Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: 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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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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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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Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
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Two US aircraft carriers set for drills in East Sea: source
The US Navy confirmed Friday that two of its aircraft carriers are operating in the Western Pacific region amid unrelenting tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the North's provocation.The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and its Carrier Air Wing Five, featuring fighter jets and early warning aircraft, began its spring patrol earlier this week, according to the Pacific Fleet.They are currently focused on "flight deck and carrier qualifications," as the flattop, which has its homeport in Japan, resume
May 19, 2017
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McMaster says he understands procedural problem in Korea with THAAD deployment decision
WASHINGTON -- US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster told South Korea's presidential envoy that he is aware that there is a procedural problem in South Korea with the decision to host the US THAAD missile defense system, the envoy said.McMaster made the remark when special envoy Hong Seok-hyun told him that there is a controversy over South Korea's procedure leading to the decision to host THAAD and there is a need to discuss the issue in the National Assembly, the envoy told reporters. US N
May 18, 2017
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Female military official named veterans affairs chief
A female lieutenant colonel on Wednesday was tapped as veterans affairs minister, marking the first case of a female official at the post, according to Cheong Wa Dae.“President Moon Jae-in appointed Pee Woo-jin as minister of patriots and veterans affairs,” Cho Hyun-ock, senior presidential secretary for personnel affairs, said in a briefing. Pee Woo-jin (Yonhap)Pee joined the military in 1979 and has since then served in physically challenging posts such as special forces commander and helicopt
May 17, 2017
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Three Saudi cadets to get training in Korean military academies
Three military cadets from Saudi Arabia will start receiving training in South Korea's military academies next year following an agreement on military education signed between the two countries' defense ministries Wednesday.The Ministry of National Defense here said that the agreement on the military education exchange and cooperation was signed between the two parties in Seoul earlier in the day. Korea Military Academy cadets (Yonhap)The latest agreement is part of the two countries' broader pa
May 17, 2017
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THAAD radar detected N. Korea's missile launch: defense chief
The radar of an advanced US missile defense system in South Korea detected the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile two days ago, South Korea's defense minister told lawmakers on Tuesday. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which became operational earlier this month in South Korea, aims to destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles amid growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. North Korea test-launched what appears to be a long-range ballistic missile on S
May 16, 2017
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Han warns of pre-emptive strike in case of imminent NK missile attack
South Korea's Defense Minister Han Min-koo warned Tuesday that his country will launch a pre-emptive strike if there are clear signs of an imminent North Korean missile attack.His remarks came two days after the communist state fired another ballistic missile, which it claimed was a mid- to long-range missile capable of carrying a "large-size, heavy" nuclear warhead and targeting the continental United States. Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a parliamentary session at the National Ass
May 16, 2017
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USS Carl Vinson in open-ended mission near Korea: official
A high-profile US naval strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson, is staying near the Korean Peninsula on an open-ended mission, a defense official here said Tuesday.The San Diego-based aircraft carrier arrived in Korean waters late last month as a show of force against North Korea.The USS Carl Vinson, a US aircraft carrier, stages a joint exercise with South Korean warships. (Navy)It is apparently supposed to be replaced by the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which has its homeport in Japan
May 16, 2017
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Korean military on alert against ransomware
South Korea's defense authorities have raised the cybersecurity alert level by one notch amid reports of fast-spreading ransomware that may be linked to North Korea, an official said Tuesday.Many networks worldwide have been disrupted by the "WannaCry" malware. Some security researchers say the North may be behind the cyber assault. (Yonhap-ESTsecurity)The Joint Chiefs of Staff has already elevated the stage of "INFOCON," an information-related defense alert system, to Level 3 from Level 4, the
May 16, 2017
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THAAD in S. Korea capable of intercepting N. Korean missiles: Pentagon
WASHINGTON -- The US THAAD missile defense battery recently installed in South Korea is now capable of intercepting North Korean missiles, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, amid heightened tensions in the wake of Pyongyang's latest missile test."This system has the ability to defeat North Korean missiles and clearly ... North Korean missiles are a threat to the region and very destabilizing," Capt. Jeff Davis said during a briefing at the Foreign Press Center. (Yonhap)"We recently completed the
May 16, 2017
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[Graphic News] Changes of conscription term
The Defense Ministry has embarked on its review on the military reform plan from President Moon Jae-in, who pledged during the election campaign to shorten the period of conscription from the current 21 months to 18 months.After peaking at 36 months during the Park Chung-hee regime, the military service term -- based on the army -- has continued to reduce over the past few decades. It was 26 months between 1993 and 2003 and 24 months between 2003 and 2010.
May 14, 2017
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Military prepares for defense reform measures
South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it has started working-level preparations for the implementation of reform measures proposed by President Moon Jae-in during his campaign."With regard to the presidential campaign pledges on the defense sector, of course, we are reviewing conditions and ways for implementation," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters. (Yonhap)Moon's promises include shortening the service period for conscripted soldiers to 18 mo
May 12, 2017
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S. Korea's military strength ranks 11th in world
South Korea remained 11th in the world in terms of military strength this year, ahead of North Korea at 23rd, an annual military power index showed.The South had a firepower index of 0.2804, right behind Italy's 0.2772, according to the Global Firepower 2017, which took over 50 factors into account to assess the military power of 127 countries. The smaller the index, the stronger a country's military power. South Korea's GFP ranked seventh in the 2015 index.The North's index this year is up from
May 11, 2017
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Trump severely berates McMaster over THAAD deployment in Korea: report
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump severely berated National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster for undermining his efforts to get South Korea to pay for the THAAD missile defense system deployed to the country, a news report said Tuesday.The reprimand came after McMaster called his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, and assured him that Trump's demand for Seoul to pay for the $1 billion missile defense system was not official policy, Bloomberg reported, citing unidentified White House off
May 10, 2017
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US warship collides with South Korea’s fishing vessel
A United States warship collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in the East Sea on Tuesday, while conducting a joint military drill, the two countries’ militaries said. US cruiser USS Lake Champlain clashed with South Korean fishing ship 502 Namyang about 83 kilometers south of Ulleung Island at around noon, according to South Korea’s military. US-led Combined Forces Command also confirmed the incident. Fishing ship 502 Namyang (Yonhap)There were no casualties and the exact cause of the inc
May 9, 2017
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Military keeps vigilance ahead of presidential polls
South Korea's defense authorities said Monday they are maintaining a heightened state of alert against a possible provocation by North Korea on the eve of the presidential election here.In recent months, there have been increased military tensions on the peninsula amid a series of the North's ballistic missile launches and speculation that it may conduct another nuclear test or fire a long-range rocket. Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (Yonhap)"We are maintaining
May 8, 2017
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Marine Corps commander inspects war readiness at front-line units
South Korea's Marine Corps commander inspected front-line troops near the tense maritime border Thursday and stressed any provocations by North Korea will be met with bold retaliations."Commander, Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo made an unannounced visit to the Yeonpyeong unit of the front-line Udo Island and carried out an operation inspection," the Marine Corps said. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo (Yonhap)The set of forefront islands lie just below the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border with North Korea,
May 4, 2017
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US Special Operations Command training actively to ensure readiness for NK contingencies: commander
WASHINGTON -- The US Special Operations Command is training actively to ensure readiness for contingency operations in North Korea, where its capabilities to counter weapons of mass destruction could play a critical role, its commander said.Gen. Raymond Thomas made the remark during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, saying the threat of "an increasingly rogue North Korea" is of growing concern to him, and the North's threat is no longer a regional one, but has "global implications.""In r
May 4, 2017
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Is THAAD part of global US missile defense?
A top US commander was found Wednesday to have said the country is working to create a “fully-integrated” regional missile defense scheme that includes South Korea, fueling controversy over the deployment of a US missile shield that US President Donald Trump wants Seoul to pay $1 billion for. Controversy has persisted over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here, which China argues constitutes Seoul’s de facto participation in the US-led global missile defense progra
May 3, 2017
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N. Korea says detained American man for carrying out 'criminal acts'
North Korea said Wednesday that it has detained an American man for conducting "criminal acts of hostility" aimed at overturning the country.The man identified as Kim Sang-dok was arrested at Pyongyang's international airport on April 22, according to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). (Yonhap)"He was intercepted for committing criminal acts of hostility aimed to overturn the DPRK not only in the past but also during his last stay before interception," the KCNA said in an E
May 3, 2017
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Seoul denies report about knowledge of US earlier request for financing THAAD
South Korea did not have any prior knowledge that the US might charge it for the deployment of a new missile shield, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, as controversy escalated here over US President Donald Trump’s surprise remark last week about possibly billing Korea $1 billion for the system, which the allies said is now “operational” with “initial capability.” The presidential office’s clarification came in response to a local report that claimed that a transition team for then President-elect Trum
May 2, 2017