Most Popular
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Seoul vows action over Naver's Line, Yahoo dispute
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[KH Explains] Hyundai Motor’s plan for new landmark keeps hitting bumps
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Key S. Korean, USFK special operations officials to hold rare meeting amid NK threats
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Samsung doubles down on Vietnam
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In Beijing, S. Korean top diplomat aims to jumpstart ties with China
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Suspect behind murder of Korean tourist in Pattaya arrested
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Prosecutors summon pastor involved in Dior bag scandal
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[Grace Kao] American racism against Stray Kids
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NewJeans' members' parents complained to Hybe, email shows
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[Graphic News] Over 80% of people filing bankruptcy in Seoul in their 50s and older
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[Newsmaker] Cold snap grips Korea
The season’s strongest cold wave hit South Korea on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, with temperatures in many parts of the country dropping below minus 10 degrees Celsius. Cold wave alerts or advisories were issued for most parts of the country as of 7 a.m., except for the resort island of Jeju. Temperatures dipped to the season’s record lows, reaching minus 11.7 C in Seoul and minus 9.8 C in Incheon as of 8:30 a.m., according to the nation’s weather agency. In the mountainous r
Dec. 31, 2019
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[What the 2020s will hold for Korea] Aging time bomb ticking louder
A new decade has dawned. Unprecedented challenges await Korea from an aging and shrinking population to accelerated warming of the peninsula. The Korea Herald has prepared a four-part series looking into some of the changes and challenges facing the nation in the 2020s. -- Ed.School classrooms and homes go empty in rural areas. Deaths greatly outnumber childbirths. The economy, once the region’s most dynamic, loses its vigor with fewer workers, fewer taxpayers and fewer consumers. This, ac
Dec. 31, 2019
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Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk indicted for family-related charges
Cho Kuk, former justice minister and senior presidential secretary, was indicted Tuesday on a number of charges in relation to a scandal involving his family, including bribery.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted the former minister on 12 charges, including obstruction of business and forging fake documents, without detention. The indictment follows a monthslong probe over alleged academic fraud and financial irregularities involving Cho's wife and children.Prosecutors claimed
Dec. 31, 2019
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[What the 2020s will hold for Korea] Visible signs of climate change
A new decade has dawned. Unprecedented challenges await Korea from an aging and shrinking population to accelerated warming of the peninsula. The Korea Herald has prepared a four-part series looking into some of the changes and challenges facing the nation in the 2020s. -- Ed.The sea level is rising. Spring and autumn are getting shorter, while summer is becoming longer. South Korea is blanketed by toxic air more frequently. All these point to one thing: Global warming is unfolding on the K
Dec. 31, 2019
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S. Korea gripped by season's coldest weather
Freezing cold weather hit most of the nation Tuesday, the last day of this year, with the windchill dipping below minus 30 C in some mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, east of Seoul.The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a cold wave alert or advisory for much of South Korea, excluding the southern island of Jeju, as the mercury dropped to the season's record lows of minus 10.9 C in Seoul and minus 9.9 C in Incheon on Tuesday morning.In Gangwon Province, the nation's coldest region,
Dec. 31, 2019
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[Newsmaker] S. Korea issues cold wave advisory for Fri
South Korea's state weather agency on Monday issued a cold wave advisory for most of areas of the country as the mercury is expected to drop sharply. The warning that went into effect as of 10:00 p.m. comes as the Korea Meteorological Administration predicted the temperature will drop by more than 10 degrees Celsius early Tuesday from the day before. It added that with many parts of the country to be affected by strong winds, the wind chill factor will cause people to feel the freezing tem
Dec. 30, 2019
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[Newsmaker] From new IDs to pension boost, changes due in 2020
The new year sees a wide range of changes across the spectrum of South Koreans’ daily lives. From new passports to salary hikes for military conscripts, here are some of the changes that 2020 will bring. Sex offender registry available on mobileParents and guardians of minors will be able to view information about registered sex offenders in their districts on their mobile devices. Currently, the information is sent via mail to households with children under 19.Schools and other insti
Dec. 30, 2019
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Prosecutors question key witnesses in Ulsan mayoral election scandal
Prosecutors questioned two key witnesses as part of ongoing investigations into Ulsan mayoral election meddling scandal, allegedly involving President Moon Jae-in's secretaries and police, in Seoul on Monday.Im Dong-ho, a former senior member of the ruling Democratic Party, and former Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon were summoned to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in the afternoon for questioning about the allegations that Song Byung-gi, Ulsan's vice mayor for economic affairs, conspired
Dec. 30, 2019
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Justice minister nominee vows to push ahead with prosecution reform
Justice minister nominee Choo Mi-ae on Monday pledged a swift and thorough implementation of prosecution reform, one of the most controversial reform initiatives of President Moon Jae-in and his ruling Democratic Party. Speaking at her parliamentary confirmation hearing, Choo, a five-term ruling Democratic Party lawmaker and former judge, expressed her support for an envisioned independent investigation body to probe corruption of senior government officials, including the president, public pros
Dec. 30, 2019
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Govt. to grant special pardons to over 5,000 people to mark new year
The government on Monday said it will grant special pardons to 5,174 people, including conscientious objectors, minor offenders and activists, ahead of the new year.The move, set to go into effect Tuesday, includes 1,879 conscientious objectors, 267 who have been convicted for breaching the election law, as well as three political and labor activists, the justice ministry said in a press release. The government said the special pardon is aimed at relieving the burden of convicts whose livelihood
Dec. 30, 2019
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[Newsmaker] 3.5 magnitude quake hits southeastern city
A 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit the country's southeastern region early Monday in the seventh-strongest quake to occur on the Korean Peninsula this year, the weather agency saidThe quake occurred shortly after midnight at 00:32 a.m. at some 15 kilometers northeast of Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province, with a depth of 20 km, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.Tremors were felt across the province, but there were no reported damages. The local fire office received 26 calls on w
Dec. 30, 2019
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[News Focus] Final vote expected on new corruption investigation body
A bill on setting up an independent body tasked with investigating corruption of high-ranking officials was expected to be put to vote Monday amid fierce opposition from the prosecution and the main opposition party. The nearly 27-hour filibuster, which the main opposition Liberty Korea Party began Friday to stop the bill’s passage, ended at midnight Sunday as the extra parliamentary session ended. A new session was called for Monday, where lawmakers are expected to vote on the contentious
Dec. 29, 2019
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No constitutionality dispute in Seoul-Tokyo deal on WWII sex slavery: court
South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday said it found no apparent points of constitutional contention in the 2015 Seoul-Tokyo deal over Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean girls and women during World War II.The court said it would dismiss the constitutional complaint filed by 29 survivors of sexual slavery at Japanese military brothels and 12 family members of deceased victims.The court’s decision came after three years and nine months of deliberation.“The agreemen
Dec. 27, 2019
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[Newsmaker] Prosecutors request arrest warrant for Ulsan vice mayor over election-meddling allegations
Prosecutors here said Friday they have requested an arrest warrant for an Ulsan vice mayor suspected of illegally intervening in the 2018 mayoral election in the southeastern metropolitan city.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it asked the court Thursday evening to issue a pre-trial warrant to detain Song Byung-gi, Ulsan's vice mayor for economic affairs, on charges of conspiring with several presidential aides to influence the city's mayoral poll last year in violation of the P
Dec. 27, 2019
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[Weekender] A look back at 2019
As we approach the end of the year, it is time to look back at some of the major events and memorable moments of 2019. From trade wars between the US and China and then Korea and Japan, to the unrest in Hong Kong and rival rallies in Seoul over then-Justice Minister Cho Kuk, 2019 had plenty of conflict and discord to take note of. There were also memorable milestones achieved this year, such as the first-ever image of a black hole captured by scientists. Bong Joon-ho’s film “Parasite
Dec. 27, 2019
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Suit over 2015 sex slavery deal settled in court arbitration
A lawsuit filed by several South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery over a 2015 agreement between the two countries was settled Thursday in a court arbitration in which the government in Seoul agreed to deny the deal's validity and vowed continued efforts to help regain the victims' honor, legal sources said.Kang Il-chul and eight other surviving South Korean victims filed the suit against the government in August 2016 demanding 100 million won ($86,000) per person in compensation
Dec. 27, 2019
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Arrest warrant rejected for Cho Kuk in power abuse case
A Seoul court on Friday rejected an arrest warrant for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk in a probe into his suspected role in ending an inspection into bribery allegations involving a former Busan vice mayor.Earlier this week, prosecutors filed for an arrest warrant for Cho, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, on charges of abuse of authority in connection with the bribery case of now-arrested Yoo Jae-soo.After an hourslong hearing, Judge Kwon Deok-jin of the Seoul Eastern Dis
Dec. 27, 2019
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Seoul to welcome 2020 with ringing of Boshingak bell
The Seoul metropolitan city government said Thursday it will welcome the new year with a traditional bell-ringing ceremony.The bell will be rung 33 times at Boshingak Pavillion in downtown Seoul at midnight on New Year's Eve by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and 11 civic representatives, according to the city.The bell-ringing ceremony, broadcast live across the country, has been held every year since 1953. The ringing of the bell bids farewell to the old year and is an expression of hope, happiness a
Dec. 26, 2019
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Childbirths down 3.1% in Oct.
The number of babies born in South Korea fell 3.1 percent in October from a year earlier, data showed Thursday, in the latest evidence underscoring the low birthrate that has plagued Korea's economy for more than a decade.The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 25,648 infants were born in October, compared with 26,474 tallied in the same month of 2018.It marks the lowest number of newborns for any October since 1981, when the statistics agency started compiling monthly data on newborns
Dec. 26, 2019
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Ex-justice minister denies power abuse allegations
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk denied allegations on Thursday that he had abused his power to suspend a presidential inquiry into a former Busan vice mayor, as he attended an arrest warrant hearing in connection with the case. After the hearing, Cho said through his lawyer that he had neither abused his power nor stopped the internal inquiry into Yoo Jae-soo, who was suspected of taking bribes. Cho also denied attempting to destroy evidence. At the hearing, which laste
Dec. 26, 2019