Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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Seoul sees further jump in cost of dining out
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Teens banned from entering, working at 'hold 'em' pubs, cafes
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[Editorial] Fixing failed strategy
North Korea’s old survival playbook has gotten more sophisticated over the past few decades. The formula is rather straightforward. It develops and test-fires new missiles that could pose a threat to South Korea and its allies, particularly the United States. Once it gets rewards such as sanctions relief, it suspends its weapons program for a while. However, when a new geopolitical change is in sight the regime resumes test-firing missiles, often armed with more advanced technologies. Se
March 28, 2022
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[Editorial] Awkward reason
President Moon Jae-in emphasized a “security vacuum” as he sought to put a brake on President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s plan to relocate the presidential office. Yoon was going to move the presidential office to the building of the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul, before May 10, his inauguration day, so that he could be working at the new office from the first day of his presidency. Moon is said to have taken an opposite position after a National Security Council
March 25, 2022
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[Editorial] Wrong target
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is forging a strange logic for the defeat in the March 9 presidential election. Its misguided target is none other than the media. In the Democratic Party’s view, the party and its former candidate were innocent victims of so-called “fake news.” Rep. Yun Ho-jung, who now stands as the party’s interim leader, said in a press briefing Sunday that the party plans to focus on reforming the media, and revealed its unwavering determination
March 24, 2022
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[Editorial] The right direction
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said in his luncheon meeting with the chiefs of six major business lobby groups Monday that the government’s job is to remove institutional obstacles so that businesses can decide more freely, invest freely and grow. He also said that the government is focused on establishing infrastructure so that companies will spearhead the creation of jobs and make investments, which will eventually help the nation grow. The administration under President Moon Jae-in ha
March 23, 2022
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[Editorial] Twisted fact
President Moon Jae-in has often touted the success of “K-quarantine,” a set of state-led quarantine, outreach and contact tracing policies aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic as one of his representative achievements. K-quarantine, a term first introduced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, was even used as a key idea of exporting the country’s coronavirus management strategies to other countries. In recent weeks, things have changed fairly dramatically. It seems a s
March 22, 2022
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[Editorial] For a flying start
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol launched his transition team and presided over its first meeting Friday. It was launched pretty quickly. Just eight days passed after he won the presidential election. Until May 9, it will sort out major issues for the Yoon administration to deal with and review Yoon’s election pledges intensively and modify them if needed. Among its core tasks are reorganizing the government and forming the Cabinet. The team is comprised of 24 members in seven subcommitte
March 21, 2022
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[Editorial] A tug of war
The first meeting between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, scheduled for Wednesday, was abruptly canceled, revealing their conflicting views on key issues and the purpose of the get-together. It marks the first case in which a meeting between the incumbent and president-elect was called off after the plans were made public. As it was unprecedented, speculation mounted over why the two leaders failed to get together. According to a Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, the meetin
March 18, 2022
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[Editorial] End imperial presidency
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol made it clear his plan to abolish the office of senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. He also plans to appoint a special inspector, a Cheong Wa Dae post left vacated so far by President Moon Jae-in, when he takes office. The office watches public officials for irregularities, weighs up nominees for important government posts, and is a bridge between the president and the Ministry of Justice. Also as a command center over the prosecution and police, it su
March 17, 2022
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[Editorial] Gravity of transition
As the bitter presidential election marred by scandals and mudslinging is now over, what follows is a crucial transition period that will shape key policies and initiatives for the new administration led by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon appointed Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the People’s Party, as chief of the presidential transition committee, an organization that will handle the transition of power from the Moon Jae-in administration. Ahn’s appointment came as no surprise,
March 16, 2022
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[Editorial] Prudence warranted
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday reaffirmed his election pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. He said that the ministry has completed its historical missions and that his government would form a new organization to deal with inequality, human rights abuses and the like more effectively than the ministry. The pledge faces not only strong opposition from women’s communities and the ruling majority Democratic Party of Korea, but also calls for prudence from
March 15, 2022
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[Editorial] Sign of change
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to push for the relocation of the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the Seoul Government Complex in Gwanghwamun Square. Yoon plans to use the current prime minister’s office at the complex as his main working space and set aside four to five floors for his secretariats, security and other presidential officials. Yoon is also expected to move the presidential residence outside of Cheong Wa Dae to a nearby venue so that the current facili
March 14, 2022
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[Editorial] New era dawning
Opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol was elected the next president in a close race. The People Power Party candidate beat Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea by about 247,000 votes, the slimmest margin since the Constitution was amended to hold direct presidential elections in 1987. The election results show how bitterly divided politics are here. This was foreseen to some extent. Campaigns were extremely negative. Calling this a contest between the two “all-time most unlikabl
March 11, 2022
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[Editorial] Choice for the future
South Koreans went to the polls Wednesday, defying the threat of COVID-19 infection to elect a new president who will lead a nation filled with overwhelming challenges for the next five years. Although the winner was yet to be confirmed due to a mind-bogglingly tight race as The Korea Herald went to press, what’s certain is that the 20th presidential election reflects the high political engagement of Koreans. There is much at stake as the country needs a leader who can map out the right
March 10, 2022
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[Editorial] Choice of fate
Koreans are going to the polls today to elect a new president with the hope the candidate they choose will lead them into a better future. An election is a platform for people to evaluate candidates and select one who will lead them. Voters weigh many elements including a candidate’s morality, vision, policies and competence. The presidential election today can be simplified into a matter of choice between a change of regime and a continuation of it. In his inaugural address on May 10
March 9, 2022
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[Editorial] No simple mistake
A record number of South Korean voters cast their ballots during the two-day early voting period, demonstrating their strong will to have their say on who the next leader of the country will be. But a slew of disputes, including allegations of electoral fraud, broke out due largely to the election watchdog’s apparent failure to prepare for COVID-19 patients and poor management at the polling stations. During the March 4-5 early voting period, more than 16.3 million, or 36.93 percent, of 4
March 8, 2022
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[Editorial] Premature relaxation
The government extended business operating hours for 12 types of multi-use facilities including restaurants and cafes by one hour to 11 p.m. from Saturday. The new rules will be in force until March 20. The government said it made the decision in consideration of the economic hardship faced by small businesses and the self-employed caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it is questionable if it took the step because it was aware of their votes ahead of the March 9 presidential election. The
March 7, 2022
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[Editorial] Key factors
With just four days left before the March 9 presidential election, several hot-button issues are expected to impact voters, with no clear sign yet of an undisputed front-runner. A two-day period of early voting starts Friday, a crucial period that could reshape the outcome of the election for the country’s next leader. As the number of daily coronavirus cases have stayed at around 200,000 due to the highly transmissible omicron variant, more voters are forecast to cast their ballots in a
March 4, 2022
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[Editorial] Shaky alliance
The United States recently announced export controls on Russia as part of economic sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions require even foreign-made items using US technology and software to get an approval from the US government before being shipped to Russia. However, the US Commerce Department has exempted 32 countries from the new rules because they have implemented or are planning on implementing similar restrictive export control measures on Russia. They are 27 European c
March 3, 2022
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[Editorial] Terrible logic
In general, criticizing others should be backed up by facts. In particular, blaming a top leader of another country for a war is extremely dangerous, if not crazy, unless such a claim is based on a mountain of verified facts. Top leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, including its presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, did not follow this simple principle, and made unbelievably incendiary remarks targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They falsely claimed the war with Rus
March 2, 2022
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[Editorial] Turnabout at end of term
President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting on global energy supply issues on Friday that South Korea should utilize nuclear energy sufficiently for the next 60 years as its main source of power supply. Referring to four nuclear power plants whose construction has been delayed -- Shin Hanul 1 and 2 and Shin Kori 5 and 6 -- he said that the government must work hard to start their normal operation as quickly as possible. His remarks are baffling. It is questionable if Moon is trying to deflect crit
March 1, 2022