Most Popular
-
1
Opposition mulls delay of financial investment income tax
-
2
Immigration policy must go beyond labor supply: experts
-
3
‘Korea crossed the line too far’ disgraced singer’s lawyer cries foul after 3rd visa denial
-
4
Nasrallah's killing reveals depth of Israel's Hezbollah penetration
-
5
S. Korea to showcase Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile on Armed Forces Day ceremony for 1st time
-
6
Park Zi-a, the actor who played 'The Glory' heroine's mother, dies
-
7
Korean American documentary ‘Free Chol Soo Lee' wins Emmy
-
8
KMA chief under pressure after surveyed doctors refuse to back him
-
9
Meditation brings calm to Gwanghwamun
-
10
KT and Microsoft to develop AI models for Korea
-
Outbound travelers at all-time high in Jan.
The number of Koreans who traveled abroad reached a monthly high in January, according to figures from a government-run tourism agency Thursday. A total of 2.11 million departed the country last month, up 15.1 percent from a year ago, said the Korea Tourism Organization. It cited cheap airfare as the main reason for the jump. Travelers seen at Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap)The number of visitors to Taiwan surged 15.9 percent to 57,700 during the cited period, as local airlines gave dis
Feb. 25, 2016
-
Korea’s consumer sentiment hits 8-month low
Korean consumer sentiment fell to an eight-month low in February as more people expected their future incomes to deteriorate, central bank data showed Thursday.The composite consumer sentiment index stood at 98 for February, compared with 100 for January, according to the Bank of Korea. Consumers shop at a supermarket in Northern Seoul. (Yonhap)The February reading marks the first time the index has fallen below 100 since June. A reading below 100 indicates pessimists outnumber optimists, and a
Feb. 25, 2016
-
3% of salaried persons high-wage earners: report
About three out of 100 wage earners in Korea receive an annual salary of more than 100 million won (about $80,000), according to a report by Rep. Lee No-geun of the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday.The report, which was based on tax authorities’ year-end tax adjustment, showed that high-wage earners number at 526,689 out of the total 16.68 million salaried people here. By region, Ulsan, the nation’s southeastern industrial city, topped the proportion of high-wage earners at 8.5 percent. There we
Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2016
-
Orioles' Kim Hyun-soo to enjoy his first MLB season
In South Korea, Kim Hyun-soo is called "Hitting Machine" for his consistent high-level performance in batting. The Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB), which Kim recently joined under a two-year contract worth $7 million, now also introduce the 28-year-old outfielder with the nickname "Machine" on their website. Kim, who posted his best power numbers at 28 home runs and 121 RBIs with the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) last year, said Wednesday he wants to keep
BaseballFeb. 25, 2016
-
Ex-reality TV actress says she hesitated to accept mom role
Here's a common dilemma that Korean actresses face: when to start playing moms.Actress Kim So-yeon says she had to think long and hard about whether she should accept the role of Bong Hye-ryeong, an unhappy housewife in the upcoming weekend drama "Gahwamansaseong." The title is a Korean saying that roughly translates as "a happy family makes for an easy life."The 35-year-old is better known for her reality show appearances. She was on MBC's "Real Men - Female Soldier Special,"in which she got a
TelevisionFeb. 25, 2016
-
Korea, New Zealand hold defense talks
South Korea held defense policy talks with New Zealand Thursday to discuss security issues, including North Korea's recent nuclear and long-range missile tests, the South Korean government said.Director-General for International Policy Yoon Soon-ku represented South Korea during the talks held at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, with the New Zealand side headed by Charlotte Beaglehole, director of international relations.The discussion will encompass defense issues such as the security
DefenseFeb. 25, 2016
-
'Descendants of the Sun' debuts with strong viewership
KBS 2TV's "Descendants of the Sun" is off to a strong start with double-digit viewership, Nielsen Korea data showed Thursday, offering a measure of redemption to the network whose shows have consistently lost out to rival channels in recent seasons.The show starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo drew 14.3 percent of viewers nationwide on its opening Wednesday, the data showed.A similar percentage of viewers in and around Seoul tuned into the series produced by Lee Eung-bok and wri
TelevisionFeb. 25, 2016
-
Film about 'comfort women' tops daily box office
A local movie that depicts the difficult life of Koreans forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II snatched the top spot at the box office on Wednesday, data showed."Spirits' Homecoming," shown in 507 theaters and cinemas on its opening day nationwide, attracted 153,783 moviegoers, beating American superhero film "Deadpool," which garnered 138,057 viewers, according to Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Its surprise performance was not entirely unexpected as it had enjoyed
FilmFeb. 25, 2016
-
UAE retailer taking preorders for Galaxy S7
A retailer in the United Arab Emirates has started to take preorders for Samsung Electronics’ latest flagship Galaxy S7 smartphone, industry sources said Thursday.The retailer is selling the 32-gigabyte Galaxy S7 for 2,399 dirham ($635), while the price for the Galaxy S7 Edge was set at 2,799 dirham, according to the sources. Samsung‘s Galaxy S7 (Yonhap)In 2015, the initial price of the Galaxy S6 with the same capacity was $695 in Korea.Samsung Electronics earlier said the Galaxy S7 is slated t
IndustryFeb. 25, 2016
-
Korea’s short-term foreign debt slips in 2015
Korea’s short-term foreign debt slipped in 2015 from the previous year as banks cut back on overseas borrowing, the central bank said Thursday.External debt with a maturity of one year or shorter totaled $108.7 billion as of the end of 2015, down $7.7 billion from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea. Bank of Korea headquarters in downtown Seoul.(Yonhap)Total external debt consequently stood at $396.6 billion as of the end of last year, also dropping $27.8 billion from the previous yea
Feb. 25, 2016
-
Hyundai Motor vice chairman to attend Geneva motor show
Hyundai Motor Group sources on Thursday confirmed that its vice chairman will visit an international motor show in Switzerland early next month.Chung Eui-sun, the only son of Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo, will leave for Geneva to attend the show that will kick off Tuesday for a nine-day run, according to the sources. Hyundai Motor vice chairman Chung Eui-sun (Yonhap)This follows his visit to a motor show in Detroit late last month where he took the stage to unveil the group’s rec
IndustryFeb. 25, 2016
-
Korean shares open higher on oil rebound
Share prices in Seoul opened bullish Thursday, tracking overnight Wall Street gains triggered by a rebound in international oil prices. Hopes for more stimulus measures in China amid financial turmoil there also boosted sentiment, analysts said. Traders monitor Seoul share prices at a local bank.(Yonhap)The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.3 points, or 0.49 percent, to 1,921.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading. As of 9:58 a.m., the index was trading 0.68 percent higher at 19
Feb. 25, 2016
-
Property acquisition tax revenue in Jeju jumped 53.4 pct last year
Real estate acquisition taxes collected last year in the southern island of Jeju increased by more than 50 percent compared to a year before on the back of a real estate boom, data showed Thursday. The Jeju provincial government said it collected 340.2 billion won ($275.2 million) in acquisition taxes in 2015, a 53.4 percent increase from 2014 when it raked in 221.7 billion won. The provincial government attributed the hike in property acquisition taxes to growing interest inside and outside of
Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2016
-
U.S., China to reach final agreement on N.K. sanctions resolution
The United States and China were expected to reach final agreement Wednesday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests, diplomatic sources said.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a joint news conference with Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday that Washington and Beijing made "important progress" in their sanctions negotiations. Kerry also said the two sides have come up with a draft and were reviewing it.Final agre
World NewsFeb. 25, 2016
-
U.N. resolution calls for blacklisting key N.K. agencies overseeing nuclear, missile programs
A draft U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea calls for blacklisting three key state agencies overseeing Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs as well as espionage operations, sources said Wednesday.The agencies -- the General Reconnaissance Bureau, the Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry and the National Aerospace Development Administration -- are among about 30 individuals and entities to be sanctioned by the new resolution, according to the sources.Also to be blacklisted are North
World NewsFeb. 25, 2016
-
Clinton: Korea's transformation into democracy didn't happen overnight
U.S. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said it took a long time for South Korea to overcome a series of hardships and build democracy, suggesting that it is too much to expect Libya to achieve stability and democracy just in a few years."If you think about South Korea, there were coups, there were assassinations, there was a lot of problems for the Koreans to build their economy, to create their democracy," Clinton said during a town hall meeting Tuesday."This doesn't happen o
World NewsFeb. 25, 2016
-
USFK commander says THAAD working group to hold first meeting 'within a week'
The United States and South Korea are expected to hold the first meeting of a joint working group aimed at discussing the proposed deployment of the THAAD missile defense system "within a week," the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Wednesday.Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti told the House Armed Services Committee that it will take some time to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to the South as the working group has to determine the right location and other details."We're forming a j
World NewsFeb. 25, 2016
-
Opposition party unveils outcome of 'cutoff' over election applicants
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea said Wednesday its internal committee has excluded 10 lawmakers including a high-profile activist-turn-politician from being nominated for candidacy in the upcoming general elections.With less than 50 days away from the general elections in April, the opposition party unveiled a list of the lower 20 percent of applicants who had been screened out in the outcome of its so-called cutoff.The list included Rep. Lim Su-kyung, a female activist-turn-politician
PoliticsFeb. 24, 2016
-
UNSC enters final stretch over resolution adoption against N.K.: sources
The U.N. Security Council has entered the final stretch in its work on adopting a fresh resolution for sanctions against North Korea's latest nuclear and missile test, diplomatic sources said Wednesday."The United States and China are believed to be doing the final reviews over the wording of a resolution draft," a government source told Yonhap News Agency.The U.N. Security Council has been working on a fresh resolution aimed at punishing the North, but progress has been slow mainly because Chin
North KoreaFeb. 24, 2016
-
Shanghai halts plan to demolish site used for Japanese wartime sex
The Shanghai government has decided to temporarily suspend a plan to demolish a site used by the Japanese military for sexual slavery during World War II, according to Chinese state media reports on Wednesday. The site in the Hongkou district of Shanghai was a residence of a Chinese owner of a cotton mill, but was occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army in 1939. In 1940, about 40 women, including 10 Korean and 20 Chinese, were coerced to serve Japanese soldiers at the location, the reports said.
World NewsFeb. 24, 2016