Smoothie King to end business in Korea

Smoothie King is set to fully withdraw from South Korea over the course of the next year. Smoothie King Korea, which operates the brand here, reportedly sent guides to close the shops by October 2025 on Friday. The company failed to extend the licensing contract with the Smoothie King headquarters in the US, and the US franchise requested to end the contract, a Smoothie King Korea official told local media. The brand first opened a location in Myeong-dong in central Seoul in 2003. It reached a p

ConsumerSept. 23, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Strengthening consumer rights, taxing carbon emissions

Proposed bill: Partial amendment to the Product Liability Act Proposed by Rep. Joo Ho-young (People Power Party) ● Consumers often find it challenging to prove that damages were caused by a product defect due to the information asymmetry between manufacturers and consumers. This amendment proposes to ease the burden of proof on consumers by considering a product defective and the cause of damage if the victim can prove that such damage occurred while the product was being used normally. Propos

PoliticsSept. 23, 2024

KHNP, Czech hydrogen group agree on cooperation for clean hydrogen

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Czech hydrogen association to seek cooperation for clean hydrogen. The agreement, inked with the Czech Hydrogen Technology Platform (HYTEP) in Prague last week, will focus on exchanging information and seeking cooperation in the European market for clean hydrogen, according to KHNP. Under the agreement, the two institutions aim to collaborate in the production of clean hydrogen using surplus ener

EconomySept. 23, 2024

Naver to establish Middle East unit for global expansion

Naver Corp., the operator of South Korea's leading internet portal, said Monday it has plans to establish a Middle Eastern unit in Saudi Arabia within this year as part of efforts to expand its global business. The new unit, tentatively named Naver Arabia, will be in charge of Naver's business projects in Saudi Arabia, including the creation of a digital twin platform for five Saudi cities and the development of an Arabic-based large language model, according to the Korean company. Nav

CompaniesSept. 23, 2024

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US, Japan to hold talks in New York

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold talks on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly in New York on Monday (local time), according to South Korea's foreign ministry. This will be the first trilateral meeting among South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa since their last talks during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Brazil in February. The diplomats are expected to d

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 23, 2024

S. Korean military vows 'stern' measures should N. Korea cross the line with balloon campaign

South Korea's military on Monday vowed to take "stern" military measures should North Korea "cross the line" with its ongoing trash balloon campaign or inflict serious damage to the South Korean people. The Joint Chiefs of Staff made the remark in a statement in response to the North's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border, including those attached with timer devices that could potentially cause fires. Since late May, the North has launched so

DefenseSept. 23, 2024

Seoul shares open almost flat

Seoul shares opened almost flat Monday as investors were paying attention to remarks by the US Federal Reserve officials following a big cut last week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.03 percent, or 0.9 points, to 2,594.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investors' eyes are now on Fed officials' comments to be made throughout this week to assess the aftermath of the Fed's rate cut Wednesday . The Fed kicked off its monetary-easing cycle by cutting its ov

MarketSept. 23, 2024

S. Korea, US to hold 8th round of talks on defense cost sharing this week

South Korea and the United States are set to hold another round of negotiations this week to determine Seoul's contribution to the cost of stationing US Forces Korea, a South Korean foreign ministry official said Monday. The eighth round of talks on the Special Measures Agreement will be held from Wednesday to Friday in Seoul, according to the official. The current six-year SMA is scheduled to expire at the end of next year. "The government plans to conduct discussions with the stance

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 23, 2024

Exports fall 1.1% during first 20 days of September

South Korea's exports lost 1.1 percent on-year in the first 20 days of September despite robust sales of semiconductors due mainly to the fewer number of working days and weak demand for automobiles, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached US$35.58 billion in the Sept. 1-20 period, compared with $35.97 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports, however, advanced 18 percent on-year to $2.74 billion. The number of working days

EconomySept. 23, 2024

[Graphic News] Number of international flight passengers rises 19.9% in July-Aug.: data

The number of international flight passengers during the summer vacation season this year increased 19.9 percent on-year to fully recover to the prepandemic level, data showed. A total of 15.69 million people used international flights at South Korean airports in July and August, up nearly 20 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korea Airports Corp. and the Incheon International Airport Corp. This year’s figure came to about 97 percent of that logged in 2019. By

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

[팟캐스트] (621) 세운상가 보행로가 없어진다?

진행자: 김혜연, Paul Kerry Seoul mulls removing W110b Sewoon walkway 기사 요약: 세운상가 공중보행로 철거 추진하는 서울시, 23일 공청회 예정 [1] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is mulling removing an elevated walkway at Sewoon Shopping Center in central Seoul, which cost the city government 110 billion won ($82 million) for its construction. The walkway which opened only two years ago has sparked "public discontent," said the city government, citing issues like inadequate sunlight underneath the walkways and problems

PodcastSept. 23, 2024

[Lee Kyong-hee] New Right distorts 'comfort women'

Song Sin-do was 16 and had yet to have her first menstrual period when she was tricked into working for a Japanese military “comfort station.” Over seven hellish years, she was impregnated many times and had to give away two babies. When the troops moved to the frontline, she was ordered to accompany them. Amid the echoes of gunfire, she had sex with dozens of soldiers every day. Song was born in 1922 under Japanese rule, in the present-day Daejeon area in South Chungcheong Province.

ViewpointsSept. 23, 2024

[Robert J. Fouser] The soundscape of Korean cities

One of the most interesting things about visiting a new city is its soundscape. For many people, language defines the way a city sounds, particularly if they do not understand the language or languages spoken around them. The soundscape also includes announcements, digital notifications, music, traffic noise and various sounds of nature. What, then, is the soundscape of major cities in South Korea? The easiest city to start with is Seoul, the largest and most dominant city in the country by far.

ViewpointsSept. 23, 2024

North Korea sends more trash balloons toward South Korea

North Korea sent more balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea on Sunday, the South's military said, just four days after the prior similar launch. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North resumed its balloon campaign and warned the balloons may float toward Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province. Since late May, the North has launched thousands of balloons carrying trash in retaliation against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors and acti

North KoreaSept. 22, 2024

Prominent pro-democracy, labor activist Chang Ki-pyo dies at 78

Chang Ki-pyo, a prominent pro-democracy and labor activist in the 1970s, has died. He was 78. Chang died of gallbladder cancer early Sunday at a hospital in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, according to his family. Born in 1945 and enrolled at Seoul National University in 1966, Chang began actively campaigning for democracy and labor rights in 1970 in the wake of the self-immolation of Jeon Tae-il. Jeon burned himself to death in 1970 in protest of brutal working conditions at a Seoul sewing factory.

Social AffairsSept. 22, 2024

Third-seeded Haddad Maia wins Korea Open tennis title

Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil pulled off a strong comeback for her first WTA title of the season in Seoul on Sunday. The third-seeded Haddad Maia defeated Daria Kasatkina, the top seed from Russia, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, to win the Korea Open at Olympic Park Tennis Center. Haddad Maia, world No. 17, now has four career WTA singles titles, thanks to an impressive rally on the heels of a lethargic first set. Kasatkina, world No. 13, won the opening frame in just 26 minutes, and won especially easy points

More SportsSept. 22, 2024

Qatar Pavilion at Gwangju Biennale brings solidarity through rain

GWANGJU -- A soundscape combining rainfall with a Qatari children's folk song fills the corridor where a reflection of Qatari traditional architecture patterns surround visitors. On the wall are Qatari idioms. One reads: “Whatever comes from the sky, the earth accepts.” The National Museum of Qatar presents its national pavilion exhibition at the Gwangju Biennale, Asia’s leading art biennale, which kicked off Sept. 7 across the city of Gwangju. The title of the exhibition

Arts & DesignSept. 22, 2024

Bereaved families, Seoul council butt heads over Sewol memorial

The commemorative space for victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster in Seoul is facing possible removal by the city council, which is refusing to allow unauthorized use of its premises as the location of the memorial. The Seoul Metropolitan Council is reportedly slated to meet with the representatives of the bereaved families next month to discuss removal of the memorial in the plaza in front of the council's main building in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The bereaved families asked for the me

Social AffairsSept. 22, 2024