WASHINGTON -- The award winning immigrant film "Minari" will be screened online for some moviegoers in the United States next week, the Korean Cultural Center in Washington said Thursday. The film will be made available online free of charge to 600 viewers on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the culture center. "The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. is pleased to present a special screening of Minari in celebration of the broad critical acclaim for this Ameri

Foreign Affairs May 7, 2021

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to the 500s again Thursday as fewer people took virus tests on the Children's Day holiday, but the country's health authorities remained vigilant over cluster infections and spreading variant cases. The country reported 574 more COVID-19 cases, including 562 local infections, raising the total caseload to 125,519, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload reached 488 on Monday and 541 on Tuesday but jumped to t

Social Affairs May 7, 2021

The wife of Belgian Ambassador to South Korea Peter Lescouhier was questioned by police on Thursday over assault allegations, officials said, amid public criticism over "insincerity" in the embassy's handling of the matter.    The wife appeared at the Yongsan Police Station in central Seoul in the afternoon to undergo questioning and she has returned, an official at the precinct said, without providing more details.    Police have been looking into allegations t

Social Affairs May 6, 2021

South Korea's top security officials "positively" evaluated the outcome of the United States' monthslong policy review on North Korea recently completed by the Joe Biden administration, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.    The assessment came during a regular standing committee session of the National Security Council (NSC) after the White House said last week that it has completed its policy review on the communist state according to the presidential office.    The U

Foreign Affairs May 6, 2021

KT Corp., a South Korean telecom giant, said Thursday it has formed business ties with IBM Korea and local major banking firm Woori Bank to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology for financial services. The three will establish an AI lab to develop new services, such as an AI-based language model specifically designed for the financial sector and an asset management system that uses AI technology to make quick and accurate market predictions, according to a statement from the telecom o

Technology May 6, 2021

A political standoff between the ruling and main opposition parties appeared imminent Thursday, as key National Assembly committees were scheduled to decide on the parliamentary approvals of scandal-ridden minister nominees recently picked by President Moon Jae-in. Earlier this week, parliamentary confirmation hearings on nominees for science, oceans, land, trade and labor ministers were carried out by the National Assembly. Of those, Lim Hye-sook, Park Jun-young and Noh Hyeong-ouk, nominees f

Politics May 6, 2021

As baseball starts go, this was short and sweet for Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers. In his first major league start, Yang struck out eight Minnesota Twins in just 3 1/3 innings at Target Field in Minneapolis on Wednesday (local time). The bullpen took over with one out and bases loaded in the bottom fourth and the game tied at 1-1, and reliever John King bailed out the Korean left-hander with a couple of groundouts. The Rangers prevailed 3-1, after scoring twice in the top of the sixth

Baseball May 6, 2021

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his condolences to Mexican people over a deadly metro line disaster in their country, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. In a letter delivered to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador the previous day, Moon noted that the accident was regrettable, having a lot of victims and causing damage, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon sent a message of condolence to the victims and their families and hoped for the speedy recovery o

Politics May 6, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to stay on as the world's third largest vendor of true wireless stereo (TWS) products, including wireless earbuds, for this year as competition heats up in the fast-growing hearables market, a report showed Thursday. Samsung's market share in 2021 was estimated to stay unchanged at 7 percent and sit behind its rivals Apple Inc. and Xiaomi Corp., according to market tracker Counterpoint Research. The South Korean tech giant, which makes Galaxy Buds in-ear dev

Technology May 6, 2021

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to the 500s again Thursday as fewer people took virus tests on the Children's Day holiday, but the country's health authorities remained vigilant over cluster infections and spreading variant cases. The country reported 574 more COVID-19 cases, including 562 local infections, raising the total caseload to 125,519, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload reached 488 on Monday and 541 on Tuesday but jumped to t

Social Affairs May 6, 2021

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Thursday the government is guarding against signs of instability in the housing market as prices of some old apartments in Seoul have picked up on expectations for eased rules for redevelopment housing projects. Housing prices in Seoul recently climbed after new Mayor Oh Se-hoon took office last month with a pledge to ease regulations on rebuilding old apartments in the capital. "The growth of apartment prices in Seoul is picking up compared to before the

Economy May 6, 2021

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Thursday, led by tech drops that stemmed from concerns about earlier-than-expected inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 1.83 points, or 0.06 percent, to 3,145.54 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The KOSPI got off to a weak start, tracking the overnight US tech decline. Tech shares retreated in Seoul amid foreign selling, while bank and infrastructure shares advanced. Top cap Samsung Electronics lost 0.9

Market May 6, 2021

South Korea's foreign reserves rose to a fresh record high in April as the US dollar's weakness boosted the value of non-dollar assets, central bank data showed Thursday. The nation's foreign reserves came to $452.3 billion as of end-April, up $6.18 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). Foreign reserves consist of securities and deposits denominated in overseas currencies, International Monetary Fund reserve positions, special drawing rights and gold bullion.

Economy May 6, 2021

The United States has long encouraged South Korea and Japan to work together to resolve their thorny history issues, including the issue of comfort women, to promote reconciliation and cooperation, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday. Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokesperson, also noted US foreign policy is centered around human rights, including the rights of women and children. "We have also long encouraged Japan and the ROK to work together on the history related issues

Foreign Affairs May 6, 2021

The top diplomats of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on Wednesday urged North Korea to return to talks on ending its nuclear programs, while also urging Pyongyang to engage in inter-Korean dialogue. The foreign ministers also expressed their support for US efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula diplomatically. "We call on the DPRK to refrain from provocative actions and to engage in a diplomatic process with the explicit goal of denuclearization. We remain committed to the goal of

Foreign Affairs May 6, 2021