14th Seoul International Pride Film Festival opens with HK film

The 14th Seoul International Pride Film Festival kicks off Thursday for a seven-day run, opening with Hong Kong filmmaker Ray Yeung’s movie “All Shall Be Well.” “All Shall Be Well,” which won this year’s best feature queer film award at Berlin International Film Festival revolves around two women Angie (Patra Au) and Pat (Lin-Lin Li) who have been together for over four decades. Following Pat's unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of Pat

FilmNov. 6, 2024

Andy Kim becomes first Korean American elected to US Senate

Andy Kim, 42, a three-term Congress representative from New Jersey, has won the US Senate race, becoming the first Korean American elected to the Senate. Kim, a Democrat, defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw, securing 53 percent of the vote to Bashaw’s 44.7 percent, with 87 percent of ballots counted as of 3 p.m., according to AP. This Senate seat opened in August when former Senator Bob Menendez resigned after being convicted on charges of bribery and acting as an agent of the Egyptian gover

PoliticsNov. 6, 2024

Everland unveils hidden ginkgo tree forest

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- Everland, South Korea’s largest theme park located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is known for its thrilling rides and much-loved animals like the Bao panda family. But if you need another reason to visit Everland, the park's unique fall foliage is open to public visitors for the first time. The theme park's latest attraction is a 14.5-million-square-meter ginkgo tree area named For Rest, considered the largest colony of ginkgo trees in Korea. But this

TravelNov. 6, 2024

S. Korea to expand scope of deepfake sex crime undercover probes

In an effort to clamp down on the rapid spread of deepfake sex crimes here, investigative authorities will be able to go undercover to catch digital sex offenders in cases where victims are adults and enable online platforms to block sexually explicit content before review, the Korean government said Wednesday. Rolling out a comprehensive package of strengthened measures to handle AI-generated sexual abuse, the government announced plans to push for a revision to the Act on Special Cases Conce

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Posco discusses future strategies at tech forum

South Korean steel giant Posco Group on Wednesday held the 2024 Posco Group Tech Forum, an annual event dedicated to sharing advancements in the core technologies of the group’s key businesses and discussing future directions. Now in its 36th year, the event was held offline in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, for the first time in five years following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s forum focused on deepening understanding of the group’s core technol

CompaniesNov. 6, 2024

[Photo News] Hanwha-Saudi ties

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan (right) met with Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulazia Al Saud, the defense minister of Saudi Arabia, in a hotel in Seoul on Monday to reaffirm their commitment to a defense partnership. During the meeting, Hanwha vowed to provide advanced defense systems, as part of the Saudi Arabian government’s Vision 2030 initiative that seeks to localize more than 50 percent of its military procurement by 2030. This is the second meeting for the Hanwha heir

IndustryNov. 6, 2024

Kolmar Korea reduces development time for cosmetics

South Korea's leading cosmetics original design manufacturer, Kolmar Korea, announced Wednesday it will start a packaged product service to accelerate product launches by up to six months, aiming to strengthen its position in the global market. The packaged product service, or PPS, allows clients to obtain products simply by choosing from pre-developed formulations and containers. Typically, launching a new cosmetic product takes nine to 12 months. Kolmar anticipates the PPS system will sho

IndustryNov. 6, 2024

Miracell showcases stem cell tech at Spain conference

South Korean stem cell research company Miracell showcased its stem cell extraction system, Smart M-Cell, during the IV Congreso Semdor Valencia conference in Spain last month. Hosted by the Spanish Pain Society, the annual conference brought together pain management experts from around the world to explore effective solutions for preventing and treating pain. This year’s event, held Oct. 24-26, invited doctors from Spain, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Greece and Italy. During the confe

TechnologyNov. 6, 2024

As Suneung nears, 'magic pills' lure test takers, but experts warn of risks

With only a week left before the national Suneung college admissions exam, some test takers and their parents are reaching out for additional assistance to manage test anxiety jitters: pills that make them brainier. Lee, an 18-year-old third-grade high school student who attends a private school in Incheon's Songdo district, is one of them. "I heard that the anxiety-soothing pills and traditional Korean medicine like 'cheongsimhwan' could ease test anxiety symptoms such as ra

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

SKT to open Nvidia GPU-based AI data center

South Korea's leading mobile carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it will open an artificial intelligence data center based on US tech giant Nvidia’s graphics processing units next month in Seoul, along with an AI data center testbed in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, in the same month. The announcement came as the company unveiled its AI revenue model identifying three key areas for rapid monetization upon its earnings release for the July-September period: data centers, business-to-business

IndustryNov. 6, 2024

Daewoo E&C seeks bigger footing in US property market

South Korean builder Daewoo Engineering & Construction said Wednesday a delegation of its executives recently visited the US to meet with private equity firms and developers as part of its efforts to expand its real estate development operations in the country. The delegation, which included Vice Chairman Chung Jin-haeng, Jung Jung-gil, director of the North America Development Department, and other company officials, visited Chicago and New York last week to explore potential partnerships w

CompaniesNov. 6, 2024

Man kills girlfriend for being 'condescending'

The South Korean police said Wednesday it is investigating a man in his 50s on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend over an argument that broke out because he thought she was looking down on him. The suspect is accused of killing the victim, also in her 50s, at a motel in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday, according to the Paju Police Station. He then called the victim's family at around 8:20 p.m. and confessed the murder to them, who immediately called the police. The police found the

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Police, passerby come to rescue of man who fainted while eating

A man who lost consciousness while eating at a restaurant was rescued by a fellow diner and police who promptly arrived on the scene, Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency revealed in a recent video. The clip posted on its official YouTube channel showed an incident that occurred at a restaurant in September. The man suddenly lost consciousness while having a meal with his friend, after which the friend immediately called the 119 emergency service for help. A person who was sitting on the table n

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Internet celebrity under fire for inappropriate comments after drunk driving accident

A South Korean internet celebrity is being pelted with criticism over causing a drunk driving accident and then joking that she may as well have "killed" the victim. The YouTube streamer in her 20s is being investigated for drunk driving, according to the officials at the Incheon Bupyeong Police Station. She is accused of ramming her car into another at around 12:40 a.m. last Friday in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, while driving under the influence of alcohol. Her blood alcohol level tested at

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Hot weather has leaves turning later

Unseasonably warm weather with day highs of around 20 degrees Celsius has delayed the autumn foliage peak, leaving large parts of Korea’s major foliage hotspots green as of Wednesday. Of the 21 hotspots the Korea Meteorological Administration monitored, seven -- including Naejangsan in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, famous for its maple leaves -- had not reached their foliage peak Wednesday. The KMA announces the “peak” when 80 percent of the place is covered with autumn foli

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

Harris, Trump secure expected wins in reliable states as vote counting proceeds

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump secured anticipated wins in states favoring their respective parties on Tuesday, as political attention gravitates to key battleground states that will likely decide the outcome of this year's general election. With vote counting under way, Harris won New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Delaware and other Democratic-leaning states, while Trump clinched victories in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Ohio and oth

World NewsNov. 6, 2024

[LLG] Typical Korean weddings were too boring. So they made their own

If you’ve ever attended a Korean wedding, you know the drill: First, hand over an envelope of congratulatory money at the front desk to receive your meal coupon, then either attend or skip the ceremony itself, which typically lasts 30 minutes to an hour. Enjoy a sit-down or buffet meal during which the couple, after the formal wedding ceremony, make their rounds to each table, thanking the guests. But that wasn’t the wedding day that Rebecca Nour, a Lebanese American influencer, ha

Hashtag KoreaNov. 6, 2024

City rents home near infamous child rapist

Judicial and police officers will keep a close eye on notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon's new home from literally across the street, as the city government of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, said Wednesday that it had rented a unit near his residence. Cho, who was released four years ago after serving 12 years in prison for raping an 8-year-old girl, relocated to a multiunit home in Wa-dong, Danwon-gu in the same city last month. This sparked concerns over child safety in the area, despite the

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024

SK Telecom Q3 net income down 9.1% on non-operating cost

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier, said Wednesday its third-quarter net profit decreased 9.1 percent from a year earlier due to an increase in non-operating costs. Net profit for the July-September period came to 280.2 billion won ($202.1 million), down 9.1 percent from a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Its operating profit rose 7.1 percent on-year to 533.3 billion won, while sales increased 2.9 percent to 4.53 trillion won. The company said its net pro

IndustryNov. 6, 2024

Average cash gift at weddings hits 90,000 won

The average cash gift for weddings in South Korea has reached 90,000 won ($65), marking an increase of around 20 percent over the past three years, according to data released by Kakao Pay on Monday. Based on transaction data as of September, Kakao Pay, the online payment service of Korean tech giant Kakao Corp., found that the average wedding gift money has increased 23 percent from 73,000 won in 2021 to 90,000 won in September. The amount has steadily risen in between, from 80,000 won in 2022

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2024