K-pop fans uneasy about return of main culprits in ‘Burning Sun’ scandal

The recent sights of former K-pop singers who were central figures in the “Burning Sun” scandal -- Jung Joon-young, Seungri and Choi Jong-hoon -- are raising questions about the image of K-pop and where to draw the line between celebrities' public and private lives. The roots of the scandal began in 2016 with Jung's illegal filming and distribution of sex videos. Investigations into an assault at the Burning Sun nightclub owned by Seungri in 2019 revealed a group chat in wh

July 10, 2024

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket blasts off for the first time

KOUROU, French Guiana (AFP) -- Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket successfully blasted off for the first time on Tuesday, releasing satellites into orbit and restoring the continent's independent access to space. European space efforts have suffered a series of blows, including four years of delays to Ariane 6, that have robbed the continent of its own way to launch missions into space for the past year. But with the successful inaugural flight of Europe's most powerful rocket yet, Euro

July 10, 2024

Kakao's legal risk intensifies over alleged stock manipulation

Kim Beom-su, the founder of tech giant Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger, was summoned by prosecutors Tuesday to address allegations of stock price manipulation related to Kakao's acquisition of K-pop megacorp SM Entertainment last year. The Financial Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office called in Kim earlier in the day and said it was investigating him for alleged violations of the Financial Investment Services

July 9, 2024

French voters deliver win for the left, blow for Le Pen

PARIS -- France faced potential political deadlock after elections on Sunday threw up a hung parliament, with the left alliance unexpectedly taking the most seats but no group winning a majority. Voters delivered a major setback for Marine Le Pen's nationalist, euroskeptic National Rally, which opinion polls had predicted would win the second-round ballot but ended up in the third spot, according to pollsters' projections. The results were also a blow for centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who

July 8, 2024

1 in 5 S. Korean women threatened with sexual extortion: study

  An international study claims that one in five women in South Korea has faced threats of intimate images of them being released, the highest share among the 10 countries surveyed. According to recently released research conducted by RMIT University based in Melbourne, Australia in partnership with Google, which surveyed 16,693 adults across 10 countries, including 1,641 from S. Korea, 19.1 percent of South Korean women reported being victims of sexual extortion. The study defined sexual e

July 7, 2024

[Exclusive] US troops in S. Korea could be reduced, but not withdrawn, Trump allies tell Seoul lawmaker

Rep. Wi Sung-lac, Seoul’s former ambassador to Russia and a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, said Thursday some key Donald Trump allies have told him they think US troops in South Korea could be reduced -- although not completely withdrawn -- if the former president wins in November. The first-time lawmaker, who visited the US from June 23 to 29 as part of the Democratic Party delegation, said he spoke with Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign officials and allies -- including Newt G

July 5, 2024

[From the Scene] Eurasian titans gather in Astana for growing regional summit led by Putin, Xi

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- The leaders of Eurasian titans convened in Astana on Thursday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, spearheaded by China and Russia as they aim for a multipolar world order, while ceremoniously welcoming Belarus as the newest member of the SCO. Hosted by Kazakhstan, the summit spotlighted a growing alignment among members of the economic, defense-oriented and security bloc — many of which oppose a West-led global order — amid escalating geopolitical

July 4, 2024

Support for borderline intelligent people introduced

South Korea unveiled measures to tackle the welfare blind spots of people with borderline intellectual functioning on Wednesday, the government's first comprehensive plan to support the group, who are estimated to make up 13.59 percent of the total population. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho addressed the importance of identifying people with borderline intellectual abilities at the sixth Social Affairs Ministers' Meeting at Government Complex Seoul. He pointe

July 3, 2024

Deadly car accident reignites debate over senior drivers

The deadly car accident that left nine people dead in Seoul Monday night has rekindled debate over whether the government should revisit a conditional driver's license system for older driver, which it shelved in May amid public backlash over potential infringement of the human right to mobility for older people. As of now, it is unclear how a car driven by a 68-year-old man came to plow into pedestrians near Seoul City Hall. The driver claimed the vehicle suddenly accelerated not due to hi

July 2, 2024

How Putin-Kim summit tips South Korea’s balance on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin signing a defense treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has South Korea rethinking its stance on arming Ukraine. Through nearly 2 1/2 years of Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine, Seoul has not strayed from its policy of “nonlethal aid only” to Kyiv over two administrations, both liberal and conservative. That may change now that Putin has committed to fight on Kim’s side in the event of an invasion under the new military pact signed du

July 1, 2024

How Democrats could replace Biden as presidential candidate

After President Joe Biden's shaky performance at the debate with former President Donald Trump on Thursday night, some Democrats openly questioned whether he should be replaced as their candidate for the 2024 election. There is a process for doing so, but it would be messy. For answers on how that would work, Reuters spoke to Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, a Democratic National Committee member, and author of the book "Primary Politics" ab

June 30, 2024

[What to Watch] Three feel-good movies at theaters perfect for rainy season

As the country enters the monsoon season which typically lasts from late June to early August, watching feel-good, relaxing films at a cinema while there is heavy rain outside makes for a perfect weekend activity. According to the weather forecast, the rains will start his weekend and continue throughout next week and the following three movies currently playing or soon to be released at the cinema will keep you dry and put you in a tender state of mind. “Dauren’s Wedding”

June 29, 2024

[From the Scene] Soar over Seoul: First balloon ride ready to take off for aerial tour

On top of a grass field at Yeouido Park near Yeouido, western Seoul sits a large white balloon, with the city’s slogan “Seoul My Soul” written on it. However, this isn’t just any balloon. Also known as “Seouldal” -- “dal” meaning moon in Korean -- it is a tethered helium balloon ride that the Seoul Metropolitan Government hopes will become a new nightlife attraction offering views of the cityscape from high in the air. Seouldal is ready to take peo

June 28, 2024

Fatal fire at lithium battery plant exposes 5-year oversight lapse

Aricell, a lithium battery plant that recently experienced a fatal fire resulting in 23 deaths, had not undergone any government industrial safety inspections in the past five years, despite the hazardous nature of the materials it was using, according to the Ministry of Labor and Employment. Data obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Hae-cheol from the Ministry of Labor and Employment confirms that no government industrial safety inspections or supervision had been conducted at Aricell in

June 28, 2024

SK Bioscience to acquire German contract manufacturer IDT Biologika for W339b

South Korean biotech firm SK Bioscience is to acquire the German CDMO-specializing company IDT Biologika at 339 billion won ($244 million) to further sharpen and diversify its pipeline for global markets. IDT Biologika is among the top 10 global vaccine contract manufacturers, with a corporate value of some 656 billion won, according to SK Bioscience. "We are confident that our comprehensive process development capacity, which we take immense pride in, will have high synergies with IDT's st

June 27, 2024

Battery plant blaze reveals irregularities in hiring of foreign workers

The massive fire at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday has shed light on the irregularities in the hiring system for workers of foreign nationality here, with local employers suspected of abusing loopholes in the labor law for their benefit, to cut costs while avoiding responsibility. Local battery manufacturer Aricell, the operator of the plant, where the deadly fire killed 23 people, among which 18 were foreign national workers, was later found not to be even a

June 26, 2024

S. Korea unlikely to grant temporary K-ETA exemption to Thailand

An official from the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday that it would be “difficult” to temporarily waive travelers from Thailand from the requirement to obtain travel authorizations before entering the country. The official’s remarks follow the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s request to the Justice Ministry to temporarily exempt Thailand from the country’s electronic travel authorization system K-ETA, at least until the end of this year, as the number of Th

June 25, 2024

Death toll at Hajj pilgrimage rises to 1,300 amid scorching heat

CAIRO (AP) -- More than 1,300 people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced extremely high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, Saudi authorities announced Sunday. Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said that 83 percent of the 1,301 fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances in soaring temperatures to perform the Hajj rituals in and around the holy city of Mecca. Speaking with the state-ow

June 24, 2024

Korea is having its hottest June ever now: weather agency

It’s official: South Korea is experiencing its hottest June ever, and by a significant margin. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Sunday, regions across the country recorded an average of 2.4 heat wave days from June 1 to 20, which is four times the average from 1991 to 2020. The previous record was set in 2018, when there were 1.5 heat wave days. A heat wave day, as defined by the KMA, is when daytime temperatures soar above 33 degrees Celsius. This year’s first

June 23, 2024

Canine custody clash: Does dog belong to buyer or guardian?

  A messy canine custody battle broke out recently after a woman sued her son's former girlfriend, claiming ownership of a golden retriever who had lived with her for years but is legally owned by the ex-girlfriend. Seoul High Court recently ruled in favor of the ex-girlfriend, overturning an earlier ruling that granted the mother ownership of the animal. "There is no evidence to believe that (the ex-girlfriend) explicitly expressed her will to give the dog to the plaintiff," the

June 22, 2024