Kwanghee of K-pop boy band ZE:A and operatic pop tenor Lim Hyung-joo enlisted in the Army to fulfill their military duty on Monday. (Yonhap)Kwanghee, who is better known as one of the six emcees for popular variety show "Infinite Challenge," entered a basic training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, and Lim was sent to one in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday afternoon.After five weeks of basic training, Kwanghee will begin service in an Army band while Lim will join a regional Army u

Performance March 13, 2017

The Liberty Korea Party was embroiled in a dispute over its presidential primary rules Monday as minor contenders protested what they said would give undue favors to Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. Three fringe presidential hopefuls threatened to boycott the competition, one day after the former ruling party decided to allow prominent figures to skip preliminary races and join the final primary belatedly. (From left to right) Former Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo; Kim Jin

Politics March 13, 2017

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co., a mid-sized shipbuilder here, recently sold a semisubmersible rig obtained from a Norwegian shipping firm through a compromise arrangement, for $370 million, industry sources said Monday.According to the sources, Hyundai Samho sought arbitration over Seadrill's cancellation of the rig order, and both sides reached a compromise under which the South Korean shipyard will pay back the down payment worth $170 million in return for ownership. (Yonhap)Hyundai Samho

Industry March 13, 2017

South Korea's anthracite reserves dropped to about half of the country's annual consumption last year amid weak demand for coal, government data showed Monday.The government currently has 899,000 tons of anthracite in reserves, about 52 percent of what the country uses on an annual basis. A file photo of a coal depot in Taebaek, Gangwon Province. (Yonhap)The figure is 10 percent of the 8.06 million tons stockpiled in 2003. The government began stockpiling coal in 1975 by establishing anthracite

Industry March 13, 2017

The University Newspaper, the student press of Seoul National University, South Korea's top university, was printed with a blank front page Monday, as many SNU students increasingly challenge the school's plan to build a new campus outside of Seoul.Student reporters of the paper, called "Daehak Sinmun" in Korean, left the front page of its March 13 edition blank for the first time in its 65-year history in protest of the school faculty's demand that stories about the new campus dispute be minimi

Social Affairs March 13, 2017

South Korea's top economic policymaker said Monday he will never let his guard down and take firm action against any possible changes in the real economy and the financial market in the aftermath of the country's leadership vacancy."The government will keep operating in emergency mode and deal firmly with pending issues," Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho told reporters in Sejong. "We have been monitoring the market around the clock for months, and nothing has been unusual." Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho

March 13, 2017

Presidential frontrunner Moon Jae-in said Monday that former President Park Geun-hye insulted the Constitution and the people by indicating her defiance of the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss her. Upon returning to her private home on Sunday after being removed from the top elected office, the disgraced former president issued a statement saying the truth will eventually be revealed. Moon Jae-in, former head of the Democratic Party (Yonhap)"If Park does not accept the Constitutional C

Politics March 13, 2017

A group of South Korean scientists discovered that rapid eye movement sleep has a role in memory consolidation, a state-run science laboratory said Monday, a finding that could lead to a treatment for diseases related to sleep disorder.The team led by Choi Jee-hyun found that REM sleep -- which usually occurs during nighttime -- is critical for brain development and memory consolidation, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology said. Brainwave map developed by the Korea Institute of Science

Technology March 13, 2017

South Korean police on Monday arrested two supporters of the country's ousted leader Park Geun-hye for assaulting a cameraman and police officers at the former president's private home in southern Seoul.  The Gangnam Police Station said two pro-Park activists were separately arrested during a rally near Park's house after they attacked police officers on duty. Park returned to her private residence two days after the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over the corruption scandal involvi

Social Affairs March 13, 2017

The older half sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un appears to be leading a key organization of the North's military, an expert claimed Monday.Kim Sol-song is seen as leading the decision-making body of the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army, Lee Yun-keol, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said.Kim Sol-song, the older half sister of North Korea's leader (Yonhap)"The decision-making organ was said to have been created under the regime of Kim Jong-il, helping the current le

North Korea March 13, 2017

A gilt-bronze seated Buddhist statue will be returned to a temple where it used to belong, 30 years after it was stolen, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday.The Gilt Bronze Seated Amitabha Buddha (Cultural Heritage Administration )The Gilt Bronze Seated Amitabha Buddha, tangible cultural asset number 100 of South Chungcheong Province, was stolen from Muryang Temple in Buyeo in July 1989. It was one of four Buddhist statues excavated while the five-story pagoda at the temple, Muryang

Social Affairs March 13, 2017

Presidential frontrunner Moon Jae-in said Monday if elected he would create 1.31 million jobs by allocating more government budget.The former head of the Democratic Party said he would give budget priority to job creation and reduce work hours to achieve the goal of adding 810,000 public jobs and 500,000 private sector jobs. Moon Jae-in, former head of the Democratic Party (Yonhap)"Although we need 21 trillion won ($18.3 billion) annually to create (810,000 public jobs), we do not lack money," M

Politics March 13, 2017

Park Bo-gum, the star of the 2016 South Korean TV series "Love in the Moonlight," has successfully finished his tour of Asian countries in Seoul, his agency said Monday. (Yonhap)The actor met about 4,000 fans at Seoul's Kyunghee University, the last leg of his "2016-2017 Asia tour fan meeting," on Saturday, Blossom Entertainment said.Beginning in Malaysia on Dec. 10, the tour took him to eight Asian cities, including Seoul, for the past three months.During the latest event, Park heated up the at

Television March 13, 2017

"The Prison," a Korean crime thriller, has already been sold to 62 countries around the world before its release in local theaters next week, its local distributor said Monday.(Yonhap)The distribution rights for the movie were sold to such territories as North America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, Japan and the Philippines during the European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, according to Showbox."It was highly rated for being an action genre f

Film March 13, 2017

South Korea's customs agency said Monday that it has signed a $13 mln deal with Ethiopia to export an electronic customs clearance system to the African country.Under the deal, South Korea's electronic customs clearance system called "UNI-PASS" will be installed in Ethiopia by 2020, Korea Customs Service said in a statement.  The logo of Korea Customs Service (Yonhap)UNI-PASS is the brand name of the electronic clearance portal system developed by KCS.South Korea has exported the UNI-PASS system

March 13, 2017