Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US Air Force blames power loss, weather for F-16 crash in S. Korea in May 2023
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Ex-president Moon recalls in memoir NK leader voiced will not to use nukes
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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Foreigners, overseas Koreans got less health insurance benefits than premiums
Contrary to assumptions that foreign nationals and Korean citizens residing abroad are free riders of the state health care system, they paid more in on average than they took out in terms of health insurance benefits. In 2018, some 946,745 foreign and overseas residents subscribed to the state health insurance plan, and paid a total of 1.01 trillion won in premiums, according to data from the National Health Insurance Service. This translates into an average of 1.07 million won a year per pe
Feb. 13, 2020
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Court acquits three judges indicted for disclosing official secrets
A Seoul court on Thursday acquitted three incumbent judges of charges of disclosing official secrets. Judges Shin Kwang-yeol, Cho Eui-yeon and Sung Chang-ho were all indicted last year and referred to trial on charges of disclosing confidential judicial information related to a 2016 judiciary lobbying scandal involving a local businessman, judge and judge-turned-lawyer. Shin, Cho and Sung were charged with collecting and reporting confidential information on prosecutors' investigations into t
Feb. 13, 2020
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All 147 Wuhan evacuees given clear from coronavirus
All evacuees airlifted earlier this week from Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus outbreak, tested negative for the illness, the country's health authorities here said Thursday. A total of 147 South Koreans, their Chinese spouses and family members were evacuated from China on Wednesday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said five evacuees -- three South Koreans and two Chinese nationals -- who showed symptoms of the novel coronavirus upon arrival in Seoul fr
Feb. 13, 2020
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Court upholds 6-month prison term for cat killer
A Seoul court on Thursday upheld a six-month prison term handed down to a man charged with abusing and killing a cat in western Seoul. The 40-year-old man, surnamed Jeong, had been indicted for abusing and murdering a cat named Jadu on a busy street in Mapo ward on July 13 last year. The appeals court at the Seoul Western District Court maintained a lower court's Nov. 1 ruling that sentenced the man to six months in prison. Following the initial ruling, Jeong had argued the sentence was exce
Feb. 13, 2020
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No new coronavirus infections reported for 2nd day, total unchanged at 28
South Korea on Thursday reported no new novel coronavirus cases after the latest case was identified on Tuesday, and the number of cases here remained unchanged at 28. As of Thursday morning, the number of people being checked for the COVID-19 virus under quarantine came to 670, down from 785 on Wednesday, with seven patients having recovered and been released from hospitals, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The country has tested 5,769 p
Feb. 13, 2020
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Three more patients cleared of virus, Wuhan evacuees arrive
The isolation period ended Wednesday for three patients infected with the novel coronavirus, pushing up the number of fully recovered patients in Korea to seven. Including the recovered patients, the number of confirmed cases in Korea stands at 28. The third batch of evacuees from Wuhan, China’s Hubei province -- 147 Koreans and Chinese nationals who are family members of Korean nationals -- arrived here via a flight chartered by the Korean government. Seven of them were sent to a hospi
Feb. 12, 2020
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Tracking down new mystery virus
The new coronavirus that originated in China has infected 28 people in South Korea, with at least 5,000 being monitored for symptoms. Every time a new case is discovered, epidemiological investigators at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rush to track the course of the infection and estimate its sphere of influence. Park Young-jun, the chief of the KCDC emergency response center’s epidemiology and case management team, spoke to reporters Wednesday about what it takes
Feb. 12, 2020
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Two seriously injured after violent scuffle at Yeouido restaurant
A scuffle occurred at a restaurant in the financial district of Yeouido in Seoul Wednesday, seriously injuring two people, police said. Police and firefighters were dispatched to the underground eatery of a securities company in Yeouido on reports that one employee stabbed another with a knife at around 9:15 a.m. A woman in her 60s, presumed to be a suspect, was found unconsciousin the vicinity of the scene after fleeing. Police said she appears to have attempted to kill herself. A man in hi
Feb. 12, 2020
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Number of S. Korea's virus cases unchanged at 28; 3 more patients to be released
South Korea said Wednesday three more patients with the novel coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19, will be released from quarantine, in addition to four previous discharges cases, out of a total of 28 confirmed cases. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said the country's third, eighth, 17th virus-infected patients will be released from quarantine later in the day after full recovery. Four other patients were previously discharged from hospitals after testing negative for th
Feb. 12, 2020
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Korea's 3rd evacuation plane arrives from Wuhan, 5 showing symptoms
South Korea's third evacuation flight from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan arrived back in Seoul on Wednesday, carrying about 140 of its citizens, their Chinese spouses and family members, with five of them showing symptoms of the coronavirus. The chartered plane landed at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul at 6:23 a.m. The passengers with the symptoms were sent to a hospital for additional medical checks and treatment. The evacuation mission came less than a fortnight aft
Feb. 12, 2020
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Korea's 3rd evacuation flight departs for virus-hit Wuhan
A third government-chartered plane departed for the new coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan late Tuesday to evacuate about 170 South Korean citizens and their Chinese spouses and immediate family members. The flight took off from Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, with a government rapid response team of 12 staffers, including medical and quarantine officials on board. It is expected to arrive in Wuhan around midnight and return to Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on
Feb. 11, 2020
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[From the scene] Inside 1339 hotline office in time of virus crisis
Anyone suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus is first and foremost directed to call the disease control centers hotline at 1339. It is the primary point of contact for all virus queries, guiding the public on how to stay safe amid the health crisis. The 24/7 call service has been operating under emergency procedures since the onset of the outbreak in end-January. Prior to the virus, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hotline center took about 300 to 400
Feb. 11, 2020
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Korea’s 28th patient casts doubt on 14-day quarantine
South Korea’s latest confirmed case of the coronavirus has raised alarm over the virus’s incubation period and the country’s quarantine measures. The latest case, the 28th patient, is a 30-year old Chinese national who was confirmed Tuesday. Authorities believe she is likely to have contracted the virus from the third patient. The third patient is a 54-year old Korean male who arrived in Korea from Wuhan on Jan. 20, and was confirmed and isolated Jan. 26. With the last con
Feb. 11, 2020
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Artillery shells uncovered at construction site
South Korea’s military searched a construction site Tuesday after a number of artillery shells were found there Monday. Construction workers at the site in Seoul’s southwestern Guro district first reported the discovery of objects underground, because they thought they had found explosives. Authorities identified them as blind artillery shells, presumably from the 1950-53 Korean War, noting they needed a more thought examination. By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)
Feb. 11, 2020
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Fewer students think Korean unification needed: survey
More students think the reunification of the two Koreas is unnecessary and the Korean Peninsula is not peaceful, a survey showed Tuesday, amid stalled progress in inter-Korean relations. According to the survey by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Unification, 55.5 percent of the respondents said reunification of the Koreas was necessary, down 7.5 percentage points from a year earlier. Some 19.4 percent said reunification was unnecessary. The majority of the students who sai
Feb. 11, 2020
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Coronavirus information center opens for foreigners
Seoul has launched an information and consulting center on the new coronavirus exclusively for foreigners, with translation services available in eight languages, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday. At the center, set up inside the Southwest Global Center in southwestern Seoul, those illegally staying in South Korea can receive help and medical treatment without worrying about being reported to immigration authorities, officials added. The Southwest Global Center, the city-a
Feb. 11, 2020
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Seoul focuses on reducing ultrafine dust this year
The Environment Ministry said Tuesday it will make all-out efforts to reduce the country’s annual average ultrafine dust level to 20 micrograms per cubic meter this year, down from 23 micrograms in 2019. In its annual policy briefing to President Moon Jae-in, the ministry said that in addition to stronger emission control on factories, owners of old, high-emission diesel cars will be given subsidies to scrap their vehicles. The government said it will also offer increased subsidies for
Feb. 11, 2020
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S. Korea to send 3rd evacuation flight to virus-hit Wuhan Tuesday night
South Korea is set to send a third evacuation flight to the new coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan on Tuesday night to bring back about 170 of its citizens and their Chinese spouses and immediate family members, officials said. The chartered plane is expected to depart from Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 8:45 p.m., arrive in Wuhan late at night and return to Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul on Wednesday morning. The evacuation mission comes less than a
Feb. 11, 2020
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S. Korea reports 1 more case of novel coronavirus, total now at 28
South Korea on Tuesday confirmed one more case of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total here to 28 with four of them discharged after being fully recovered. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said the latest patient is a 30-year-od Chinese woman who is an acquaintance of the country's third confirmed case. The Chinese national had been placed into a self-quarantine before being diagnosed, the public health agency said. The KCDC said the third patient, a Korean na
Feb. 11, 2020
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Controversy rekindled over Hwacheon ice fishing festival
An ice-fishing festival in Hwacheon has reignited controversy over animal abuse for its cruel killing of mountain trout, with the environment minister denouncing it as a “human-focused” event at the cost of animals’ lives. On Monday, bestselling novelist Lee Oi-soo, who lives in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, and is an honorary ambassador for the festival, criticized the comment made last week by Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae. “Are chickens being raised in a free and
Feb. 10, 2020