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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Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
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'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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(Photo News) World Trade Center reopens
One World Trade Center dominates the lower Manhattan skyline, Monday, in this view from Jersey City, New Jersey. Thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the resurrected World Trade Center is again opening for business, marking an emotional milestone for both New Yorkers and the United States as a whole. (AP-Yonhap)
Nov. 4, 2014
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Ex-cyber commanders indicted for political interference
The Defense Ministry’s prosecution on Tuesday indicted two former cyberwarfare commanders and two other agents on charges of interfering with politics in breach of military rules on political neutrality. They were not detained.Wrapping up its two-month probe into an online smear campaign scandal, the prosecution said the former commanders ― Yeon Je-wook and Ok Do-gyeong ― were notified and approved of cyberagents’ controversial activities in cyberspace. “During their cyberoperations, Yeon and Ok
Nov. 4, 2014
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U.S. Pacific Fleet chief gets Seoul’s national security medal
The South Korean government on Monday bestowed the Order of National Security Merit’s “Tongil Medal” on U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Harry B. Harris for his contributions to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula.South Korea’s Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Hwang Ki-chul gave the medal to Harris during a ceremony at Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense. The ceremony was attended by senior South Korean and U.S. defense officials. U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Harry B. Harris (
Nov. 3, 2014
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OPCON delay needed until N. Korea drops nuke plan: S. Korean PM
South Korea should delay the reassumption of wartime troop control from the United States until it is capable of successfully deterring North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Seoul's prime minister said Monday. Last month, Seoul and Washington agreed to delay giving South Korea wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops as the nation faces evolving nuclear and missile threats from the communist country. The allies expect the handover to take place in the mid-2020s when Seoul is expected to be
Nov. 3, 2014
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Citizens to protest deal to keep U.S. military unit in Dongducheon
Citizens of Dongducheon, north of Seoul, will hold a mass rally this week to protest a recent South Korea-U.S. deal to retain an American artillery brigade in the city, a local civic group said Sunday.Last month, Seoul and Washington agreed to retain the 210th Fires Brigade under the 2nd Infantry Division in Dongducheon near the tense inter-Korean border until "the mid-2020s" to bolster deterrence against North Korea.A 2004 bilateral deal had called for relocating the U.S. military unit to a new
Nov. 2, 2014
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State audit agency inspects military's research of weapons systems
The state auditing agency has begun an inspection of the military's research of weapons systems in a bid to ensure its transparency, officials said Sunday.The inspection by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) covers research and development projects carried out by the Ministry of National Defense, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and its affiliates, including the Agency for Defense Development, on weapons systems used by the army, navy and air force, according to the officials
Nov. 2, 2014
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Army sergeant gets 45 years in jail for abuse
A military court Thursday sentenced a 26-year-old sergeant to 45 years in jail on charges of beating a private first class to death, saying that his crime, “close to murder,” deserves a heavy punishment.The 3rd Army’s court in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, slapped the five other soldiers, who were accused in the high-profile abuse case, with heavy sentences ranging from 25 years in jail to a suspended jail term of three years.The case has drawn keen media attention due to public outrage over the de
Oct. 30, 2014
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Defense forum calls for more regional trust-building efforts
Security officials and scholars from 24 countries called for greater efforts to foster trust and peace in East Asia and reduce military tensions in the region during an international defense forum in Seoul on Thursday.At the Seoul Defense Dialogue hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, the participants discussed how to address what President Park Geun-hye has called the “Asian Paradox,” which refers to the region’s sharp increase in economic cooperation alongside worsening distrus
Oct. 30, 2014
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[Hwang Jae-ho] SDD a vital conduit for regional trust-building
The annual Seoul Defense Dialogue opened its three-day run on Wednesday with an aim to seek viable, practical solutions to promoting trust among nations in East Asia ― a region that has long been beset by security rivalries, and historical and territorial disputes. Under the main theme of “From Conflict to Cooperation,” this year’s SDD brought together 220 government officials and experts from 24 countries, the United Nations, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for in-
Oct. 30, 2014
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Army sergeant gets 45-year jail term for comrade's death
A military court sentenced an Army sergeant to 45 years behind bars on Thursday for abusing and beating his junior comrade to death.The sergeant, identified only by his surname Lee, was convicted of killing the 23-year-old Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, after brutally abusing him at their frontline unit on the east coast. In April, Yoon died after allegedly being hit in his chest by six of his colleagues while eating snacks. The assault caused a piece of food to obstruct his airway, le
Oct. 30, 2014
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[Herald Interview] ‘Europe’s peace process can be tailored for East Asia’
Europe’s peace process can be tailored to promote trust and stability in East Asia, which has been plagued by historical and territorial feuds, a top NATO official said, dismissing the skepticism about its application to the region.During an interview with The Korea Herald this week, Alexander Vershbow, the deputy secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also urged North Korea to stop wasting money on its nuclear programs.“Any solution that worked in Europe can’t be literally
Oct. 29, 2014
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N. Korea attempts to hack into S. Koreans’ smartphones: NIS
North Korea attempted to hack into South Koreans’ smartphones by spreading malicious applications online, possibly infecting more than 20,000 smartphones, Seoul’s spy agency said Wednesday.The malicious applications, disguised as games, were spread on South Korean websites between May 19 and Sept. 16, according to a report submitted to the parliamentary intelligence committee by the National Intelligence Service.Although the NIS did not report any actual damage, it estimated that more than 20,00
Oct. 29, 2014
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Cabinet likely to OK extension of troop deployment in South Sudan, Lebanon
South Korea's Cabinet is likely to approve bills extending the country's troop deployment in Sudan and Lebanon by another year, an official said Tuesday.The move, if endorsed by the parliament, will allow South Korean troops to carry out their missions until the end of 2015, the official said. Currently, their missions are set to expire Dec. 31.Last year, South Korea deployed about 270 troops, mostly engineers and medics, to South Sudan under the wing of the United Nations Mission to help the ne
Oct. 28, 2014
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Han warns of N.K. nuclear warhead tech
South Korea’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Monday that North Korea’s technology to miniaturize a nuclear warhead to mount on a ballistic missile is presumed to have reached a “considerable level.”During a parliamentary audit, Han touched on the issue of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons capability, which returned to the spotlight last week after U.S. Forces Korea Commander Curtis Scaparrotti said the North was thought to have reached this capability.“North Korea’s miniaturization capability is th
Oct. 27, 2014
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N.K. nuclear capability back in spotlight
The issue of North Korea’s nuclear weapons capability has returned to the spotlight as U.S. Forces Korea Commander Curtis Scaparrotti said last Friday that the communist state was thought to have the capability to miniaturize a nuclear warhead.“I believe (North Koreans) have the capability to miniaturize a device at this point, and they have the technology to potentially deliver what they say they have,” he said during a press briefing at the Pentagon. “We have not seen it tested. And I don’t th
Oct. 26, 2014
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Only one-third of U.S. soldiers to remain at Yongsan Garrison: official
The number of American soldiers at the main U.S. military base in central Seoul is expected to be reduced by two-thirds to around 200 despite a postponement in the transfer of a major military authority, a South Korean defense ministry official said Sunday.South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to delay again a plan to give Seoul wartime control of its troops. In accordance with the agreement, several facilities, such as the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) headquarters
Oct. 26, 2014
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Kerry: 'Entirely premature' to talk about U.S. troop reduction in S. Korea
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday it is "entirely premature" to talk about any reduction in American troop levels in South Korea as a possible benefit of North Korea's abandonment of its nuclear program.Kerry made his most recent remarks at a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, tamping down speculation that arose after he said earlier this week that the U.S. is "prepared to begin the process of reducing the need for American force and presence in t
Oct. 25, 2014
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S. Korea has firm will to retake wartime command from U.S.: Seoul minister
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Thursday his country has a firm willingness to reassume wartime command of its troops from the United States, vowing efforts to become capable of effectively countering North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.Han made the remarks after holding the annual security meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Chuck Hagel, during which the allies agreed to delay the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), with no new date set.It has sparked suspicion
Oct. 24, 2014
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OPCON transfer continues tortuous history
South Korea and the U.S. have been seeking the transfer of wartime operational control as the former strives to bolster its self-defense capabilities and the latter looking to reduce its security burden.The change would transfer the authority to lead wartime military operations, but it does not include control of administrative affairs, including logistics and the appointment and management of personnel.In 2007, the allies first agreed to make the OPCON transfer on April 17, 2012 ― the reverse o
Oct. 24, 2014
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Allies to delay wartime troop control transfer
South Korea and the U.S. agreed Thursday to a “conditions-based” transfer of wartime operational control in light of evolving North Korean threats, finalizing their decision to delay the transfer, previously scheduled for December 2015. They did not set a date for the transition.The allies also agreed to station their Combined Forces Command in its current location in central Seoul until the OPCON transition, and retain the 210 Fire Brigade, the U.S.’ key counterfire unit, north of Seoul until t
Oct. 24, 2014