Extra!: S. Korea beat Saudi Arabia in extra time to take Asian U-23 football crown

South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in extra time to capture their first Asian men's football title in the under-23 age group on Sunday. Defender Jeong Tae-wook headed in the winner in the 113th minute in the final of the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, breaking a deadlock after the two sides had fired blanks. This was the fourth edition of the biennial tournament, and the first title won by South Korea, who had one runner-up finish sandwich

SoccerJan. 27, 2020

FM could meet with Pompeo in Munich next month

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is considering traveling to Germany next month for an international security conference, officials said Monday, raising the possibility she could meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss Seoul's push for greater exchanges with North Korea. Kang's attendance at the Munich Security Conference set for Feb. 14-16 is expected to naturally lead to a one-on-one meeting with Pompeo, as the top American diplomat is also expected to attend the conference tog

Foreign AffairsJan. 27, 2020

Return of A-list bands to heat up K-pop scene this spring

The return of a group of A-list K-pop bands will heat up the music scene here this spring. After setting a record for most album sales with "Map of the Soul: Persona" last year, K-pop super band BTS will drop "Map of the Soul: 7" on Feb. 21, the second issue in the "Map of the Soul" album series. The upcoming album is likely to rewrite some K-pop records after BTS made K-pop history by winning three No. 1s on the Billboard 200 in a span of one year last year.

K-popJan. 27, 2020

Doctors’ group asks government to review restricting visits from China

A major doctors’ group on Sunday called on the South Korean government to make all necessary administrative preparations, including an entry restriction from China, to contain the spread of the new coronavirus discovered in Wuhan, China.In a briefing at its office in Yongsan, central Seoul, the Korean Medical Association’s president Choi Dae-zip said that while the limit on entry “may not be imperative right now, at the time of speaking,” blocking the visitor flow may be

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2020

Moon vows pan-governmental effort against deadly virus from China

 President Moon Jae-in issued a special public message Sunday, pledging every effort to curb the spread of a new type of virus from China.He stressed the government is on high alert during the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday season and that a "24-hour response system" is in operation. He cited a host of Chinese tourists here and South Koreans retuning from visits to the neighboring country as risk factors in the spread of the disease."Now that the government is making every ne

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2020

Kim Jong-un's aunt makes 1st public appearance in over 6 years

Kim Kyong-hui, a once-powerful aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has made her first public appearance in more than six years, Pyongyang's state media showed Sunday.The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong-un attended a concert celebrating Lunar New Year's Day on Saturday at the Samjiyon Theater in Pyongyang with his wife, Ri Sol-ju. The KCNA, monitored in Seoul, added that Kim Kyong-hui, widow of Kim Jong-un's late uncle Jang Song-thaek, joined the leader and his wife

North KoreaJan. 26, 2020

S. Korea reports 3rd confirmed case of Wuhan coronavirus

South Korea on Sunday reported its third confirmed case of the Wuhan coronavirus amid mounting fears over the spread of the pneumonia-like illness throughout China and other parts of the world.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), a 54-year-old South Korean resident of Wuhan who arrived back home on Monday tested positive for the new strain of the virus that has killed 56 people so far."Upon arrival at the airport he showed no symptoms but he started suff

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2020

Classic operas on big screen gain popularity

Classical performances and operas shown in cinemas have been gaining popularity among classical music fans and moviegoers, industry data showed Saturday.CJ CGV, a leading multiplex chain run by entertainment giant CJ Group, launched a monthly opera program to show Italian operas in special theaters starting this year. The first title is “La Traviata,” by Giuseppe Verdi.More than 90 percent of tickets of the opera‘s theatrical showing at its Yongsan branch on Tuesday were sold,

CultureJan. 25, 2020

Hyundai Motor to produce hydrogen commercial cars in China

Hyundai Motor Co. said Saturday it will produce hydrogen fuel-cell electric commercial vehicles in its Chinese plant to make inroads into the local electric vehicle market.In the China EV100 Forum held in Beijing from Jan. 10-12, Executive Vice President Lee In-cheon, head of Hyundai‘s Commercial Vehicle Business Division, unveiled the plan. In August last year, the Hyundai executive said the hydrogen commercial car production plan will begin in 2023 if the company makes the decision. Sich

MobilityJan. 25, 2020

‘The Man Standing Next’ attracts more than 1.12 million viewers

“The Man Standing Next” has attracted more than 1.12 million moviegoers since the political thriller‘s release three days ago, box-office data showed Saturday, highlighting its popularity during the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday.The accumulated attendance for the film, which was released Wednesday, was tallied at 1,127,757, according to the computerized tally from the Korean Film Council. It was trailed by “Hitman: Agent Jun” that has attracted 220,805 viewers so f

FilmJan. 25, 2020

Seoul mulls providing financial aid to separated families for NK visit: minister

South Korea is considering providing financial support for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War to visit North Korea, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Saturday.Kim‘s remarks are in line with the government’s broader push to allow South Koreans to make individual trips to the North as a way to ease tensions and facilitate stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.“The government is considering helping the elderly people with the cost of visit

North KoreaJan. 25, 2020

‘Parasite’ team beefs up last-minute Oscar campaign

Director Bong Joon-ho and the cast of “Parasite” are entering the final stretch in the heated race for the upcoming Oscars.The genre-bending family satire was nominated in six categories -- best picture, best director, best screenplay, best editing, best production design and best international feature film -- for the 2020 Academy Awards slated for Feb. 9.It is the first time that a South Korean-made film has earned a nod for one of the world‘s biggest film events.According to

FilmJan. 25, 2020

S. Korea on high alert to prevent spread of Wuhan coronavirus

South Korea‘s public health protection authorities said Saturday the country is maintaining a high level of vigilance to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus as people celebrate the four-day Lunar New Year holiday.The country reported a confirmed case of the new coronavirus that causes pneumonia-like sickness Monday and another Friday, and said it has checked 32 other people for the new coronavirus so far with all testing negative.“The government is checking all people who are

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2020

Nat'l team volleyball stars battling injuries with jam-packed, pre-Olympic calendar on horizon

When South Korea won the Asian Olympic women’s volleyball qualifying tournament earlier this month, some of its key players took the adage “taking one for the team” to a whole new level -- to the point where their injuries could have a negative effect on South Korea‘s medal hopes.Captain Kim Yeon-koung played the qualifying event in Thailand from Jan. 7-12 with torn abdominal muscle, which will sideline her for at least another month. Kim took painkillers before the final

Olympic GamesJan. 25, 2020

Int‘l Red Cross spends $268,000 to help N. Korea fight food insecurity

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies spent $267,700 on one of its projects last year to help North Korea fight food shortages amid unfavorable weather conditions, the federation said in a recent report.The money was spent on deploying mobile water pumps, training farmers on the use and maintenance of the device and procuring spare parts in the face of little rainfall, it said in the final report on the operation to combat North Korea’s drought and food insec

North KoreaJan. 25, 2020

Petition against use of Japan‘s imperial flag during Tokyo Olympics draws over 56,000 signatures

A petition by a South Korean nongovernmental organization calling for a ban on the use of Japan’s imperial-era flag during the upcoming Tokyo Olympics has drawn over 56,000 signatures.The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a Seoul-based group that promotes South Korean history and culture, posted the petition in September as part of its key campaign to address Japanese aggression during the 1910-45 occupation of the peninsula.As of Thursday morning, some 56,800 people signed the pet

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2020

N. Korea ranks lowest in world democracy index last year: report

North Korea placed last in a world democracy index in 2019 as it scored zero in electoral process and civil liberties, a report showed Saturday.The communist state ranked at the bottom among the 167 countries surveyed with the lowest score of 1.08 out of 10.00, according to the Democracy Index 2019 published this week by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of the British weekly The Economist.The North‘s ranking in the EIU index has not changed since the London-based age

North KoreaJan. 25, 2020

Will Im Jong-seok return to politics for upcoming elections?

Ahead of the April 15 general elections, Im Jong-seok, former chief of staff to President Moon Jae-in, is back in the media spotlight amid rampant speculation over his next career move.He left politics effectively in November last year with an abrupt announcement that he would not run in the elections. He said he plans to focus on campaigning “outside the politics of the establishment” for the reunification of the two Koreas.Im is a highly symbolic figure in South Korea‘s pro-d

PoliticsJan. 25, 2020

More South Koreans feel holiday is now more gender equal: poll

South Koreans felt traditional holidays, which some criticize for putting too much pressure on women, are becoming fairer for both genders, a poll showed Saturday.Asked what they thought about gender equality within families during the Chuseok holiday last year, 43.2 percent said they felt circumstances have improved in terms of gender equality, according to the poll by the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family.A total of 39.3 percent said they did not sense a change, while 12.3 percent said situ

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2020

Agency eyes opening Swedish office to help S. Korea win Nobel Prizes

The Korea Foundation, a state-run public diplomacy organization, is eyeing a project to establish an office in Sweden to assist South Korea in efforts toward winning Nobel Prizes in science, the agency‘s chief has said.In a recent New Year interview, Lee Geun said the Tokyo University of Technology, which is one of the schools with the most Nobel Prize winners, operated an office in the European country to promote theses and achievements in sciences by its scholars to the Nobel Prize commi

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2020