Exports of instant noodles surpass $800m in Jan.-Aug.

South Korea's exports of instant noodles, also known as ramyeon, were estimated to have reached $800 million in the first eight months of this year, data showed Wednesday. The figure represents a 31.7 percent hike from the January-August period of last year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. By country, outbound shipments to China grew 26.9 percent on-year to $160 million and exports to the United States jumped 61.5 percent to $140 million, m

ConsumerSept. 18, 2024

USFK commander nominee says 28,500 American troops in S. Korea are 'essential'

Maintaining 28,500 American troops in South Korea is "essential," the nominee for US Forces Korea commander has said, amid concerns that former President Donald Trump could weigh a USFK troop reduction should he return to the White House. Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson staked out his position in written answers to lawmakers' questions ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. If confirmed, he would lead the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, United Nations Command and USF

DefenseSept. 18, 2024

N. Korea apparently modifying Russian plane to possibly build airborne warning aircraft

North Korea appears to be making progress in converting a Russian heavy transport plane into what could be the country's first airborne early warning platform, a report showed Wednesday, citing commercial satellite imagery. Joseph Dempsey, a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, made the analysis based on recent satellite imagery taken of the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport. In the report, Dempsey identified the aircraf

North KoreaSept. 18, 2024

Quarrel over faulty investment leads to attempted murder

The Seoul High Court said recently it upheld a six-year prison term for a 67-year-old North Korean defector for the attempted murder of another defector over a faulty investment opportunity. A defendant was found guilty of attempted murder, after he stabbed the 70-year-old victim nine times and assaulted him with his fist at 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 14. The court turned down his claim of not intending to murder the victim, pointing out that he called the police after the crime and said he had "ju

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

Ex-Premier Leaguer Lingard apologizes for unlicensed e-scooter riding

FC Seoul’s soccer player Jesse Lingard posted an apology Tuesday for riding an electric scooter without having a driver’s license or wearing a helmet. Lingard revealed a video on his Instagram story with the caption “Safety first always,” where he said “Obviously I was on an e-scooter yesterday, I was driving around for a couple of minutes on an e-scooter. The policy, you know, I didn’t know the rules of the policy of wearing a helmet, of having a license as w

SoccerSept. 18, 2024

Man jailed for deepfake porn seeks state compensation after acquittal

A man whose conviction for making deepfake pornography of an acquaintance was overturned is now seeking state compensation for his legal fees, local media outlets reported Wednesday. The former university student surnamed Lee recently requested the Seoul High Court to compensate him for his losses from the conviction. Although he did actually make the images, he was cleared by the Supreme Court in April 2024, partly because the relevant legislation was not in place at the time of his actions. Le

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

[Off the Pages] German bestseller gets new twist in ‘Snow White Must Die -- Black Out’

German mystery crime writer Nele Neuhaus’ 2010 international bestseller “Snow White Must Die” is getting a fresh take as the Korean drama series “Snow White Must Die -- Black Out,” kicked off Aug. 16. The fourth installment of Neuhaus’ series set in the Taunus region near Frankfurt sold more than 3.5 million copies globally and had its German TV adaptation in 2013. Now just five episodes away from its finale, the MBC series is gaining momentum with its latest

BooksSept. 18, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Streamlining construction, promoting ESG compliance

Proposed Bill: Act on Special Cases Concerning the Promotion of Reconstruction and Redevelopment Projects Proposed by Rep. Kim Eun-hye (People Power Party) ● Rising construction costs and complex authorization procedures have caused delays in housing provision. To accelerate the completion of reconstruction and redevelopment projects and accommodate the growing demand for housing in city centers, this bill streamlines approval procedures, offers mediation support for construction cost disputes,

PoliticsSept. 18, 2024

15% of unmarried people won't disclose assets to future spouses: survey

Some unmarried South Koreans do not plan on revealing their entire fortune to their soon-to-be spouses, a recent survey by a matchmaking firm showed Tuesday. According to the survey by Gayeon conducted on 250 unmarried men and 250 unmarried women between 25-39 years of age, 15 percent of respondents said they would not disclose 100 percent of their assets. The most popular reason (49.3 percent) was "even spouses need some secrets," followed by "I might need emergency funds only fo

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

W624b spent on corporate cards for 'lavish entertainment' in S.Korea

South Korea’s high-end entertainment industry marked 624 billion won ($469 million) in sales with corporate credit cards last year, with over half spent in hostess clubs. The sales, supposedly generated for entertainment in business dealings, increased by 61 billion won from the previous year’s 563 billion won and accounted for 0.4 percent of total corporate credit card expenditure, according to the South Korean National Tax Service data submitted to Rep. Park Seong-hoon of the rulin

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

Fintech rivals K bank, Toss gear up for IPOs

South Korea’s online banking firm K bank is gearing up for what could be one of the biggest market debuts this year, while its crosstown rival Toss seeks to follow suit in 2025. The country's first internet-only lender K bank is taking the final steps for its listing on the benchmark Kospi at the end of October. K bank said on Sept. 13 it filed a securities registration statement with the Financial Services Commission for review. It plans to offer 82 million new shares, with a target

IndustrySept. 18, 2024

S.Korea to mandate in-vehicle breathalyzers for repeat DUI offenders

In a bid to combat the persistent problem of drunk driving, South Korea is rolling out a new policy that will require repeat offenders to blow into a breathalyzer every time they start their car, authorities told local media on Tuesday. The policy, set to take effect on Oct. 25, applies to anyone caught driving under the influence more than twice in the past five years. Under the mandate, offenders will be responsible for installing the breathalyzer-like device -- referred to as the ignition int

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

Immigration crackdown catches more delivery workers

The number of foreign nationals illegally working as delivery workers in South Korea has surged by 50 percent since the Ministry of Justice initiated a crackdown on illegal employment practices in the industry in 2023. According to the Justice Ministry, 171 cases of foreign nationals being illegally employed in food delivery services and parcel services were detected as of July 2024, up from 117 cases detected in the whole of 2023. If this trend continues, the ministry expects numbers to double

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

High temperatures may worsen mental health conditions: study

Amid the prolonged summer in South Korea, research revealed Wednesday shows that rising temperatures can cause not just heat-related illnesses but also increase the risk of obtaining mental illnesses such as depression. According to joint research conducted by the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul National University and Pusan National University with 219,187 respondents of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Community Health Survey, for every increase in average annual t

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

Lawmaker flags low detention rate in the child porn cases

Over the past three years and seven months, more than 4,000 individuals were apprehended for child pornography offenses, including production and distribution, yet only 261 of them were referred to prosecutors while in detention, according to the official data. Data released Wednesday by Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, based on information from the National Police Agency, highlighted the extent of child exploitation offenses and the relatively low rate of dete

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

Disruptions in medical services continue during Chuseok

Disruptions in health care services continued nationwide during the five-day Chuseok holiday, as the medical standoff over the government’s medical school quota hike plan showed no signs of abating. While there is no official data to assess the scope and size of the disturbances, independent reports emerged of patients being denied admission to multiple emergency care units during the Saturday-Wednesday holiday. On Saturday, when the nation entered the crest of holiday cheer, a woman whose

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2024

BTS, NewJeans fandoms clash over Hybe-Min Hee-jin conflict

The conflict between Hybe and former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin appears to be escalating into a broader dispute between the fandoms of BTS and NewJeans, as BTS's fanbase, Army, raises its voice in opposing Min's potential return. A group identifying itself as part of the BTS Army community released a statement on X Monday, expressing its unified stance against Min’s return as the CEO of Ador, a subsidiary of Hybe. The group made clear that it opposes her reinstatement in a leadership r

K-popSept. 18, 2024

Samsung chief travels to France to encourage young talents

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong traveled to France to attend the closing ceremony of WorldSkills Lyon 2024, the world’s largest skill championship, in a bid to show support to young talents, the company said Wednesday. Presenting the medals and meeting with Korean competitors at the closing ceremony on Sunday, Lee reiterated the company's commitment to helping youth in their vocational training. "The sweat of the young talents is the foundation of South Korea, a technol

IndustrySept. 18, 2024

Woori injects W100b to support restructuring of high-risk PF projects

Woori Financial Group, one of South Korea’s top five financial conglomerates, announced on Wednesday it created a 100 billion won ($75 million) fund to provide liquidity to the struggling real estate project financing (PF) sector. The fund was raised through contributions from the group’s subsidiaries, with flagship Woori Bank contributing the bulk at 90 billion won. Woori Asset Management, Woori Financial Capital and Woori Investment & Securities each contributed 5 billion won,

IndustrySept. 18, 2024

N. Korea launches missiles in latest show of military, nuclear strength

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles Wednesday in its latest show of force, just days after an unprecedented public release of photos showing its uranium enrichment facilities capable of producing nuclear weapons material. The missile launches came on the heels of last week's launches which marked the end of a more than two-month pause in Pyongyang's missile provocations. The South Korean military detected North Korea launching several short-range ballistic missiles northea

North KoreaSept. 18, 2024