Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Parties agree to hold revote on special investigation bills
The floor leaders of South Korea's two main parties on Thursday agreed to hold a revote on the two special investigation bills vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 5. The revote on the two bills, one of which pushes for a probe into a stock manipulation scandal linked to first lady Kim Keon Hee, was to take place during a plenary session scheduled in the afternoon. “We plan to deal with the revote of the two special investigation bills (during the plenary session scheduled later
PoliticsFeb. 29, 2024
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Most doctors refuse to end strike on last day of ultimatum
Only 294 of 9,000 striking junior doctors on strike returned to work on Thursday morning, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday. Thursday is the final day of the back-to-work deadline set by the government, with officials warning that the doctors could have their licenses suspended if they fail to heed the ultimatum. The Health Ministry has said the government is prepared to take legal steps beginning March. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry said that its officials had visited the hom
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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[KH Explains] Inside main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s bitter faction war
The Democratic Party of Korea’s primary race for the April 10 legislative election is being tainted by a furious faction fight. As the party begins to select candidates to run for the upcoming election, nearly a dozen have left the main opposition party. Among them are long-time loyalists who have stuck with the party through thick and thin for several decades. The faction to suffer the biggest blow was a group of lawmakers who were collectively deemed as the “pro-Moon faction”
PoliticsFeb. 29, 2024
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Court rules against ban on doctors revealing sex of unborn child
Parents will now be legally able to find out the sex of their unborn children before 32 weeks of pregnancy in South Korea. The South Korean Constitutional Court on Wednesday found the restriction on revealing the sex of fetuses unconstitutional, nullifying the related law provision immediately. The South Korean Medical Act Article 20 (2) stipulates doctors who reveal an immature fetus’ sex to anyone, including the mother, would have their license suspended face up to two years of impriso
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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30-year jail term sought for mother, acquaintances who beat infant to death
South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday requested a 30-year prison term for a 29-year-old woman indicted for beating her son to death, with the same punishment sought for her two acquaintances who took part in the abuse. Officials from Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office requested the court to sentence the mother, her 30-year-old male acquaintance and her 27-year-old female acquaintance for the charge of death resulting from child abuse. Such an offense is punishable with five years to life
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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Watchdog blocks additional parody videos of president
The Korea Communications Standards Commission on Thursday decided to block two parody videos of President Yoon Seuk Yeol, a week after it blocked a viral fake compilation video of the South Korean leader. The KCSC convened a meeting earlier in the day and passed the decision to block two doctored videos of Yoon from a 2022 speech which made it appear as if he was confessing to corruption and incompetence. The decision was based on the Regulations for the Review of Information and Communications,
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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Cho, Blinken pledge 'watertight' response to any NK provocations
The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States on Wednesday concurred on "watertight responses" to any North Korean provocations amid escalating hostilities from the Kim Jong-un regime directed toward South Korea, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met for their first foreign ministerial meeting in Washington since Cho assumed office in January. The bilateral discussion covered a wide array of t
Foreign AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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[KH Explains] Why doctors refuse to bend despite lack of public support
The recent mass walkout by junior doctors has led to unprecedented disruptions in South Korea’s otherwise well-regarded medical system. Both the government and doctors’ groups have refused to bend over plans to increase the number of places at medical schools. Both sides amped up their publicity efforts rather than actively seeking a compromise, as the government’s Thursday deadline for junior doctors to return to work loomed. The government has reiterated the need for medica
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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More than half of people in 24 countries dissatisfied with their democracy: report
A survey by a US-based think tank on Thursday showed growing criticism of how democracy is working across 24 nations, with a median of 59 percent expressing dissatisfaction with how their democracy is functioning and a small minority even being open to a form of military rule. Between Feb. 20 and May 22, 2023, the Pew Research Center surveyed 30,861 adults in 24 countries including South Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Sweden,
PoliticsFeb. 29, 2024
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Every penny counts: W100,000 stolen from W1 bank verifications
A hacker managed to steal 100,000 won ($75) from a local bank by exploiting the online banking verification system which confirms a person’s identity through deposits of 1 won. The suspect is accused of making 100,000 verification requests over the course of a week, swindling 1 won with each request. According to a report from local media outlet Edaily, the suspect, whose identity is being withheld, appeared to have employed an automated program, given the substantial number of ID verifi
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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Man caught after abandoning burning car
A man who abandoned a car he was driving after it caught fire was apprehended Thursday by Incheon police, who found him in the sauna of a local bathhouse. According to Incheon Seobu Police Station, the suspect in his 20s was found at the bathhouse around 2:15 a.m. in the city's Seo-gu district. The suspect is believed to have fled the scene after his car caught fire at around 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Police found several canisters of butane fuel in the car, which was still burning when offic
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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White House refuses to comment on whether S. Korea should send artillery shells to Ukraine
The White House declined Wednesday to comment on whether South Korea should provide 155-mm artillery shells to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks, saying it is a military decision for Seoul to speak to. During a press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the remarks, expressing America's gratitude for the Asian ally's continued support for the war-torn country. "I am going to let South Korea speak to their own military decisions and their bilateral relations,
Foreign AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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S. Korea's ODA budget set at record high of W6.3tr in 2024
The government set this year's budget for official development assistance at a record high of 6.3 trillion won ($4.7 billion) Thursday in line with efforts to take full responsibility and play a leading role as a global leader. The decision was made during a meeting of the government committee on official development assistance presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. This year's budget represents a 31.1 percent increase from the previous year. "The Yoon Suk Yeol administrati
PoliticsFeb. 29, 2024
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Interior minister renews calls for trainee doctors to return to work
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min renewed calls for trainee doctors to return to work Thursday as the government-set deadline is set to expire later in the day for their return from a walkout protesting the government's medical school quota hike plan. The government has given thousands of interns and resident doctors across the nation until the end of Thursday to return to their hospitals or face punitive action, such as the suspension of their medical licenses. Since Tuesday last week, the trainee
PoliticsFeb. 29, 2024
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Aboriginal Australians call on Seoul to stop funding gas project near their islands
A group of Aboriginal Australians called on South Korea to withhold its loan support to a major Korean company participating in the consortium for a massive offshore gas project in the Timor Sea. In a press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday, they called out for the Korean government’s help in preserving their cultural and spiritual heritage which they say are under threat from the Barossa gas field project. “For thousands of years, we have retained and maintained our spiritual conn
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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N. Korea wants Trump's reelection, will raise tensions until presidential vote: ex-German envoy
North Korea hopes for former President Donald Trump's win in the Nov. 5 US presidential election and will continue to raise tensions with Seoul and Washington until the election, a former German ambassador to Pyongyang said in a media contribution published Wednesday. Thomas Schafer made the case in a piece written to NPR, saying that Pyongyang would want to give negotiations with Trump "another try" in the event of his reelection, although a nuclear parley between him and North K
North KoreaFeb. 29, 2024
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[Graphic News] S. Korean children’s screen time 3 times WHO recommendation
According to the Korea Press Foundation, South Korean children were exposed to media three times longer than the duration recommended by the World Health Organization The average time that children aged 3 to 4 used media such as TV, smartphones, tablet PCs, and computers last year was 184.4 minutes per day. The WHO recommends that media use by 2 to 4-year-olds be limited to 60 minutes per day, but Korean children aged 3-4 spend an average of 80.4 minutes watching TV, 52.6 minutes on smartphones,
Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2024
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South Korean and US troops will begin major exercises next week in response to North Korean threats
South Korean and US troops will begin their expanded annual military drills next week in response to North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats, the two countries said Wednesday, a move that will likely enrage North Korea because it views its rivals’ joint training as an invasion rehearsal. In recent months, North Korea has inflamed animosities on the Korean Peninsula with fiery rhetoric and continued missile tests . While it’s unlikely for North Korea to launch full-blown at
North KoreaFeb. 28, 2024
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Seoul doesn't oppose NK engaging with US, Japan: unification minister
The Yoon Suk Yeol government "does not oppose North Korea engaging with the United States and Japan," the South Korean unification minister said, concurrently acknowledging that obstacles remain for North Korea to overcome to improve relations with the two countries. "The resolution of issues pertaining to Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea appears to be a prerequisite for the advancement of relations between Japan and North Korea," Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho sa
North KoreaFeb. 28, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Rival heir to Kim Ju-ae unlikely to appear: unification minister
Another heir emerging for North Korea besides Kim Jong-un's publicly promoted preteen daughter Ju-ae is unlikely because it would spark confusion within the isolated totalitarian society, according to South Korea's unification minister. During an exclusive 90-minute interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 23, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho underscored the "considerable internal instability" brewing within North Korea, a situation catalyzing the early debut of Ju-ae as candi
North KoreaFeb. 28, 2024