Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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Human rights commission urges Korea to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights
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Tests in recovered patients found false positives, not reinfections, experts say
South Korea’s infectious disease experts said Thursday that dead virus fragments were the likely cause of over 260 people here testing positive again for the novel coronavirus days and even weeks after marking full recoveries. Oh Myoung-don, who leads the central clinical committee for emerging disease control, said the committee members found little reason to believe that those cases could be COVID-19 reinfections or reactivations, which would have made global efforts to contain the vi
April 29, 2020
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[Video] Virus scare leads to drive-thru upgrades
Drive-thrus became familiar in Korea when fast-food giant McDonald’s opened its first location in 1992. The contactless system allows people to purchase or receive goods and services without leaving the car. Recently, the country began setting up drive-thru testing sites for more examinations to combat the virus. The quick service has since sprawled across the nation at a rapid pace and been imported by other countries. Taking a cue from the road-style facilities, schools have also ad
April 29, 2020
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Top court confirms jail term of ex-Aekyung CEO in humidifier sterilizer case
South Korea's top court on Wednesday confirmed a jail term of 2 1/2 years for a former chief of Aekyung Industrial Co., one of the local producers of deadly humidifier sterilizers in the early 2000s. The Supreme Court upheld the jail term given by lower courts to Ko Kwang-hyun, former CEO of Aekyung Industrial, for covering up toxicity-related data on the company's disinfectant product Humidifier Mate. The top court also confirmed a one-year prison term for a former senior executive vice pres
April 29, 2020
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Holiday travelers urged to take precautions against COVID-19
The government on Wednesday called for caution during the six-day holiday that starts Thursday, while local governments rolled out strengthened regulations. The holiday period begins with Buddha’s Birthday, which falls April 30 this year, and ends with Children’s Day on May 5. According to a survey, nearly 40 percent of South Koreans have travel plans, with Gangwon Province and Jeju Island likely to see a major influx of tourists. While urging the public to refrain from traveli
April 29, 2020
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Top court rules in favor of pregnant employees in unsafe work environments
In a key ruling that acknowledged the risks of unsafe work environments on a fetus, South Korea's top court on Wednesday ruled in favor of nurses who claimed their children's congenital heart defects should be covered by workplace accident compensation. The Supreme Court ordered the Seoul High Court to review its decision that the nurses were not eligible to receive government compensation given to workplace accident victims. "The mother's body and a fetus are considered a 'single unity'
April 29, 2020
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Seoul to plug undocumented migrants loophole in COVID-19 efforts
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday directed swift action on undocumented migrants amid concerns that their crowded and substandard living conditions, lack of access to masks and testing could create new clusters of COVID-19 infections, as seen in Singapore. An estimated 380,000 migrants illegally residing in the country should be able to get masks and receive medical treatment without worrying about their status or about being deported, Chung said at the meeting on the government&rsqu
April 29, 2020
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Mostly clear, warm weather expected over long weekend
Mostly clear and warm early summer weather is expected over the long weekend from Buddha’s Birthday on Thursday through Children’s Day on Tuesday, with sporadic rain in some areas. Temperatures will go down slightly from Sunday through Tuesday, but will be warmer than average. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday, Thursday, a public holiday marking the birth of Buddhism’s founder, will see morning lows of between 5 and 15 degrees, and afternoo
April 29, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Students get suspended prison sentences for trespassing on US envoy's residence
Four South Korean university students indicted for breaking into the United States ambassador's residence in Seoul last October were all given suspended prison sentences by a local court Wednesday. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the four students each to an imprisonment of one year, suspended for two years, after finding them guilty of obstruction of business charges. The students were also ordered to conduct community service. The four are among 17 student members of a progressi
April 29, 2020
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Telegram chat room accomplice indicted for leaking personal data
A former social service agent was indicted Wednesday for allegedly leaking personal data to the key suspect in a high-profile sexual blackmail ring on the messaging service Telegram. The 26-year-old, surnamed Choi, was indicted and detained on charges of breaching the Personal Information Protection Act and leaking personal data to unauthorized people, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office. Choi, who was serving alternative military service at a local community center, is
April 29, 2020
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S. Korea braces for long holiday amid virus slowdown
South Korea reported yet another single-digit increase in the number of coronavirus infections with just nine new cases Wednesday, but the country is keeping a watchful eye on this week's holidays, which could lead to more cases. The number of COVID-19 infections in South Korea reached 10,761, marking the 11th day in a row that the number of new infections stayed at 15 or below, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The figure peaked on Feb. 29 at 909. Hea
April 29, 2020
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Prosecution attempts to search TV newsroom in probe into reporter's blackmail case
Seoul prosecutors stormed five locations Tuesday as part of their probe into a blackmail case involving a cable news reporter. The reporter from Channel A is suspected of pressuring a jailed financier to divulge corrupt acts by a pro-government commentator. He allegedly tried to leverage his ties with a senior prosecutor deemed powerful enough to influence the inmate's case. The prosecutors searched his home and other places but failed to enter news offices at the broadcaster's headquarters
April 28, 2020
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Migrant workers ‘self-isolate’ in crowded homes
Migrant workers staying in cramped accommodations during their mandatory two-week quarantine could pose a risk to South Korea’s efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, experts and activists said Tuesday. On Monday, some 20 migrant workers from Myanmar, who arrived in Korea on April 23, were caught staying in accommodation inappropriate for quarantine, with shared kitchens and bathrooms, where strict self-quarantine is nearly impossible, according to the Bupyeong-gu Office. “It
April 28, 2020
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S. Korea far from stemming coronavirus: KCDC
South Korea’s health officials said the country was still far from completely stemming the novel coronavirus and that the upcoming long weekend will be another challenge in keeping the virus curve as flat as it is now. More than 2 in every 5 transmissions of the coronavirus could occur while the original patient is in the early stages of the infection, officials said Tuesday. “Besides asymptomatic cases, COVID-19 is highly infectious at least two days prior to showing symptoms, a
April 28, 2020
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Korea hit by three minor quakes in two days
South Korea has been rattled by three minor earthquakes in and around the southwestern region over the past two days, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Tuesday. A 2.4 magnitude earthquake hit Geumsan of South Chungcheong Province, 198 kilometers south of Seoul, shortly after noon Monday, while Mokpo, a South Jeolla port, 410 km south of the capital, logged a 2.1 magnitude quake just before 1 p.m., according to the KMA. Earlier on Monday, a 2.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Nor
April 28, 2020
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Seoul Foreign School shares virtual learning experience
As many students and parents struggle with online school, Seoul Foreign School shared how it has gone about virtual learning through close communication with students, parents and other international schools around the world. SFS already used a blended learning model that involves both online and in-person teaching and learning, and this helped when making the shift to a 100 percent virtual learning model, said David Beaty, the school’s director of technology. When COVID-19 hit South Ko
April 28, 2020
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Government seeks to offer masks to Korean adoptees abroad
The government is taking steps to offer free masks to Korean adoptees or seniors living alone overseas, as the domestic supply of masks has improved. “We are considering free distribution of masks to those who are vulnerable such as adoptees or seniors living alone abroad,” a Foreign Ministry official said. Exports of Korean-made masks are still prohibited, and since March 24, Koreans have been allowed to send up to eight masks to their families abroad. The government has made ar
April 28, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Convicted sex offenders banned from taking teacher recruitment exam
Anyone convicted of sexual offenses will be barred from taking the teacher recruitment exam, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday, as the relevant law has been revised under the government's drive to stamp out sexual violence. The Cabinet meeting approved the revision of the Decree on the Appointment of Public Education Officials in the morning, providing the legal grounds for prohibiting people punished for sexual crimes from applying for teaching positions at local schools, the ministry sa
April 28, 2020
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Uncertainties cloud Korea’s road to reopening
South Korea is gearing up to wean itself off of most of its coronavirus countermeasures, with the curve effectively suppressed. But experts warn the country may be skipping a few steps before it is ready to relax physical distancing and emerge from a standstill. “Resuming life after COVID-19 is uncharted waters Korea will be navigating,” said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun in a Sunday meeting with health officials. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a press briefing held the
April 28, 2020
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With lax social distancing in store, virus curve flattens for days
South Korea reported fewer than 15 cases of the new coronavirus for the 10th day in a row Tuesday, with the upcoming holidays set to be crucial in whether the country can go ahead with a lax social distancing drive next week. The country reported 14 new virus cases, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,752 in 100 days, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The country reported its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 20. Health authorities, however, warned t
April 28, 2020
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Education minister, superintendents to discuss resumption of schools
Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae and local education superintendents will hold a videoconference this week to discuss how to normalize school education disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the ministry said Monday. During the meeting set for Tuesday afternoon, the minister will hear from the officials about pros and cons of reopening of schools as well as ideas on how best to prevent the pandemic from affecting schools. The Ministry of Education is expected to make a decision on the issue be
April 27, 2020