[ASEAN-Korea summit] Concert to promote South Korea-ASEAN ties through music

Ahead of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit, a celebratory concert will be held in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. As culture is a valuable asset that helps nations build bridges, various cultural events are set to take place before the summit such as a fashion show, a K-beauty festival and food demonstrations. One of these events is the music festival “ASEAN Fantasia,” which will be held Nov. 24 in Changwon. The aim of the concert is to promote harmony between South Korea

PerformanceNov. 4, 2019

BTS’ Jungkook involved in car crash after traffic violation

Jeon Jung-kook, better known as Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS, was involved in a car accident Saturday.Big Hit Entertainment issued an official statement Monday, saying, “As the case has not been closed yet, further details cannot be revealed, but Jeon was involved in a car accident due to his mistake. Both Jeon and the victim (other driver) did not suffer a major injury.” “After the accident, Jeon immediately admitted that he violated the traffic law, made his statement

PeopleNov. 4, 2019

Wild boar killed by car near Bukhansan in northwest Seoul

A young wild boar killed by a car early Monday morning in Eunpyeong-gu, northwest Seoul, did not have African swine fever, tests have confirmed.Local fire officials said a driver reported hitting a boar with his car at around 3:50 a.m. Monday. The animal was found dead on the road in Jingwan-dong, a town that extends over part of Bukhansan, a mountain that boars are known to inhabit. According to the Wildlife Management Association’s Seoul branch head Lee Seung-yong, who collected the boar

Social AffairsNov. 4, 2019

Mirae Asset Daewoo becomes first S. Korean IPO underwriter on Nasdaq

Mirae Asset Daewoo said Monday that its Hong Kong branch has become the first South Korean brokerage to become an initial public offering underwriter on the US’ Nasdaq exchange for German biotechnology firm BioNTech. BioNTech raised $150 million in its IPO last month and started trading on Oct. 10. The firm’s shares were trading at $16.52 on Monday and its market value currently stands at around $3.7 billion.  Established in 2008, it specializes in so-called messenger RNA or mRN

MarketNov. 4, 2019

NK official heads to Moscow for nuclear nonproliferation conference

A North Korean diplomat departed for Moscow on Monday to attend a nuclear nonproliferation conference amid speculation that he could possibly meet with US officials also attending the forum.Jo Chol-su, director-general of the North American department at the North's foreign ministry, left Pyongyang to participate in the 2019 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference set for Nov. 7-9, the Russian Embassy in North Korea said in a Facebook post.Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora saw off

North KoreaNov. 4, 2019

S. Korean listed firms’ earnings outlook rosy in 2020: data

Despite their disappointing earnings results so far, major South Korean listed firms are likely to see a robust performance next year in line with the recovery in the global chip industry, data compiled by a local market tracker showed Monday.According to FnGuide, the combined operating profit of 279 publically traded companies is projected to climb 26 percent next year on a consolidated basis to 165.8 trillion won ($142 billion) from 131.6 trillion won this year.Their net profit and sales are p

MarketNov. 4, 2019

Hyundai Heavy to receive W1.4tr in proceeds from stake sale in refining unit

Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co., the holding company of South Korea's top shipbuilding conglomerate Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, said Monday it will receive 1.4 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in proceeds next month from the sale of a stake in its refining unit.In April, Hyundai Heavy signed a deal with Saudi Aramco to sell a 17 percent stake in Hyundai Oilbank Co. to the world's largest crude exporter to improve its financial structure.  The deal also includes the Saudi oil firm holdi

IndustryNov. 4, 2019

PM calls for 'active' int'l cooperation to tackle fine dust air pollution

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon voiced the need for "active" international cooperation in tackling fine dust Monday, saying air pollution transcends national boundaries.Speaking at a forum on air pollution and climate change, Lee also expressed hope that South Korea, China and Japan could vibrantly work together for policy and technology cooperation in terms of particulate matter."Given atmospheric flows transcends national boundaries, it is natural to seek transnational responses. It

PoliticsNov. 4, 2019

N. Korea likely seeking technical advance to fire ICBMs from mobile launchers: Seoul ministry

North Korea is believed to have striven to master capabilities to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) from transporter erector launcher (TEL) vehicles, and South Korea is fully prepared for all such possibilities, the defense ministry said Monday. The comments came after Chung Eui-yong, chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, came under fire from conservative critics for saying it is "technically difficult" for North Korea to fire ICBMs from mobile launchers.As

North KoreaNov. 4, 2019

Online shopping up 22.3 % in September

The total value of goods purchased via online shopping in South Korea rose 22.3 percent in September from a year earlier, government data showed Monday, in the latest sign that a growing number of people are using computers and mobile devices to buy things, ranging from clothes to electronic goods.The total value of online transactions reached 11.18 trillion won ($9.6 billion) in September, the highest level for any September since Statistics Korea started collecting data on online shopping in 2

EconomyNov. 4, 2019

S. Korea nat'l football coach looking to help inconsolable Son Heung-min after injury-causing foul

That Son Heung-min was called up on Monday for South Korea's two international matches in November isn't a surprise at all. Whether he'll be in the proper mindset for them is another matter.Son, forward for Tottenham Hotspur, was inconsolable after being sent off for his late tackle on Everton midfielder Andre Gomes during their Premier League contest in Liverpool on Sunday. Gomes was later diagnosed with a broken right ankle, and Son, according to his Tottenham teammates, was crying so much he

SoccerNov. 4, 2019

Chip export volume gains solidly amid plunging prices

The volume of South Korea's chip exports has climbed more than 5 percent this year despite a tumble in prices of key products, data showed Monday.The country's semiconductor exports totaled 29,834 tons for the year up to Oct. 25, up 5.2 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the data from the industry ministry and the Korea International Trade Association. In particular, the volume has been rising at a double-digit rate since July. In the first 25 days of October alone, the am

EconomyNov. 4, 2019

Lawyer of man seeking retrial over alleged wrongful conviction ‘sure of innocence’

SUWON, Gyeonggi Province -- The lawyer of a man claiming wrongful conviction in the 1988 rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, said he is “sure of (his client’s) innocence.”Park Joon-young, a lawyer defending a 52-year-old man surnamed Yun who is seeking acquittal on retrial, told reporters Monday he was “convinced (Yun) was wrongly convicted,” and that the defense team will file a motion for retrial next week.Park and Yun appeared at

Social AffairsNov. 4, 2019

BTS captures two prizes at MTV Europe Music Awards for 2nd year in a row

South Korean boy group BTS has won three trophies at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards, the group's agency said Monday.The seven-member band received the Best Group, Best Live and Biggest Fans awards during the ceremony held in Seville, Spain, on Sunday (local time), Big Hit Entertainment said. But BTS did not attend the awards ceremony.Last year, BTS took the two titles of Best Group and Biggest Fans.Founded in 1994, the MTV Europe Music Awards honor the most popular pop songs and music video

PerformanceNov. 4, 2019

Moon requests ASEAN's support for Korea peace process in Bangkok summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in formally asked the ASEAN member states Monday to continue support for the slow-moving Korea peace process, saying North Korea and the United States are bracing for the most critical point in their related negotiations.He was speaking at the end of the 22nd ASEAN Plus Three summit in Bangkok, joined by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.Just ahead of the session, Moon talked separately with Abe for 11 minutes in a "very friend

Foreign AffairsNov. 4, 2019

Han Sung Motor supports public art project in Seoul

Han Sung Motor, the largest official dealer of Mercedes-Benz in South Korea, will support a public art project run by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture to create art installation works on streets of the capital city next month, the company said Thursday.Dream Gream scholarship recipients, Han Sung Motor employees and citizens will participate in the project titled “Sowon Bandi,” to create a collection of 5,000 solar-power light lamps, each of which holds a person’s wish

MobilityNov. 4, 2019

Speaker Moon kicks off parliamentary diplomacy in Japan amid frayed ties

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang kicked off his parliamentary diplomacy Monday as he is visiting Japan to attend an international conference amid frayed ties with the neighboring nation.Moon arrived in Tokyo on Sunday for a four-day visit to take part in a parliamentary speakers' meeting of the Group of 20 advanced nations, his office said.The trip came amid heightened tensions between the two nations over Japan's protest against South Korean court rulings over Tokyo's wartime forced labo

PoliticsNov. 4, 2019

Constitutional Court rejects petition on GSOMIA

The Constitutional Court has dismissed a petition against the Moon Jae-in government's decision to terminate a bilateral military information-sharing pact with Japan, judicial officials said Monday.A group of conservative lawyers and retired military generals filed a constitutional petition on Oct. 15, arguing the government's move not to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan, set to expire on Nov. 22, is against the Constitution, due to its possible violation o

PoliticsNov. 4, 2019

Trump calls for whistleblower's unmasking

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump called Sunday for the unmasking of the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint launched the House impeachment investigation, attacking the process against him as a "scam."Trump's demand comes amid an intensifying effort by Republicans to expose the whistleblower and attack his or her credibility as public impeachment hearings loom and support for the president erodes.Described only as an intelligence official who once worked at the White Ho

World NewsNov. 4, 2019

Five wounded as knife attack caps day of Hong Kong political chaos

HONG KONG (AFP) -- A man went on a knife rampage in Hong Kong late Sunday leaving at least five people wounded, including a local pro-democracy politician who had his ear bitten off, capping another chaotic day of political unrest in the city.Flashmob rallies erupted inside multiple shopping centers across the international finance hub over the afternoon, sparking frequent clashes with riot police.The violence was less sustained than Saturday when police and protesters fought hours of cat and mo

World NewsNov. 4, 2019