Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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[Newsmaker] Welfare minister apologizes for controversial comment on child-on-child sexual abuse
The Ministry of Health and Welfare apologized Tuesday for a comment from the minister regarding a child-on-child sexual abuse case that has drawn public outrage. Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said Monday morning that a recent incident of a prepubescent child’s molestation of another child at a kindergarten in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, was part of “natural behavior over stages of development.”“But it poses a problem when that behavior is expressed in excess,” he
Dec. 3, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Former President Park to return to detention center from hospital
Former President Park Geun-hye is expected to be sent back to a detention center as early as Tuesday, after 2 1/2 months in a hospital for shoulder treatment, sources said.The 67-year-old, jailed in March 2017 over a massive corruption case, underwent an operation for a rotator cuff tear at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in mid-September. She has since received rehabilitation treatment. "(She) will be discharged at 2:00 p.m. today," said Hong Moon-jong, co-chair of Our Republican Party, a r
Dec. 3, 2019
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[News Focus] Number of centenarians in Korea tops 20,000
SEJONG -- The number of people over the age of 70 is rapidly increasing in South Korea, which was dubbed an “aged society” two years ago, according to standards set by the United Nations.Further, the number of people aged 100 or over has also posted the highest growth among all age groups over the past decade.There were 20,102 centenarians in Korea as of November -- the highest so far -- as per the monthly demographic data of the Ministry of Interior and Safety, with 4,812 men and 15
Dec. 3, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Investigator believed to be involved in election-meddling row found dead
An investigator who worked at the presidential office was found dead Sunday, police said, amid a prosecution probe into alleged attempts by Cheong Wa Dae officials to influence last year's local elections.The official, who was dispatched to the civil affairs office from the prosecution, was found dead at an office in southern Seoul, according to police. The investigator reportedly left a note to his family before the death. Police said they are investigating to determine the exact cause of the d
Dec. 1, 2019
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Middle school students rescue dog from meat trade
A group of middle school students rescued a dog from a dog meat dealer, a dog rescue group said Saturday.Save Korean Dogs, a dog rescue team here, said Sunday that 15-year-old Kim Jae-seo and five of her friends attending Ewoo Middle School in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, saved the dog last month from a woman who sold dogs for meat purposes.According to the group, the children found the dog bound with a short rope inside a metal cage on the street in front of their school. The dog was being kept
Dec. 1, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Police to beef up traffic safety in school zones
The National Police Agency on Sunday announced measures to step up traffic safety near schools, effective Monday.According to police, around 620 traffic police officers will be relocated to school zones during rush hour. They will be deployed in areas prone to accidents, including places without surveillance cameras and where sidewalks and roads are not separated. Police will phase in limiting the maximum travel speed to 30 kilometers per hour in all school zones. Currently, cars can travel
Dec. 1, 2019
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S. Korea confirms 34th wild boar infected with African swine fever
A wild boar found dead near the border with North Korea has tested positive for African swine fever, authorities said Sunday, bringing the number of such cases to 34 in South Korea.The wild boar was caught by a joint team of soldiers and civilian hunters in Paju, northwest of Seoul, earlier this week, the National Institute of Environmental Research said.On Saturday, the institute also confirmed another wild boar infected with the deadly animal disease in a nearby county. Since the country's fir
Dec. 1, 2019
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RB CEO offers 'heartfelt' apology to victims in humidifier sanitizer scandal
The head of British hygiene product maker Reckitt Benckiser Group plc has offered a "heartfelt" apology over a toxic humidifier disinfectant scandal involving the company's South Korean unit, affirming his priority to address the "unprecedented" tragedy.Laxman Narasimhan, Reckitt Benckiser's chief executive officer, made the apology in a letter that he sent on Friday to a South Korean independent commission for social disaster investigation after a meeting with its members in
Dec. 1, 2019
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[Herald Interview] ‘Still traumatized’: 1980s murder convict on trying to clear name
CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province – He was 22 years old when the police came for him. Now 53, after spending 19 1/2 years in prison for the rape and murder of a child and another 10 years as paroled ex-con, he is to undergo a retrial to clear his name in one of Korea’s most notorious crimes.At a home for ex-prisoners in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, the man, who asked to be identified only by his surname Yun, told The Korea Herald on Saturday that police brutality had forc
Dec. 1, 2019
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City to fine high-emission cars in downtown Seoul starting December
The Seoul city government will issue penalties to drivers of cars that emit large volumes of carbon dioxide in central Seoul starting next month as part of its ongoing efforts to curb air pollution.Owners of vehicles that are categorized as Grade 5 in terms of emission will be fined 250,000 won ($212) when they drive in the city‘s so-called Green Transport Zones, which covers areas within the Seoul City Wall, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The area within the Seoul City Wa
Nov. 30, 2019
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Block B member faces lawsuits after raising music chart fixing accusations
Park Kyung, a music producer and a member of K-pop boy band Block B, is facing a chain of lawsuits from fellow music artists after accusing them of music chart manipulation. This past Sunday, the 27-year-old rapper named five fellow singers and a duo on his SNS account, saying, "I wish I could do music hoarding like these people." Park was alluding to his suspicion that they had their music downloaded and purchased in large quantities to boost their numbers on sales charts. The six nam
Nov. 29, 2019
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Police records can’t be used as evidence without defendant’s approval: court
The Supreme Court ruled that police records of a defendant’s statements cannot be used to prove guilt unless the defendant agrees to the records being used as evidence.The top court said Friday that it reversed a lower court ruling that sentenced a defendant to six months in prison for violating the law on community credit cooperatives, and sent the case back to the Daegu District Court.The defendant was indicted for allegedly giving 500,000 won in cash each to two voters and asking for th
Nov. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Two K-pop stars found guilty of sex crimes
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced K-pop star Jung Joon-young to six years and his friend K-pop singer Choi Jong-hoon to five years in prison Friday for sex offenses. They were found guilty of gang raping women who were under the influence of alcohol. Jung was also found guilty of sharing secretly filmed sex videos and photos, including those taken during the gang rape, via online group chats. But he was acquitted on a separate sexual assault charge at the same trial. Jung and Cho
Nov. 29, 2019
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[Newsmaker] College admissions reforms coming amid controversy
Seoul-based universities will select more freshmen through a state-administered college entrance exam to be held once a year starting in 2023 as part of college admissions reform measures unveiled by the Education Ministry on Thursday. Under the measures, at least 40 percent of applicants at 16 major universities in Seoul – including Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University – will be selected through the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung.The me
Nov. 28, 2019
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11 booked for posting naked pictures to student community
Police booked 11 college students and graduates for posting naked pictures of themselves and others on an online student community site.Hyehwa Police Station in Seoul said Thursday they recently booked without detention 11 men and women, mostly in their 20s, on charges of spreading obscene materials on the internet. Police launched an investigation in June after receiving reports that obscene pictures had been posted to an anonymous community site only accessible to students of a private u
Nov. 28, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Supreme Court orders retrial of former President Park in NIS fund case
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a retrial of former President Park Geun-hye for acceptance of off-the-books funds from the National Intelligence Service, saying her acquittals by lower courts on bribery and state fund loss charges should be reversed.The top court instructed the Seoul High Court to retry Park's case, raising legal questions about the appellate court's decision in July to reduce her prison sentence in the NIS fund scandal by one year to five years.Besides the commutation of
Nov. 28, 2019
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[Graphic News] 1 in 5 Seoul households live with a pet: data
One in 5 households in Seoul have a pet and the number of homes that have embraced cats is on the rise, data showed. Some 20 percent of the surveyed households said they were living with a pet as of 2018, compared with 18.8 percent in 2014, according to data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The survey was conducted in September last year on 20,000 households in the city. The poll had a margin of error of 0.47 percentage point and a 95 percent confidence level. The number of households w
Nov. 27, 2019
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15,000 imitations of BTS character goods seized in Incheon this year
Customs officials in Incheon, west of Seoul, said Wednesday they have cracked down on huge amounts of imitation goods that infringe on the trademark rights of BTS, a globally popular South Korean boy band.According to Incheon Main Customs, about 15,000 fakes of BTS' BT21 character products originating from China and other countries were detected at the port of Incheon in the first 10 months of this year. BT21 is a registered trademark of BTS.The BT21 imitations caught by the Incheon customs offi
Nov. 27, 2019
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[News Brief] Fire hits chemical factory in Yeosu
A fire that started at a chemical factory in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, around 10 a.m. on Wednesday was contained in around three hours. A whole block of five prefab buildings in the city’s southern end were demolished from the blaze, the authorities stated. Around 30 people were evacuated with no reported casualties.The fire which started at a lubricant storage warehouse inside the factory spread quickly to nearby furniture stores, the fire authorities said. Black fumes covered the sky
Nov. 27, 2019
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[News Brief] Appeals court upholds 30-year sentence for internet cafe murderer
An appellate court on Wednesday upheld a 30-year prison sentence for a man who brutally killed a part-time worker at an internet cafe in western Seoul.The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence to Kim Sung-soo, 30, convicted of the murder of the 20-year-old. On Oct. 14, 2018, Kim stabbed the victim some 80 times in the body and face. Kim later stated that he had stabbed the victim because the victim had been rude to him. The prosecution had sought a life sentence for Kim at both the low
Nov. 27, 2019