South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday the Korea peace process has reached a very important stage and asked China to continue its support for progress in efforts for the complete denuclearization of the peninsula.In a Cheong Wa Dae meeting with China's State Councilor Wang Yi, Moon stressed the importance of Seoul-Beijing partnerships in response to security and other challenges."Close dialogue and cooperation between the two countries will serve as power to stabilize security in

Foreign AffairsDec. 5, 2019

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK successfully held its first Tokyo Dome concert this week, with the attendance reaching about 55,000 fans, its management agency said Thursday.According to YG Entertainment, the concert as part of the BLACKPINK 2019-2020 World Tour in Your Area in Japan took place at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, featuring dynamic energy and performances by the four-member girl group amid a festive mood.As the "DDU-DU DDU-DU" intro announced the beginning of the concert, the

PerformanceDec. 5, 2019

Tensions between the US and North Korea have heightened as the two sides exchanged threats and bellicose rhetoric of possible military actions if necessary, amid their stalled nuclear talks. But they appear to have no intention to wind up their diplomacy at least for the next few weeks, experts said. On Wednesday, Heino Klinck, US deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said the US has been refraining from responding to every single one of North On Wednesday, US Deputy Assistant Sec

North KoreaDec. 5, 2019

SEJONG -- South Koreans born in 1969 or later cannot enjoy the old-age annuity benefits, paid by the national pension operator, for five years after they retire at the age of around 60. As they have to wait until they turn 65 (the initial age regarded as a senior) to be classified as recipients under the rules, there could be a longer income vacuum, compared to those born before 1969.   Though it is possible for younger people (aged 50 or under as of 2019) to apply for early payouts, which

Social AffairsDec. 5, 2019

 Samsung Electronics took a 71 percent share in the South Korean smartphone market in the third quarter, outstripping its rivals Apple and LG Electronics, a report showed Thursday. According to market tracker Counterpoint Research, the tech giant’s market share grew 67 percent on-year. Its crosstown rival LG Electronics saw its share unchanged at 17 percent, the data showed, although the company has witnessed a steady growth in the sales of its latest V50 ThinQ 5G model. Samsung&rsquo

TechnologyDec. 5, 2019

South Korea’s third-biggest conglomerate SK Group announced Thursday that it has tapped four new CEOs with the goal of maintaining its “Deep Change” initiative amid persisting difficulties in the global business environment. The four newly promoted CEOs -- Park Sung-ha of SK Holdings C&C, Lee Young-wook of SK Materials and head of Investment Center 2, Choi Jin-hwan of SK Broadband and Cha Gyu-tak of SK Lubricants -- will join the Supex Council, the de facto control body of

IndustryDec. 5, 2019

The nippy winter is in full swing -- time to take out the cozy essentials like a fuzzy blanket, padded coat and, most importantly, a renewed winter playlist. And just in time, K-pop fans have recently been treated to a new album from IU, whose sweet, comforting vocals make her one of the most sought-after acts this time of the season. While the chart-topping singer-songwriter is beloved regardless of the weather, many of her emotional ballads have especially served as a remedy for winter blues,

K-popDec. 5, 2019

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday made a thinly veiled criticism of the United States over its "Cold War mindset" and "hegemonic acts" while defending China's rise as a "historical inevitability."Wang made the remarks during the second and last day of his trip to Seoul, amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry over trade, technology and maritime security that has put South Korea in an increasingly difficult diplomatic position."The Cold War mindset is al

Foreign AffairsDec. 5, 2019

Choo Mi-ae, former chairperson of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, was nominated new justice minister Thursday, amid a power abuse scandal involving Cheong Wa Dae. The five-term lawmaker will succeed Cho Kuk, her embattled predecessor who resigned over corruption allegations involving his family and who now faces additional power abuse allegations. “Choo was a judge known for her people-centered philosophy. As a judge and lawmaker, she has displayed strong convictions and will deliv

PoliticsDec. 5, 2019

The Democratic Party went on the offensive against the prosecution Thursday, characterizing the investigations into alleged abuse of power by the Blue House as an attempt to resist prosecutorial reform.The ruling party convened the first meeting of an intra-party committee to call on the prosecution to conduct an unbiased investigation.The committee’s head Rep. Sul Hoon said, “The prosecution is framing and stirring suspicions” that Cheong Wa Dae ordered an investigation into o

PoliticsDec. 5, 2019

Celebrating the launch of its latest overseas plant in India, Kia Motors said Thursday it will expand its portfolio of “Made-in-India” products next year and introduce fully digitalized sales and service channels for customers.The South Korean auto giant officially opened its new production facility in Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, built with an investment of $1.1 billion. It started operations in July rolling out the Seltos compact SUV, the company’s first

MobilityDec. 5, 2019

Cha University’s Region-Specific Resource Advancement Center in Northeast Region of Gyeonggi-do (GRRC) recently held a symposium to present cutting-edge technology on natural resources’ separation and refinement using Prep-HPLC technology, it said Thursday. GRRC is a regional platform to share the latest expert scientific opinions on participating corporations’ local natural resources-based novel drug development.  The event held on Sept. 27 marked the sharing of technolog

IndustryDec. 5, 2019

South Korea’s current account surplus continued to grow in October from the previous month to reach a 12-month high as the service account deficit narrowed and primary income account surplus expanded, data showed Thursday.The surplus, however, was mostly attributed to the decline in raw material imports which reflected dampened domestic demand, while the actual growth pace of the economy remained sluggish. At $7.83 billion, the current account surplus was up slightly from $7.76 billion in

EconomyDec. 5, 2019

Two Defense Intelligence Command officers are being investigated by the military prosecution for allegedly raping a North Korean defector multiple times, the Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday. The North Korean defector brought charges against a first sergeant surnamed Kim and a lieutenant colonel surnamed Sung, both working for the DIC, for repeated offences that took place over a period of more than a year.  The Defense Ministry’s Criminal Investigation Command in late November ref

DefenseDec. 5, 2019

Korea Aerospace Industries has successfully performed the first flight test of its light civil helicopter, the firm said Thursday. The helicopter delivered its first flight performances for about 20 minutes after take-off, KAI said.The light civil helicopter, which began development in June 2015, is now applied with advanced technologies for the main gearbox, cockpit and canopy, KAI explained. It is also equipped with a main rotor and tail rotor with low vibration and noise.The copter can be dep

IndustryDec. 5, 2019

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's leading chemical company, and US auto giant General Motors have reportedly reached an agreement to set up an electric vehicle battery manufacturing joint venture in the United States.The two sides are expected to make an announcement on Thursday (US time) on establishing a 50:50 joint venture in Ohio, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources.GM and LG Chem are expected to chip in more than $1 billion to set up an EV battery producing facility, Reuters said. LG Chem de

IndustryDec. 5, 2019

South Korean film producers chose "House of Hummingbird" as the Best Film of the Year on Thursday.The Korean Film Producers Association said it has decided to give the honor of the 2019 KFPA Awards to the indie movie directed by Kim Bo-ra. Set in a rapidly developing Seoul in 1994, the film is a touching coming-of-age drama centered around Eun-hee, an isolated, lonely 14-year-old girl in a dysfunctional family. As a middle school student, Eun-hee wanders aimlessly while continuously se

FilmDec. 5, 2019

The government has abolished a regulation allowing men of multicultural backgrounds to serve their mandatory military service in the same unit with friends or relatives, citing low demand and its discriminative nature.The change has been reflected in the revised regulations on the recruitment of active duty soldiers, taking effect this month, the Military Manpower Administration said in a release. South Korea adopted the system in 2011, by which two or three men could be conscripted in a gr

DefenseDec. 5, 2019