Seoul Launches Covid Tests for Pets
Pet cats and dogs with a fever, cough or breathing difficulties will be offered coronavirus tests if they have been exposed to carriers, the Seoul metropolitan government said Monday.
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South Korea
S. Korean Court Upholds Prison Term for Ex-President Park
South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 20-year prison term for former President Park Geun-hye over bribery and other crimes as it ended a historic corruption case that marked a striking fall from grace for the country’s first female leader and conservative icon.
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Seoul City Under Fire for Sexist Advice to Pregnant Women
The Seoul city government is facing a popular backlash after advising pregnant women to cook their husbands several meals and ensure they have a supply of clean underwear before going to hospital to give birth.
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Seoul Court Orders Japan to Compensate 12 Korean Sex Slaves
A South Korean court on Friday ordered Japan to financially compensate 12 South Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, a landmark ruling that’s set to rekindle animosities between the Asian neighbors.
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South Korean Tanker Was Boarded by Armed Iran Guard Forces
Armed Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops stormed a South Korean tanker and forced the ship to change course and travel to Iran, the vessel’s owner said Tuesday, the latest maritime seizure by Tehran amid heightened tensions with the West over its nuclear program.
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Iran Starts 20% Uranium Enrichment, Seizes South Korean Ship
Iran began enriching uranium Monday to levels unseen since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and also seized a South Korean-flagged tanker near the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a double-barreled challenge to the West that further raised Mideast tensions.
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Prosecutors Seek 9-Year Prison Term for Samsung Chief Lee
South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday requested a nine-year prison term for Samsung’s de facto chief, Lee Jae-yong, during a retrial for his bribery charges, as Lee offered an apology and vowed not to be implicated in similar allegations in an apparent effort to plead for leniency.
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US Begins Vaccinating Its Troops in South Korea
The United States has started vaccinating its troops based in South Korea, as its Asian ally reported its highest daily Covid-19 fatalities amid surging cases in the country.
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Wrongfully Accused South Korean Man Acquitted of Murder
A South Korean man who spent 20 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit has cleared his name in court after one of the country’s most notorious serial killers confessed to the 1988 rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl.
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S. Korea Bans Flying of Leaflets Toward N. Korea by Balloon
South Korea’s parliament on Monday approved contentious legislation criminalizing the flying of anti-communist leaflets by balloon toward North Korea, despite fierce criticism that the country is sacrificing freedom of expression to improve ties with the rival North.
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Family of South Korean Dictator’s Assassin Seek Treason Acquittal
Forty years after South Korea’s spy chief was executed for shooting dead his boss, dictator Park Chung-hee, the assassin’s sister is seeking to clear him of treason, arguing the killing was in the service of the country.
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Former South Korean Dictator Chun Guilty of Defamation Over Massacre
Former South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan was found guilty of defaming a dead priest on Monday, in connection with a pro-democracy uprising his troops crushed 40 years ago.
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S. Korea’s Top Court Upholds Ex-Leader’s 17-Year Jail Term
South Korea’s top court upheld a 17-year prison sentence on former President Lee Myung-bak for a range of corruption crimes in a final ruling Thursday that will send him back to prison soon.
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Lawmakers: North Korean Ex-Envoy to Italy Defected to South
A senior North Korea diplomat who vanished in Italy in late 2018 lives in South Korea under government protection, lawmakers said Wednesday.
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Kim Jong Un ‘Very Sorry’ Over Killing of South Korean, Seoul Says
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a rare apology Friday over what he described as the “unexpected and disgraceful” killing of a South Korean at sea, Seoul’s presidential office said.
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Seoul: North Korea Kills S. Korean Official, Burns His Body
South Korea said Thursday that North Korean troops fatally shot a South Korean government official who may have attempted to defect and set his body on fire after finding him on a floating object near the countries’ disputed sea boundary.
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South Korean Sex Slave Campaigner Charged With Embezzlement
An activist-turned-MP has been indicted for embezzling more than 100 million won donated to help elderly victims used by Japan as wartime sex slaves, South Korean officials said Monday.
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Samsung’s Lee Indicted Over Controversial 2015 Merger
South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday indicted Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong on charges of stock price manipulation and other financial crimes, setting up what could be a protracted legal battle to determine whether the 52-year-old billionaire illegally cemented his control over the business giant.
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North, South Korea Brace for Strong Typhoon, Flights Halted
Hundreds of flights were canceled in South Korea while North Korea’s leader expressed concern about a possible loss of lives and crops as the countries braced for a fast-approaching typhoon forecast as one of the strongest to hit their peninsula this year.
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South Korea Sees 11th Day of 3-Digit Increases
South Korea counted its 11th straight day of triple-digit daily jumps in coronavirus cases Monday and health officials pleaded for people to follow guidelines or risk further restrictions or strains on hospitals.
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