Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul
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Jamboree friendship formed over Korean fried chicken
The ill-prepared and ill-fated World Scout Jamboree has been a source of embarrassment and shame for many South Koreans. But amid all the negative publicity over the event's numerous problems -- from the heat wave, to the partially flooded campsite, to the insect bites, hygiene issues, insufficient food and even an alleged peeping tom incident -- there have also emerged stories of unexpected kindness and friendship. In one such story shared with The Korea Herald, a team of adult volunteer
Social AffairsAug. 10, 2023
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[Korean History] Sampoong: A deep national wound
A sultry early-summer day was just starting to fade, when a deafening bang reverberated throughout Gangnam, Seoul. Half of Sampoong Department Store, the pink-color, two-building complex that had stood as a landmark of the affluent Seocho-gu neighborhood, was gone, leaving behind scenes of ruins, debris and dust. The June 1995 collapse killed 502 people and injured 937 others, making it the largest peacetime casualty event in South Korea's modern history — a record that remains unbr
Hashtag KoreaAug. 9, 2023
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Samsung’s latest foldable phones set preorders record at home
Samsung Electronics’ new foldable smartphones -- the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 -- have yet to be launched, but preorder figures suggest that they are likely to be a super hit. The South Korean tech giant said Tuesday that preorders for the two models amounted to 1.02 million units in South Korea, setting an all-time high record for the form factor. The preorder record marked by the previous models was 970,000 units last year. While Samsung accepted seven-day preorders until Monday ahead o
TechnologyAug. 8, 2023
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[From the Scene] 'Things are improving, we're just enjoying the moment'
SAEMANGEUM, North Jeolla Province -- The heat has been troublesome for 15-year-old Swedish Scout David Yao and his teammates when they first entered the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, last week. But things are improving enough to continue their adventure, make friends with Scouts from global contingents and learn about different cultures, he said. “At first (the heat) was a shock to us because we are from Sweden. But we are getting used to it,” said Yao. &
Social AffairsAug. 7, 2023
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Seoul to host 2027 World Youth Day
Pope Francis on Sunday announced Seoul as the host of the 2027 World Youth Day site during the closing Mass for this year’s global Catholic Church event for young people in Lisbon. South Korea will become the second Asian host of World Youth Day, a celebration organized by the Catholic Church for young devotees from all over the world, following the Philippines in 1995. The closing Mass in Manila recorded the largest gathering of people in a religious event with over 5 million people, whil
NewsmakerAug. 7, 2023
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[Newsmaker] Mass stabbings prompt demand for more power among police
South Korea, terrorized by a series of stabbing sprees all over the country in the past month, is pondering if its police need more liberty in deploying force when confronting a suspect. Earlier this month President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the country’s “entire police force would be mobilized” to prevent the recurrence of stabbing attacks at random. But police officers on the front lines complain they are being held liable for use of force even when judged to be necessary on th
PoliticsAug. 6, 2023
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Stabbing rampages push S. Korea to seek life sentence without parole
The South Korean government said Friday that it will take steps to introduce life sentence without parole as punishment for violent crimes, in response to a series of deadly and seemingly random attacks that have occurred in the past weeks. The announcement came a day after a 22-year-old man injured 14 in what appeared to be a random attack against pedestrians at Seohyeon Station in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province. The culprit -- who showed signs of paranoia -- gave no clear motive to police, fueling
NewsmakerAug. 4, 2023
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'Ajumma' no more: Housekeepers given new job title, 'house managers'
Housekeepers in Korea, commonly referred to as “ajumma” or “imo,” have acquired a new job title, "gasa gwallisa," meaning house manager. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, officially announcing the new occupational title Wednesday, asked the general public to use it to refer to domestic workers -- those who provide services such as cleaning, washing, kitchen work and caring for members of a household -- from now on. So far, domestic workers have often been
Social AffairsAug. 3, 2023
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Rethinking work, vacation in era of 'global boiling'
Summer heat is becoming increasingly deadly in many parts of the world, as the Earth has entered an "era of global boiling," as declared by the United Nations last week. South Korea is among the countries that are grappling with extreme heat, with the number of victims of heat-related illnesses rising at an alarming pace. According to fire authorities, a total of 23 people have died from May 20 to Monday due to heat-related illnesses. The number is more than triple the total 7 deaths i
Social AffairsAug. 2, 2023
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Why young people have 'call phobia' and how to manage it
A minute away from initiating a phone call with her landlord, Lee Hyun-jung, a 24-year-old college graduate, feels her heart racing and palms getting sweaty. These all-too-familiar symptoms seem to arise when she has to make or receive a phone call, prompting her to avoid speaking on the phone whenever possible. Phone anxiety, also known as call phobia or telephobia, is a form of social anxiety disorder observed in a growing number of people, particularly among those belonging to the so-called &
Hashtag KoreaAug. 1, 2023
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[Herald Review] In ‘Little Garden,’ grannies learn to document own lives on video
In Myeongju-dong, an older neighborhood in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, a group of eight older women who have lived in the area for over 30 years and have an average age of 75 among them gather to go over video footage they took over the past week. Besides meeting friends, volunteering, doing housework and gardening, these women have a new thing to cross off their to-do lists: shooting moments of their everyday lives with their smartphones. It is part of a community center program. Some of the women t
FilmJuly 31, 2023
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10 people died at the Astroworld music festival two years ago. What happens now?
Nearly two years after 10 people were crushed to death during the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, no charges have been filed — even though some people, including event workers, expressed safety concerns. Pinpointing “who exactly caused those deaths is not an easy question to answer,” said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a criminal law professor at the University of Houston Law Center. “It’s a very difficult thing to say, unless you have some kind of clear evidence that som
PerformanceJuly 30, 2023
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Why Korea's parenting icon faces blame for recent surge in teacher assaults
Dr. Oh Eun-young has risen to prominence as a South Korean TV personality in recent years thanks to her medical assessments and advice on parenting and mental health, captivating audiences still concerned about seeking psychiatric help due to the social stigma surrounding such treatments. The star psychiatrist, however, has recently found herself at the center of controversy, with some internet users and teachers blaming her that teachers are becoming more powerless because of Oh's parentin
Social AffairsJuly 28, 2023
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[Reporter's Notebook] Bereaved families do not deserve abuse
Fuming with rage and shedding tears were bereaved family members of victims in the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon last year, following the Constitutional Court's verdict Tuesday that cleared Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min of legal accountability for the incident. An unidentified man's yelling sparked an outcry from the bereaved family members, who flocked to the crowded street in front of the court as they were attempting to speak to the press. Tuesday marked 270 da
Social AffairsJuly 27, 2023
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Seoul officials yet to face consequences for Itaewon crowd crush
Eight months after the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, none of the officials in charge of the situation at the time has faced legal punishment, with investigations and trials still ongoing. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court dismissed impeachment of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, rejecting the National Assembly's request to remove him over the crowd crush that left 159 dead. Police investigating the incident had earlier decided not to seek criminal charges against him. The trial
Social AffairsJuly 26, 2023
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93-year-old British veteran to sing Arirang to commemorate Korean War
When British veteran Colin Thackery first heard Korean military men singing Arirang on the battlefield during the 1950-53 Korean War, he could not have known what the song was about and that he himself would be belting it out 70 years later in the country he had fought for. “When we first heard Arirang, we didn't know what it was. We thought it was a lullaby or a national anthem because we heard it so often. But it’s very familiar to everybody now. It has such a pretty tune,&rdq
DefenseJuly 25, 2023
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Why some S. Korean children refuse to ditch masks
Despite masks no longer being required for about six months, some young Koreans have refused to give them up, not only to stay healthy and protect themselves from potential viruses, but for personal reasons as well. Min Kyeong-chae, a 13-year-old student, told The Korea Herald that she feels reluctant to take her mask off because of her insecurities. “My face breaks out very easily, which is something that I feel the most insecure about,” said Min. “I think I look prettier with
Social AffairsJuly 24, 2023
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[Beyond Earth] Spacemap looks to revolutionize satellite orbit prediction
In February 2009, two communications satellites -- a commercial satellite owned by US-based global satellite company Iridium Communications and a Russian military satellite -- collided in space, marking the first-known collision between two satellites and resulting in over 10,000 pieces of space debris. Spacemap, a South Korean startup, is looking to bring about an evolution that makes space missions safer with its platform technology that can predict the orbits of satellites and space debris to
TechnologyJuly 23, 2023
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[Well-curated] Stay cool inside with underground art space, trampolines and comics
Explore art and architecture at Songeun Art Space Songeun Art Space is located in a building designed by world-renowned Swiss architecture firm, Herzog & de Meuron, in Cheongdam-dong, an affluent neighborhood in southern Seoul. Opened in 2021, visiting the building that houses Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation offers a chance to check out the architects’ first-ever project in South Korea, as well as an exhibition of an emerging media artist Kwon Hye-won. The geometric 11-story buildi
CultureJuly 21, 2023
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BTS book takes US bookstores by storm
The English version of a book about K-pop sensation BTS released earlier this month by the band's agency to mark the septet's 10 year anniversary is taking US bookstores by storm. The book, titled “Beyond the Story: 10-year Record of BTS,” by BTS and Myeongseok Kang, translated by Anton Hur and Claire Richards, topped the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover nonfiction on Wednesday. Rankings on the newspaper’s weekly list reflect sales including pre-orders for the week
K-popJuly 20, 2023