Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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Hanwha Q Cells' solar power plant in Texas comes online
Hanwha Q Cells, a solar solutions unit of South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group, said Thursday it has completed the construction of a 168-megawatt solar power plant in the United States. Hanwha Q Cells said its US unit has recently begun operation of the solar farm in Fannin County, Texas, which is enough to power about 30,000 households a year. It is the second solar plant with over 100 MW capacity built in Texas, following a 235 MW facility in 2018, the firm said. Hanwha Q Cells has been expa
Sept. 30, 2021
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Production, consumption, investment fall in Aug. amid 4th wave of pandemic
South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it has agreed with Uruguay to make joint efforts to speed up negotiations for a free trade pact with a group of South American countries. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo plans to meet his Uruguayan counterpart, Francisco Bustillo, virtually later in the day to discuss ways to expand economic ties, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. "Uruguay is one of the key partners for South Korea, as the two can make joint efforts to overco
Sept. 30, 2021
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Genesis unveils 1st dedicated EV GV60
Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Co., on Thursday unveiled the GV60, its first electric car built on a dedicated EV platform, ahead of its local launch later this year. The GV60 SUV is equipped with a 77.4 kilowatt-hour battery and can travel up to 451 kilometers on a charge, Hyundai said in a statement. The GV60 has three available options: rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive and four-wheel performance version. It is priced at 60 million won to 70 million won ($50,000-$60,000). Hyundai
Sept. 30, 2021
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Under new law, Upbit set to verify 8.3 million users
Upbit, South Korea’s first cryptocurrency exchange to receive a green light from regulators, is gearing up to verify its massive number of users to fulfill the next important duty under the anti-money laundry act. Industry watchers believe Upbit’s user verification could take as long as three months due to its massive user base of 8.3 million and a public ID verification system operated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The ministry’s identity verification system
Sept. 29, 2021
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Posco to hold international forum for greener steel
Global steelmakers will come together to find ways to decarbonize steelmaking in a forum organized by Posco, the South Korean steel giant said Wednesday. The Hydrogen Iron & Steel Making Forum 2021, set to take place from Oct. 6-8 on both offline and online channels, is expected to provide a platform for industrywide discussion for major players around the world to join the global movement to reduce carbon emissions. “Hydrogen-based steel production technology is yet to be realize
Sept. 29, 2021
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Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 13 launch in Korea to put pressure on Samsung
With Apple set to launch the iPhone 13 in South Korea in early October, Samsung Electronics appears under pressure to safeguard its share not only on its home turf, but also in the increasingly competitive global smartphone market. Korea’s major mobile carriers plan to accept preorders for the iPhone 13 from Friday, with the official release date slated for Oct. 8, heralding a new round of competition among smartphone makers, especially Samsung Electronics which holds a firm grip on the
Sept. 29, 2021
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Netflix says it brought W5.6tr into Korean economy
US-based content streaming giant Netflix has generated economic effects in South Korea worth 5.6 trillion won ($4.73 billion) and created 16,000 local jobs since its 2016 entry here, the company said Wednesday. At its first event for its Korean partners, the firm released a report written by Deloitte on the effects of its presence and investment in the country. Netflix commissioned the study. Since it launched here in 2016, the company has invested about 770 billion won in domestic content
Sept. 29, 2021
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S. Korea to launch domestically developed rocket on Oct. 21
The South Korean government has confirmed Wednesday that it will launch the country’s first fully domestically developed satellite launch vehicle Nuri on Oct. 21 as scheduled. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the rocket, also known as Korean Space Launch Vehicle II, will blast off at 4 p.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. The time, however, could be slightly changed in accordance with weather conditions, an official from the ministry said. The official
Sept. 29, 2021
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GC Pharma in talks with J&J for COVID-19 vaccine deal
South Korean biopharmaceutical firm GC Pharma is in talks with Janssen to sign a contract manufacturing deal for Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to industry sources Wednesday. The sources said Janssen conducted a site inspection of GC Pharma’s drug manufacturing facility in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, this month. The inspection was said to have gone without any particular issues. GC Pharma, however, has remained silent on rumors of a potential deal with the ph
Sept. 29, 2021
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Korea changes regulations too quickly: ECCK chief
Rules and regulations tend to change too quickly in South Korea without adequate input from stakeholders, often leaving foreign companies doing business here perplexed, the chief of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea said Wednesday. “In many instances, the new policies lack the adequate evaluation on whether they will have the desired effect without unintended consequences,” Dirk Lukat, chairperson of the ECCK, said at an online press conference. The chief and other senio
Sept. 29, 2021
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Seoul stocks down for 2nd day amid US bond yield woes
South Korean stocks slumped for second straight day to lose more than 1 percent Wednesday morning amid concerns about spiking bond yields and the US debt ceiling. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) dipped 37.65 points, or 1.22 percent, to close at 3,060.27 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 812 million shares worth some 15 trillion won ($12.7 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 676 to 215. Foreigners sold a net 659
Sept. 29, 2021
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Under-20s’ home purchases face nationwide probe
The government will clamp down on those suspected of taking expedient means to pass on wealth to their children as a part of measures to eradicate real estate speculation and fight corruption, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday. Since March, the National Tax Service has been conducting a special investigation on suspected tax evasion by more than 800 people who sought to profit from speculative or illegal property transactions. The large-scale probe was launched in the wake of a scan
Sept. 29, 2021
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[Behind the Wheel] Hyundai’s compact SUV Casper makes splash
South Korea has long been in love with large luxury cars. Compact cars, despite their practicality and suitability for city traffic, are regarded as only for rookies, or those with thin wallets. But that’s before Casper. Hyundai Motor’s first A-segment release in 19 years, the mini sport utility vehicle has President Moon Jae-in, among others, signed up for preorders. It is creating buzz unseen for many years in the compact car segment for its unique, toy-like design and funct
Sept. 29, 2021
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Concerns rise over foreign property speculators
While South Korea’s financial authorities tightened their grip on property speculation and the resulting price hikes, foreign investors turned out to have purchased local apartments worth trillions of won, a lawmaker said Wednesday citing a lack of regulations on foreign property speculators. Apartment purchases by investors from China and the US, between 2017 and May 2020, amounted to 3.16 trillion ($2.6 billion) and 2.19 trillion won, respectively, according to Rep. Kim Joo-young of t
Sept. 29, 2021
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[Photo News] Energy is the next chip
Energy Vice Minister Park Ki-young (front center) poses with representatives of member companies of the Energy Alliance, a private sector-led association launched in April, at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday. The event, which was the group’s first meeting with the government, was attended by GS Energy CEO Hur Yong-soo, Posco Energy CEO Jeong Ki-Seop, Hanwha Energy CEO Jung In-sub, Hyosung Vice President Hwang Yoo-eon, Doosan Fuel Cell CEO Yoo Soo-kyung, DL Energy Vice Chairman a
Sept. 29, 2021
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S. Korea’s biz sentiment rebounds on hopes of easing restrictions
South Korean businesses are beginning to paint a rosier outlook for the coming months with the government gearing up to treat COVID-19 more like seasonal influenza and to ease social distancing, a report from a think tank showed Wednesday. The Korea Economic Research Institute’s forecast for next month’s business survey index of the country’s top 600 companies by sales showed the reading gained 2.8 points on-month to 103.4 for October. A reading above 100 means optimists ou
Sept. 29, 2021
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No more utility rate hikes until year-end
The government said Wednesday that it would try to freeze utility fees until the end of this year in an effort to stabilize prices amid rising costs for raw materials such as oil. The Finance Ministry said there had been no talk of raising railroad and road fees, which include train fares, highway tolls, intercity and express bus fares, and wholesale regional water supply costs. “While rates of local utilities such as gas, water and sewage, transport and garbage bags are to be determi
Sept. 29, 2021
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S. Korea's monetary policy still considered accommodative: BOK board member
South Korea's monetary policy is considered still loose although the Bank of Korea delivered its first pandemic-era rate hike in August, a member of the BOK's rate-setting board said Wednesday. The remarks by Suh Young-kyung are expected to reinforce market expectations that the central bank may again raise its key rate later this year or early next year. "In spite of a hike in the key rate in August, the current monetary policy is still loose," Suh told a forum in Seoul. The BOK must
Sept. 29, 2021
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Platform businesses target for innovation, not regulation: minister
Amid growing calls for regulating thriving digital platform businesses, South Korea’s top policymaker on technology and science called for a shift in perspective, saying they should be seen as innovators rather than a target for regulation. Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hye-sook made the remarks while meeting executives of Korea’s leading platform companies, including Naver, Kakao, Woowa Brothers and Yanolja. It was the first time that the ministry organized such a meeting with
Sept. 29, 2021
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Trade terms decline for 5th month in August
South Korea's terms of trade fell for the fifth consecutive month in August due to a rise in prices of imported goods, central bank data showed Wednesday. The nation's net terms-of-trade index for goods -- a gauge of overall trade terms -- declined 5 percent last month from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure is calculated by dividing the index for export prices by that for import prices. It shows the amount of imports a country can buy for each
Sept. 29, 2021