Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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[Newsmaker] Main opposition lawmaker found not guilty in daughter’s hiring scandal
A Seoul court on Friday cleared main opposition lawmaker Kim Sung-tae of bribery charges, clearing a hurdle for him to run in the upcoming April 15 general elections. The Seoul Southern District Court found Rep. Kim Sung-tae of the Liberty Korea Party not guilty of receiving bribes from Lee Suk-chae, former chief of telecom firm KT. Lee was also cleared of offering bribes to Kim. Based on testimony from former KT President Seo Yu-yeol, prosecutors indicted Lee for inappropriately asking Lee
Jan. 17, 2020
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Korean language test applicants hit record high in 2019: data
A record number of applicants took the Korean language proficiency test last year, data showed Friday, reflecting the growing popularity of the language.A total of 375,871 people sat for the Test of Proficiency in Korean in 2019, up 14.2 percent from 329,224 in the previous year, according to the National Institute for International Education's data analyzed by education service provider Haneul Education Corp.It marks the highest figure since 2,692 people took the exam when TOPIK was first launc
Jan. 17, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Transgender sergeant seeks to continue serving in military
A South Korean transgender sergeant faces a possible discharge from the South Korean Army after undergoing sex reassignment surgery while enlisted, despite his wish to continue the service as a female officer. The trans person, a 20-something tank driver in a unit in Gyeonggi Province, underwent sex reassignment surgery in December in Thailand after gaining approval from his unit. The staff sergeant, while recovering at a national Army hospital, had applied for a legal gender change and expresse
Jan. 16, 2020
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‘I am innocent’: Ex-convict granted chance for exoneration
A paroled ex-convict who spent 19 1/2 years locked behind bars as a child rapist and killer is challenging his 1989 conviction, with a new trial slated for next month.The man, 53, who wanted to be identified only by his surname Yun, told The Korea Herald on Thursday that “a chance to clear my name has come,” after “three decades framed as a criminal.”Suwon District Court on Wednesday said the pretrial hearing for Yun would take place at 10:40 a.m. on Feb. 6, following the
Jan. 16, 2020
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Korea sees second hottest weather on record in 2019
The year 2019 was the second-hottest year on record in South Korea, a government report said Thursday, bringing fresh attention to the effects of global warming.The report issued by the Korea Meteorological Administration said the nation's average annual temperature was 13.5 C, the second-highest figure since relevant record keeping began in 1973.The highest average temperature of 13.6 C was recorded in 2016. Last year's average was also 1 C above the 30-year average between 1981 and 2010, the K
Jan. 16, 2020
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Law aimed at ensuring workplace safety for contractor workers goes into effect
An industrial safety law aimed at better ensuring safe workplaces for irregular contract workers went into effect Thursday, after public anger heightened over the 2018 death of a young subcontract worker at a thermal power plant.The Kim Yong-gyun bill was passed in December 2018, named after a 24-year-old subcontract worker killed in a conveyor belt accident at the power plant in Taean, about 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul.His death has ignited public debate over the treatment of temporary wo
Jan. 16, 2020
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Ex-Samsung C&T CEO questioned as part of probe into 2015 merger
Prosecutors questioned a former CEO of Samsung C&T Corp. on Wednesday as part of a probe into suspicions surrounding the company‘s controversial merger with another Samsung unit, Cheil Industries Inc., in 2015.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office summoned Kim Shin, who served from 2010-2018 as CEO of the construction and trading arm of Samsung Group. He was called in last Tuesday but returned home without questioning due to an issue related to the designation of his legal repr
Jan. 15, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Of kids bullied at school, 1 in 3 targeted ‘as a joke’: survey
One in 3 victims of school violence in South Korea has been bullied “as a joke,” a report from the Education Ministry showed Wednesday. Some 0.6 percent of students enrolled at Korea’s elementary, middle and high schools admitted that they had bullied fellow students, according to a survey conducted in September involving some 130,000 students. The most common reason behind the bullying was “just as a joke” (29.4 percent). Some 19.2 percent of the bullying took pl
Jan. 15, 2020
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[Herald Interview] After court clears him, man vows to continue campaign to out deadbeat dads
A man who publicly identified parents owing child support on an online platform vowed to continue his campaign to raise awareness about the issue, after a local court cleared him of defamation charges on Wednesday.“Hopefully, the action for resolving unpaid child support will gain more momentum now that it is free of defamation accusations,” Koo Bon-chang, 57, told The Korea Herald on Wednesday in a phone interview. Koo was indicted in May last year after publicizing the personal inf
Jan. 15, 2020
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Appellate court upholds suspended sentence for Hyundai scion
An appellate court on Wednesday maintained a lower court's suspended jail sentence against a scion of Hyundai Group indicted for use of marijuana, an illegal substance in South Korea.The Seoul High Court sentenced Chung Hyun-sun, a 29-year-old grandson of Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung, to one year of imprisonment, suspended for two years.Chung is accused of smoking marijuana at his home in Seoul and other places on 26 occasions from February 2018 to January last year. He was arrested in Ap
Jan. 15, 2020
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S. Korea to strengthen regulations for better animal welfare
South Korea said Tuesday it plans to adopt tougher regulations to prevent animal cruelty and to provide animals with a better living environment as part of efforts to improve animal welfare in the country. The set of strengthened policies, which runs through 2024, will focus on enhancing the public's awareness of animal welfare and on improving living conditions for not only pets but also laboratory animals and livestock, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.Compared
Jan. 14, 2020
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[Graphic News] Population growth slows in 2019 as number of seniors hits record high
The number of people aged over 65 years in South Korea climbed to a new high last year, breaching the 8 million mark for the first time in history, while the country’s overall population grew at the slowest pace ever, data showed. The country’s overall population remained nearly unchanged at just under 51.85 million as of end-December, up only 23,802 or 0.05 percent from a year earlier. It was the slowest on-year gain since the country began publishing related data in 2008, accordin
Jan. 14, 2020
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Criminal investigation system faces major makeover
The police said Tuesday they will begin follow-up work to execute the bills expanding their investigative jurisdiction, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and other relevant agencies.The National Police Agency said its existing task force team for reforming the criminal investigation system will lead the preparations for at least six months. The parliament on Monday passed revisions to the criminal procedure laws, widely branded as the “prosecution reform bills,” which entai
Jan. 14, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Another class-action suit filed against Japanese firms over forced labor
Victims of wartime forced labor and their descendants based in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province filed a class-action lawsuit against Japanese firms on Tuesday, seeking financial restitution amid soured Seoul-Tokyo relations over the colonial-era issue. Two surviving victims forced to work at Japanese steel mills during Japan’s 1910-45 colonization of Korea and 31 bereaved family members of late victims participated in the suit against six Japanese firms -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mit
Jan. 14, 2020
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[Brief] Over 1 in 10 young single parents homeless at some point: survey
One out of 10 parents aged 24 or younger has had to bring up a child without a permanent home at least at one point since becoming a parent, due to financial difficulties, according to a report released Tuesday on housing insecurity faced by young parents. According to a survey conducted by the Korean Unwed Mothers Support Network involving 315 young parents, both single mothers and single fathers, 12 percent of the respondents had raised their children in places such as motels and public
Jan. 14, 2020
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Koreans mourn victims of Australia’s wildfire, call for action on climate change
Koreans mourned the people and animals killed in Australia’s bushfires in central Seoul on Monday, calling on the Korean and Australian governments to take tougher action to combat climate change. Despite the subzero temperatures, some 100 people gathered and held up candles in front of the Australian Embassy to stand in solidarity with living creatures victimized by the unprecedented wildfire crisis. A series of massive bushfires across Australia have burned more than 25.5 million hectar
Jan. 13, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Court denies arrest warrant for ex-Big Bang member Seungri
A Seoul court on Monday again denied an arrest warrant for Seungri, the disgraced former Big Bang member accused of overseas gambling and procuring prostitutes for investors.The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the prosecution's request to detain Seungri, who was at the center of a major sex and drug scandal that roiled the K-pop industry last year. It is the second time the court has turned down law enforcement authorities' bid to detain the 29-year-old. A similar attempt by police i
Jan. 13, 2020
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[Graphic News] Number of Catholics in Korea increased nearly 50% over past 20 years
The number of Roman Catholics in South Korea has steadily increased over the past two decades, though the pace has significantly slowed in recent years, a report showed. The report, issued by the Catholic Pastoral Institute of Korea, said the number of Catholics here increased 48.6 percent from 3,946,844 in 1999 to 5,866,510 in 2018. The diocese of Suwon, just south of Seoul, saw the highest rate of increase in the 20-year period, 89.1 percent. This was followed by Daejeon in central Korea with
Jan. 13, 2020
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Air Force sheds shaved-head tradition over rights issue
South Korea’s Air Force is going lenient on its hair regulations, doing away with the shaved head tradition for new recruits, according to reports Monday.The revision follows the National Human Rights Commission of Korea’s recommendation Monday, urging the Air Force to amend its practice.Under the revised rule, Air Force recruits can opt to have three to five centimeters of hair, as allowed for the Army and Navy recruits. The commission delivered its recommendation in response
Jan. 13, 2020
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[Feature] Weekend rallies in central Seoul a headache for residents
Protesters chanting anti-government slogans and marching with loudspeakers in traffic lanes closed off for them have become a common sight on Saturdays in central Seoul in recent years. In a country where street demonstrations paved the way for democracy, this may be seen as a sign of great strides in freedom of expression. But complaints are growing in rally-prone areas in central Seoul, namely Gwanghwamun Square and the vicinity of the presidential office. “We came here to have lunch,
Jan. 13, 2020