[Newsmaker] 'The cultural front': Ukraine theatre goes underground

Mykolaiv -- It's an opening night like no other at Mykolaiv's theatre, with the audience ushered down into an underground shelter this week for the first performance since war broke out. "We need this place to fight on the cultural front too," says artistic director Artiom Svytsoun. The tiny underground stage and the minimalist set provide "a form of 'art therapy'" for the people who have stayed in Mykolaiv and need something other than the grinding fear of war. Welcoming aud

Aug. 26, 2022

[Newsmaker] Biden forgives millions of student loans; critics fear inflation

WASHINGTON- President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the US government will forgive $10,000 in student loans for millions of debt-saddled former college students, keeping a pledge he made in the 2020 campaign for the WhiteHouse. The move could boost support for his fellow Democrats in the November congressional elections, but some economists said it may fuel inflation, and some Republicans in the US Congress questioned whether the president had the legal authority to cancel the debt. Debt forgivene

Aug. 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] Chung Euisun heads to US as inflation law puts Hyundai Motor EV strategy in peril

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun made an emergency trip to the US on Tuesday to seek ways to deal with the latest US tax credit bill that has scrapped subsidies for foreign-made electric vehicles. Amid looming concerns that the bill may jeopardize the carmaker’s EV strategy, Chung left for Washington, D.C., with Hyundai Motor President Gong Young-woon who is in charge of public relations, media outlets reported Wednesday, quoting unnamed sources. They plan to meet high-ra

Aug. 24, 2022

[Newsmaker] Life-size sex dolls enter home

Late last month, residents of an apartment complex in Incheon were rattled by the discovery of a headless, mutilated torso, which turned out to be a silicone sex doll.  It was found in the building‘s parking lot, near a car that had a damaged roof. The vehicle’s owner, suspecting that the mannequin must have fallen from a height and landed on the car, reported it to the police. An investigation to identify the owner of the doll is currently ongoing.  The news of the inci

Aug. 23, 2022

[Newsmaker] Sadness overload: the tricky art of ‘sinpa’ tear-jerkers

When Netflix‘s “Squid Game” became an international hit last year, Korean critics praised how the show’s emotional aspects helped its success among western audiences. Just a year later, the star-studded “Emergency Declaration,” one of the most anticipated films of 2022, went down in flames, obliterated by fans and critics alike, with criticism directed at its supposed tear-jerking moments. Comparing the differing responses these two received resurfaced a dec

Aug. 22, 2022

[Newsmaker] UN: US buying big Ukraine grain shipment for hungry regions

BULLA HAGAR, Kenya -- The United States is stepping up to buy about 150,000 metric tons of grain from Ukraine in the next few weeks for an upcoming shipment of food aid from ports no longer blockaded by war, the World Food Program chief has told The Associated Press. The final destinations for the grain are not confirmed and discussions continue, David Beasley said. But the planned shipment, one of several the UN agency that fights hunger is pursuing, is more than six times the amount of grain t

Aug. 21, 2022

[Newsmaker] 230,000 job vacancies: Diagnosis and treatment

By Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik The number of job vacancies stood at 230,000 as of June 2022 in Korea, the highest since February of 2018. Particularly, labor-intensive industries such as shipbuilding and basic manufacturing industries, and service industries such as restaurants and retailers are seeing an increasing number of unfilled jobs. Labor shortages in shipbuilding and basic manufacturing are getting worse due to dire labor conditions such as dangerous work environmen

Aug. 18, 2022

[Newsmaker] [Feature] Mind if I smoke here?

A couple of months ago, a plea from a person about the right to smoke in his or her own home circulated on the internet, sparking debates about whether smoking in an multiunit apartment at the expense of one’s neighbors can be justified. “I’m smoking in my home, and you people are yelling at me every night,” the person wrote, apparently infuriated by quarrels with neighbors. “You may be illiterate and ignorant of the law, but the law says you can’t force me n

Aug. 17, 2022

[Newsmaker] Afghanistan marks 1 year since Taliban seizure as woes mount

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Taliban on Monday marked a year since they seized the Afghan capital in a rapid takeover that triggered a hasty escape of the nation's Western-backed leaders, sent the economy into a tailspin and fundamentally transformed the country. Bearded Taliban fighters, some hoisting rifles or the white banners of their movement, staged victory parades on foot, bicycles and motorcycles in the streets of Kabul. One group marched past the former US Embassy, chanting "Long

Aug. 16, 2022

[Newsmaker] Yoon likely to opt for ‘small’ reshuffle

The president may be looking to strengthen his office’s public appeal, in a move to subdue growing calls for a major reshuffle. According to reports citing a high level ruling bloc official, President Yoon Suk-yeol is considering a “small” reshuffle of his aides, focused on “strengthening” the presidential office. Talks of a reshuffle within the presidential office gained momentum following Education Minister Park Soon-ae’s resignation on Aug. 8, after co

Aug. 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] Government announces complete plan on child safety

The Korean government on Friday announced a plan to ensure the safety of children, based on the Child Safety Management Act, enacted in May 2020. In cooperation with other ministries, the Ministry of Interior and Safety pledged to ensure the safety of children from traffic accidents by improving the pedestrian environment in school zones and tightening the management of traffic lights, and more. It will designate roads without sidewalks as “pedestrian priority roads,” giving pr

Aug. 12, 2022

[Newsmaker] [From the Scene] Korea's 1st domestic COVID-19 vaccine ready

ANDONG, North Gyeongsang Province -- Hundreds of vials were lined up on the belt of a packaging machine at L House, SK Bioscience’s vaccine manufacturing facility in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday afternoon, as the developer of South Korea’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine SKYCovione is poised to roll out the vaccine’s first batch by the end of August. A few technicians, who were covered from head to toe with sterilized gear -- protective shoes, clothing and

Aug. 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] Samsung foldables to get chipset upgrade

Samsung Electronics, a chips-to-smartphones company, said Wednesday it plans to roll out its clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 4 and foldable Galaxy Z Fold 4 on Aug. 26 in South Korea, the United States and Europe. Both the Z Flip 4, a more affordable version of the Samsung premium phone that would deploy foldable form factors, and the Z Fold 4, a workspace-dedicated tabletlike device, will boast enhanced camera features and chipsets that power them. The Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 will deploy a new mobile ch

Aug. 10, 2022

[Newsmaker] Brace for more torrential rain, weather agency warns

Heavy rainfall is expected to continue throughout Friday in Seoul and across other already-battered cities in the country, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Tuesday. The state-run agency’s warning put local authorities on alert for the possibility of additional damages after torrential downpour sparked flash floods and landslides overnight Monday, resulting in at least eight deaths. Seoul saw the largest amount of precipitation in a day since weather record-keeping began in 1

Aug. 9, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korean Kim Joo-hyung captures 1st PGA Tour title

  Powered by an impressive birdie flurry, South Korean phenom Kim Joo-hyung has seized his first career PGA Tour title. Kim shot a blistering final round of nine-under 61 to capture the Wyndham Championship by five shots over countryman Im Sung-jae and Korean-American John Huh at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sunday (local time). Kim finished at 20-under 260 and cashed in a winner's check of US$1,314,000. Kim jumped 13 spots in the world rankings to reach a caree

Aug. 8, 2022

[Newsmaker] Foreign language high schools await their fate

With the Education Ministry flip-flopping on its plan to scrap “elite high schools,” foreign language high schools have been once again pushed to the brink of abolition. Confusion has ensued over the fate of elite schools every time the government changed hands. The previous Moon Jae-in administration had planned to end autonomous private high schools, foreign language high schools and international schools, abolishing them or turning them into regular schools by March 2025, over

Aug. 7, 2022

[Newsmaker] 1 in 3 parents who killed their children given suspended jail terms: report

One in 3 parents who murdered or attempted to kill their own children since 2020 were given suspended prison sentences, while all parent killers sentenced during the same period were handed jail terms, local media reported Friday. The local Segye Ilbo newspaper said it analyzed verdicts given to 15 filicide cases and 15 patricide or matricide cases from January of 2020 to May of this year. Among the filicide cases, it found that the accused had walked away with a suspended term for five of the

Aug. 5, 2022

[Newsmaker] Korea to shoot for the moon Friday

South Korea’s first lunar mission Danuri is all set to be launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon rocket on Friday morning, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday. According to the ministry, the SpaceX Falcon rocket has been erected at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as of 11:15 a.m., Korea time. Danuri, formally known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, will blast off at 8:08 a.m. on Friday, Korea time, or 7:08 p.m. on Thursday, local Eastern Standard time.

Aug. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Alumni slam university for overlooking the first lady’s alleged plagiarism

Kookmin University is facing backlash from alumni, current students and the main opposition party over its decision regarding first lady Kim Keon-hee’s papers. Kookmin University, where Kim attended her Ph.D. program, announced after eight months of investigation on Monday that among Kim’s four controversial papers, doctoral dissertation and two articles published in academic journals had no sign of plagiarism, saying “they do not correspond to plagiarism or cheating to the ex

Aug. 3, 2022

[Newsmaker] BTS to resume group variety show amid ongoing solo work

K-pop group BTS is getting together amid each member’s busy solo schedule to relaunch its online variety show. Big Hit Music, the label behind BTS, on Tuesday announced that the band would resume the variety show “Run BTS” after a 10-month break. “‘Run BTS’ is finally returning after a 10-month hiatus,” leader RM said in a teaser video released on YouTube on Monday. “We’re back recharged and it will be more fun, so please look forward to

Aug. 2, 2022