Samsung Electronics Co. lost its leading position in the global 5G smartphone market to rank fourth in the first quarter of the year, a report showed Friday, as Apple Inc. and Chinese makers expanded their presence with new devices. Samsung's share in the 5G smartphone market stood at 12.7 percent in the January-March period, down from 34.6 percent a year ago, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. The South Korean tech giant shipped 17 million 5G smartphones in the first three mon

Industry April 30, 2021

BTS has clinched nominations in four categories -- the most for the K-pop superstars -- in the upcoming 2021 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) set for next month. The seven-member act was nominated in the categories of Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Social Artist and Top Selling Song at this year's BBMAs, scheduled for May 23 (US time), according to Billboard. It marks the most nominations for BTS since the group was first named a candidate for Top Social Artist in 2017. This year, the

K-pop April 30, 2021

The South Korean market of functional foods is growing fast amid greater awareness of health amid the coronavirus pandemic, a report showed Friday. Sales of red ginseng and other health functional foods came to 4.9 trillion won ($4.42 billion) in 2020, up 40 percent from four years earlier, according to the report by MezzoMedia, a local digital marketing solution company. Red ginseng was the top-selling product with sales of 1.43 trillion won, followed by probiotics with 885.6 billion won and

Industry April 30, 2021

South Korea's industrial output grew for the second straight month in March, data showed Friday, in the latest sign that Asia's fourth-largest economy is on a recovery path. The industrial output increased 0.8 percent in March from the previous month, slowing from a 2.1 percent on-month gain in February, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. From a year earlier, it also rose 5.8 percent. But output in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries declined 0.8 percen

Economy April 30, 2021

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a long-stalled bill that prohibits public officials, including lawmakers, from seeking personal gains using information related to their job responsibilities. The so-called conflict of interest prevention law was approved during a parliamentary plenary session following its passage through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee earlier in the day. Similar anti-graft bills were proposed over the past eight years in vain before a massive land speculation

Politics April 29, 2021

Pope Francis has sent a message of condolence on the death of South Korean Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, the Holy See said Thursday. "I was saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop Emeritus of Seoul," Pope Francis said in a telegram sent to Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, incumbent Archbishop of Seoul. "I offer to you and to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese my heartfelt condolences and the assurance of my prayers,

People April 29, 2021

South Korea's trade ministry said Thursday it has requested the European Union to continue to lend a hand for the stable shipment of COVID-19 vaccines made in the region without delay, as Seoul moves to speed up its inoculation program. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee made the request to Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis of the European Commission, along with Belgium Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, during her two-day trip to Brussels from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the Ministry

Foreign Affairs April 29, 2021

South Korea called for the free movement of data to vitalize the digital economy on Thursday in this year's Group of Seven (G-7) meeting of digital and technology ministers. South Korea took part in the intergovernmental ministerial meeting virtually after being invited to this year's G-7 meeting set to be held in the United Kingdom in June. Minister of Science and ICT Choi Ki-young said at the meeting that the movement of data as well as electronic transferable records and internet security a

Technology April 29, 2021

South Korea has inoculated more than 3 million people in two months since its vaccine rollout, health authorities said Thursday, as the country ramps up its COVID-19 immunization drive by providing more shots to create herd immunity by November. An accumulated 3,012,654 people were administered with their first shots as of 3:30 p.m. since the nationwide campaign kicked off on Feb. 26, accounting for roughly 5.6 percent of the country's 52 million population, the Korea Disease Control and Preven

Social Affairs April 29, 2021

An independent panel created to review the validity of an ongoing investigation into the Seoul prosecution chief on charges of abuse of power will convene on May 10, judiciary sources said Thursday. Lee Sung-yoon, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, is being probed over allegations he exercised undue influence in 2019 to stop an inquiry into the alleged illegal exit ban imposed on a former senior official. The Supreme Prosecutors Office last week accepted Lee's request for

Politics April 29, 2021

South Korean stocks slumped for the third consecutive day Thursday as investors sold stocks to lock in gains despite the US Federal Reserve's soothing comments. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 7.4 points, or 0.23 percent, to close at 3,174.07 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.2 billion shares worth some 18.8 trillion won ($17 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 472 to 381. Foreigners sold a net 14 bill

Market April 29, 2021

South Korean drugmaker Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday it has started sales of coronavirus self-test kits at local pharmacies and its online channels. SD Biosensor's at home test kits received approval from the nation's drug safety agency last week, and they are now available via Hanmi Pharmaceutical's distribution channels across the nation. Users can collect samples from their noses on their own for testing, and the results come out within 15-30 minutes. If users receive a positive r

Social Affairs April 29, 2021

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will offer preemptive virus testing for teachers and students starting next month, as part of efforts to detect transmissions early and contain the spread of the virus, its chief said Thursday. The office also plans to introduce self-test kits at schools, whose use was proposed earlier this month by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, in a "limited" fashion for "more aggressive, proactive measures against the virus," he said. Cho Hee-yeon, su

Social Affairs April 29, 2021

A UN committee called on North Korea to provide an explanation on reported cases of human rights violations and to report any progress, its website showed Thursday. The UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) last week urged the North to provide information on whether it has made progress on several human rights issues, including torture and violence against women. The committee asked the North to specify the measures it has taken to ensure that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

North Korea April 29, 2021

LG Electronics Inc. on Thursday reported its best-ever quarterly earnings in the first quarter on the back of robust home appliance sales. The South Korean tech giant said it logged a net profit of 1.17 trillion won ($1.05 billion) in the January-March period on a consolidated basis, up from 1.08 trillion won a year ago. Its operating profit spiked 39.1 percent to 1.51 trillion won in the first three months of 2021, while sales jumped 27.7 percent on-year to 18.8 trillion won over the cited pe

Industry April 29, 2021