[Photo News] Advancing Indonesia's digital education

Kakao Bank CEO Yun Ho-young (far right) and employees pose for a picture at the company headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday before heading to Indonesia for volunteer work. A team of 15 employees will spend a week in Mauk, Indonesia, helping to improve the region's digital education environment and engaging in construction projects to better the living conditions of children of underprivileged families. (Kakao Bank)

IndustryAug. 14, 2024

These young Koreans redefine cool careers

For a long time, the image of most blue-collar jobs in South Korea is of work for people who don't have what it takes to get office jobs. With 76.2 percent of Korea's high school graduates going on to higher education, white collar work has firmly established itself as the preferred option. But as what were known in the past as “decent jobs” are diminishing quickly, college graduates find themselves in an ever-intensifying competition. This frustration has also given rise a

Hashtag KoreaAug. 14, 2024

Empowering through photography: Indian teenager collaborates with Seoul kids for photo exhibition

Young girls from Sundukwon, a child welfare center, showcased the vibrant life of Seoul through a photography exhibition on Friday. Aditi Kumar, a 17-year-old high school student from India, led an eight-week photography workshop that culminated the "Happy Seoul, Pause for a Cause" exhibition as part of an initiative empowering girls through photography. To fund the project, she sold eco-friendly tote bags featuring her photographs. The proceeds enabled her to purchase compact digital

Foreign AffairsAug. 14, 2024

Seoul develops dog meat testing tech ahead of country-wide ban

Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it has developed a diagnostic test to identify dog meat, with a recently passed ban on dog-sourced meat set to fully take effect in 2027. The test kit uses polymerase chain reaction to identify dog DNA in meat, and has been developed by Seoul's Research Institute of Public Health and Environment in June. The city government plans to use the system to catch those who attempt to sell dog meat by falsely advertising it as other types of meat. Seou

Social AffairsAug. 14, 2024

Health minister vows stern measures against attempts to hinder return of junior doctors

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Wednesday pledged to take stern measures against attempts to obstruct junior doctors' return to hospitals. Cho's remarks came as lists of junior doctors who decided to return to work were circulating online, with the police conducting an investigation upon the request of the ministry. "So far, we have referred 21 cases regarding the release of lists and defamation, with investigative authorities identifying the suspects and sending the cases to the

Social AffairsAug. 14, 2024

Severe floods in N. Korea could cut its 2024 crop output: FAO

North Korea's crop output for this year could be dented by severe floods from the latest heavy rains and a possible increase in pest infestations, the Food and Agriculture Organization said Wednesday. North Korea is expected to receive above-average precipitation amounts between August and October, according to a report posted on the website of the FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System. "Heavy rains could exacerbate waterlogging and lead to further flooding, causing si

North KoreaAug. 14, 2024

Job additions rise over 100,000 for first time in 3 months

South Korea added more than 100,000 jobs for the first time in three months in July, but jobs in the construction sector fell by the most in 11 years amid a slowdown in the industry, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people came to 28.86 million last month, up 172,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the first time in three months that the monthly job additions bounced back to over 100,000. In June, 96,000 jobs were added on-year afte

EconomyAug. 14, 2024

Price cap of meals for public servants to be raised later this month

The government will ease restrictions on the price of meals served to public officials and other professions later this month, officials said Wednesday, in a move aimed at reflecting the current price levels since the anti-corruption law came into effect in 2016. Under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, commonly known as the Kim Young-ran law, public officials and individuals in specific roles, such as journalists and private school teachers, are not allowed to be served meals worth more t

Social AffairsAug. 14, 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. 〈숭배, 종교, 추앙〉 1. blasphemy [blǽsfəmi] 신성 모독 ‘종교적인 신성모독’을 의미하며, 모두가 추앙하는 것을 존경하지 않는 태도를 말하기도 한다. The church regarded Galileo's research on the solar system as blasphemy and sought to put him to death. 교회는 갈릴레오의 태양계 연구를 신성 모독이라 생각했고 그를 죽이려 했다. ● 10대 소녀들 사이에서는 그 가수를 조금이라도 비판하는 것은 신성모독처럼 여겨졌다. Among teenage girls, it was considered blasphemy to be even slightl

English EyeAug. 14, 2024

South Korea opens export of heat-treated chicken products to Britain

The government announced Tuesday the opening of exports for heat-treated chicken products, including frozen chicken, dumplings and the ginseng chicken soup known as samgyetang to Britain. This strategic initiative marks a pivotal entry into the British market following the successful negotiation of an export sanitary and quarantine agreement for such products with the European Union (EU) in December of the previous year. Bolstered by a robust strategic partnership established during the South Ko

ConsumerAug. 14, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street led by a cooler-than-expected US producer price index. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 29.24 points, or 1.12 percent, to 2,650.74 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes gained ground as softer producer price data boosted bets the Federal Reserve will start cutting its rates soon. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics advanced 1.97 percent, and its chipmakin

MarketAug. 14, 2024

[Graphic News] More Koreans opt for home-cooked samgyetang amid rising prices

Amid record hot summer weather and soaring consumer prices, more Koreans are choosing to enjoy samgyetang, or chicken soup with ginseng, at home using convenient home meal replacements (HMRs). According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the average price of samgyetang at Seoul restaurants has risen to 16,885 won ($12.32) this year, a 2.8 percent increase from last year’s 16,423 won. In 2015, the dish cost 13,591 won, and through 2022, it remained around 14,000 won. However, following the e

FoodAug. 14, 2024

[History through films] Korea’s turbulent politics of 1970s depicted in ‘Kingmaker’

The 1970s is an important era in South Korea's contemporary history, a turbulent time that shaped the country's politics. Set in the 1960s and 1970s, director Byun Sung-hyun's “Kingmaker” follows a group of politicians who attempt to replace the dictatorship with a democracy. Kim Woon-beom (played by Sol Kyung-gu) is an opposition party politician who dreams of becoming a president, despite having failed in four consecutive parliamentary elections. He comes across natu

FilmAug. 14, 2024

[Kim Seong-kon] We should think big and global

The way we perceive things is often provincial and parochial rather than global and universal. We assume that people in other countries think the same way as we do. In many cases, however, foreigners think differently due to cultural differences. Therefore, we need to think big and global, while embracing different opinions and perspectives. Our love of ivy and pine trees can be a good example. In Korea, we like ivy because it decorates a building beautifully by crawling all over it and giving i

ViewpointsAug. 14, 2024

[Kathryn Anne Edwards] America's fertility policy gap is bad economics

Even if you didn’t care about or respect women’s choices when it comes to having children, the “childless cat ladies” comments from Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance are still deeply problematic because they suggest a misunderstanding of a vital policy issue: fertility. To the extent that this deeply personal choice can be aggregated and tracked, it is akin to a performance measure of the economy -- and the data is flashing red. The US fertility rate has been fall

ViewpointsAug. 14, 2024

Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics to launch 4-day strike

Samsung Electronics' labor union said Tuesday it will launch a four-day strike from Liberation Day this week, stepping up pressure over their demand for a pay raise and additional bonuses. The National Samsung Electronics Union, the largest labor union of the South Korean tech giant, announced its plan to stage the strike on Aug. 15-18, instructing its striking members to refuse to work on Liberation Day on Thursday and to work in shifts until Sunday. The union and management have held seve

TechnologyAug. 13, 2024

FM Cho rebuts criticism over 'humiliating' negotiations with Japan on Sado mines

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Tuesday rebutted the criticism that South Korea backed down in the negotiations with Japan regarding the UNESCO World Heritage listing of an old Japanese mine complex linked to wartime forced labor. Cho made the point during a parliamentary session as criticism persists over the way the government negotiated with Tokyo to demonstrate the Sado gold and silver mines as a site where more than a thousand Koreans were forcibly taken to toil during World War II. Critics

Foreign AffairsAug. 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Boynextdoor to return in September

Boynextdoor uploaded a teaser clip for its September return via agency KOZ Entertainment Tuesday. Dubbed “The Beginning of Countdown: 19.99,” the 16-second-long visual starts with a device dropped on a dark street that begins a countdown before someone snatches it up, revealing the title of the album along with the release date: Sept. 9. The boy band is returning about five months after its second EP “How?” which sold over 760,000 copies so far. The mini album was one of

K-popAug. 13, 2024

Yoon picks for national security, defense chiefs draw opposition ire

Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to retract his nominations for national security advisor and the defense minister announced the day prior. The lawmakers of the main and minor opposition parties on the National Assembly defense committee held a joint press conference Tuesday, slamming the president as “damaging national interest at the key diplomatic moment” with his picks. In a surprise shake-up, Yoon on Monday tapped Shin Won-sik, who is serving as

PoliticsAug. 13, 2024