[Graphic News] S. Korea’s COVID-19 hospitalizations surge in July

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in South Korea saw a significant rise last month, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Hospitalizations increased from 63 in the fourth week of June to 91 in the first week of July, 145 in the second week and 225 in the third week. This surge comes despite the country lowering its COVID-19 crisis level from “alert” to the lowest “interest” level on May 1, following a sharp decline in confirmed cases earlie

Social AffairsAug. 5, 2024

[Sheldon H. Jacobson] Who will pay for Crowdstrike outage?

Crowdstrike did not have a good day on July 19. During a routine software update, the file that the cybersecurity firm issued triggered a logic error that prohibited Windows machines from rebooting. Microsoft estimates that around 8.5 million computers may have been affected by the event. This created a tsunami of downstream consequences, as computers that supported numerous industry operations were unable to coordinate and process data. For air travel, the net effect was the cancellation of mor

ViewpointsAug. 5, 2024

[Yoo Choon-sik] Central bank independence and government policy

In countries like South Korea that adopt the presidential system of government, the president can wield much stronger power than the prime minister under the parliamentary system because the president usually rules for a fixed period. Accordingly, comments by the president or presidential officials on specific issues can carry a much stronger and wider impact on people’s lives as well as financial markets. At the same time, their comments sometimes have a different type and magnitude of im

ViewpointsAug. 5, 2024

Kim Woo-jin wins men's individual archery title for 3rd gold in Paris

PARIS -- Kim Woo-jin captured the men's individual archery title Sunday for his third gold medal of the Paris Olympics, giving South Korea a clean sweep of archery gold medals in the process. Kim defeated Brady Ellison of the United States in a shoot-off in the final at Invalides in Paris and became the second triple gold medalist for South Korea at the ongoing Olympics, joining fellow archer Lim Si-hyeon. Kim previously won the men's team and mixed team gold medals in Paris, while L

More SportsAug. 4, 2024

Lee Woo-seok wins bronze in men's individual archery for 2nd medal in Paris

Lee Woo-seok claimed bronze in the men's individual archery event Sunday for his second medal of the Paris Olympics. Lee defeated Florian Unruh of Germany 6-0 in the set score in the bronze medal match at Invalides in Paris. Lee fell to the third-place contest after losing to fellow South Korean Kim Woo-jin in the semifinals earlier Sunday. Lee previously helped South Korea win the men's team gold medal.

More SportsAug. 4, 2024

Foreign ministry strongly urges S. Koreans in Lebanon, Israel to leave countries

The foreign ministry on Sunday strongly urged South Koreans residing in Lebanon and Israel to leave the countries as soon as possible amid escalating security concerns in the Middle East. Chaired by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun, the ministry held a meeting to review the security situation in the Middle East and examine measures for the safe protection of South Koreans in the region. At the meeting, Kang strongly urged South Koreans residing in Lebanon and Israel to depart the nations

Foreign AffairsAug. 4, 2024

S. Korea opens anti-dumping probe into hydrocarbon resin imports from China, Taiwan

South Korea has opened an anti-dumping investigation into hydrocarbon resin imports from China and Taiwan after a local company has claimed cheap imports from the countries were damaging the local industry, according to informed sources Sunday. According to the sources, the Korea Trade Commission of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has recently begun the investigation into four Chinese companies and three Taiwanese companies, following a petition from Kolon Industries Inc. The South Ko

IndustryAug. 4, 2024

Top-ranked shuttler comfortable playing from behind

In her women's singles semifinal match of the Paris Olympics on Sunday, An Se-young, the world's top-ranked female badminton player, dropped the opening game against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia. In other words, An had Tunjung right where she wanted. An went on to defeat Tunjung 2-1 (11-21, 21-13, 21-16) and advanced to the final scheduled for Monday. After struggling to find her rhythm in the first frame, An was a completely different player in the next two games, making shot

More SportsAug. 4, 2024

Authorities to tighten control over financial services by e-commerce

The South Korean government is considering stricter regulations on e-commerce platforms' involvement in financial services, aiming to avert another payment failure crisis amid ongoing investigations into cases involving Tmon and WeMakePrice. According to industry sources, local financial regulators are contemplating measures to prevent the platforms from controlling vendor capital by legally separating payment gateway (PG) services from e-commerce platforms. A payment gateway facilitates el

IndustryAug. 4, 2024

Korea sizzles as temperatures soar to 40 C for first time since 2019

South Korea sweltered through its first 40 degrees Celsius temperature in six years on Sunday, amid a relentless heatwave that has gripped the country since the end of July, following the monsoon season. Current weather conditions on the Korean Peninsula are strikingly similar to those of the record-breaking summer of 2018, sparking concerns that this year could become one of the hottest on record. The severe heatwave has already resulted in approximately 540 cases of heat-related illnesses from

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2024

Shinhan Card launches joint venture with Kazakh autodealer Aster

South Korea's leading card firm, Shinhan Card, has strengthened its foothold in Kazakhstan's auto finance market by establishing a joint venture with the nation's top used-car seller Aster Auto. Shinhan Finance, the Kazakh unit of Shinhan Card, announced on Sunday the launch of this joint venture with Aster Auto. This development follows their initial plan, unveiled in December, to set up a collaborative corporation. According to the plan, Aster will invest around 31 billion won (

IndustryAug. 4, 2024

Most dominant Korean Olympians, by gold medals won

Archer Lim Si-yeon of South Korea won her third gold medal Saturday at the Paris Games, joining an elite group of athletes from the country who have won multiple Olympic gold medals. Kim Woo-jin, her mixed team partner, has already bagged two gold and is also seeking to complete the golden hat trick by winning the individual men's archery event, slated for later Sunday. If Kim wins the individual event, it would be the fifth gold medal of his career, more than any other athlete in South Kor

More SportsAug. 4, 2024

[Exclusive] Seoul Fashion Week to show world’s first stretchable display

The spring-summer 2025 Seoul Fashion Week, set for next month, brings to the runway something unlike anything seen since 2000 when the biannual show began: Stretchable display panels -- worn by models, who will tout them as the “next (thing) in fashion.” The designer behind this project is Lee Chung-chung, womenswear designer and founder of LIE, whose runway will be the finale of the five-day fashion week starting Sept. 3 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, with a demonstration of how panels

Arts & DesignAug. 4, 2024

6 in 10 S. Koreans won't date across political lines: survey

Almost six out of 10 Koreans are unwilling to date someone with opposing political views, a survey shows, pointing to a deepening rift between liberals and conservatives in the country. Data from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, which surveyed 3,950 Koreans aged 19 to 75 last year, revealed that 58.2 percent of respondents did not wish to enter a romantic relationship with partners who do not share their political views. In civic and social activities, over 70 percent of resp

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2024

Tech giants eye growing home appliances subscription market

Subscription services in the home appliances market are fast expanding in South Korea, with the country’s top players targeting younger and smaller households. LG Electronics, the country's leading home appliance giant, has achieved a record sales figure surpassing the 1-trillion-won ($ 736 billion) mark for its subscription service, and Samsung Electronics is also reviewing to launch a similar service for its home appliances in the latter half of the year. For 2023, LG Electronics re

IndustryAug. 4, 2024

[KH Explains] Shift Up shakes up Korean gaming industry with agility

Shift Up, the South Korean game developer behind blockbusters such as “Goddess of Victory: Nikke” and “Stellar Blade,” made an exhilarating debut on South Korea’s KOSPI market on July 11. The buzz within the Korean game industry revolved around whether Shift Up could challenge the market dominance of NCSoft, a veteran giant in the sector. On its debut, Shift Up’s stock surged to 89,500 won, boosting its market capitalization to nearly 5.2 trillion won ($3.

CompaniesAug. 4, 2024

Jeon Hun-young leads S. Korean women’s archery as 'big sister'

South Korea's female archers have swept all available gold medals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, continuing to build on the country’s highly decorated legacy in the sport. Although most of the spotlight has been focused on Lim Si-hyeon, who won three gold medals in the women’s team, mixed and individual events, Jeon Hun-young played an irreplaceable role as the "big sister" of the women’s archery team. Jeon, 30, nine years older than Lim and 11 years older t

More SportsAug. 4, 2024

Partisan gridlock to continue over contentious bills

Partisan gridlock in the National Assembly is unlikely to cease in upcoming weeks, with the opposition-led parliament having either passed or eyeing to vote in favor of more contentious bills, which President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to veto. The opposition-led National Assembly late last month passed four broadcasting bills aimed at reducing the Yoon administration’s influence over public broadcasters, alongside a pro-labor revision bill to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment

PoliticsAug. 4, 2024

[Herald Review] (G)I-dle kicks off 'iDOL' world tour

“I am the top, super lady,” the first line of (G)I-dle’s hit track “Super Lady,” echoed through the KSPO Dome in Seoul evoking earsplitting cheers from the nearly 8,000 fans that filled the venue on Saturday. Soon after, (G)I-dle appeared from a lift like warriors, dressed in black sets, to kick off their world tour “iDOL” with a two-day concert in Seoul. As they slowly descended towards the main stage, they were welcomed by a mega dance crew that togeth

K-popAug. 4, 2024