Celltrion's Stelara biosimilar receives approval in UK

South Korean biosimilar giant Celltrion announced Wednesday that Steqeyma, the company's biosimilar referencing Stelara, has been approved in the UK, following earlier approvals by Korea, Canada and the European Commission this year. According to the company, Steqeyma has received approval from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for its uses in all indications of reference product Stelara, including psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative coli

CompaniesSept. 4, 2024

First responders' request to locate ERs doubles amid medical strike

As South Korea suffers from the prolonged disruption of medical services across the country, government data showed Wednesday that rescue workers' requests for ERs have more than doubled this year compared to the same period last year. From February to June 25, 119 emergency control centers have selected hospitals for emergency patients on 1,196 occasions, according to the National Fire Agency. This marks an increase of 131 percent compared to 519 such cases in the same period last year.

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2024

S. Korean shares open sharply lower on Wall Street losses

South Korean shares opened sharply lower Wednesday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 60.72 points, or 2.28 percent, to 2,603.91 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1.51 percent to close at 40,936.93, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq plunged 3.26 percent. Tech giants, including Nvidia and Intel, led the decline as the lower-than-expected US manufacturing purchasing managers index (

MarketSept. 4, 2024

Seoul Fashion Week’s first day heavy on contrasts, harmonies

Seoul Fashion Week returned Tuesday, with contrasts and harmonies taking center stage on the runway where 21 brands are expected to present their spring-summer 2025 collections over the next five days. First off was Youser, a unisex brand launched in 2011 that prides itself on blurring the boundary between deconstruction and minimalism. The result was a relaxed silhouette highlighted by pleats and tucks, which render the collection playful and three-dimensional, according to designer Lee Moo-yeo

Arts & DesignSept. 4, 2024

DP proposes special counsel probe bill on Marine's death for 4th time; PPP unlikely to accept

The main opposition Democratic Party has proposed a bill mandating a special counsel recommended by the Supreme Court chief justice investigate the military's response to a Marine's death last year. The bill, proposed Tuesday, mandates that the chief justice recommend four candidates to the special counsel. They will be narrowed down by the opposition parties to two, from which the president will make the final appointment. The special counsel will be tasked with looking into allegatio

PoliticsSept. 4, 2024

[영어답게 표현하기] 유용한 비즈니스 영어 표현들

이번 회에는 저희 책 Advanced Vocab에서 소개한 중상급 영단어들을 알려드립니다. 단어의 우리말 뜻을 기억하는 데에 그치지 않고, 난이도 있는 단어를 실제로 활용하는 단계까지 나아가 보기 바랍니다. 〈인간관계, 가족〉 1. heirloom [έərlùːm] 가보 heir(상속인)+loom(‘베틀’이라는 뜻이며 instrument를 의미함)으로 이뤄진 단어다. ‘상속되는 물건’이라는 뜻에서 유래하여 ‘가보’를 일컫는다. This gold watch is a family heirloom given to me by my father and first owned by my great-grandfather. 이 금시계는 증조 할아버지께서 처음 소유하셨으며 아버지께서 내게 가보로 물려주신 것이다. ● 우리집 가보는 고조 할아버지께서 쓰셨던 칼이다. My family heirloom

English EyeSept. 4, 2024

Gyeonggi's unionized bus drivers call off planned strike after wage deal

A powerful union of bus drivers in Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, called off a strike planned for Wednesday after reaching a last-minute wage hike agreement with their employers before dawn. The union, which has about 90 percent of city and intercity bus drivers in the nation's most populous province under its wing, and representatives of the province's bus company owners agreed to a 7 percent wage increase around 3 a.m. Wednesday after marathon negotiations that began at 3

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2024

Shooter Park Jin-ho wins 2nd gold at Paris Paralympics

Shooter Park Jin-ho has become South Korea's first double gold medalist of the Paris Paralympics. Park won the men's 50-meter rifle 3 positions (SH1 classification) title with the Paralympic record score of 454.6 points at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris, on Tuesday. Dong Chao of China finished with 451.8 points for silver. Park had earlier won the 10m air rifle standing gold medal. In the 50m 3 positions event, shooters competed in kneeling, prone and st

More SportsSept. 4, 2024

Foreign reserves up for 2nd month in Aug. on weak dollar

South Korea's foreign reserves increased for the second straight month in August on the back of the increased value of non-US dollar assets and investment gains, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's foreign reserves had come to $415.92 billion as of end-August, up $2.41 billion from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The central bank attributed the increase to a rise in the converted value of non-dollar assets amid the weak greenback an

EconomySept. 4, 2024

[Graphic News] Nearly 60% of Koreans see AI's benefits outweighing risks

A recent survey conducted by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT found that 57 percent of South Korean nationals believe the benefits of artificial intelligence technology surpass its risks. Additionally, 23.7 percent of respondents felt that the risks and benefits were roughly equal, while 19.1 percent expressed concern that the potential risks outweighed the benefits. When asked about AI’s advantages, 30.6 percent of respondents highlighted “improved convenience in da

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2024

[Kim Seong-kon] No more specter of Marx hovering over Korea

Recently, newspaper reports said that Seoul National University canceled an undergraduate course on Marxist economics due to the lack of registered students. It is only natural in this era of the global economy. In fact, Marxist economic theory became extinct as a failed experiment in the early 1990s when communist countries in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and China gave up on it and adopted free market principles. In that sense, canceling a course on Marxist economics was a much-belated me

ViewpointsSept. 4, 2024

[Lionel Laurent] Working six days a week is no myth in Greece

Anyone who’s seen swathes of sunburnt German tourists harrying Greek workers for a beach towel this summer will know how wrong economic cliches can be. Greeks, depicted as “lazy” during the euro crisis, actually work more hours than anyone else in Europe, and supposedly workaholic Germans work among the least. Now the gap is getting starker with a divisive new law allowing some Greek firms to enforce a six-day workweek -- a first in Europe and one that runs counter to the trend

ViewpointsSept. 4, 2024

Gyeongbokgung to resume opening at night

Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon era (1392-1910) in central Seoul, will again open for nighttime visitors from Sept. 9. While the palace allows visits until 6:30 p.m. for ordinary tickets, those with nighttime tickets can tour selected parts of the palace between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., according to the Korea Heritage Service’s announcement Monday. The nighttime tour zone includes Heungryemun, Geunjeongjeon and Sajeongjeon, where major royal events took place during the Joseon er

TravelSept. 3, 2024

US may reconsider approach to NK-Russia military ties under Harris' leadership: senator

The United States may need to reevaluate its strategy on the expanding military ties between North Korea and Russia if Vice President Kamala Harris becomes president as Pyongyang's alleged arms support for Moscow's war in Ukraine is deeply troubling, a US senator said Tuesday. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del) said the Biden administration's North Korea policy has focused on its denuclearization and recently has been pressing the North to stop s

Foreign AffairsSept. 3, 2024

BOK chief says time to consider rate cut as inflation cools

Bank of Korea Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said Tuesday the time has come to "sufficiently consider" a rate cut as the nation's consumer inflation cooled. "In terms of stability of consumer prices, it is time to sufficiently consider lowering a benchmark interest rate," Rhee told reporters at a forum in Seoul. Rhee said the central bank would review an "appropriate timing" for a rate cut, in his strongest signal yet about a policy pivot. In a meeting of the parliamen

EconomySept. 3, 2024

Democratic Party fans claims Yoon is planning martial rule

The Democratic Party of Korea continues to fuel unsupported claims that President Yoon Suk Yeol is trying to declare martial law nationwide with his recent shake-up of the defense leadership. Democratic Party lawmakers, including the party’s chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung, have repeatedly raised suspicions that Yoon is preparing to establish martial law in South Korea, claiming to have “sources.” The main opposition party claims that Yoon nominated his close ally Kim Yong-hyun -- ret

PoliticsSept. 3, 2024

Ex-N. Korean diplomat in Cuba proposes paths to regime collapse from within

Ri Il-gyu, the former second-ranking North Korean diplomat in Cuba, on Tuesday publicly proposed strategies to destabilize the Kim Jong-un regime from within by promoting societal change in the North, including the inflow of external information to the North Korean populace. "The so-called elite class, or the cadre class, has undergone a significant shift in their perception of the regime," Ri, who served as a counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Havana, said during the Global Kore

North KoreaSept. 3, 2024

Mother of abuse victim thanks perpetrators, urges no punishment

The mother of a 17-year-old girl who died from severe abuse by church members said she was "thankful" to the perpetrators, reiterating that she did not want them to be punished. The 52-year-old woman testified in a court hearing held at Incheon District Court on Monday and stated that there was no coercion from the defendants for the child to be sent to the church. A 52-year-old leader of an Incheon church choir and two other members are currently being tried on allegations of child

Social AffairsSept. 3, 2024

Posco invests $40m to enhance graphite supply chain

Posco International, the trading and energy arm of Posco Group, announced Tuesday that it has signed a $40 million contract with Australian mining company Black Rock Mining to secure natural graphite, a key material for secondary batteries. The signing event was held on the sidelines of the joint annual meeting between the Australia-Korea Business Council and the Korea-Australia Business Council in Perth, Australia, Tuesday. The event was attended by Korea’s Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo, A

CompaniesSept. 3, 2024