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Time to take radical action to keep safety guidelines A fatal fire broke out at a nearly-completed refrigerated warehouse in Icheon, south of Seoul, Wednesday, resulting in at least 38 deaths and 10 people injured. Among the injured, eight are in critical condition. In the four-story building construction site, with two underground levels, an estimated 78 laborers were at work..

Ongoing political controversy is result of hasty nomination The Civil Together party, a satellite offshoot of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), decided Tuesday to expel its lawmaker-elect Yang Jeong-suk and file a complaint with the prosecution. Yang, a former lawyer, is suspected of dodging taxes and using her relatives' names without their permission in the course ..

Chun should stop mocking the public and offer sincere apology Former President Chun Doo-hwan appeared in a Gwangju court Monday. Chun, 89, was indicted for defaming the late Catholic priest Cho Pius ― a key witness of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising ― in his memoir published in April 2017. In the memoir, the former strongman called Father Cho, who repeatedly testif..

Conservative party should change, innovate itself The main opposition, the conservative United Future Party (UFP), is in a state of chaos as it has failed to install a new interim leader following its crushing defeat in the April 15 general election. A row over the appointment of Kim Chong-in, the former campaign chief, to lead the party has created the chaotic situation. This..

Workers at state-run agency commit theft of government properties A large number of military secrets have been leaked from the Agency for Defense Development, which researches and develops new weapons. Some former ADD researchers, who should value secrets above life, stole government property when they quit the state-run agency. The investigation authorities said they suspect ..

Ramp up preparedness for any contingencies After saying that he did not know anything about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's condition about a week ago, U.S. President Donald Trump said in his White House briefing Monday that he has a “very good idea but cannot talk about it now.” Trump then said people will hear about it soon. South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wh..

Preserving jobs is key to keeping local economies afloat The country's southwestern city of Jeonju has declared itself a “layoff-free city” in a win-win announcement to protect jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration was issued through an agreement among local unions, management, civic groups and the local government in a ceremony April 21. In the ceremony, busine..

Bipartisanship essential to coping with coronavirus The ruling and opposition parties have agreed to provide “emergency disaster relief money” to all Koreans to help them overcome difficulties arising from the coronavirus pandemic. Now it is time for the parties to speed up the provision if they really want to achieve the intended effect of the financial aid. On Sunday, th..

North Korea’s state news agency on Saturday released this photo of Kim Jong-un, which it said was taken Friday at a fertilizer plant. His sister, Kim Yo-jong, is in the background. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence tha..

Guidelines may alter Korean traditions, way of life The government has posted detailed guidelines on how to exercise “everyday quarantine” in the COVID-19 era, which foretells significant behavioral changes for Koreans. The guidelines cover behavior standards in 31 areas involving work, daily life and leisure. The rules for people to stay home if they show symptoms such as..