Coronavirus takes a heavy toll on small music labels

As the entertainment industry struggles through the novel coronavirus outbreak, the prolonged pandemic is taking an especially heavy toll on small music labels and independent musicians. According to Record Label Industry Association of Korea on Thursday, the 44 member labels of the association have seen a loss of more than 3.5 billion won ($2.85 million) due to the cancellation or delay of events scheduled between Feb. 13 and April 11. A total of 61 gigs have been either rescheduled or called

PerformanceMarch 26, 2020

[Bangladesh] A message from the President of Bangladesh

Today is 26th March, the Independence Day of Bangladesh. On the occasion of our great Independence and National Day, I extend my heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to my fellow countrymen living at home and abroad. 　 On this historic day, I remember with profound respect the architect of our independent Bangladesh, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I pay my deep homage to the millions of martyrs who made supreme sacrifice in the war of liberation. I also recall wit

World NewsMarch 26, 2020

Seoul to launch 10-minute contact tracing program

The government has started running a program from Thursday that takes just 10 minutes to trace people who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, in the latest technology adopted to combat the pandemic. Co-developed by the Land Ministry, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus tracker allows data of confirmed COVID-19 patients to be immediately analyzed and provided to health investigators. Previously, it took about 24 hours

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020

Celebrating World Piano Day, Cho Sung-jin goes online

In celebration of World Piano Day, which falls on March 28 this year, internationally renowned pianists, including Korea‘s much-beloved Cho Sung-jin, are to stream their performances online. World Piano Day takes place on the 88th day of the year, corresponding to the number of keys.   Universal Music‘s classical music label Deutsche Grammophon announced Thursday that pianist Cho Sung-jin will stream his performance with baritone Matthias Goerne at 2 p.m. Saturday. Together,

PerformanceMarch 26, 2020

Crisis-hit Doosan Heavy to get W1tr in loans from 2 policy lenders

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. said Thursday that it has opened a 1 trillion-won ($812 million) credit line from two state lenders, a move that could help prevent a possible liquidity crunch caused by the spread of the new coronavirus. The country's largest power equipment maker has signed an agreement with Korea Development Bank (KDB) and Korea Export-Import Bank (Eximbank) for the loans. Doosan Group, the parent of Doosan Heavy, is said to have offered its share holdings and

IndustryMarch 26, 2020

Financial watchdog warns Woori, Hana over board infractions

The Financial Supervisory Service on Thursday issued warnings to two major banking groups here -- Woori and Hana -- directing them to improve their overall transparency and corporate governance. The financial watchdog noted that Woori Financial Group’s board meeting minutes -- which serve as official legal records -- between January and September 2019 lacked transparency. The minutes were treated “as mere formalities” and contained few details such as the substance of

MarketMarch 26, 2020

S. Korean football federation asks IOC to adjust age limit for Olympics in 2021

The South Korean national football federation on Thursday asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to adjust the age restriction on male players at next year's Summer Games in Tokyo so that those who helped the country qualify will still be eligible to play in the rescheduled competition. The Olympic men's football tournament is only open to players who are 23 or younger, except for a maximum three overage players permitted for each nation. For the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, those born on or

Olympic GamesMarch 26, 2020

[Weekender] How to raise W100m by 30: Millennial investment strategies

  It’s not a fancy car or a Louis Vuitton bag that Joung Hye-dan, a 27-year-old former nurse in Seoul, is interested in.  Once called a big spender by college friends, she transferred nearly 80 percent of her monthly income from her former job into 10 separate bank and investment accounts. She has now diversified her personal financial portfolio from regular deposits to peer-to-peer investing, profiting by 1.2 million won ($980) so far.  “I started my nursing career

MarketMarch 26, 2020

Simple exercises to do at home to boost immunity

As the new coronavirus infections continue to spread, people have been stuck indoors without physical activity for many days, if not weeks. A report by the US National Institute of Health said the virus can stay on stainless steel and plastic surfaces up to three days, leading people to avoid gyms. Trainer at Body Spectrum Kim Yu-jin, MVP winner of 2016 World Body Classic who started a one-person fitness center, shared six simple moves beginners can follow at home to help strengthen t

CultureMarch 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] ‘Walk-through’ coronavirus testing begins at airport

South Korea began to operate “walk-through” testing facilities for the novel coronavirus at Incheon International Airport on Thursday to speed up screening amid an alarming rise in the number of cases imported from Europe and the US.  　 Korea reported 104 new cases Thursday, bringing total infections to 9,241, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 　  Of the new cases, 39 cases -- 34 citizens and five foreign nationals -- involved travelers arr

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020

Hankook Tire aims larger clout in original equipment tires

Hankook Tire, South Korea’s largest tire manufacturer by sales, said Thursday it will ramp up research in the original equipment tire sector. OE tires refer to tires that are equipped with new vehicles coming fresh off production lines. When designing new vehicle models, automakers go through several steps with tire manufacturers to choose or develop tires that best complement their own vehicle models. Hankook Tire is currently offering OE tires and replacement tires for around 320 car

IndustryMarch 26, 2020

KB Card to lease Apple products

   Local credit card issuer KB Kookmin Card said Thursday it will launch a new leasing service of Apple devices -- from iPhones to iPads -- starting April. The company will purchase products on behalf of customers and charge them regular payments for an agreed upon period, according to the officials. The company has signed a contract with six Apple premium resellers to start the service.  “In response to the latest consumer trend of using different smart devices rather th

MarketMarch 26, 2020

NK’s latest missiles large enough to carry nuclear warheads

A pair of missiles North Korea fired Saturday had a payload capacity sufficient to carry nuclear warheads, 38 North said Wednesday. The Washington-based website monitors North Korea. The firings on March 21 marked Pyongyang’s third weapons test this year, following two rounds in the same month. The missiles were the North’s variant of the US surface-to-surface missile ATACMS. The website said it suspected that the North Korean missiles had payload compartments that were 700-750 mi

North KoreaMarch 26, 2020

Moon’s steps up summit diplomacy over COVID-19

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussing the pandemic and their governments’ responses, continuing his COVID-19 diplomacy hours ahead of the G-20 teleconference. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Trudeau said that Seoul was responding to the issue scientifically and had avoided putting too much pressure on the country’s health system, and that Canada plans to take a similar approach. Cheong Wa Dae spokespers

Foreign AffairsMarch 26, 2020

Seoul stocks down after strong 2-day rebound, Korean won falls

South Korean stocks finished lower Thursday after two straight days of robust gains, as investors cashed in part of recent gains. The Korean won lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 18.52 points, or 1.09 percent, to close at 1,686.24, ending its two-day winning streak. The index spiked nearly 14.5 percent over the last two days on stimulus hopes.  Trading volume was high at 982 million shares worth 12.2 trillion won ($9.9 billi

MarketMarch 26, 2020

97-year-old woman fully recovers from new coronavirus

A 97-year-old South Korean woman infected with the novel coronavirus has fully recovered and been released from quarantine, making her the country's oldest fully recovered virus patient, officials said Thursday. The patient, from the southeastern city of Cheongdo, returned home after fully recovering from COVID-19. The city is adjacent to Daegu, an epicenter of the local outbreak. The patient is the oldest person among a total of 4,144 recovered COVID-19 cases in the country. South Korea on

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020

Govt. explores ways to support Korean USFK employees facing furloughs next week

The government is weighing the possibility of low-interest loans and other options to support South Korean employees in the US Forces Korea (USFK) who face furloughs next week in the absence of a deal to fund their wages, a Seoul official said Thursday. On Wednesday, the USFK began sending out furlough notices to the Korean employees, mostly in nonessential positions, as Seoul and Washington have yet to bridge the gaps in their monthslong negotiations on the sharing of the cost for stationing

Foreign AffairsMarch 26, 2020

Sex abuse ring investigation goes public

Seoul prosecutors said Thursday that the investigation into a South Korean man who allegedly ran an online sexual abuse ring targeting girls and women will go public. According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, a committee mandated to review the propriety of disclosing information about criminal cases decided Wednesday to open up the ongoing investigation into Cho Ju-bin, who was named by police on Tuesday. This marks a rare exception from a Justice Ministry directive i

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020

Celebrities join hands to bring hopeful messages amid COVID-19

Content creators and celebrities including football player Son Heung-min joined forces to bring positive messages amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Korea Multi-channel Network Association, said Thusrday. 　Named Messages of Hope to Overcome Coronavirus Crisis, the campaign aims to fight against the pandemic as well as infodemic -- an overabundance of information which makes it difficult for people to find trustworthy sources and guidance.  “Amid the prolonged COVID-19 situation, infodem

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2020

What it’s like to be stuck at home as a music reporter

It’s been over a month since I last went to a media showcase event for a new music release. When I arrived at YES24 Live Hall for Pentagon’s showcase on Feb. 12, I knew things were changing, given the presence of a thermal camera, not to mention that I had just been sprayed with a disinfectant upon arrival. But I never thought that would be my last press event for weeks to come. Nowadays, I open emails from management agencies about new releases without the expectation of an invit

K-popMarch 26, 2020