The tumultuous history of the Korean Peninsula can be seen through a myriad of prisms. In some cases that defy conventional wisdom. Well-educated Koreans in the South moved willingly to the communist North before the Korean War and stayed. One exceptional case caught the attention of Ryuta Itagaki, a professor of historical anthropology, and the outcome is an illuminating saga of a prominent linguist. In 2010, Itagaki, then a visiting scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, met Kim Hye-young,

ViewpointsAug. 12, 2024

Sheikh Hasina could have left gracefully. Instead, Bangladesh’s prime minister resigned and fled to neighboring India, ending her 15-year-long rule as chaos has engulfed the nation. The army wasted no time stepping in to form an interim government, although what shape that will take is still unclear. The military needs to find a swift path to a peaceful transfer of power. Any delay will risk damaging the country’s reputation with the international financial community even further --

ViewpointsAug. 12, 2024

PARIS(Yonhap) -- South Korea capped its better-than-expected run at the Paris Olympics with two more medals on the final day of the competition Sunday. Seong Seung-min grabbed bronze in the women's modern pentathlon and became the first Asian to reach the podium since the women's event was added to the Olympics in 2000. After equestrian show jumping, fencing, swimming and laser run, which combines running and laser pistol shooting, Seong finished in third place with 1,441 points, behin

More SportsAug. 11, 2024

PARIS(Yonhap) -- Park Hye-jeong captured silver in the heaviest weight class in women's weightlifting Sunday for South Korea's final medal of the Paris Olympics. Park finished with the total of 299 kilograms, with 131kg in the snatch and 168kg in the clean and jerk in the women's +81kg event at South Paris Arena 6 in the French capital. Both the snatch mark and the total weight are new South Korean national records. Park, 21, became the first South Korean medalist in the women&#

More SportsAug. 11, 2024

Gaza Strip (AP) -- The Israeli military ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza early Sunday after a deadly airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed at least 80 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Israel said it targeted a militant command post, killing 19 fighters. Israel has repeatedly ordered mass evacuations as its troops have returned to heavily destroyed areas where they had previously battled Palestinian militants. The vast majority of Gaza's popula

World NewsAug. 11, 2024

PARIS (Yonhap) -- Kim Woo-jin and Lim Si-hyeon, a pair of triple gold medalists in archery, were named the MVPs of the South Korean delegation to the Paris Olympics on Sunday. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced that Kim and Lim were voted as the country's top athletes at the 33rd Summer Games by South Korean media. The KSOC created the MVP awards for a multisport competition for the first time at the Hangzhou Asian Games last fall. Lim, who had also won three archery

More SportsAug. 11, 2024

Hana Financial Group said Sunday that it will inject 10 billion won ($7.32 million) over the next three years to bring awareness to the dangers of illegal gambling for youngsters. The project is co-organized by Hana Financial Group and Korea Center on Gambling Problems, joined by public institutions including the Financial Supervisory Service, National Gambling Control Commission, National Police Agency and Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. "The Financial Supervisory Service, in charg

IndustryAug. 11, 2024

Seungri, a former member of the iconic K-pop group Big Bang, continues to face harsh criticism as he engages in controversial activities following his involvement in the infamous "Burning Sun" scandal. Despite serving time in prison, Seungri’s recent actions have sparked outrage among the public, with many questioning his lack of remorse. The controversy reignited Saturday when TVS Management, an international event organizer, announced that Seungri would appear as a special gues

K-popAug. 11, 2024

Conservatives are divided over reports President Yoon Suk Yeol may fully restore the political rights of once-prominent liberal politician Kim Kyung-soo, allowing him to run for public office. Kim, a key ally of former Democratic Party of Korea President Moon Jae-in, was already pardoned last December from serving the remaining five months of his two-year jail term. In 2021, he was sentenced to two years in jail in the Supreme Court for trying to sway voters online by manipulating comments on ne

PoliticsAug. 11, 2024

Despite the government's efforts to reduce the blind spot for the national pension, only four out of 10 people in the low-income bracket are enrolled in the national pension system, a study showed Sunday. According to the National Pension Research Institute, among the people aged 20 to 59 in the last tier of the income group, those who earn less than two-thirds of the median income of 2021, only 40.96 percent enrolled in the national pension system. The enrollment rate increased a mere 2.15

Social AffairsAug. 11, 2024

After a lengthy hiatus, the former members of the disbanded group B.A.P have reunited and made their much-anticipated return to the stage, now performing under a new name. Debuting in 2012, the iconic boy band quickly rose to fame with their versatile sound, delivering powerful hip-hop anthems like “No Mercy” and “One Shot,” alongside lighter, more playful tracks such as “Stop It” and “Crash.” The band was disbanded in 2019, following the expiratio

K-popAug. 11, 2024

Celebrating its 79th Liberation Day this Thursday, tourist destinations around the country offer special programs to highlight what Korean independence fighters went through under Japanese occupation, commemorate their sacrifices and remember the history. Seodaemun Prison History Hall, in Seodaemun-gu, northwestern Seoul, offers a hands-on activity and concert for young visitors keen on taking in some of the nation’s arduous modern history. Children aged 7 to 10 can participate in a &ldquo

CultureAug. 11, 2024

Endless guesses are made over who will win the race to the White House between former US President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris, but both look likely to bolster the country's protectionist measures to boost the US' domestic industry. Against this backdrop, South Korea's second-largest conglomerate SK Group is beefing up its US offices to elevate negotiating power in the all-important market, where it has been spending heavily to secure a firmer footing for

IndustryAug. 11, 2024

South Korea's Olympic team, comprising 144 athletes across 21 events, achieved at least 13 gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, placing seventh overall, with athletes in shooting, fencing and archery playing pivotal roles in the country's success. Despite sending its smallest delegation since 1976, South Korea marked the nation's first double-digit gold medal haul in a Summer Olympics since the 2012 London Games. South Korea's record-breaking achievement in gold medals was largely due to the

More SportsAug. 11, 2024

South Korea’s chip exports to Taiwan have surged on the back of increased SK hynix shipments for Nvidia, data showed Sunday. According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea International Trade Association, Korea’s memory chip exports to Taiwan amounted to $4.26 billion in the January-June period this year, up 225.7 percent from a year ago. During the same period, the nation’s total memory chip exports increased 88.7 percent on-year. In

IndustryAug. 11, 2024

In response to a recent surge in fires caused by electric vehicles in underground parking lots across South Korea, the government is reportedly considering regulatory changes, including installing additional sprinklers and expediting the fire department's response times. The Ministry of Environment was set to hold a meeting Monday to have the National Fire Agency explain how to mitigate the risks associated with EV-related fires. Discussing major measures starting from the Monday meeting, t

Social AffairsAug. 11, 2024

Hyundai Motor Group is addressing public safety concerns over electric fires in Korea by disclosing the battery manufacturers for its electric vehicle lineup and implementing enhanced safety features. It has listed the battery manufacturers for all 13 Hyundai and Genesis EVs on its official Korean website. According to the carmaker, most of the Hyundai EVs, including the flagship Ioniq brand cars, used batteries from Korea’s LG Energy Solution and SK On. Hyundai’s Kona Electric was t

MobilityAug. 11, 2024

HD Hyundai Marine Solution has secured a $30 million contract with a European maritime firm to develop an LNG floating storage unit, its first such project, the company announced Sunday. The project will convert a 2004-built, 138,000-square-meter Spanish carrier into an FSU capable of gas storage and offloading. HD Hyundai will manage the entire turnkey project from design through delivery. "Carrier-to-FSU conversions are complex projects that demand high-level engineering skills," a c

IndustryAug. 11, 2024

Disney unveiled an exciting slate of sequels for its popular franchises -- "Avatar," "Zootopia," "Moana," "Toy Story" and "Tron: Legacy” at the eighth D23, the official Disney fan club event held Friday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, where some 12,000 fans gathered for the biannual convention. Among the announcements, the third installment of the global blockbuster "Avatar" series is set to hit theaters on Dec. 19,

FilmAug. 11, 2024