Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Top prosecutor orders speedy investigation into first lady's alleged acceptance of luxury handbag
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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[Newsmaker] Yoon’s wife apologizes in public over false career allegation
People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s spouse Kim Keon-hee apologized in public Sunday for causing controversy with the allegations that she had made false claims about her career history. “There were my faults in the process of working and studying together,” Kim said with her head bowed as she read out a statement at a press conference in Seoul. “I inflated my career to look good and wrote it (resumes) wrong. I shouldn’t have done that, but lo
PoliticsDec. 26, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Parties offer mixed reactions on Park's pardon
A special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, has sparked a wide range of responses in South Korea’s political circles. The ruling Democratic Party appeared largely to respect the president’s decision, while lawmakers from the opposition parties voiced different opinions, mostly raising doubts about the special pardon. Democratic Party Chairman Song Young-gil announced that the party “honors” the president&rsquo
PoliticsDec. 24, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Yoon’s visit to DMZ draws accusations of armistice violations
South Korean presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to a front-line division in the Demilitarized Zone has come under fire, with the United Nations Command officially kicking off an investigation into an alleged violation of the Armistice Agreement. The UNC made an announcement after Yoon -- dressed in a military uniform -- on Monday visited the observation post of the South Korean Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, also known as the Baekgol Unit, in the DMZ. In what appears to b
PoliticsDec. 23, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Is vaccine pass constitutional? Korea is about to find out
South Korea’s Consitutional Court is set to review whether the COVID-19 pass is constitutional. The Constitutional Court said Tuesday evening its full bench of nine justices would review the constitutionality of the pass’s enactment. The court’s full bench is usually summoned when a case is deemed to hold legitimacy. The COVID-19 pass, or vaccine pass, was implemented nationwide on Dec. 13 and requires people to present digitized proof of full vaccination or a negative
Social AffairsDec. 22, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Yoon's feminist recruit under attack from all corners
Shin ji-ye, a 31-year-old feminist with liberal political inclinations, made headlines Monday as she crossed party lines and joined the campaign of Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the conservative People Power Party. The young politician ran as a Seoul mayor candidate for Green Party Korea in 2018, finishing fourth in the race with over 80,000 votes. Her campaign gained support from feminists and progressives as one of the first candidates in the country’s political history to
PoliticsDec. 21, 2021
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea to add hospital beds, medical workers and testing centers to counter COVID-19 surge
President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered the government to secure additional COVID-19 hospital beds, health care workers and testing centers to counter the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases. “The government will take extraordinary measures to secure enough medical capacity” to counter the resurgence of cases, Moon said in a statement released by Cheong Wa Dae. Moon also ordered concerned government agencies to designate additional public hospitals for exclusive care of COVID-19 pati
Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Demand for wine, Korean beef surge in 2021, says E-mart
Customer demand for wine and Korean beef has shown rapid increase this year, as an alternative to dining outside, said the local discount chain E-mart on Sunday. The discount retailer tracked the changes in the type of products sold from 2019 to November this year. According to the store’s data, wine leaped from 10th place in 2019 to sixth in 2021, with sales jumping by 32 percent from 2019. More Korean consumers have started venturing into higher-priced wines compared to the sta
ConsumerDec. 19, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Yoon apologizes over his spouse’s false career allegation
Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party, bowed his head and apologized Friday for the controversy over allegations his spouse Kim Keon-hee had made false claims about her career history. "I am sorry for causing concern to the public over the controversy related to my wife," Yoon told reporters. "Regardless of the reason, I make it clear that the fact that (she) caused controversy without accurately writing down her career does not fi
PoliticsDec. 17, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Schools to reduce attendance, reintroduce online classes
Schools will return to a mix of online and offline classes from Monday, as the country reinstates stricter social distancing measures due to rising cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Education announced Thursday that schools in Korea will reduce student density to prevent classroom transmissions starting Monday, less than a month after schools returned to in-person classes on Nov. 22. The ministry said as the rate of transmission in schools is not high, they will continue to have in-person cl
Social AffairsDec. 16, 2021
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[Newsmaker] In Suneung, half a percent has big implications
Nearly a month of trouble over a two-point question on this year’s college entrance test was settled in court on Wednesday, highlighting once again the weight the annual test carries in Korean society. On Wednesday, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled that a question in the bioscience part of the recent college scholastic ability test was inaccurate, and ordered the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation to cancel its designated answer. “There is not a distinguished diff
Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Student vaccine pass mandate may be adjusted
Though South Korea is to go ahead with its controversial “vaccine pass” plans for teenagers, details of the scheme may be adjusted. The government’s decision to expand the vaccine certification system to those aged 12 to 18 from Feb. 1 has been met with criticism from many students and parents. Faced with opposition, the Ministry of Education is considering making some adjustments regarding the expansion of the vaccine pass system. “Though we have announced that t
Social AffairsDec. 14, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Nth room prevention law draws fire for censorship, invasion of privacy
The so-called "Nth room prevention law" is facing growing criticism from the public, with critics accusing the measure of censorship and violation of free speech. A legislative revision to the Telecommunications Business Act went into effect Friday, requiring internet platforms with yearly sales of 1 billion won ($848,800) or those with more than 100,000 daily users to engage in removing illegal content from their servers. The revision was nicknamed the Nth room prevention law after
PoliticsDec. 13, 2021
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[Newsmaker] BTS win big at MAMA with nine trophies, top honors
BTS ruled the night at 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards on Saturday even without attending, as the K-pop megastars nabbed a total of nine trophies, including four grand prizes. The event, held at CJ ENM Content Studio in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, was conducted in person for the first time in two years since the COVID-19 outbreak. After making history at the American Music Awards last month as the first Asian act to grab the top honor, BTS extended their winning streak, taking home all four main p
K-popDec. 12, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Dunkin’ Donuts whistleblower forwarded to prosecution
Police on Thursday transferred to the prosecution a man who recorded a video that created a controversy over the unsanitary conditions of a factory baking products for Dunkin’ Donuts. The Anyang Dongan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province has been investigating the worker who took the video of the factory in Anyang for suspicions of business obstruction after BR Korea, an affiliate of the SPC Group, which operates the donut chain, filed a complaint against him. The video stirred public u
Social AffairsDec. 10, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Vice FM hints at Seoul veering away from diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games
South Korea is seeking to play its “role as the previous host nation” of the Winter Olympics, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said Thursday, alluding that Seoul is less likely join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Games. Choi made the remarks during an interview with local radio station TBS, stressing that the upcoming Beijing Olympics are a “relay of Northeast Asian Olympics from PyeongChang to Tokyo and Beijing and are very meaningful.”
Foreign AffairsDec. 9, 2021
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[Newsmaker] SK chief says sustainability, not size, priority in chip investment
While Samsung makes a multibillion dollar bet on a new chip fab in the US, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is seeking to chart a different path in the semiconductor business, emphasizing “sustainability” as a prime factor to consider before making major investment decisions. While attending 2021 Trans-Pacific Dialogue held near Washington, DC, on Tuesday, the 61-year-old leader underscored that the key of the chip business is sustainability, not size, when asked of his plan on makin
IndustryDec. 8, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Seoul agrees to accept foreign vaccination records
South Korea is devising a system to accept foreigners’ overseas vaccination records, a government official confirmed to The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “We’re drafting a ‘vaccine status form’ for foreign nationals vaccinated abroad,” an official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The plan will leave more people in the country eligible for booster shots, with more details to be announced Thursday, the official added. The comments came j
Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021
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[Newsmaker] [Election 2022] Yoon mends fences in team, officially kicks off election committee
Smoothing over a month of discord in the party, Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, has officially kicked off his election committee and pledged to reform the government and country, Monday. “The Korea I dream of is a country with strong fundamentals. It should not be the people for the country, but the country for the people,” Yoon said in the inauguration ceremony of his central election committee that will lead his electioneering
PoliticsDec. 6, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Vaccine Pass: What foreign residents vaccinated abroad have to go through in Korea
From Monday, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and other public places in Korea will ask for proof of vaccination or a negative test for entry, as South Korea brings back stricter social distancing rules in the face of growing daily cases and the new omicron variant. This means foreign nationals vaccinated overseas are highly likely to be denied access to such venues. Currently, the country’s vaccination verification system, the Health Ministry-run mobile app COOV, does not recogni
Social AffairsDec. 5, 2021
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea to increase number of highway EV chargers to over 1,000
South Korea will increase the number of electric vehicle chargers at highway service areas nationwide to over 1,000 by the end of 2022, the transport ministry said Sunday. Currently, there are 435 EV chargers at the country's highway rest stops. The government plans to increase the number to 730 by the end of this month and then add more than 300 chargers next year, it said in a press statement. The move is meant to help meet rising demand for EVs and the charging infrastructure, as the gover
MobilityDec. 5, 2021