BTS’ music video second-most liked in world: Youtube

Music videos by South Korean K-pop groups were among the top 10 most liked videos on YouTube globally this year, including those from BTS and Blackpink.According to YouTube, BTS’ hit song “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey was the second-most liked video in 2019. It was followed by four-piece girl group Blackpink’s “Kill This Love” music video, which was also the eighth-most played globally, the only Korean act to be included on that list.  This year’s

IndustryDec. 6, 2019

[Newsmaker] Political parties to withdraw filibuster, postpone fast-track bills

Major political parties on Friday reached a tentative agreement to normalize parliament through the withdrawal of the main opposition party's filibuster and the postponement of contested fast-track bills.The floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party, main opposition Liberty Korea Party and minor opposition Bareunmirae Party reached a consensus and are set to finalize and soon announce the details at a meeting led by the National Assembly speaker, according to party officials.Under the agreeme

PoliticsDec. 6, 2019

Everland holds New Year events

Everland theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is holding “2020 Begin Again with Everland,” a series of events to welcome the year 2020 through next February.Kicking off the events is a drawing contest for children in sixth-grade or younger, which kicked off Monday and will continue until next Tuesday. Those wishing to participate can submit drawings of their goals for the future through Everland’s homepage or its social media pages. A total of 220 winners will receive prize

TravelDec. 6, 2019

China says to exempt 'some' US soybean, pork from tariffs

BEIJING (AFP) - China said on Friday it will offer a tariff waiver to "some" imports of US soybean and pork, in the latest sign of easing trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.The world's two biggest economies have exchanged blows for over a year, with tariffs now impacting hundreds of billions of dollars in two-way trade. The olive branch comes at a time when the two sides are edging towards a partial deal that includes a promise to increase the purchase of US farm produce.&qu

World NewsDec. 6, 2019

US flies more surveillance planes over Korean Peninsula: aviation tracker

The United States flew two more surveillance aircraft around the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Friday, on apparent missions to monitor North Korea amid concerns over Pyongyang's additional missile tests.The US Air Force's RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft was spotted flying over the East Sea at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account, without providing further details.As one of America's major intelligence-gathering assets, the aircraft collects data related to missile lau

DefenseDec. 6, 2019

Some 30% of working moms were irregular workers: data

About one-third of South Korean working mothers with underage children were irregular workers paid lower wages, data showed Friday, underscoring the reality that taking time off to raise children is harming many women's career prospects.A total of 641,000 female contract workers had kids under 18 as of April this year, or about 28 percent of the 2.3 million working mothers aged from 15 to 54 here, according to the latest data compiled by Statistics Korea. The portion was higher than the 25.1-per

EconomyDec. 6, 2019

S. Korea to promote exports of its designed nuke reactors

South Korea will seek to export more its endogenously designed nuclear reactors, the country's state-run nuclear plant operator said Friday, as it has successfully completed the construction of two new nuclear reactors in the southern port city of Ulsan.The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. held a ceremony to mark the completion of the reactors, called Shin Kori-3 and Shin Kori-4. The Shin Kori-4 started commercial operation in August, after completing its two-month pilot run without any glitc

IndustryDec. 6, 2019

International Criminal Court says it has no jurisdiction over NK leader

The International Criminal Court said Thursday that it has no jurisdiction over North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.In 2016, leaders of nongovernmental organizations NK Watch and Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea filed a complaint against Kim with the ICC, holding him responsible for human rights violations in the North. ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in its annual Report on Preliminary Examination Activities issued Thursday that the alleged crimes referred to the ICC were

North KoreaDec. 6, 2019

Passengers flying to Japan fall 43.7% in Nov.

With tension between South Korea and Japan showing no signs of abating, the number of passengers who flew to Japan in November fell by 43.7 percent on-year, government data showed Friday. According to the Transport Ministry, 891,851 passengers used domestic air carriers’ Japanese routes in November. In November, there were 5,759 flights to Japan, down 39.7 percent on-year.  Among the country’s provincial airports, Muan Airport and Yangyang Airport did not operate Japan

IndustryDec. 6, 2019

11 S. Korean firms to offer blockchain-based ID, certification services

A consortium comprised of 11 major South Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics Co., said Friday it will commercialize blockchain-based mobile identification and certification services that allow users to safely handle their personal information. Initial DID Association said it will launch a mobile application called Initial next year to provide decentralized identifier service. DID allows users to control their digital identity and information without any centralized registry

IndustryDec. 6, 2019

North Korea again designated as food-deficit nation by FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization has once again designated North Korea as a food-deficit country in need of external aid. The UN agency also announced a weak outlook for food security in North Korea. In its latest report released Wednesday, FAO included North Korea on its list of 42 countries that need external assistance in food resources, according to Voice of America, a US-based news outlet, on Friday.  North Korea is expected to experience food shortages and an economic slump, said

North KoreaDec. 6, 2019

BTS' 'Boy with Luv' most-viewed YouTube music video in S. Korea in 2019

The music video of K-pop boy band BTS' latest single "Boy With Luv" was the most viewed music video on YouTube in South Korea this year, the company said Friday.The music video has topped the milestone of 600 million YouTube views, according to YouTube. "Boy With Luv" is a track off the latest BTS album, "Map of the Soul: Persona," released April 12 and featuring American diva Halsey. Its music video set a Guinness World Record for the most views on YouTube in 24 ho

PerformanceDec. 6, 2019

Samsung chief faces pivotal stage in bribery trial

Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and de facto leader of Samsung Group, faces another hearing on Friday over bribery allegations that led to the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.This is his third appearance at the court since the Supreme Court ordered the reconsideration of the case, pointing out that some key allegations had been left out in the original trial. The hearing is set to start at 2:05 p.m. at the Seoul High Court. All eyes are fixed on whether the be

IndustryDec. 6, 2019

Seoul says US, N. Korea appear to remain apart in nuclear negotiations

The United States and North Korea appear to remain apart in their nuclear negotiations, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday, following a senior North Korean official's warning that Pyongyang could resume insults against US President Donald Trump.On Thursday, North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui issued a statement slamming Trump for hinting at the possibility of using military force against Pyongyang and referring to leader Kim Jong-un as "rocket man" for the first

North KoreaDec. 6, 2019

[Newsmaker] Revision bill on banning Tada's taxi business passed at parliamentary committee

A National Assembly committee on Friday passed a revision bill on effectively outlawing the controversial taxi business of Tada, a South Korean ride-hailing service operator.The revision to the passenger transport service act, approved by the parliamentary transportation panel, restricts the outsourcing of drivers for the use of rental vans with 11-15 seats to tour purposes only. Cars must be rented for at least six hours and users are required to possess boarding passes if vehicles are rented o

IndustryDec. 6, 2019

S. Korean cinemas expected to hit record attendance in 2019

South Korean movie theaters are expected to attract the largest-ever number of viewers this year on the back of a number of smash-hit series in the first half of the year, data showed Friday.More than 204 million tickets were sold in theaters around the country in the first 11 months, up 5 percent from the same period last year, according to the data by the Korean Film Council.The number is expected to hit an all-time high of 220 million by the end of 2019 given that about 20 million tickets are

FilmDec. 6, 2019

S. Korea moves one step closer to hosting 2024 Winter Youth Olympics

South Korea has inched closer to hosting the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, following a proposal made by a new panel at the International Olympic Committee.At a press conference following the IOC Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday (local time), IOC President Thomas Bach said the Executive Board will soon initiate "a targeted dialogue" with South Korea as the "preferred host" of the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, following the recommendation from the

North KoreaDec. 6, 2019

LG Chem, GM to set up EV battery JV in US

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's leading chemical company, said Friday it will establish a 50:50 joint venture with General Motors to build a battery cell assembly plant in the world's most important automobile market amid a global push for zero emissions.LG Chem and GM said they will invest up to a total of $2.3 billion through the joint venture company.The joint venture will set up a battery cell assembly plant in the Lordstown area of northeast Ohio. Groundbreaking is expected to take place in mid

IndustryDec. 6, 2019

Prosecutors grill whistleblower in election-meddling probe

Prosecutors grilled Vice Mayor of Ulsan Song Byung-gi on Friday over Cheong Wa Dae’s suspected meddling in regional elections last year. Song’s home, office and car were also raided by prosecution agents at around 8:50 a.m. the same day.Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office launched the operation after it was revealed Thursday that Song had informed the presidential office about alleged wrongdoings by associates of then-Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon, a conservative candida

PoliticsDec. 6, 2019

Brothers roast small-batch brews for coffee lovers

In hopes of attracting more like-minded coffee geeks, brothers Ko Tae-young and Ko Young-soo have expanded to Seoul’s Sinsa-dong with Vinter Coffee Bar, which soft-opened in late November and features five single-origin coffees roasted by the brothers themselves.“We wanted to focus on coffee,” said Tae-young, 32, of their newest perch. The brothers started roasting coffee as a hobby and gifting it to peers. Their hobby blossomed into a business with the opening of Vinter C

FoodDec. 6, 2019