[Exclusive] Louis Vuitton VIPs invited to Jeju for luxury shopping

Louis Vuitton has invited Korean VIPs on an exclusive 10-day shopping trip to the five-star JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa, starting Oct. 23, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The French luxury house will pay for flights and accommodations for between 100 and 500 VIP guests, who will be asked to purchase at least one showcased item, among them the brand’s latest spring-summer 2025 collection revealed earlier this year. The sources confirmed that the event wouldn&

CultureOct. 13, 2024

LG Innotek expands global talent hunt

LG Innotek Chief Executive Officer Moon Hyuk-soo is stepping up efforts to recruit top talent from around the globe with the goal of boosting the company's competitive edge in the global market, where it makes the vast majority of its sales, the company said Sunday. Moon recently traveled to the US and hosted the company's main hiring event, "Inno Connect," in San Francisco, where he and Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Heung-sik and Chief Technology Officer Roh Sung-won pre

IndustryOct. 13, 2024

SK heiress weds Chinese American entrepreneur

SK Chairman Chey Tae-won's second daughter Chey Min-jung, 33, tied the knot with Chinese American entrepreneur Kevin Huang in a private wedding in Seoul, where some 500 guests, including the country's top business leaders, gathered for the celebration. Amid their ongoing divorce suit, Chey Tae-won and his ex-wife Roh Soh-yeong both attended the wedding, facing each other for the first time since the latest court ruling in May. Chey Min-jung and Huang reportedly met as neighbors in Wash

IndustryOct. 13, 2024

Explore Han Kang's Nobel-winning works at outdoor libraries

The works of South Korean Nobel laureate Han Kang are available in 20 languages at Seoul's open-air libraries, city officials said Sunday. The exhibitions, which opened Friday at three locations — Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Plaza and Cheonggyecheon — celebrate the 53-year-old novelist's Nobel Prize win and feature a curated selection of 10 works, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. In addition to her books in the original language, the exhibitions feature transl

BooksOct. 13, 2024

Minister ensures med school quality despite quota hike

Amid uncertainties in the landscape of medical education in South Korea following the government's plan to hike the admissions quota, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho on Sunday vowed to ensure the quality of medical education while pleading with medical students now in their ninth month of a strike against the plan to return. In a Korean-language interview with Yonhap News Agency, Lee said he "emphasizes as the education minister" that the level of medical education will remain high,

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2024

2 Filipinas who left pilot program cite overwork, excessive surveillance

Two Filipinas from Seoul city's foreign caregivers pilot program who disappeared from their accommodations in Gangnam-gu on Sept. 15 after starting work in Seoul were later found in Busan after being reemployed as cleaners, according to the Philippine government’s Department of Migrant Workers. In an interview on Oct. 9 with the Philippines' 24 Oras, Bernard Olalia, undersecretary for licensing and adjudication of the DMW, said that the two caregivers claimed to have had difficul

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2024

Han Kang's Nobel Prize boosts book market

South Korean writer Han Kang's books are enjoying soaring popularity across various sales channels, from bookstores and e-commerce platforms to department stores, following her Nobel Prize in literature win last week. Kyobo Book Center reported Friday that around 103,000 copies of Han’s works had sold through its online and offline stores just one day after the Nobel announcement. Competitors Yes24 and Aladin sold more than 132,000 and 70,000 of her books, respectively, over the sam

IndustryOct. 13, 2024

Chung marks 4 years at helm of Hyundai Motor

Hyundai Motor Group is celebrating four years of Chung Euisun’s leadership as executive chair on Monday. During this period, the automaker has experienced rapid growth, expanded into new markets and positioned itself as a major player in electric vehicles and future technologies. But new challenges lie ahead, particularly in software, robotics and urban air mobility. When Chung officially took over in 2020, Hyundai and its sister brand, Kia, were solid players but not exactly leaders in th

MobilityOct. 13, 2024

Posco Future M's NCA cathode plant in Pohang goes online

Posco Future M has started operations at its new plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, dedicated to producing nickel-cobalt-aluminum cathode materials for electric vehicle batteries. The plant, which shipped its first batch over the weekend, will help meet the growing demand for high-performance EV battery components. NCA cathode materials, with 88 percent nickel content, are key for making EV batteries more efficient. In January 2023, Posco Future M secured a 40 trillion won ($29.6 bill

MobilityOct. 13, 2024

Confusion over alleged S. Korean drone intrusion: Who's behind it?

North Korea's recent claim that the South had sent uncrewed aerial vehicles over Pyongyang three times since last week has stirred a contentious debate on the veracity of the claim and the implications. As of Sunday, the South Korean government has maintained a noncommittal stance, neither confirming nor denying the allegations, while North Korea has yet to present definitive evidence. In a message delivered Friday through the Korean Central News Agency, the North's Foreign Ministry cl

North KoreaOct. 13, 2024

K-pop song once recommended by Nobel laureate Han Kang returns to music charts

Han Kang, who made history by winning the Nobel Prize in literature, is now also influencing the music scene. According to major local music platform Melon, K-pop sibling duo AKMU’s “How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You’re the One I Love,” which Han Kang had previously recommended, has made a resurgence on Melon’s Top 100 and Daily charts. As of Sunday, the song climbed to No. 43 on Melon’s Top 100 and No. 27 on the Daily chart. "How Can I Love the Heartbre

K-popOct. 13, 2024

Riize speaks out on Seunghan’s return

Riize’s Wonbin asked for fans' support and understanding regarding suspended member Seunghan's return to the team. “I’ve decided to share my thoughts on Seunghan’s return to prevent more confusion to Briize (fandom name),” Wonbin took to the fan community platform Weverse on Sunday to share. “We’ve had many discussions with Seunghan and the company (SM Entertainment) over a long period. Please understand that the members have been deeply contem

K-popOct. 13, 2024

Samsung SDI seeks out top tech talent in Europe

Samsung SDI invited over 60 students and industry experts from Europe’s top institutions at its tech and career forum in London, aiming to secure global talent to strengthen the firm's technological competitiveness, the company said Sunday. The Tech & Career Forum, held on Saturday local time, attracted master’s and Ph.D. students, as well as industry experts, from prestigious universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, the Technical University of Munich and the Swiss Federal In

TechnologyOct. 13, 2024

Mothers of 13 kids honored by government

The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently gave awards to two Korean mothers who gave birth to 13 children, including the mother of actress Nam Bo-ra, who is well-known for being the oldest of her 13 siblings. Eom Gye-suk, 60, was given the Seongnyu Medal, the fifth grade of the Order of Civil Merit given to those to recognize contributions to the country and welfare of the people with their outstanding accomplishments in the field of politics, economics, society, education or academics. She ga

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2024

Govt fines journalists who revealed names of Itaewon tragedy victims

A government report showed Sunday that a local group of citizen-journalists has been fined in connection with its decision to publish the names of those who lost their lives in the October 2022 crowd crush in Itaewon without getting consent from the victims' bereaved families. Mindle News, an independent media outlet founded in 2022, was fined 3 million won ($2,200) in late July by the Personal Information Protection Commission for violating the Personal Information Act, according to PIPC

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2024

Employee fired for taking gift mugs ruled unfair dismissal

A local court said Sunday it ruled against a company that fired an employee for taking without permission five mugs and one calendar intended as promotional gifts for customers. Seoul Administrative Court has ruled against Porsche Korea's official dealer, Autostadt, who challenged the National Labor Relations Commission's ruling on its firing of the employee. The company had dismissed the employee -- who had worked there nine years -- in February last year, arguing that he had taken th

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2024

[From the Scene] SLW program explores tech integration for better, happier urban lives

An exhibition program hosted by the Seoul city government last week explored innovative ideas for urban challenges in areas such as transportation, environment and safety, with private companies showcasing tailored solutions to global cities from 18 countries. The Presentation for Your City program was the centerpiece of Seoul Smart Life Week, held from Thursday to Saturday at Coex in southern Seoul, as it conveyed fresh urban solutions that can be applied not only to Seoul, but other metropolit

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2024

Han Kang's works fetch premium prices for limited editions

Since Han Kang became the first South Korean novelist to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, her works, especially limited editions, have become valuable premiums on the secondary market. As of Sunday, a hand-signed first edition of Han Kang's 2007 essay collection, "Quietly Sung Songs" was listed for a 700,000 won ($518), on Junggonara, an online secondary market platform. Another user on the same platform posted a purchase request for the first edition of Han Kang's "

BooksOct. 13, 2024

Man is injured rescuing a driver from burning car

Local rescue authorities said passengers of a bus managed to rescue a person from a burning car, with one sustaining an injury in the process. According to the Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters, a sedan caught fire after colliding with a truck while backing up at the Goryeong junction in Goryeong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, on the Gwangju-Daegu Expressway at around 9:13 a.m. on Oct.10. Passengers on a passing tour bus came over and pulled the driver out of the burning car, and one passenge

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2024

Some of N. Korea's trash balloons equipped with GPS transmitters: S. Korean military

Some of the balloons floated by North Korea to dump trash across South Korea have been equipped with GPS transmitters, South Korea's military said Sunday. According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, GPS transmitters were found in some of the North Korean balloons, and Pyongyang may be using them to look into the balloons' flight data. A South Korean military official said the military is "tracking North Korea's possible development of balloon flotation technology a

North KoreaOct. 13, 2024