Girls' Generation member Taeyeon's "I" music video has been watched more than 100 million times on YouTube, becoming the sixth video associated with the pop act to reach the milestone, its agency said Tuesday. (SM Entertainment)View count for the video, uploaded on Oct. 6, 2015, stood at 100,031,467 as of 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, according to S.M. Entertainment, the team's agency. So far, the South Korean pop act has six songs -- five others being "Gee," "I Got A Boy," "The Boys," "Mr. Taxi" and "Oh"

Performance Feb. 14, 2017

South Korea's possible resumption of the now-shuttered inter-Korean industrial park could be seen as backpedaling on international efforts to pressure North Korea, Seoul's pointman on unification said Tuesday.Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo made the remark to lawmakers as last Friday marked the first anniversary of Seoul's shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in response to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests in early 2016. (Yonhap)Whether to re-open the complex is emerging as a contr

North Korea Feb. 14, 2017

Despite the ballooning volume of e-commerce, deficits for online shopping malls are also bloating with even a rough estimate pointing to over 1 trillion won ($876.88 million) last year, industry officials said Tuesday.Industry records showed the country's three leading social commerce sites -- Coupang, Ticket Monster and WeMakePrice -- suffered combined losses of 834.6 billion won in 2015, with Coupang accounting for the largest at 547 billion won. Officials say their business last year has not

Industry Feb. 14, 2017

The government here will invest about 100 billion won ($87.64 million) into empirical research on various energy technologies this year, officials said Tuesday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled the investment plan during a meeting with energy experts at a regional office of Korea Electric Power Corp. in Seoul. (Yonhap)The plan calls for increasing the government's spending on empirical research into new energy technologies by 24 billion won from last year to about 100 billion w

Technology Feb. 14, 2017

A total of 433 imported trucks were sold in South Korea last month, industry data showed on Tuesday.According to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Volvo topped the list with a total of 184 trucks sold, followed by 112 vehicles from MAN, 75 from Scania, 42 from Mercedes-Benz, and 20 from Iveco. (Yonhap)By type, tractors accounted for 209 vehicles, followed by 159 bodybuilders and 65 cargo trucks, the association said.The association started to compi

Mobility Feb. 14, 2017

Korea will reduce the speed limit to 50 kilometers per hour on city streets by 2021 in an effort to cut down on pedestrian accidents, the transportation ministry said Tuesday.In a long-term plan on traffic safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the maximum speed in downtown areas will be lowered to 50 kph from the current 60 kph in the coming five years.(Yonhap)On side streets, the limit will be set at 30 kph, with safety zones for children and seniors to be expanded.The

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2017

Three fresh foot-and-mouth disease cases were confirmed in central South Korea, the agriculture ministry here said Tuesday, amid rising concerns over a nationwide spread of the animal epidemic.Cows at three farms located in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, some 180 kilometers southeast of Seoul, tested positive for the contagious virus according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.(Yonhap)With the latest infections, South Korea has had a total of nine confirmed FMD cases sin

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2017

A conservative former journalist will join South Korea's ruling Liberty Korea Party's primary for its presidential candidate, the party said Tuesday. Kim Jin, who previously worked as an editorial writer for the JoongAng Ilbo, will enter the party on Wednesday and become its third contender to formally declare a presidential bid, according to the party, formerly called Saenuri Party. So far the other candidates are former six-term lawmaker Rhee In-je and former floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul.Pol

Politics Feb. 14, 2017

North Korean restaurants have been floundering in Cambodia as the South Korean community in the country has avoided them amid the implementation of UN sanctions aimed at halting Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development, industry sources said Tuesday.According to the sources, one North Korean restaurant after another has folded. Also, the sanctions have prevented one of the restaurants from selling kimchi through local shopping malls.This provided photo shows a North Korean restaurant in Cambo

North Korea Feb. 14, 2017

South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday the latest missile launched by Pyongyang that reached a top speed of Mach 8.5 is capable of flying more than 2,000 kilometers.During the meeting with the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, the National Intelligence Service said the missile was launched at a high angle of 89 degrees that limited its range. (Yonhap)If it were fired at a lower angle, it would have traveled much farther than what was covered in the latest flight.North Korea fired the ne

North Korea Feb. 14, 2017

The late night office comedy "Good Manager" maintained its lead on a benchmark TV popularity chart, while the idol-studded period show "Hwarang" recouped losses, data showed Tuesday. (KBS)"Good Manager," the KBS 2TV show starring Namkoong Min, scored 241.8 points on the Content Power Index, staying as the No. 1 TV program during the Jan. 30-Feb. 5 period.CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related n

Television Feb. 14, 2017

South Korea's home transactions dropped more than 6 percent from a year earlier last month, government data showed Tuesday, as investors stayed cautious amid growing uncertainties at home and abroad.The number of home transactions came to 58,539 in January, down 6.1 percent from the same month in 2016, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The tally marked a 33.9-percent plunge from the previous month. (Yonhap)Industry experts attributed the decrease to people taking a

Feb. 14, 2017

Several family members of North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol have been purged in connection with Jang Song-thaek, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle who was executed in 2013 on charges of treason, a document showed Tuesday.In the wake of Jang's execution, Ri Ung-gik, the parents of Han's son-in-law, the son-in-law and his child were sent to a prison camp, according to the document produced by the North Korea Strategy Center here after an interview with Thae Yong-ho. North Kor

North Korea Feb. 14, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is focusing on boosting nuclear and missile capabilities while seeking to consolidate the base of his power, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday.Ahead of key events, such as this week's 75th birthday of late former leader Kim Jong-il, North Korea is making efforts to further consolidate the regime by strengthening its so-called reign of terror, according to the ministry's report to the National Assembly.Kim Jong-un at missile launch site (Yonhap)"North Korea

North Korea Feb. 14, 2017

Korea's Cheonghae Unit will take part in a counter-piracy military operation led by the European Union for the first time next month, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The naval unit, currently stationed in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen, will partner with EU forces to prevent acts of piracy and armed robbery in the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. Korea's Cheonghae Unit (Yonhap)The Korean unit's participation in the international counter-piracy operatio

Defense Feb. 14, 2017