Most Popular
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Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026
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Seoul bus drivers go on general strike, cause morning rush hour delays
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Korea enters full election mode
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Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections
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Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head
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Immigrant woman stabbed to death by Korean husband
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Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027
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[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’
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[Herald Interview] Son Suk-ku chooses to be swayed by others in navigating life
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Court upholds jail term for man who attempted to murder ex-girlfriend
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Schools to extend extracurricular classes until 8 p.m. for first graders
South Korea on Monday unveiled plans to extend hours for primary schools' extracurricular classes and make the classes available at all schools to make commuting parents' life routines more logistically and financially sustainable. The government has allocated a budget of 1.17 trillion won ($879 million) for this year, more than double the amount earmarked for last year, to allow any first grader to register for the extracurricular program later this year, dubbed Neulbom School. Up to
Feb. 5, 2024
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Main opposition leader hints to set up satellite parties for election
The main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday hinted he would launch satellite parties ahead of this year's general election scheduled for April 10, by upholding the current mixed-member proportional representation system. Lee said the Democratic Party of Korea plans to stick with the electoral system introduced to South Korea ahead of the previous general election in 2020, which critics lambasted for failing to serve its purpose of supporting minor parties. The system was initially ad
Feb. 5, 2024
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South Korea, Saudi Arabia agree to boost cooperation in defense industries
South Korea's public agency for defense acquisition and its Saudi counterpart agreed to expand cooperation between the two countries' defense industries Sunday. According to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on developing partnerships between the defense industries of South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Under the MOU, South Korea and Saudi Arabia will form a working group for jointly developing and manufacturing
Feb. 5, 2024
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Speculation grows over disgraced ex-President Park Geun-hye's possible return
Ex-President Park Geun-hye held a book event for her autobiography in Daegu on Monday afternoon, fueling speculations that the disgraced former leader of South Korea is seeking to make a comeback as an influential figure in the country's politics. Park addressed the public during the event's Q&A at a hotel in Suyeong-gu in the city of Daegu -- her birthplace, where she still has sizeable support despite having been impeached and convicted on 16 charges of corruption in 2018. She ta
Feb. 5, 2024
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[Bills in Focus] 'Shrinkflation' warnings, tax benefits for tech investment
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods Proposed by Rep. Park Dae-chul (People Power Party) ● Food manufacturing companies have begun to reduce product volume or alter ingredient content in response to rising prices. To ensure consumers are informed of such changes, this amendment requires companies to indicate changes in product volumes or content on the packaging. Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning T
Feb. 5, 2024
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Yoon records New Year's interview with KBS amid first lady controversy
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday recorded a New Year's interview with public broadcaster KBS, his office said, as all eyes are on what he will say regarding allegations his wife accepted a luxury handbag as a gift in 2022. The filming took place at the presidential office in Seoul, the office said in a notice to reporters, without elaborating. The interview will reportedly air on KBS on Wednesday, two days before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday. Pressure has mounted on Yoon to addr
Feb. 4, 2024
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Major parties compete with populist pledges, proposals
The rival parties in recent weeks have fired off a flurry of competing pledges and proposals as they head into a general election in April, but critics denounced several of those promises for being populist. The ruling People Power Party interim Chair Han Dong-hoon on Thursday indirectly proposed to slash lawmakers' salaries to almost half of what they are now. During a meeting with other decision-makers in the party, Han suggested to "level the amount of tax the lawmakers pay to the amount
Feb. 4, 2024
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Govt. expected to announce medical school quota hikes this week
The government is likely to announce an increase in the medical school enrollment quota this week to address the shortage of doctors in remote areas and essential medicine despite strong opposition from the medical circle, officials said Sunday. If decided, it will be the first hike of the medical school enrollment quota in 19 years. The current limit stood at 3,058. The government has reportedly been looking to raise the annual enrollment quota at medical schools by as much as 2,000 from the cu
Feb. 4, 2024
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PPP lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin makes 1st public appearance since attack
Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the ruling People Power Party on Friday made her first public appearance since being attacked by a teenager last week. Bae, who represents the eastern Seoul district of Songpa, attended a PPP meeting in her constituency Friday, eight days after a 15-year-old boy struck the lawmaker repeatedly in the head with a rock. Bae, who had her bleeding wound stapled, was discharged from a Seoul hospital last Saturday. She attended Friday's meeting wearing a green beanie over her
Feb. 2, 2024
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Victims fume at Lee Jae-myung for ‘flattering’ North Korean regime
South Korean opposition Democratic Party of Korea chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung is facing criticism from the families of victims of North Korean abuses and defectors over his remarks “flattering” the Kim Jong-un regime. Lee Rae-jin, whose brother was killed by North Korean soldiers at sea in September 2020, told The Korea Herald on Friday he was “utterly dismayed” at the leader of a South Korean major political party “fraternizing with the criminal regime.” In rema
Feb. 2, 2024
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Govt. to buy more surplus rice for international food aid program
The South Korean government and the ruling People Power Party on Friday reached an agreement over the Ministry of Agriculture's plan to buy 50,000 tons of surplus rice to use for the international food aid program and to keep the domestic grain price afloat. The newly purchased rice will be sent to African and Asian countries as food aid through the World Food Program, Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung told reporters at the National Assembly on Friday. She did not disclose further details. This
Feb. 2, 2024
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Yoon's pre-recorded interview could be aired on Feb. 7: report
President Yoon Suk Yeol is considering holding a pre-recorded interview with public broadcaster KBS as pressure builds to address the alleged graft scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, according to news reports on Friday. KBS is reportedly considering airing the interview next Wednesday, shortly before the Seollal holiday, or Korea's Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 10. The presidential office declined to confirm the reports as of Friday morning. KBS is currently led by Park Min, who th
Feb. 2, 2024
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Main opposition decides not to delay expansion of workplace safety law
The main opposition party on Thursday rejected the proposals from both the Cabinet and the ruling party to temporarily halt the enforcement of the wider implementation of the workplace safety law, which seeks to add accountability for small and medium-sized business owners for serious industrial accidents. The Democratic Party of Korea has decided not to accede to the request for a two-year extension of the grace period for companies with fewer than 50 employees. Following an initial two-year gr
Feb. 1, 2024
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Parties look underground for solution to train noise
The main opposition leader on Thursday rolled out a set of pledges aimed at reducing subway and railway noise pollution, a day after the ruling party announced its own plans to resolve similar issues. Visiting Sindorim Station in Seoul, Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung pledged to launch a renovation project that would relocate several elevated railways across the country underground. The parties' pledges aim to win over voters suffering from noise from train and subway lines in
Feb. 1, 2024
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Seoul’s defense chief to head to Middle East in first overseas trip
Shin Won-sik, the South Korean Minister of National Defense, on Thursday embarked on a trip to three Middle Eastern countries of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He will begin the trip with a meeting with his UAE counterpart, Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei on Friday. He will also visit the Akh unit, one of whose chief aims is to protect Korean nationals in the region in contingencies. He will then travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to attend the second World Defense Show in
Feb. 1, 2024
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Yoon touts doctors' immunity to salvage shortage sectors
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday said the government would pursue legislation to alleviate the legal risks from medical accidents for medical staff. The conservative administration said that doctors' immunity from prosecution in relation to medical accidents could help doctors and other medical staff focus on their duty to take care of their patients. South Korea is suffering a chronic shortage of medical staff, including doctors. While restricting lawsuits seeking criminal punishment for med
Feb. 1, 2024
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Opposition leader blames Yoon for struggling economy, low birth rate
Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol and his policies, labeling them as the main contributing factors to the country's struggling economy and low birth rate. While expressing confidence of prevailing in the upcoming general election in April, Lee also called for the restoration of the inter-Korean hotline, which was cut off by North Korea since Yoon took office in May 2022. Reconnecting the hotline would help avoid further risks of war, Lee sa
Jan. 31, 2024
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Yoon warns of NK election meddling
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday said that South Korean armed forces should brace themselves for any potential interference by North Korea in the general election, which is less than three months away. Yoon told an audience of some 170 people that the North Korean regime might intensify cyber warfare or spread misinformation in hopes of meddling in April's election, posing challenges to Seoul's democracy. "North Korea has constantly sought to instigate freedom and democracy in
Jan. 31, 2024
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Yoon sends Itaewon probe legislation back to Assembly
President Yoon Suk Yeol shot down a bill that would have given the National Assembly the authority to initiate a new probe into the deadly crowd crush incident in Seoul during the Halloween weekend in October 2022, his office announced Tuesday. The decision came hours after the Cabinet passed a motion on Tuesday morning demanding the parliament reconsider a special bill and giving Yoon grounds to veto it, at the Government Complex Seoul. The conservative bloc has sought to reject the bill aimed
Jan. 30, 2024
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Yoon, PPP head discuss bread-and-butter issues in 1st sit-down since clash
President Yoon Suk Yeol and ruling party chief Han Dong-hoon discussed ways to improve the people's livelihoods as they met over lunch on Monday, the presidential office said, their second meeting in less than a week amid efforts to repair their relationship after clashing over allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. Han of the People Power Party (PPP) attended the luncheon at the presidential office together with PPP floor leader Yun Jae-ok, and the three had lunch for two hours bef
Jan. 29, 2024