 million) fine and the additional forfeiture of 5.78 billion won that the appeals court handed down in February. “There is no fault in the previous ruling in terms of fact finding on embezzlement or bribery charges,” the court said in a verdict. The top court
Social AffairsOct. 29, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court confirms 17-year prison term for ex-President Lee Myung-bak in corruption case
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 17-year prison sentence handed down by an appeals court for former President Lee Myung-bak on embezzlement and bribery charges. In February, the Seoul High Court sentenced the 78-year-old to 17 years in prison, a fine of 13 billion won ($10.9 million) and a forfeit of 5.7 billion won in a high-profile corruption case. The former president, who governed the country from 2008-2013, was charged in April 2018 with 16 counts of criminal allegations, including
Social AffairsOct. 29, 2020