Russian court extends detention of S. Korean national for another month: media

A Russian court has renewed the detention period of a South Korean national arrested in Moscow on suspected espionage charges for another month until mid-November, Russian media reported Tuesday. The Moscow court made the decision on the South Korean, surnamed Baek, as it turned down Baek's appeal against an earlier court decision in June that extended his detention for three months until September, the TASS and Rio Novosti news agencies reported. Baek has been held in the Lefortovo detenti

Foreign AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Kiss of Life sets sights on Coachella, releasing 'Lose Yourself'

Rising K-pop girl group Kiss of Life has set its sights on one of the biggest stages in music: Coachella. With the release of its third EP, "Lose Yourself," on Tuesday, the four-member group revealed its aspirations to perform at the renowned North American music festival. The group, known for hits like "Shhh," "Bad News" and "Sticky," held a press showcase in Seoul to discuss the new album and future ambitions. "We've had this big dream of perfo

K-popOct. 15, 2024

S. Korea picks adviser for oil, gas exploration in East Sea

South Korea's state-run oil developer said Tuesday it has picked an adviser for the exploration of potential oil and gas reserves off the nation's East Sea. The Korea National Oil Corp has named S&P Global as the adviser for a project in the East Sea that could potentially uncover between 3.5 billion and 14 billion barrels of gas and oil. If confirmed, the quantity would be sufficient to meet the country's gas demand for up to 29 years and its oil demand for four years. The KN

IndustryOct. 15, 2024

Starlink services may be available in S. Korea next year: sources

US space firm SpaceX may launch its Starlink satellite internet services in South Korea next year, industry sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, the science ministry had notified the revisions of related regulations for Starlink's internet services. After a six-month period, the science ministry will launch the process for the approval of a deal between SpaceX and its Korean unit, Starlink Korea. The sources said once all required processes are completed, SpaceX will launch the s

TechnologyOct. 15, 2024

Defense chief apologizes over 'Silmido' unit for 1st time

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun apologized Tuesday over the fate of members of a past secret unit that trained commandos to infiltrate into North Korea for the first time since they were killed more than a half century ago. Kim's apology was read on his behalf during a ceremony to mark the beginning of an excavation project to find the yet-recovered remains of four Silmido unit members who were executed and secretly buried in 1972. "May those who were sacrificed during the Silmido inc

DefenseOct. 15, 2024

'Respect each other as human beings’: Hanni testifies at National Assembly audit

NewJeans member Hanni appeared as a reference witness at a National Assembly audit of the Environment and Labor Committee on Tuesday, where she expressed her concerns about workplace bullying. "I hope that no one -- whether seniors, juniors, peer artists or even trainees -- has to experience what I went through,” Hanni said during the audit session. “If we respect each other as human beings, there would be no workplace bullying or ostracism.” The Vietnamese Australian sing

PoliticsOct. 15, 2024

Seoul expresses regret over Moscow's defense of Pyongyang

The South Korean government on Tuesday expressed "deep regret" over the Russian Foreign Ministry’s defense of North Korea’s unilateral claims that South Korea had sent drones carrying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets into Pyongyang. "(The South Korean government) expressed deep regret over the Russian Foreign Ministry’s defense of North Korea’s unilateral claims, the facts of which remain unverified, while bringing up sovereignty violations and interfe

Foreign AffairsOct. 15, 2024

LG wins $9.5b battery deal to power over 1m Ford electric vans

LG Energy Solution has landed its biggest deal of the year, partnering with Ford to supply 109 gigawatt-hours of batteries for the automaker's electric commercial vehicles through 2032. Announced on Tuesday, this long-term agreement will see LG providing enough battery power for over a million electric commercial vehicles, all manufactured at the company’s plant in Wroclaw, Poland. The batteries, expected to be a high-performance ternary pouch type, will be delivered over two periods

MobilityOct. 15, 2024

K bank eyes W5tr IPO to spur growth

K bank, South Korea's first internet-only bank, has announced plans for business expansion, seeking to raise over 1 trillion won ($733.6 million) from its upcoming initial public offering. "K bank will drive inclusive and innovative finance by using the IPO funds to advance our three core growth strategies — retail, small- and medium-sized enterprises and platforms — along with risk management and technology," said CEO Choi Woo-hyung during a press conference in Seoul

EconomyOct. 15, 2024

Jeju Island plans to expedite screening of cruise passengers

The government plans to spend 5.2 billion won ($3.8 million) to set up an automated security screening system next year to expedite the embarking and disembarking process for foreign cruise ship passengers at sea ports on South Korea's southern Jeju Island. According to Bae Sang-up, commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice, the automated security checkpoints will be set up by October next year at two ports -- Jeju International Passenger Terminal and Seogw

PoliticsOct. 15, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s 12th EP sells 2 million in 1 day

Seventeen’s 12th EP sold more than 2.49 million copies on its release day, agency Pledis Entertainment said Tuesday, citing a local tally. The EP “Spill The Feels” was released Monday and became an instant double million-seller, as did the group's previous compilation album “17 Is Right Here” in April. The new mini album debuted atop the iTunes Top Albums Chart in 18 regions and the main track “Love, Money, Fame (feat. DJ Khaled)” claimed the No.

K-popOct. 15, 2024

Woman found dead in tent near Gunsan rest area

A woman in her 30s was found dead in a tent near a rest area in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, police said Tuesday. According to the Gunsan Police Station, the woman, 37, was discovered dead at around 5:10 p.m. by a man who was with her at the time, near the Geumgangho Service Area. The man immediately reported it to police upon finding her unresponsive. When the police arrived at the scene, the woman showed signs of rigor mortis – stiffening of the muscles which usually occurs three or fo

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024

Rival parties clash over allegations involving first lady, Moon's daughter

The rival parties engaged in heated exchanges over two high-profile incidents involving President Yoon Suk Yeol's wife, first lady Kim Keon Hee, and Moon Da-hye, daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, during a parliamentary audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police on Thursday. The Democratic Party of Korea and other opposition lawmakers have raised concerns over first lady Kim Keon Hee's visit to Mapo Bridge on Sept. 10, an area notorious for frequent suicide attempts. The visit, made

PoliticsOct. 15, 2024

Spike in KAIST dropouts as med school draws talent away

Over the past three years, 182 students from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have withdrawn from the university to pursue medical or dental school, with some even abandoning their graduate-level studies to make the switch. According to data provided by Democratic Party Rep. Hwang Jeong-ah, a member of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, these 182 students left KAIST between 2021 and Oct. 4 this year, specifically citing th

EconomyOct. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] Painter Kim Byung-jong sings of life in exhibition

Looking back on the past five decades, painter Kim Byung-jong said he was “raised by nature” when he was a child, which has shaped his artistic inspiration until the present day. The energy, colors – particularly the theme of life – seen in his works come from nature. Born in Namwon, a small city located just outside South Korea’s largest set of mountains, Jirisan National Park, Kim recalled the sound of the leaves of bamboo trees behind his house brushing against e

Arts & DesignOct. 15, 2024

Ex-prosecutors make up over 20% of conglomerate execs with civil service background

Former officials from the judiciary and finance-related branches of the government appear to be popular recruits for conglomerates across the country, as industry data showed Tuesday that over 20 percent of former civil servants working as directors at companies used to be prosecutors. Of the 11,208 directors at the 30 biggest conglomerates in South Korea by assets, 337 of them -- or 3 percent -- were ex-civil servants, according to a corporate analysis firm Leaders Index. Of these, 75 were fo

Social AffairsOct. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Uprising’ director Kim Sang-man sees social ranks still around today

Director Kim Sang-man, whose last film was 2004’s “The Tenor - Lirico Spinto,” was hesitant at first to make a period action flick set in Joseon (1392-1910). He said it was because of the massive amount of historical evidence and ancient records he would have to reference, which might have limited his creativity when directing. What, then, led him to direct the period action film “Uprising”? The film, which follows the friendship, fate and rebellion of a young maste

FilmOct. 15, 2024

North Korea’s explosions of inter-Korean roads ‘symbolic move’: JCS

North Korea blew up roads near the border on each side of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, in another demonstration of cutting ties with the South. Exploding the inter-Korean roads north of the border on the east and west coats, which had already been dismantled by North Korea, is thought to be a “largely symbolic move,” an official from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters in a closed-door briefing. Tuesday’s move is a “dramatic visualization” o

DefenseOct. 15, 2024

Samsung Display showcases OLED for AI monitors in Taipei

South Korean display maker Samsung Display showcased its latest organic light-emitting diode panels for monitors and laptops optimized for artificial intelligence applications at the Samsung OLED IT Summit in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday. To address growing demand for OLED panels in the IT device market, Samsung Display reorganized its original Samsung OLED Forum as the Samsung OLED IT Summit to emphasize its focus on OLED panels for IT devices, the company said. Some 300 officials from 20 companies,

IndustryOct. 15, 2024

Manpower Korea sees robust growth in RPO service sales

Manpower Korea, the Korean unit of global human resources service company ManpowerGroup, said Tuesday that its recruitment process outsourcing, or RPO, service has seen robust growth since its debut 10 years ago. When the RPO service was first introduced in Korea in the early 2000s, they mainly served multinational companies entering the Korean market. But the service has secured a bigger footing here in recent years as both domestic and global companies struggle to respond effectively to drasti

IndustryOct. 15, 2024