[Visual History of Korea] Innovative visualization of sounds in Hunminjeongeum

Among the many wonders of Korean history is the invention of Hangeul in 1443, which is responsible for Korea's very high literacy rate and the large vocabulary. "I pity my illiterate people who must endure difficulty and injustice because they lack literacy," wrote King Sejong the Great in his introduction to the Hunminjeongeum in 1443. Koreans celebrate the birth of their script on the Hangeul Day holiday on Oct. 9 each year. Before the promulgation of Hangeul, Korean spoken words and

Oct. 15, 2022

KT&G promotes business in global tax-free exhibit

KT&G said it is taking part in an annual exhibition hosted by the Tax Free World Association in Cannes, France, from Oct. 3 through 6 as part of efforts to expand its duty-free business to Europe, the Middle East and Central and South Americas. The South Korean tobacco company is displaying premium products from Esse, Raison and Bohem brands at its booth. It is also holding meetings with global distributors and tax-free businesses at the TFWA World Exhibition and Conference. It is the 13th

Oct. 5, 2022

Hybe will not compromise BTS' concert quality for cost

  Hybe on Thursday released a statement to rebut controversies surrounding hefty expenses for BTS' upcoming Busan concert.   In a statement released via email to local press on Thursday, Hybe said, "Hybe and BTS feel proud in contributing in a national affair. Until now we have been focusing more on making a meaningful outcome than on the expense," adding that the company and BTS "will support the bid for 2030 Busan World Expo and we hope that BTS' concert could become t

Sept. 22, 2022

From EXID to Le Sserafim, K-pop welcomes back old and new girl groups this fall

This fall is going to brim with girl groups, with a barrel of female acts, both old and new, set to return in the coming months. First among the comeback rush is EXID, which will drop a new EP “X” on Sept. 29. Earlier this month, EXID members announced they will be making a surprise comeback this month in celebration of its debut 10th anniversary with a new album. They explained “X” stands for number ten in Greek and one of the letters of the group’s name. The EP wi

Sept. 22, 2022

Finance minister declines to comment on possibility of currency swap deal with US

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said Wednesday that a currency swap agreement with the United Sates would "definitely" help stabilize the foreign exchange market but declined to comment on the possibility of such a deal.   He made the remarks after a local media outlet reported that a US$60 billion currency swap agreement with the US is expected to be announced as early as this week. The Bank of Korea denied the report as "different from the facts."   "A currenc

Sept. 21, 2022

[Photo] Paik Nam-june's masterpiece is back

Paik Nam-june’s masterpiece “The More the Better” restarted operations on Thursday, unveiling its prototype after completing its three-year restoration. The largest piece by Paik, the video tower consists of 1,003 monitors and had a test run for six months early this year. "The More the Better" was first unveiled to the public on Sept. 15, 1988. (MMCA)

Sept. 15, 2022

[Photo News] Typhoon Hinnamnor causes flooding, power outages in southern regions

Super Typhoon Hinnamnor moved out of South Korea early Tuesday morning about 2 1/2 hours after making landfall on the southern coast, the state weather agency said, as the country is assessing the damage from the storm. The typhoon moved off the southeastern coastal city of Ulsan, 307 southeast of Seoul, toward the East Sea at 7:10 a.m. after making landfall near the southern city of Geoje at 4:50 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Sept. 6, 2022

[Photo News] Chuseok money

Batches of 50,000 won bills are transported from the Bank of Korea on Monday ahead of the Chuseok holiday that kicks off on Friday.

Sept. 5, 2022

Hybe Labels Japan's first boy band &Team to debut on Dec. 7

Hybe Labels Japan, the indie label affiliated to the K-pop powerhouse Hybe, is set to launch its first global group in December. The Japan-based company on Monday said through a press statement that its first idol group, &Team, will make its Japan debut on Dec. 7. The statement came two days after the band conducted a press event on Saturday in Japan to announce their debut and thank its fans who have waited long for them. "We wanted to share this joyful news first with our family and

Sept. 5, 2022

[Land of Squid Game] We’re gganbu!

In one of the episodes of the Netflix series “Squid Game,” an old man hands over his last marble to the lead character, Gi Hun, saying, “We are gganbu. Gganbu always share everything with each other, no matter what.” By handing over his last marble, he lets Gi Hun win. The term “gganbu” in the story means close companions, like blood brothers who share everything without expecting anything in return and who help each other in difficult situations. While g

May 16, 2022

Seoul shares open steeply lower amid woes over Fed's rate hikes

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Monday, as investors remained wary of a possible sharp rate hike by the US Federal Reserve in next week's policy meeting. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 1.05 percent, or 28.51 points, to trade at 2,676.20 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investors remain cautious as the Fed has signaled a more aggressive rate raise than previously estimated to tame the worst inflation in decades, with its next policy meeting set to take place M

April 25, 2022

55% expect Yoon to do good job: survey

Fifty-five percent of South Koreans expect President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol to do a good job after taking office, a survey showed Friday. The Gallup Korea survey of 1,001 adults conducted between Tuesday and Thursday also showed that 41 percent do not expect Yoon to do well on state affairs. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Compared with a week ago, positive responses on expectations of Yoon's job performance were unchanged, w

April 1, 2022