Most Popular
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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Ministry denies blame for Jamboree debacle
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Pianist Cho Seong-Jin named Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence
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1st sighting of the rare tundra swan reported in Ulsan
Bird watchers in Ulsan have reported sightings of two tundra swans, marking the first time the rare bird species has been found within the city, authorities said Monday. The birds were found looking for food in the fields of Onyang-eup and Onsan-eup in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on Feb.7, according to the Ulsan Metropolitan Government. The swans were first caught on camera by Lee Jae-ho, a member of the local youth bird watchers' club, who later accompanied photographer Yun Gi-deuk to photograph the
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024
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[Election 2024] Will election untie Yoon's hands?
The general election on April 10 will not only be an election for a new parliament of 300 legislators but also a decisive moment for the presidency of Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been struggling to advance his agenda since his narrow election victory two years ago. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, led by Yoon's presidential election opponent Rep. Lee Jae-myung, currently holds a simple majority. The ruling party, on the other hand, has only 113 out of the 300 parliamentary seats. T
PoliticsMarch 4, 2024
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Seoul starts to suspend license of 7,000 unreturned doctors
The South Korean government on Monday started taking legal steps against some 7,000 trainee doctors who refused to return to work by moving to suspend their licenses for at least three months. Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Monday’s briefing that those who defy the government’s return-to-work orders would be notified of their license suspension on Tuesday. Health authorities have begun on-site investigations at 50 training hospitals to determine the exact number
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024
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US-led minerals partnership to set up forum to include non-members
Members of the US-led Minerals Security Partnership agreed to establish a forum to promote effective cooperation on critical mineral supplies with non-member countries that are significant producers of minerals, South Korea's Foreign Ministry announced Monday. Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun participated in the Representatives Meeting of the MSP chaired by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez in Toronto on Sunday. During the meet
Foreign AffairsMarch 4, 2024
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Ex-defense minister named ambassador to Australia
Former South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup has been named as the country's new ambassador to Australia amid growing defense and arms industrial cooperation between the two countries. Lee, who served as defense minister from May 2022 to October 2023, played a crucial role in the exportation of Redback infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by South Korea’s Hanwha Defense. Lee also held the position of vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2017 to 2018. Lee's acad
Foreign AffairsMarch 4, 2024
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Ruling party chief calls for TV debate with main opposition leader
The ruling party chief on Monday called on the main opposition leader to engage in a televised debate ahead of the April 10 legislative election, saying that it’s “what many people want.” People Power Party Interim Chair Han Dong-hoon told reporters that he is ready to face off against the Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee Jae-myung in a debate, while hinting that the opposition leader has been avoiding it on purpose. “I believe it is what several media and many people
PoliticsMarch 4, 2024
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What's next for protesting doctors?
South Korean government on Monday refused to give in to doctors' protests against its plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota, as the threat of the mass suspension of medical licenses for striking trainee doctors loomed over the country. Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said the government is moving to take "irreversible" measures against trainee doctors who left work, warning of suspensions of their medical licenses for at least three months. "If (the li
Social AffairsMarch 4, 2024
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[Bills in Focus] Tax relief for birth benefits, green light for local logistics facilities
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act Proposed by Rep. Yoon Doo-hyun (People Power Party) ● To ensure consumers are protected after the abolition of the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act, this amendment transfers provisions related to selective contract discounts and prohibitions on compulsory subscriptions to add-on services to the Telecommunications Business Act. It also promotes free competition among mobile communications businesses and enhances use
PoliticsMarch 4, 2024
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Ex-DP lawmaker to join PPP amid growing factional rift as April 10 elections near
A four-term lawmaker previously affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party joined the ruling People Power Party on Monday as a factional rift in the Democratic Party deepened over candidate nominations for the April 10 parliamentary elections. Rep. Kim Young-joo, a deputy National Assembly speaker, quit the Democratic Party last month, protesting the party's inclusion of her in a list of underperformers to be disadvantaged in election nominations amid allegations the party is side
PoliticsMarch 4, 2024
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S. Korea, US begin key annual military drills amid NK threats
South Korea and the United States kicked off a major combined military exercise Monday to reinforce deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats amid concern Pyongyang could use the maneuvers as a pretext for provocations. The annual Freedom Shield exercise got under way for an 11-day run amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's continued saber-rattling, including artillery firings near the western sea border and a series of missile launches. The springtime exercise ma
DefenseMarch 4, 2024
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Top 0.1% of Korea's employees averaged 685m won each in yearly bonuses: report
Of all the South Korean employees who reported having received bonuses from their companies in 2022, individuals in the top 0.1 percent got an average of 685.26 million won ($513,000) each, a National Tax Service report showed Saturday. According to a report made public by Rep. Yang Gyeong-suk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, 9.79 million South Korean workers reported receiving bonuses, with the median figure among them being 4.34 million won. While the median figure marked an i
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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Tensions hit fever pitch as doctors hold mass street rally
Tensions between the Yoon Suk Yeol government and the medical community have escalated to a boiling point, with doctors flooding the streets in a massive protest on Sunday, defying the government's ultimatum to return to work by Thursday or face legal consequences. At the Yeouido Hangang Park in western Seoul, doctors, interns, residents and medical students staged a large-scale protest to denounce the government's decision to increase the annual medical school student enrollment quo
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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40% of Korea's female workers say they were paid less due to their gender
Roughly four out of 10 South Korean female employees said they have received less in wages from their employer due to their gender, a survey showed Sunday. Local civic group Gabjil 119 surveyed 1,000 employees across the country about gender discrimination in work-related issues such as wages or promotions. It showed 40.6 percent of the female respondents said they have been unfairly penalized in wages because of their gender, which was nearly double the 21.8 percent of men who said the same. Th
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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Mainstream factions dominate as election candidates
The overwhelming majority of candidates from the two main parties picked to run in the upcoming legislative election so far are viewed as part of the parties’ respective mainstream factions, data showed Sunday. The outcome contradicts earlier pledges made by the two parties to select more candidates from their respective nonmainstream pools for the April 10 general election in order to promote fairness. According to data provided by the ruling party, the majority of the candidates from
PoliticsMarch 3, 2024
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[From the Scene] Day of Rage: Doctors resist pressure to bend
Expressing frustration and anger at the South Korean government’s recent decision to increase the annual medical school quota by 2,000 starting in 2025, tens of thousands of doctors, interns, residents and medical students walked the picket line Sunday afternoon to urge a reversal of the planned hike. Chants of “Let’s fight together, let’s win together” reverberated through the crowd, reflecting determination even as the government has issued repeated warnings that
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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Marriages in Korea fall by 40% within a decade
In another piece of grim news underscoring South Korea's looming demographic crisis, the number of marriages in 2023 fell by 40 percent compared to the level recorded a decade ago, government statistics revealed Sunday. According to Statistics Korea, an estimated 193,673 couples tied the knot last year, a drop of 40 percent compared to the 322,807 couples who got married in 2013. From a year ago, however, the 2023 figure marks a 1 percent increase, or 1,983 more marriages. In 2022, marria
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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Koreans working 200 hours fewer than decade ago: data
South Korean workers’ actual annual working hours have decreased by nearly 200 hours over 10 years, yet people here still work far longer than the average of the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. According to the statistics released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Sunday, the average monthly working hours of employees in South Korea stood at 156.2 hours in 2023, down 2.5 hours from 158.7 hours in 2022. In 2013, the average monthly worki
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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[KH explains] Why is S. Korea mulling ease on marriage ban between blood relatives?
The debate on consanguineous marriage is heating up, as the government appears to be moving toward easing laws related to intrafamily marriage. Currently, South Korea prohibits marriage between blood relatives within eight degrees of relations ("chon" in Korean), according to the Civil Act, Article 809 and Article 815. That means that Koreans may not marry third cousins -- their grandparents' cousins' grandchildren -- or closer relatives. Article 809, Section 1 states that &l
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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Fake news on soccer star generated W700m: report
YouTube videos carrying fake news about controversy-ridden soccer star Lee Kang-in are thought to have generated up to 700 million won ($523,000) in profit in the two weeks after his alleged altercation with Son Heung-min became public, a report by an advertising consulting firm claimed Sunday. Lee, a 23-year-old player for Paris Saint-Germain, was subject to nationwide criticism when it was reported that he had allegedly fought with the South Korean national men's soccer team captain Son H
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024
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Gang member found dead amid probe for assault on YouTuber
A member of a South Korean gang who was under investigation for instigating an assault on a YouTuber has been found dead, a local media outlet reported Sunday. The body of the 30-something-year-old suspect was found inside a motel in Gyeonggi Province, according to a Channel A report. The man was being investigated by the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on suspicion of instigating an attack against a YouTuber who uploaded critical content about his organization. Police did not disclose d
Social AffairsMarch 3, 2024