Star screenwriters return to small screen

Big-name screenwriters are returning to the small screen this year, raising high expectations for well-made blockbuster TV series. Park Ji-eun, who wrote popular romantic comedies "My Love from the Star (2013) and "Legend of the Blue Sea" (2016), was the first runner in the 2020 lineup of star playwrights. The last episode of her latest drama, "Crash Landing On You," which aired from December last year to February, earned the highest viewership for any drama series fr

TelevisionMarch 11, 2020

116 countries, territories restricting entry from coronavirus-hit S. Korea

A total of 114 countries and territories were imposing entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures for people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns on Wednesday, as a few more nations in Africa and the Caribbean have joined the list. As of 3 p.m., 43 countries and territories were barring the entry of travelers who have been in South Korea, China, Japan and other virus-hit countries, up from the previous day's tally of 40, according to the foreign ministry website. The Bahamas ha

Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2020

SK Telecom establishes digital health care joint venture with local PEF

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier, said Wednesday it has established a digital health care joint venture with a local private equity fund (PEF) after spinning off its health care business unit. Invites Healthcare Co. will aim to drive growth of the health care industry using its advanced information and communication technology (ICT), according to SK Telecom. Newlake Alliance Management, a local private equity firm, will serve as the largest shareholder of the joint venture

TechnologyMarch 11, 2020

One more soldier tests positive for coronavirus, total at 38

An Army soldier tested positive for the new coronavirus after his mother working at a virus-plagued call center in Seoul was confirmed to have been infected, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The new case brought the total number of confirmed cases in the military to 38. The private first class, who commutes to his unit in Seoul rather than living at barracks, is the first service member in the capital city to have the virus. Of the total military coronavirus cases, 21 were in the Army, 1

DefenseMarch 11, 2020

Korea's exports up 21.9% in first 10 days of March

South Korea's exports rose by more than 20 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of March, customs data showed Wednesday, but the new coronavirus outbreak may limit the growth of its exports and economy. The country's outbound shipments came to US$13.3 billion in the March 1-10 period, up 21.9 percent from the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The daily average, however, slipped 2.5 percent on-year to $1.78 billion. The customs office note

EconomyMarch 11, 2020

Samsung No. 3 vendor of wearable devices in 2019: report

 Samsung Electronics Co. was the third-largest vendor of wearable devices last year, a market report showed Wednesday, amid soaring global demand for wearables. Samsung shipped 30.9 million units of wearable devices last year, more than doubling from a year earlier, according to the latest report from market tracker International Data Corp. (IDC). The South Korean tech giant took a 9.2 percent share in the global wearables market in 2019, up 2.3 percentage points from a year earlier, I

TechnologyMarch 11, 2020

S. Korea reports 242 more cases, total at 7,755

South Korea reported 242 novel coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 7,755 on Wednesday, as health authorities grapple with mass cluster infection cases in the country’s capital. Six more people died Tuesday, bringing Korea’s death toll to 60, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 242 new cases across the country, 52 new cases were reported in Seoul, with 12 each in Incheon and in Gyeonggi P

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

BIGBANG renews contract with YG ahead of new music release

K-pop boy band BIGBANG has renewed its contract with the current agency, YG Entertainment, ahead of the band's new music release planned for this year, YG said Wednesday.  "The BIGBANG members, G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P and Daesung, signed an exclusive contract with YG," the management said in a press release. This will mark BIGBANG' next term with YG after the band's debut under the music label in 2006. BIGBANG later renewed its contract with YG twice, in 2011 and 2015. Y

K-popMarch 11, 2020

Harris praises S. Korea's anti-coronavirus airport

US Ambassador Harry Harris visited Incheon International Airport on Wednesday to see how fever checks on US-bound passengers are going, praising the process as "the exemplar around the world." Harris visited a boarding gate in the Second Terminal of the airport, west of Seoul, and observed officials taking the temperatures of passengers of an Atlanta-bound Korean Air plane and received a briefing about the screening process. "I appreciate the hard work that (airport staff are)

Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2020

N. Korea ramping up production of masks, disinfectants amid coronavirus fears

North Korea is ramping up production of face masks, disinfectants and other personal hygiene items needed to help its people fight the new coronavirus, state media said Wednesday. North Korea has not reported any confirmed coronavirus infection, but the country has urged its people to wear masks and step up personal hygiene as a precautionary measure against the highly contagious disease. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, reported that all clothing and te

North KoreaMarch 11, 2020

S. Korea, Japan end marathon talks with no deal

South Korea said Wednesday it failed to make any significant progress in its marathon overnight talks with Japan on ending their nine-month trade dispute. The 16-hour talks that ended early Wednesday morning came amid fresh tensions between the neighbors after they virtually closed their borders against each other over the global outbreak of the new coronavirus. The travel restriction forced Lee Ho-hyeon, South Korea's director general for international trade policy, to hold a video confere

Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2020

More public servants at govt. complex infected with coronavirus

Four more public servants working at South Korea's main government complex in the administrative city of Sejong have been infected with the new coronavirus, city officials said Wednesday, sparking concerns over a potential cluster infection at the facility where 15,000 people work. Three at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in Sejong, 130 kilometers south of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted the illness, according to the officials. Another member of the oceans ministry was confirmed

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

Virus infections linked to Seoul call center reach 90: mayor

The number of new coronavirus infections linked to a call center in southwestern Seoul has reached 90 cases, the capital's mayor said Wednesday, spawning concerns about potential mass transmission in the metropolitan area. "The 90 cases come from (virus tests of) 207 employees who worked on the 11th floor and their families," Mayor Park Won-soon told a radio show, "A total of 550 call center workers on other floors of the same building are being screened." Among the cases,

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

S. Korea to run system to better detect virus patients' routes

South Korea will operate a system to support epidemiological investigation of people infected with the novel coronavirus by utilizing various cutting-edge technology, government officials said Wednesday. The system is aimed at helping health investigators to swiftly check various data such as surveillance camera footage and credit card transactions of confirmed COVID-19 patients to recreate their routes. The system -- co-developed by the Ministry of Science and ICT; the Ministry of Land, Inf

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

Korea's jobless rate at 4.1% in February, 492,000 jobs created

South Korea's jobless rate fell in February and job creations rose by more  than 400,000 for the third straight month, with the outbreak of the new coronavirus dealing a harsh blow to some sectors, such as the retail and wholesale segment, data showed Wednesday. The unemployment rate fell 0.6 percentage point to 4.1 percent last month, and the number of employed people reached 26.83 million, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. South Korea added 492,000 jobs in the month.

EconomyMarch 11, 2020

Biden racks up new primary wins over Sanders

DETROIT (AFP) -- Joe Biden took another big step closer to clinching the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump, with wins projected Tuesday over leftist rival Bernie Sanders in Mississippi and Missouri, two of six states holding primaries. The Mississippi win, projected by US networks, confirmed crucial and overwhelming support from African American voters for Biden, the former vice president under the first black US president, Barack Obama. Results from four more states,

World NewsMarch 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] Digital mask-supply services kick off in S. Korea

Various South Korean providers launched digital services providing real-time information about the availability of face masks at designated stores on Wednesday as the country strives to solve a mask supply crunch amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Ten mobile application and online service developers have started to offer information on mask stockpiles at state-designated retailers, according to the National Information Society Agency. An open application programming interface has been pub

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

US Houses passes bill to help Korean Americans reunite with NK family members

WASHINGTON -- The US House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at helping Korean Americans reunite with their family members in North Korea. The Divided Families Reunification Act, introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), passed the House Monday evening by a 391-0 vote. The bill directs the Department of State to consult the South Korean government on opportunities for reunions between Korean Americans and their North Korean family members. It also requires the State Department to periodi

North KoreaMarch 11, 2020

BTS' 'ON' slips to 68th on Billboard Hot 100 in second week

"ON," the lead single from K-pop boy band BTS' latest album, dropped to 68th on this week's Billboard Hot 100 singles chart after debuting at fourth a week earlier, the latest chart updates showed Wednesday. The sudden skid of "ON" on the Hot 100 chart dated March 14, came mainly amid the dearth of radio airplay for the song in the United States as a non-English single.  Last week, the song, the lead track of "Map of the Soul: 7," debuted at No. 4 on the H

K-popMarch 11, 2020

Postponed football season unlikely to begin in March

In normal circumstances, the men's professional football season in South Korea should be under way by now. But with the novel coronavirus wreaking havoc throughout the country, these are far from normal times. And the 2020 K League season, which was supposed to have started Feb. 29 but has been postponed indefinitely, may not even kick off in March. A league official said Wednesday it has become "unlikely" that the season will start this month. The K League is preparing for further

SoccerMarch 11, 2020