Korean Cultural Centre UK shows ‘Rendered Reality’

Korean Cultural Centre UK announced Wednesday that it is holding its UK Residency Report Showcase, in an exhibition titled “Rendered Reality” that features multimedia works by Min Joon-hong and Suh Shin-uk, running from Wednesday to April 18. This marks the first UK Residency Report Showcase exhibition, held with artists who have completed KCCUK’s residency program to support emerging artists. The opening reception of the exhibition held Monday at the KCCUK in London featu

Arts & DesignMarch 11, 2020

S. Korea to apply strict quarantine screening on arrivals from virus-hit Italy, Iran

South Korea said on Wednesday that it will apply strict quarantine screening to entrants from COVID-19-hit Italy and Iran in addition to those arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. Starting from midnight, passengers from the two countries grappling with spiking outbreaks of the novel coronavirus will be required to write a special quarantine report, answering questions about whether they have a fever or respiratory problems. Since February, South Korea has been adopting enhanced

Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2020

Jeonju film fest postponed due to coronavirus

The Jeonju International Film Festival has been postponed, as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues. The organizing committee of the Jeonju IFF announced on Wednesday the decision to move the event to May 28-June 6. The 10-day event was originally slated to kick off April 30. “We made the decision considering the possibility that COVID-19 may be of a grave threat to the health and safety of our guests,” the board of directors said in a statement. “Although we are postpon

FilmMarch 11, 2020

Some 15,000 adult wards to cast votes in April general elections

Seoul’s election body acknowledged adult wards’ right to vote, paving the way for voters under full guardianship to cast their ballot for the first time in the April 15 parliamentary elections, the Seoul city government said Wednesday. Seoul Social Welfare Public Interest Law Center, a city-affiliated institution, said it received the Seoul City Election Commission’s authoritative interpretation of the relevant law, recognizing voting rights of some 15,000 people under legal

PoliticsMarch 11, 2020

40% of S. Korean firms support work from home amid coronavirus scare: poll

Four out of 10 companies in South Korea are willing to allow their employees to work from home on hopes of containing the coronavirus outbreak, a poll showed Wednesday. The South Korean government has urged local communities to take part in social distancing, a series of tactics designed to keep people from gathering in large crowds, including working from home and avoiding in-person meetings. A survey released by the online job portal Saramin showed about 40.5 percent of the 1,089 local firm

IndustryMarch 11, 2020

PM raises urgent need to tackle coronavirus, economic fallout with extra budget

  South Korea's prime minister on Wednesday raised the urgent need to actively deal with economic shocks from the new coronavirus as parliament has begun to review an extra budget bill. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun made an appeal at the National Assembly amid concerns that the COVID-19 outbreak is expected to deal a serious blow to the economy. "It is more urgent than ever to reduce shocks (from the new coronavirus) on people's livelihoods and the economy and actively deal with econ

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

Korea's ICT exports increase for 1st time in 16 months in Feb.

South Korean exports of information and communication technology (ICT) goods grew for the first time in 16 months in February on brisk shipments of chips and smartphones, government data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments of ICT products expanded 8.5 percent on-year to $13.74 billion last month, according to the data from the Ministry of Science and ICT. February marks the first month since November 2018 that the country's ICT exports have increased from a year earlier. Asia's fourth-larg

EconomyMarch 11, 2020

Star screenwriters return to small screen

Big-name screenwriters are returning to the small screen this year, raising high expectations for well-made blockbuster TV series. Park Ji-eun, who wrote popular romantic comedies "My Love from the Star (2013) and "Legend of the Blue Sea" (2016), was the first runner in the 2020 lineup of star playwrights. The last episode of her latest drama, "Crash Landing On You," which aired from December last year to February, earned the highest viewership for any drama series fr

TelevisionMarch 11, 2020

116 countries, territories restricting entry from coronavirus-hit S. Korea

A total of 114 countries and territories were imposing entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures for people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns on Wednesday, as a few more nations in Africa and the Caribbean have joined the list. As of 3 p.m., 43 countries and territories were barring the entry of travelers who have been in South Korea, China, Japan and other virus-hit countries, up from the previous day's tally of 40, according to the foreign ministry website. The Bahamas ha

Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2020

SK Telecom establishes digital health care joint venture with local PEF

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier, said Wednesday it has established a digital health care joint venture with a local private equity fund (PEF) after spinning off its health care business unit. Invites Healthcare Co. will aim to drive growth of the health care industry using its advanced information and communication technology (ICT), according to SK Telecom. Newlake Alliance Management, a local private equity firm, will serve as the largest shareholder of the joint venture

TechnologyMarch 11, 2020

One more soldier tests positive for coronavirus, total at 38

An Army soldier tested positive for the new coronavirus after his mother working at a virus-plagued call center in Seoul was confirmed to have been infected, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The new case brought the total number of confirmed cases in the military to 38. The private first class, who commutes to his unit in Seoul rather than living at barracks, is the first service member in the capital city to have the virus. Of the total military coronavirus cases, 21 were in the Army, 1

DefenseMarch 11, 2020

Korea's exports up 21.9% in first 10 days of March

South Korea's exports rose by more than 20 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of March, customs data showed Wednesday, but the new coronavirus outbreak may limit the growth of its exports and economy. The country's outbound shipments came to US$13.3 billion in the March 1-10 period, up 21.9 percent from the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The daily average, however, slipped 2.5 percent on-year to $1.78 billion. The customs office note

EconomyMarch 11, 2020

Samsung No. 3 vendor of wearable devices in 2019: report

 Samsung Electronics Co. was the third-largest vendor of wearable devices last year, a market report showed Wednesday, amid soaring global demand for wearables. Samsung shipped 30.9 million units of wearable devices last year, more than doubling from a year earlier, according to the latest report from market tracker International Data Corp. (IDC). The South Korean tech giant took a 9.2 percent share in the global wearables market in 2019, up 2.3 percentage points from a year earlier, I

TechnologyMarch 11, 2020

S. Korea reports 242 more cases, total at 7,755

South Korea reported 242 novel coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 7,755 on Wednesday, as health authorities grapple with mass cluster infection cases in the country’s capital. Six more people died Tuesday, bringing Korea’s death toll to 60, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 242 new cases across the country, 52 new cases were reported in Seoul, with 12 each in Incheon and in Gyeonggi P

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

BIGBANG renews contract with YG ahead of new music release

K-pop boy band BIGBANG has renewed its contract with the current agency, YG Entertainment, ahead of the band's new music release planned for this year, YG said Wednesday.  "The BIGBANG members, G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P and Daesung, signed an exclusive contract with YG," the management said in a press release. This will mark BIGBANG' next term with YG after the band's debut under the music label in 2006. BIGBANG later renewed its contract with YG twice, in 2011 and 2015. Y

K-popMarch 11, 2020

Harris praises S. Korea's anti-coronavirus airport

US Ambassador Harry Harris visited Incheon International Airport on Wednesday to see how fever checks on US-bound passengers are going, praising the process as "the exemplar around the world." Harris visited a boarding gate in the Second Terminal of the airport, west of Seoul, and observed officials taking the temperatures of passengers of an Atlanta-bound Korean Air plane and received a briefing about the screening process. "I appreciate the hard work that (airport staff are)

Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2020

N. Korea ramping up production of masks, disinfectants amid coronavirus fears

North Korea is ramping up production of face masks, disinfectants and other personal hygiene items needed to help its people fight the new coronavirus, state media said Wednesday. North Korea has not reported any confirmed coronavirus infection, but the country has urged its people to wear masks and step up personal hygiene as a precautionary measure against the highly contagious disease. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, reported that all clothing and te

North KoreaMarch 11, 2020

S. Korea, Japan end marathon talks with no deal

South Korea said Wednesday it failed to make any significant progress in its marathon overnight talks with Japan on ending their nine-month trade dispute. The 16-hour talks that ended early Wednesday morning came amid fresh tensions between the neighbors after they virtually closed their borders against each other over the global outbreak of the new coronavirus. The travel restriction forced Lee Ho-hyeon, South Korea's director general for international trade policy, to hold a video confere

Foreign AffairsMarch 11, 2020

More public servants at govt. complex infected with coronavirus

Four more public servants working at South Korea's main government complex in the administrative city of Sejong have been infected with the new coronavirus, city officials said Wednesday, sparking concerns over a potential cluster infection at the facility where 15,000 people work. Three at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in Sejong, 130 kilometers south of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted the illness, according to the officials. Another member of the oceans ministry was confirmed

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

Virus infections linked to Seoul call center reach 90: mayor

The number of new coronavirus infections linked to a call center in southwestern Seoul has reached 90 cases, the capital's mayor said Wednesday, spawning concerns about potential mass transmission in the metropolitan area. "The 90 cases come from (virus tests of) 207 employees who worked on the 11th floor and their families," Mayor Park Won-soon told a radio show, "A total of 550 call center workers on other floors of the same building are being screened." Among the cases,

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020