Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Medical reform committee kicks off despite boycott from doctors
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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[Photo News] Gratitude to medical staff fighting COVID-19
Namsan Seoul Tower was cast in blue light as part of the Blue Light Campaign launched on Thursday to express gratitude for South Korean doctors, nurses and medical staff for fighting the novel coronavirus. Seoul’s metropolitan government, which provided the photo, said key landmarks in the capital city will be lighted up through May 15 as a sign of gratitude. (Photos: Yonhap) (khnews@heraldcorp.com)
April 17, 2020
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New virus infections fall below 30 for 5th straight day
South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 30 for the fifth straight day Friday, but health authorities warned against complacency and urged people to keep up social distancing. The 22 new cases, detected Thursday and unchanged from a day ago, brought the nation's total infections to 10,635, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). South Korea's daily new cases reached a peak on Feb. 29 with 909 confirmed cases, but the country has since managed to flatten
April 17, 2020
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Regionalism, two-party dominance back to politics in S. Korea
This year’s parliamentary elections in South Korea, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, solidified the dominance of its two major parties but laid bare the deep-rooted regionalism and saw a record number of female candidates taking constituencies. Although electoral reforms led to the overcrowding of the field, with 35 parties putting forward candidates, the race was between the governing Democratic Party and the main opposition United Future Party, and the former came out with an unpreced
April 16, 2020
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Police to disclose identity of teen sex offender
Police said Thursday they have decided to disclose the identity of an 18-year-old alleged co-conspirator of a high-profile digital sexual exploitation ring. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced the decision on Kang Hun, who was put under pretrial detention a week ago for allegedly acting as an accessory to the operation of the "Baksabang" chat room on the messaging service Telegram, which allowed paid members to view illegally taken photos and videos of violent sex acts inv
April 16, 2020
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S. Korea unveils blood collection guidelines for plasma treatment of virus patients
South Korean health authorities on Thursday unveiled blood collection guidelines for plasma therapy of the novel coronavirus patients. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) advised doctors to collect blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors, 14 days after they were declared virus-free and released from quarantine. The therapy involves infusions of antibody-rich plasma from those who have recovered from the novel coronavirus. Plasma, usually yellow, is the liquid portion of b
April 16, 2020
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Concern over possible spike in new coronavirus cases after election
South Korean health authorities said Thursday they will monitor a possible rise in the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases after the country held its parliamentary elections for up to two weeks. On Wednesday, South Korea became the first major country to successfully hold nationwide polls since the COVID-19 crisis began sweeping the globe. Voter turnout was the highest in 28 years, according to an election watchdog, with the ruling party clinching a landslide victory. Tightened measures
April 16, 2020
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Loopholes in quarantine surveillance spark safety concerns
As the number of people subject to mandatory home quarantine grows, Korean officials are struggling to ensure the orders are being followed. On the day for legislative elections Wednesday, several instances of quarantine breaches were reported, raising safety concerns. A total of 11,151 out of 59,918 quarantined individuals nationwide had been permitted to vote on Election Day under the condition that they limit their travel to and back from the polling station and wear protective equipment su
April 16, 2020
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More students resume classes online but networks remain unstable
An additional 3.12 million elementary and secondary students began the spring semester Thursday by participating in online classes amid the nationwide battle against the coronavirus, but the unprecedented tele-education was marred by network access problems at many places. Under the government's three-step plan, first and second graders at middle schools and high schools, as well as fourth to sixth graders at elementary schools, began the new semester through remote learning. The government
April 16, 2020
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Election challenges S. Korea’s flat curve
South Korea’s disease control capacity will be put to test once again on Wednesday as its tens of millions of eligible voters head out for the 21st legislative elections. Korea, which once had the largest outbreak outside China, has managed to bend its curve, with the daily virus tally down to double-digits for the 14th consecutive day on Wednesday. But the country’s months of hard work may go to waste following the inevitability of collective breach in social distancing that come
April 15, 2020
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How COVID-19 pandemic changed Korea’s election campaign
Parliamentary elections in South Korea, which took place amid a global COVID-19 pandemic, turned out to be a referndum on the Moon Jae-in administration’s response to the virus. The government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak dominated campaign talk, with usually popular issues -- such as the approach toward North Korea, the slowing economy, prosecution and election reforms and corruption scandals -- nearly gone missing. And the marked slowdown in the virus’ sp
April 15, 2020
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Gyeonggi weighing paying coronavirus basic income to foreign spouses, permanent residents
Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, is considering granting marriage immigrants and permanent residents the right to disaster basic income, which it will pay to citizens to help cope with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, its governor said Wednesday. The province announced last month that it will provide 100,000 won ($81.99) per person to all citizens beginning in April. Foreigners were excluded from the benefit. "We are positively considering paying marriage immigrants
April 15, 2020
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[From the Scene] Virus fails to dampen voter enthusiasm
The lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop hundreds of thousands of South Koreans from heading to the polls on Wednesday to pick 300 lawmakers. From Seoul to distant islands off the southern coast, mask-clad voters began to form long lines in front of some 14,330 polling stations as soon as voting kicked off at 6 a.m. Despite the election taking place amid the COVID-19 outbreak, most voters interviewed by The Korea Herald said the virus shouldn’t stop a democr
April 15, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Single-use plastic gloves at polls raise eyebrows
All voters must wear plastic gloves at the polling stations during Wednesday’s general election as a precaution against the coronavirus, but many people are voicing concerns about their impact on the environment. Mask-clad voters, upon arriving at one of 14,330 polling stations across the nation, first have to disinfect their hands with the hand sanitizer that is provided by election officials and then put on disposable gloves before casting their ballots. After voting, the plastic glo
April 15, 2020
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Another Army soldier tests positive for virus after full recovery
An Army officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus after having fully recovered from the disease, the defense ministry said Wednesday. Including the officer based in the southeastern city of Andong, three service members are currently in treatment for COVID-19, according to the ministry. The ministry also said Tuesday another Army soldier in Seoul has tested positive for the new virus again after a full recovery. The military has so far reported 39 infections in barracks. All of th
April 15, 2020
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S. Korea confirms 27 new patients on Election Day
South Korea reported 27 new patients for the 24 hours of the previous day, on the day of its general elections Wednesday, recording a seventh consecutive day of infection numbers falling below 40. Korea is allowing persons placed under self-quarantine to vote under strict guidelines. Out of 59,918 quarantined individuals, 13,642, or 22.8 percent, have informed authorities of the intent to vote. They are able to cast their ballots after 6 p.m. when polls close to other voters. To limit transm
April 15, 2020
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2 more USFK-related individuals test positive for virus; total at 24
US Forces Korea (USFK) reported two additional cases of the new coronavirus Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections among its population to 24. The latest patients are an American contractor and the wife of another contractor, both working at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, according to USFK. The US contractor had stayed at the barracks designated for quarantine since April 1, and has now been transferred to barracks for infected patients' isolation, it s
April 14, 2020
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Police arrest man for violating self-isolation rules
A Seoul court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for a South Korean man on charges of violating self-isolation rules, the first formal detention of an alleged quarantine offender. The Seoul Eastern District Court approved the police's request to arrest a 68-year-old man who went outside despite being under coronavirus-related self-isolation. The court cited a high risk of him fleeing and the severity of allegations against him. The resident, who has tested negative for COVID-19 in the
April 14, 2020
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S. Korea on alert over COVID-19 patients testing positive again
A growing number of novel coronavirus patients who have tested positive after recovery are keeping South Korea on its toes, despite the country reporting fewer than 40 new cases for the sixth straight day on Tuesday. At least 124 patients who were thought to be cleared of COVID-19 had tested positive again as of Tuesday, with the number of recurring cases having more than doubled from 51 on April 6, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea had a total of 10,56
April 14, 2020
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Seoul City holds COVID-19 art contest on global scale
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is holding an online contest on a global scale to select images and video artwork illustrating the battle against the novel coronavirus, and is offering total prize money of 30 million won ($24,673), Seoul City said Tuesday. “The contest was prepared to deliver a message of hope and encourage Seoulites and people around the world to overcome COVID-19 together as the situation prolongs,” a city official said. Applicants are required to either submi
April 14, 2020
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PM directs setup of pan-govt group on COVID-19 vaccine development
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Tuesday instructed relevant government agencies to compose a pan-governmental group to assist the development of vaccines and treatments for the novel coronavirus. The directive comes as health authorities aim to develop vaccines in Korea by the second half of 2021 or 2022, and a plasma-based treatment within the next two to three months, depending on the availability of blood from virus survivors. “Development of vaccines and medicine for C
April 14, 2020