Korea reports 19 more wild boars infected with African swine fever

South Korea said Friday it has found 19 more wild boars infected with the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus in areas near the border with North Korea, bringing the total number of cases to 204. Eighteen animals were found dead in border areas, including in the eastern county of Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, as well as the border city of Paju and Yeoncheon County in Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, according to a research institute affiliated with the environment ministry.   The vir

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2020

Mobile carriers beef up VR content amid 5G expansion

South Korea's three major mobile carriers are beefing up their virtually reality (VR) content and related services, industry insiders said Saturday, as they aim to attract more customers amid their 5G expansion. The three -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- commercialized 5G telecommunication last year and have been focusing on securing more 5G subscribers. Taking advantage of 5G's high speed and low latency, they are now rolling out VR content for various sectors -- from entertai

TechnologyFeb. 15, 2020

No new coronavirus infection reported for 4th straight day; cases

Korea on Saturday reported no additional novel coronavirus case for the fourth day in a row, with the total number of cases tallied remaining unchanged at 28, according to public health authorities. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said a total of seven patients have been released from hospitals after fully recovering from the COVID-19 virus.   The number of people who have tested negative for the virus reached 6,853 as of early Saturday, with another 638 under

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2020

First group of 366 Wuhan evacuees released after 2 weeks in quarantine

The first group of 366 South Koreans evacuated from Wuhan, China, has been released after two weeks of quarantine with all testing negative for the novel coronavirus, the public health agency said Saturday. The evacuees arrived in the country on Jan. 31, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. They were airlifted out of the central Chinese city that is thought to be the epicenter of the viral outbreak on a special chartered flight.   Since the first case of the vi

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2020

Seohyun to face her deepest pain in ‘Hello, Dracula’

Singer-turned-actor Seohyun of Girls Generation is returing to the small screen with JTBC’s new short drama series “Hello, Dracula,” which is slated to air this week. Despite the title, the two-part series is not a fantasy thriller about vampires. It is a realistic but warm story about people of different generations who face their deepest fears to take the next step in their lives. The new drama is an omnibus set comprising of three stories each revolving around different c

TelevisionFeb. 14, 2020

S. Korean, Canadian FMs agree on efforts to boost bilateral economic ties

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Canada agreed Friday to make efforts to expand bilateral economic cooperation and bolster exchanges of high-level officials. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne held talks in Munich on the sidelines of a three-day security forum that opened Friday, according to the foreign ministry. The top diplomats agreed to increase exchanges of high-level personnel and encourage the industrial sectors of both nati

Foreign AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

Lime Asset deliberately deceived investors in awareness of losses: FSS

South Korean fund operator Lime Asset Management and its seller Shinhan Investment deliberately duped investors by concealing their losses and continuing the sale of the related products, the watchdog Financial Supervisory Service said Friday. Based on an intermediary inspection and accounting audit, the FSS estimated that two of the disputed parent funds may suffer losses of up to 730 billion won ($617.5 million). Considering other parent funds yet under inspection, the total amount of investo

MarketFeb. 14, 2020

Hana Financial signs W77b deal to acquire The-K Non-Life

Hana Financial Group said Friday it had inked a sales and purchase agreement with the Korea Teachers’ Credit Union to buy a 70 percent stake in The-K Non-Life Insurance for 77 billion won ($65.1 million). This is the first acquisition deal for Korea’s third-largest banking group since the takeover of Korea Exchange Bank in 2013. The-K Non-Life will become the 14th affiliate and second insurer arm to be under Hana’s umbrella. KTCU will remain a minority shareholder of t

MarketFeb. 14, 2020

K-pop moguls make new move with girl groups

Prominent figures from K-pop agencies have been working with girl groups managed by other companies. Lee Soo-man, founder and chief producer of S.M. Entertainment, participated in the production of girl group LOONA’s second EP, “#,” released Feb. 5. The 12-piece act, whose Korean name translates to “Girl of the Month,” is managed by Blockberry Creative, a small entertainment agency. The EP has topped the iTunes Albums chart in 47 countries including Poland, Spa

K-popFeb. 14, 2020

17 Hyundai, Kia cars picked as safest in US crash test

A total of 17 Hyundai Motor Group car models received either Top Safety Pick+ or Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this year. The US awards recognize the safety of vehicles in crashes. According to South Korea’s leading carmaker, the Genesis G80, Genesis G70 and Nexo were named Top Safety Pick+, with the latter two recognized for their “good-rating” headlights for all trims. Top Safety Pick went to eight models from Hyundai Motor -- El

MobilityFeb. 14, 2020

Govt. vows to work with Japan to help S. Korean passengers on quarantined cruise ship

South Korea will consult with Japan to best reflect the wishes of its citizens locked inside a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo following onboard outbreaks of the new coronavirus, an official said Friday, after criticism it is not doing enough to protect them. Fourteen South Koreans -- nine passengers and five crew members -- have remained inside the Diamond Princess since the ship was quarantined at Yokohama Port early last week after confirming the first infection of the COVID-19. While

Foreign AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

Senior judge acquitted in power abuse scandal

A Seoul court on Friday acquitted another high-level judge implicated in a scandal involving alleged power abuses in the judiciary. Lim Seong-geun, a senior justice at the Seoul High Court, was indicted in March last year for meddling in several trials between 2015 and 2016. He faced charges of abuse of power and obstruction of another person's exercise of right. The Seoul Central District Court acknowledged that his interference in cases is "an unconstitutional behavior that infringes o

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

3 minor opposition parties to merge for April 15 general elections

Three minor opposition parties announced a plan to merge Friday in a widely expected move that comes two months before the April 15 general elections, paving the way for them to become the third-largest political bloc in South Korea in terms of parliamentary seats, at least for now. The Bareunmirae Party (BMP) and the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) agreed to be united with the New Alternative Party, which has seven lawmakers. They decided to name their new grouping the "Democratic Un

PoliticsFeb. 14, 2020

Sejong University’s research team succeeds in farming American steelhead

  Sejong University succeeded in farming American steelhead in Korea amid rising demand for salmon here, the university said Friday. Led by professors Kim Min-sun and Lee Jang-won of Integrative Bio-industrial Engineering at Sejong University, a research team imported steelhead eggs from the US, raising juvenile steelhead in river waters and transferring them to sea water. In 13 months, the team succeeded in producing 1.3 kilograms of steelhead on Feb. 4 here. South Korea has seen an in

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

NK played US in denuke talks: ex-White House official

John Kelly, former White House chief of staff for US President Donald Trump, said Wednesday that the two nuclear summits between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were futile. “I never did think Kim would do anything other than play us for a while, and he did that fairly effectively,” Kelly said at a Drew University event. “He will never give up his nuclear weapons.” Kelly acknowledged that President Trump tried to make the North give up its nuclear arsenal but &

North KoreaFeb. 14, 2020

NK could test advanced ICBM: US commander

Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, commander of the US Northern Command and of North American Aerospace Defense Command, told members of the US Senate Armed Forces Committee that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could be up for another missile test, in a statement on Thursday. “Recent engine testing suggests North Korea may be prepared to flight-test even more capable ICBM design that could enhance Kim’s ability to threaten our homeland during a crisis or conflict,” he said. I

North KoreaFeb. 14, 2020

Court reduces jail sentence of former president's confidante in retrial

A longtime friend of jailed former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 18 years in prison in a retrial of her corruption case at a Seoul appellate court on Friday. The Seoul High Court commuted its jail sentence for Choi Soon-sil, who was known as Park's confidante during her presidency from 2013 to 2017, from the previous 20 years to 18 years in the retrial, which was ordered by the Supreme Court last August. In February 2018, Choi was sentenced by the same Seoul appellate court to

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

Coronavirus likely to deepen auto sector woes: Fitch

Fitch ratings agency said Friday the new coronavirus outbreak will add to auto sector challenges this year as COVID-19 disrupts global supply chains. "The greatest impact on the sector is likely to come from lower sales during the outbreak in China, the world's largest market for new vehicles. The country's new vehicle sales are likely to be depressed until the outbreak is under control," Fitch said in a statement. Fitch expected sales in China to start recovering from April and acc

EconomyFeb. 14, 2020

No discussions on possible location shift of THAAD launchers in S. Korea: defense ministry

No discussions on possible location shift of THAAD launchers in S. Korea: defense ministry No discussions have taken place with the United States about the possibility of moving THAAD missile interceptor launchers away from their battery in central South Korea to other parts of the country, the defense ministry said Friday. Earlier, the US Missile Defense Agency hinted at the possibility of separating the Terminal High Altitude Area Defens (THAAD) unit's launchers in the central county of Seo

DefenseFeb. 14, 2020

KDB realizes revenues on investment in BTS agency, film ‘Parasite’

South Korean state-owned lender the Korea Development Bank has borne fruit with its investment in the nation’s cultural contents, officials said Friday. Already generating profits from its investment in Big Hit Entertainment, the agency of global K-pop sensation BTS, the banking group is also expecting considerable returns from its investment in Oscar-winning film “Parasite.” KDB Capital, an affiliate of KDB, invested nearly 700 million won ($591,000), including a direct inv

MarketFeb. 14, 2020