[Room Tone] Guide to navigating Busan International Film Festival

The Busan International Film Festival is one of the most popular and vibrant cinematic events in Asia. With its glamorous red carpet, a massive lineup of international films and a picturesque setting by the sea, it draws cinephiles, filmmakers and journalists from across the globe. Behind the dazzle, however, lies a complex, sprawling experience that can be difficult to navigate. The first rule of survival at BIFF is: Wear comfortable shoes. While the allure of dressing up for screenings or wa

ViewpointsSept. 27, 2024

Panmunjom tours for select Korean nationals may resume in October

Tours to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom might resume for Korean nationals in October, more than a year after former US soldier Travis King's crossing into North Korea suspended tours there. According to a source from the state-run National Institute for Unification Education, which operates the tour programs for Korean nationals, it is working with the United Nations Command on preparations for the tour program, which facilitates visits to the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone a

PoliticsSept. 27, 2024

Four individuals face charges over illegal surrogacy 13 years ago

A surrogate mother, an infertile couple and a broker, have been sent to prosecution for indictment over an illegal surrogacy arrangement involving a payment of 50 million won ($37,890) from 13 years ago. The Gwangju Bukbu Police said Thursday that the surrogate mother, who is in her 30s, the couple in their 50s, and the surrogacy broker were referred to the prosecution without detention. The four are accused of violating South Korea’s Child Welfare Act. According to police, the surrogate m

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

GS, LlamaIndex host seminar on AI innovation

South Korean energy, retail and construction giant GS Group said Friday it hosted its GenAI Connect Day workshop at its Yeoksam headquarters to share global trends in artificial intelligence. The event was jointly organized with LlamaIndex, a San Francisco-based company specializing in AI services for large language model applications. In Silicon Valley, LlamaIndex is acknowledged as one of the key innovators in the generative AI industry. Pierre-Loic Doulcet, founding engineer of LlamaIndex, an

IndustrySept. 27, 2024

Man sentenced to 1 year, 8 months for stealing from elementary school classrooms

A man in his 50s was sentenced on Friday to one year and eight months in prison for breaking into elementary school classrooms and stealing cash and gift cards. The Daejeon District Court found the 56-year-old man guilty of theft, citing two separate incidents. The first occurred on April 17, when the man entered a classroom for first and second graders at an elementary school in Ulsan at approximately 2:15 p.m. He searched through lockers and wallets, stealing about 450,000 won ($340) in cash a

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Sales of ADHD medication disguised as 'smart drugs' skyrocket during test period

Illegal sales of prescription ADHD medication to students have been on the rise in South Korea recently, and government data Friday showed that such distribution soared before the crucial Suneung mock test. The local authorities spotted 669 cases of illegal sales of such medications to students from Aug. 4-14 in a special illegal drug distribution inspection targeting college applicants, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety data submitted to Rep. Han Ji-ah of the ruling People Pow

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Young Poong says no better offer for Korea Zinc

Amid the intensified dispute over the management of Korea Zinc, the world’s largest zinc smelter, a Young Poong executive stressed Friday that the company was placed in a “desperate” position as its decadeslong partnership with Korea Zinc fell through. “Young Poong was desperate enough to give away the title as the largest shareholder (of Korea Zinc) to MBK Partners," Young Poong President Kang Seong-doo said at a press conference. “(The alliance with MBK) is a

IndustrySept. 27, 2024

Seoul shares close lower on profit taking despite US gains

Seoul shares closed lower Friday as investors took profit following strong gains in recent sessions despite overnight success on Wall Street. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 0.82 percent, or 21.79 points, to 2,649.78. Trading volume was moderate at 402.1 million shares worth 11.4 trillion won ($8.65 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 457 to 414. Institutions dumped a net 421.6 billion won worth of local shares, while

MarketSept. 27, 2024

Who's lying? Hybe vs. Min conflict continues to intensify

The conflict between Hybe and former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin continues to intensify, with both parties clashing over another round of allegations. A day after Ador rejected NewJeans' request to reinstate Min as CEO on Wednesday, a local media outlet released an exclusive interview with Min. In the interview, Min revealed that Hybe had offered her money in May on the condition that she leave the company. “After winning the injunction against the extraordinary shareholders' meeting in

K-popSept. 27, 2024

LG chairman urges to “aim higher” at CEO workshop

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo convened a strategy meeting Wednesday to discuss mid- to long-term management directions with some 40 top executives at LG companies. The meeting, held at LG Inwhawon in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, began with a discussion on strategies to navigate and respond to the rapidly changing business environment. LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan introduced key examples of the tech giant’s customer-centric management system, which has been a core focus over the past three

IndustrySept. 27, 2024

LG Energy Solution wins battery quality award in China, beating CATL, BYD

LG Energy Solution has been recognized in China for delivering the most high-quality electric vehicle batteries by the 2024 China Automotive Quality Research Awards, surpassing local manufacturers CATL and BYD in this category. The award ceremony, held in Beijing on Tuesday, was organized by Chinese automotive media platform CheZhiWang and Car Research Consulting Beijing, a Chinese automotive think tank established in 2017. The awards were based on consumer surveys, evaluating 128 vehicle models

MobilitySept. 27, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose cinches deal with Atlantic Records

Rose of Blackpink signed with Atlantic Records for her upcoming solo music, her agency The Black Label said Friday. The Warner Music affiliate is home to several artists including Bruno Mars, Cold Play and Ed Sheeran. To celebrate her deal, the American label sent her a huge bouquet of red roses with a note saying: “Welcome to the family!” She rolled out the solo single “R” in March 2021 as the second member of the group to have a solo album. The album sold over 280,000

K-popSept. 27, 2024

Yoon's approval rating rebounds from record low after trip to Czech Republic

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rebounded following his trip to the Czech Republic to clear hurdles before finalizing a 24 trillion won ($18 billion) nuclear export contract, a poll showed Friday. According to Gallup Korea's poll, Yoon's job approval rating during the period between Tuesday and Thursday came to 23 percent, up 3 percentage points from the previous poll unveiled on Sept. 13. The figure in the previous poll hit the lowest point since Yoon's inauguratio

PoliticsSept. 27, 2024

More foreign nationals victim to occupational accidents

Government data showed Friday that the number of foreign workers victim to occupational accidents has increased every year since 2019, indicating that this year's figure could exceed the 10,000 mark for the first time ever. From January to August of this year, there were 6,715 reported cases of occupational accidents with foreign national victims here, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor data submitted to Rep. Kim Ui-sang of the ruling People Power Party. The figure rose eve

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Korea's first global webtoon festival lights up Seongsu-dong

Seongsu-dong, a vibrant cultural hub in Seoul, is currently buzzing with activity as it hosts South Korea's first global webtoon festival and awards ceremony, held as a part of Korea's ambitious initiative to position itself as a leader in the global webtoon industry. The 2024 World Webtoon Festival, organized by the culture ministry and Korea Creative Content Agency, kicked off its four-day run Thursday with the 2024 World Webtoon Awards, designed to recognize exceptional webtoons tha

CultureSept. 27, 2024

Posco Future M, GM push back timeline for Canadian battery materials plant

Posco Future M and General Motors have pushed back the completion of their cathode material plant in Canada, which is part of their joint venture, Ultium CAM. Originally scheduled to be finished by the end of this month, the plant’s completion has now been delayed to a yet-to-be-determined date. Posco Future M announced the delay on Friday, citing "local conditions" without providing specific details. The plant, located in Becancour, Quebec, is set to produce high-nickel cathode

MobilitySept. 27, 2024

Stray Kids to perform at American Music Awards

The American Music Awards announced Friday that Stray Kids will perform at this year's ceremony on Oct. 6. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the AMA is considered one of the top four major music awards of the US, alongside the Grammy Awards, the Billboard Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. Stray Kids will be the second K-pop group to perform on the American Music Awards stage, following BTS, who first appeared on the show in 2017. Last year, Stray Kids won the Top K-pop Albu

K-popSept. 27, 2024

Posco’s volunteer program fosters spirit of sharing

South Korean steel giant Posco Group said Friday that it hosted two work camps for university students in North Gyeongsang Province and South Jeolla Province from July to August. The company annually recruits university students for its volunteer group, called Beyond. This year, 50 students from 40 Korean universities worked in various voluntary activities to address environmental and social issues. In July, the volunteers planted 400 magnolia seedlings at Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, creati

IndustrySept. 27, 2024

Dragon Pony drops debut album, portraying incomplete yet passionate youth

On Thursday Indie music powerhouse Antenna’s new band Dragon Pony dropped its first album “Pop Up," full of ambition to lead the future Korean band scene. The new quintet consists of vocalist An Tae-gyu, guitarist Kwon Se-hyuk, Bassist Pyun Sung-hyun and drummer Ko Gang-hun. "Our slogan is ‘The hot music of imperfect boys,’ and we think this phrase best represents us. We will continue to show intense energy through songs that capture our honest emotions," e

K-popSept. 27, 2024

7 out of 10 Korean children are short-sighted: data

Seven out of ten Korean children are found to be short-sighted as myopia among children is rising at an alarming rate worldwide, according to a recent study cited by the BBC. In the study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, a research team from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, reviewed government data on over 5 million children and teenagers until June 2023 from 50 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania. According to the researc

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024