Most Popular
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'
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[From the Scene] Monks, Buddhists hail return of remains of Buddhas
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Medical schools granted enrollment quota flexibility for next year
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Yoon offers first one-on-one meeting with opposition leader next week
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France rejects opening Paris flight routes to T'way Air, deals blow to Korean Air merger
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Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan
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Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia
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Health minister voices deep regret over SNU medical professors' resignation decision
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong expressed deep concerns Tuesday over a decision by medical professors to resign unless there is a breakthrough in a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, saying that such a collective action would pose a threat to the safety of patients. On Monday, medical school professors at Seoul National University resolved to submit resignations en masse next week if the government fails to present "a reasonable breakthrough" in the prolonged walkout. "The decisi
March 12, 2024
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[Graphic News] 2024 Cherry blossoms forecast
Cherry blossoms, one of the most beloved spring flowers in South Korea, are forecast to begin blooming nationwide from late March to early April this year, 1-7 days earlier than usual. Cherry blossoms are forecast to begin blooming in Seoul on April 3 after starting in Seogwipo, Jeju on March 24, according to local weather information center Weatheri. Considering that it takes about a week for cherry blossoms to go from just opening to full bloom, they are expected to be at their peak around A
March 12, 2024
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Civic group files complaint against Yoon over ex-minister's departure amid investigation
A civic group filed a complaint Monday against President Yoon Suk Yeol and two Cabinet ministers in connection with new Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup's exit of the country despite an investigation in which he is a suspect. The civic group, known as the "National Action for Judicial Justice" in Korean, filed the complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, accusing them of abusing power and helping a suspect flee. Lee, who served as defense
March 11, 2024
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Science ministers of S. Korea, Britain discuss cooperation
The science ministers of South Korea and Britain had a virtual meeting Monday to discuss measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation in science technologies, Seoul's science ministry said. The meeting between South Korean Science Minister Lee Jong-ho and his British counterpart, Michelle Donelan, is a follow-up to the "Downing Street Accord" signed by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last year, aiming to strengthen the two countries'
March 11, 2024
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Online community operator raided over alleged KMA order to blacklist non-participating doctors in walkout
Police on Monday raided the operator of an online community as part of its investigation into a purported Korea Medical Association document ordering the listing of trainee doctors who are not participating in the ongoing walkout. Investigators of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched Dcinside Co. in Seoul, days after a document purportedly from the KMA, the biggest doctors' association, was uploaded on the namesake online community with the seal of the KMA chairman. The document co
March 11, 2024
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[New Neighbors] ‘We are workers in Korea too’: Foreign English hagwon teachers fight for annual leave
Native English teachers have become an essential part of South Korea‘s education system over the past three decades in a country where learning English is crucial to finding a quality job. However, many are concerned their rights as education workers are being violated, particularly concerning their freedom to choose when and how long they can take their vacation days — their only opportunity to reunite with their families far away. “We often face problems with our annual lea
March 11, 2024
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7 in 10 oppose easing rules on marriages between blood relatives: poll
Nearly 75 percent of South Koreans oppose the government moving toward easing laws related to marriage between blood relatives, a recent poll shows. According to data released on Monday by the Ministry of Justice, 74 percent of respondents said they think the government should prohibit marriage between blood relatives within eight degrees of relations, or "chon" in Korean, as it currently does. Fifteen percent of respondents said it should only prohibit marriage between blood relatives
March 11, 2024
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Prosecutors seek jail term for convicted child sex offender who broke curfew
South Korean prosecutors on Monday asked the court to sentence Cho Doo-soon to one year in prison, after the convicted child rapist broke his curfew and stepped outside of his home after dark late last year. The prosecution said Cho violated a legal order not to leave his home after 9 p.m., and left his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province at around 9:05 p.m. on Dec. 4, where he allegedly wandered around the adjacently stationed police post. Officials also said Cho denied a police order to retu
March 11, 2024
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Man starves himself to avoid military service, gets suspended term
South Korean court on Monday sentenced a 22-year-old man to two years in prison, suspended for two years, for starving himself in a bid to avoid mandatary military service. Gwangju District Court found the defendant guilty of violating the Military Service Act, which mandates all able-bodied male citizens to serve in the military for at least 18 months as of 2024. But men whose physical conditions are under certain standards can carry out alternate non-combat service for a similar period. Betwee
March 11, 2024
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Medical schools paralyzed due to en masse boycotts
The doctors' protest against the South Korean government's planned medical enrollment quota hike is taking a toll on medical school campuses as students are boycotting classes en masse. All 40 medical schools in the country have either postponed the opening of classes or are unable to hold lectures, as students refuse to attend classes, according to the Education Ministry. "Ten medical schools have been confirmed to be boycotting classes," the Ministry of Education remarked.
March 11, 2024
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S. Korea’s sky-high elderly poverty edges even higher to 38.1%
More than 38 percent of over-65s were in relative poverty in 2022 a South Korean government report showed Monday. OECD data shows the country had the highest old-age poverty rate among all member states. The relative poverty rate for South Korea marked a 0.5 percent point increase from 37.6 percent before, according to the report jointly announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Statistics Korea. OECD defines relative poverty rate refers to the percentage of the population with income
March 11, 2024
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Korean workers thought to slack off for 80 mins of work day: survey
Human resource managers at major companies in Korea think their workers spend approximately 17 percent of their working hours, around 80 minutes, on other activities, a survey showed on Monday. According to the survey by the Korea Enterprises Federation, human resource managers of the largest 100 companies by sales rated their office workers’ productivity at an average of 82.7 out of 100. The survey revealed that HR managers think their office workers spend an average of around 1 hour and
March 11, 2024
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Seoul to establish business agreement with Catch Table
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Wad, the developer behind the app Catch Table, will sign a business agreement Tuesday to make it easier for international tourists without Korean phone numbers to make restaurant reservations and join online queues. The move comes amid an increase in the number of international visitors coming to South Korea for culinary tourism purposes. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 2022, 68 percent of tourists answered
March 11, 2024
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License suspension notices sent to some 5,000 defiant trainee doctors
The health ministry said Monday it had sent prior notices of license suspension to some 5,000 trainee doctors who have defied an order to return to work, in protest of a plan to boost the number of medical students. Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang told reporters that it completed sending the notices to 4,944 junior doctors last week. When receiving the notices, the doctors will be required to submit their opinions on punitive measures by March 25. With the government vowing to take legal a
March 11, 2024
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Visitors to Korea getting younger amid Hallyu
A third of foreign arrivals in Korea last year were under 30 amid the continuing popularity of Korean popular culture among younger generations worldwide. The Korea Tourism Organization's data, released Monday, showed a surge in young people coming to Korea. Of the 11.03 million foreign nationals who entered the country in 2023, 3.93 million, or 35.6 percent, were 30 years old or younger. This is a significant jump from 27.6 percent in 2013, when the overall number was only slightly higher,
March 11, 2024
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Police officers save woman from attack by tracking license plate number
South Korean media on Monday reported that police had apprehended a man in his 60s who allegedly attacked a woman after she refused his sexual advances. The police tracked down the man after receiving his license plate details from the victim, who read out the number from a bathroom window. According to local broadcaster MBN, the suspect met the victim at around 2 p.m. Sunday through a mutual acquaintance. After the two met and had a drink, the victim visited the suspect's home, where the s
March 11, 2024
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Two dogs rescued from middle of the freeway return home
The two samoyed dogs that were recently rescued from the middle of an expressway have been returned to their owner, animal rescue authorities said Monday, marking a happy ending to an incident that sparked concerns from animal lovers across the country over the weekend. Dangjin Animal Shelter, which had been looking after the dogs, told The Korea Herald that they were reclaimed by their owner living in Dangjin, Chungcheong Province, on Monday morning. The elderly owner had left her door open by
March 11, 2024
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Health minister voices leniency for defiant trainee doctors
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday the government will take lenient measures if trainee doctors return to work before administrative procedures to suspend their licenses are completed, although they defied a deadline to avoid punitive steps. Cho made the remark as some 93 percent of the 13,000 junior doctors have been absent from their worksites for three weeks, in a prolonged labor action against the government's proposal to increase medical school enrollments by 2,000 next year. "A
March 11, 2024
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Govt. to push for public high schools for military children
The government seeks to establish public high schools for children of military families in an effort to improve their living and education conditions, the defense ministry said Monday. The defense and education ministries were set to sign a memorandum of understanding later in the day to make joint efforts to designate existing high schools as those catering for military families and start admissions in 2026. The move seeks to ensure a stable education environment for such families, who are freq
March 11, 2024
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Health minister vows to speed up medical reform despite walkout by trainee doctors
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Sunday that the government would hasten its policy of increasing the number of medical students while issuing warnings against defiant trainee doctors who attacked their colleagues returning to the medical field. "It is completely unacceptable to attack people who are working day and night in the field and coerce them to participate in the collective action," Cho told a government response meeting. "We will thoroughly investigate it and take stri
March 10, 2024