Posco Chemical and OCI to establish JV to produce hydrogen peroxide for semiconductors

Posco Chemical and OCI Company said Sunday that they will establish a hydrogen peroxide joint venture to tap the semiconductor processing materials business. According to the announcement, the JV will take shape in the second quarter of 2020, with a 51 percent stake to be held by Posco Chemical and 49 percent by OCI. The groundbreaking will take place this year, and commercial manufacturing is expected to begin in 2022. Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally friendly oxidant that is widely us

IndustryFeb. 23, 2020

[News Focus] Will President Moon change major foreign and economic policies during remaining 2 years?

SEJONG -- The next presidential election will take place in two years, possibly on March 9, 2022. After that, there will be a two-month period in which a president-elect leads a transition committee before President Moon Jae-in’s term expires at midnight May 9. That means Moon has about 24 months to determine what his legacy will be, political commentators say. The Moon administration came to power on the strength of massive candlelight vigils in late 2016, when former President Park Ge

PoliticsFeb. 23, 2020

[News Focus] After 15 years, Korea considers overhaul of games industry law

The South Korean government is looking to revise the law that governs the games industry, with a view to supporting its growth rather than constraining it. For a nation that boasts ultrafast connectivity and a culture of internet cafes, one that is home to world-famous esports figures like League of Legends player Faker, Korea is a less ideal environment for game companies than one might imagine. A number of unusual speed bumps hinder a smooth ride on the path to growing a business. For 2020,

IndustryFeb. 23, 2020

Samsung to supply U.S. Cellular with 5G, 4G LTE network solutions

Samsung Electronics said Sunday it has signed a deal with U.S. Cellular to provide the American mobile carrier with 5G and 4G Long Term Evolution network solutions. This is the fourth US deal Samsung has clinched in the field of telecommunications and its first with U.S. Cellular. Under the agreement, U.S. Cellular can purchase Samsung’s 5G solutions, including New Radio technology, to boost its existing 4G LTE network services. U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest telecom service prov

IndustryFeb. 23, 2020

S. Korea reports 4th death from novel coronavirus

South Korea reported the fourth death from the new coronavirus Sunday, with the number of confirmed virus cases here surpassing 500. The latest victim of the potentially fatal illness was a 57-year-old patient at Daenam Hospital in the southeastern city of Cheongdo, where the country's first COVID-19 fatality took place, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fourth victim was confirmed to be infected with the virus on Wednesday. The patient in his late 50s suf

Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2020

N. Korea tightens quarantine inspection on imported materials amid virus concerns

North Korea has tightened its customs-related quarantine measures amid the cross-border proliferation of the new coronavirus that originated from China, its top trading partner, according to Pyongyang's state newspaper. All goods arriving at North Korea's ports or passing through border bridges should be kept at isolated areas for 10 days without exception, fully disinfected and then delivered in accordance with relevant procedures, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruli

North KoreaFeb. 23, 2020

S. Korean president, Malaysian king exchange letters on bilateral ties

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has exchanged letters with Malaysia's king on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. Moon and King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah took note of remarkable development in the ties between the two sides over the past six decades, especially as the fields of partnerships are diversifying to security, infrastructure and cutting-edge industries, it said. They agreed to continue close cooperation for pr

Foreign AffairsFeb. 23, 2020

S. Korea reports 123 more coronavirus cases, 4th death

South Korea reported the fourth death from the new coronavirus and 123 new cases on Sunday morning, bringing the total number of infections here to 556. The fourth victim of COVID-19 was a 57-year-old man who had been hospitalized at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province. The third casualty from the virus was reported Saturday -- a 41-year-old man who tested positive in a posthumous examination. Virus cases have skyrocketed here in the past few days, seeing a tenfold increa

Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2020

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun tosses scoreless inning in spring debut

JUPITER, United States -- The St. Louis Cardinals' new South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun threw a scoreless inning in his spring training debut on Saturday, giving himself a solid start in the competition for a place in the rotation. The left-hander struck out two and walked one in a hitless frame in relief against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. With the Cardinals ahead 1-0, Kim pitched the top of the fifth inning as the Cardinals' third pitcher of the

BaseballFeb. 23, 2020

To contain virus, PM urges people to refrain from holding mass gatherings

South Korea's prime minister called the fast spread of the new coronavirus in the country a "grave" situation on Saturday and urged people to refrain from attending mass gatherings. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also sternly warned against any acts that interfere with the government's quarantine efforts and spark public uneasiness, such as large outdoor rallies. "The government judges the COVID-19 infections have entered a 'grave' situation and is doing its best to contain the

Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2020

BTS' new album tops record-high 91 iTunes charts

K-pop super band BTS wrote iTunes chart history Saturday with its new album, "Map of the Soul: 7," topping the iTunes album charts in 91 countries and regions, the band's management agency said. As of Saturday morning (Korean time), "Map of the Soul: 7" landed atop the iTunes "top album" charts in 91 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Russia, India, Japan and Saudi Arabia, according to Big Hit Entertainment. This

K-popFeb. 23, 2020

Department stores shut down over coronavirus fears

Major South Korean retailers said Sunday they will partially shut down some of their outlets in Seoul for disinfection measures following recent visits by patients diagnosed with the new coronavirus. Shinsegae Department Store said its store in the posh Gangnam district will close its food court on the basement level for one day, after a patient infected with the COVID-19 virus stayed at the venue for an hour on Wednesday with her husband. The patient attended a religious service of a minor C

IndustryFeb. 23, 2020

Does YouTube discriminate against Koreans?

YouTubers Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal on Wednesday posted a clip saying the social media platform discriminates against Koreans by featuring English comments more prominently. Their channel, Korean Englishman, has over 3.7 million subscribers. “We realized that there’d be a Korean comment at the top with like 700 likes. Above it, there’d be like 10 English comments with maybe 100 likes each,” Carrott said in the video. Kendal added that when he sorted comments base

CultureFeb. 23, 2020

China's Hubei province reports 96 new virus deaths

BEIJING (AFP) -- The death toll in China from the coronavirus epidemic rose past 2,400 on Sunday after 96 more people died in Hubei province, the hard-hit epicentre of the outbreak. The vast majority of the deaths were in the provincial capital of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, according to the daily update from the Hubei health commission. The province also reported 630 new confirmed cases, bringing the total within China to around 77,000. The coronavirus has spread to mo

World NewsFeb. 23, 2020

US raises travel advisory for S. Korea over coronavirus outbreak

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Saturday raised its travel advisory for South Korea, urging travelers to exercise increased caution amid the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. The State Department said its on website that the travel advisory has been raised from Level 1 to Level 2, which calls for exercising "increased caution" as opposed to "normal precautions." Level 3 means "reconsider travel," while the highest Level 4 means "do not travel.

Foreign AffairsFeb. 23, 2020

S. Korea strongly protests Japan's renewed claims to Dokdo

South Korea lodged a strong protest Saturday against Japan's renewed claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. Seoul's foreign ministry called in Hirohisa Soma, a senior official at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and expressed regret over Japan's annual event meant to publicize its territorial claim to Dokdo. South Korea has been in effective control of Dokdo, with a small police detachment, since its liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. Still, Japan claims sovereignty

Foreign AffairsFeb. 22, 2020

Korea's virus cases surge to 433 on church services, cluster outbreak at hospital

South Korea reported 229 new cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday, the largest spike in a single day since its first outbreak in late January, bringing the total number of infections in the nation to 433. The number of COVID-19 infections here has soared in the past few days, with most infections traced to a hospital in the southeastern county of Cheongdo and a minor Christian sect in the southeastern city of Daegu, which constitute some 80 percent of the total infections here. Daegu, whe

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2020

BTS thanks their fans for positivity on Today Show

BTS once again thanked their fans for their positivity during their first appearance on the Today Show on Friday. “It’s all because of ARMYs that gave us positive energies,” RM said as he translated Jin's answer when the band was asked about why the group is known for spreading positivity. The septet appeared on stage just outside Rockefeller Plaza in central New York City just hours after releasing a new album for a brief live interview. Explaining the title

K-popFeb. 21, 2020

N. Korea cancels int'l marathon over coronavirus: tour agencies

North Korea has canceled its annual Pyongyang Marathon to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, tour agencies said Friday. The international marathon event, also known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was scheduled to take place on April 12. Young Pioneer Tours, a travel company specializing in North Korea tours, said in a Facebook post that it has received confirmation from North Korea that the Pyongyang Marathon has been cancelled due to the border closure over coron

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2020

S. Korea reports 2nd death of coronavirus patient

South Korea reported the nation's second death from the new coronavirus, with the number of confirmed cases surpassing 200, officials said Friday. The woman in her 50s died at a hospital in the southeastern city of Busan after being transferred from a hospital in a nearby county, where the nation's first COVID-19 fatality was reported the previous day. She was confirmed to be infected and moved to Busan earlier Friday (Yonhap)

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2020