The number of pilots newly hired by South Korean air carriers rose 8 percent on-year through August, data showed Sunday, driven by post-pandemic travel demand. The 11 air carriers hired 537 new pilots over the January-August period, compared with 498 in the same period a year earlier, according to Rep. Lee Yeon-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party, who cited data from the transport ministry. The figure marks a significant increase from the annual average of 135 recorded between 2020 and 2

IndustryOct. 20, 2024

The two third basemen for the contestants in this year's Korean Series, Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers and Kim Young-woong of the Samsung Lions, are two of the brightest young stars in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) today, former high school phenoms who finally lived up to their hype in their third season in 2024. Starting Monday, the two 21-year-olds will try to make sure their regular-season success will translate to championship glory. Kim Do-yeong had one of the greatest offens

BaseballOct. 20, 2024

Hannah Green of Australia won the lone annual LPGA Tour event held in South Korea on Sunday, fending off multiple contenders with a late birdie for her third victory of 2024. Green shot a one-under 71 to finish at 19-under overall to capture the BMW Ladies Championship by one stroke over Celine Boutier of France at Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. With Boutier in the clubhouse at 18-under after shooting a bogey-free 66, Green birdied

GolfOct. 20, 2024

Norwegian singer-songwriter Eline Noelia Myreng was working part-time as a bartender in Oslo, Norway, when she co-wrote K-pop girl group Ive’s hit single, “I Am,” for their 2023 studio album, "I’ve Ive." That success transformed her dream of becoming a full-time music producer into reality -- at just 25 years old. “I co-produced this track (‘I Am’) with Audun (Agnar Guldbrandsen) and Kristin (Marie Skolem). We wrote it in a basement under an oy

K-popOct. 20, 2024

Iranian lender Bank Mellat may have to consider pulling its operations out of South Korea with its hands tied here due to the looming fears of secondary boycott actions from the US. “With the upcoming US presidential election, the pressure on Iran will only escalate. Bank Mellat may have to consider closing its operations in Korea,” an official from Bank Mellat’s Seoul branch said. The official explained the Seoul unit has not been able to fully operate, as Korean companies, in

IndustryOct. 20, 2024

Indonesia’s new regulation mandating Halal certification for all imported food products is expected to widen the export gap between large conglomerates and small businesses in Korea due to the high costs and time need to meet the requirements. After a five-year grace period, the Indonesian government has officially ordered businesses in most industries to be halal compliant and halal certified, starting Thursday. While products lacking halal certification can still be exported, they must b

IndustryOct. 20, 2024

Ever since the arrival of her daughter six years ago, the precious little being has become the center of Park Eun-jeong's world. It also marked the beginning of a new dynamic in her marriage: a sexless, more companionate relationship with her husband. “(After the baby was born,) we gradually drifted into a sexless relationship. I was tired from taking care of the baby and doing housework. My husband also looked exhausted when he came home. He no longer initiates it either,” Park

Hashtag KoreaOct. 20, 2024

Amid the ongoing slump of Hollywood blockbusters at the local box office, attention is focused on whether any of the upcoming mega-scale films can break the trend or struggle to compete against a diverse lineup of Korean movies. First on the list is “Venom: The Last Dance,” an American superhero film. The final installment in the Venom trilogy, opening in Korea on Oct. 23, sees Tom Hardy return to his role as Venom, one of Marvel’s most complex characters. The previous films

FilmOct. 20, 2024

The Seoul education office concluded Sunday that mandatory religious activities at general high schools, such as class worship services and choir competitions, could infringe on students' religious freedom. This conclusion follows an investigation prompted by a student complaint at a private high school in Seoul, alleging that such compulsory extracurricular activities related to religion violated their rights under the city's Student Rights Ordinance. The complaint, submitted by a stu

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2024

Seoul Cyber University has signed a dual degree agreement with California State University, San Bernardino, the US school's first such deal with an online educational institution. The primary focus of the agreement is the creation of a dual degree program between Seoul Cyber University and CSUSB. Under this program, students will spend two years studying at Seoul Cyber University's School of Business and two years at CSUSB, earning degrees from both institutions. Notably, this is the f

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2024

Samsung Electronics’ chip division is likely to be dethroned by TSMC, the world's largest foundry company that manufactures Nvidia chips, in terms of the latest quarterly sales, according to industry sources on Sunday. Samsung’s third-quarter sales are estimated to reach a record high of 79 trillion won ($57.7 billion), up 17.2 percent from a year ago. Although the Korean tech giant has not released detailed reports on the performance of its key business units for the quarter ea

IndustryOct. 20, 2024

Hyundai Motor Group said Sunday it is set to launch its first electric vehicle in India, the electrified version of its popular sport utility vehicle Creta, in January next year, solidifying its top-tier position in the fast-growing automotive market. The Creta EV will be produced at the carmaker’s manufacturing plant in Chennai, southern India, which started operations in 1998. The company has recently pushed sales of SUVs, with the face-lifted three-row Alcazar SUV hitting the market in

MobilityOct. 20, 2024

KB Kookmin Bank said on Sunday that services will begin on Monday at its new branches in Chennai and Pune as the Korean bank seeks to expand its footing in the Indian market. Chennai, the largest city in southern India, serves as a major commercial and manufacturing hub, while Pune, in India’s western coastal region, is an emerging center for cutting-edge industries such as information technology and biotechnology. Including its Gurugram branch, which opened in 2019, KB Kookmin Bank now ha

IndustryOct. 20, 2024

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday inaugurated the Carbon Transaction Facility, an entity commissioned to scale up international carbon trading. The facility was launched in accordance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, according to the Global Green Growth Institute, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to supporting sustainable economic growth. Ban chairs the institute. Article 6 of the Paris Agreement allows countries to cooperate on emission reduction

Foreign AffairsOct. 20, 2024

More reported evidence points to North Korean troops' presence in Russia's Far East region, as intelligence authorities of Seoul and Kyiv claim that North Korea is preparing to deploy soldiers to the front line in Ukraine in what could be Pyongyang's first major intervention in an international conflict. Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security on Saturday released a video via its official X account showing what it claimed were North Korean soldie

PoliticsOct. 20, 2024

Super Junior’s Yesung is set to return with a new solo album. According to his agency, SM Entertainment, Yesung will release his sixth EP, “It’s Complicated,” on Nov. 5. The album will feature a total of five tracks, including the title track. This EP marks Yesung’s first solo release in over a year, following his fifth EP, “Unfading Sense,” which dropped in October last year. His previous album highlighted the musician’s prowess as a solo artist,

K-popOct. 20, 2024

A woman in her 90s and her son in his 60s were found dead in their apartment in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, according to police on Saturday. Namyangju Bukbu Police Station received a report at around 4 p.m. on Friday from the woman’s older son that both his mother and younger brother were dead. Upon arriving at the scene, police found the elderly woman and her son deceased in separate rooms. The older son, who had lived with his now-deceased mother and brother for 12 years, told police t

Social AffairsOct. 20, 2024

South Korea will include a plan to build four small modular reactors (SMRs) in the upcoming basic energy plan to be announced later this year, a senior presidential aide said Sunday. Park Sang-wook, presidential secretary for science and technology, said in an interview with public broadcaster KBS that the SMRs will be reflected in the 11th basic plan for electricity supply and demand. SMRs are ready-to-install modular reactors that are smaller in size and power output compared with traditional

PoliticsOct. 20, 2024

North Korea has floated about 20 balloons carrying trash toward South Korea since Saturday night, and some 10 objects from the balloons were found in the border county of Cheorwon, the South Korean military said Sunday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the trash-loaded balloons were sent across the border between Saturday night and early Sunday and the fallen objects were household waste, such as paper and vinyl, and included no hazardous items. The number of dropped items does not necessarily cor

North KoreaOct. 20, 2024