South Korea's military reported 14 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,217. Six Army service members tested positive before and after they returned to their bases after their vacations. An officer of an Air Force unit in Osan, 55 kilometers south of Seoul, contracted the virus after developing symptoms. Another in the same unit also tested positive after coming in contact with him. One draftee of an Army unit in Pyeongtaek, 70km south of

Defense Nov. 24, 2021

South Korean fantasy horror "Hellbound" was the most-viewed TV show over a recent one-week period among those on Netflix, the global video streaming service said Wednesday. "Hellbound" topped Netflix's official weekly chart for non-English TV programs with 43.5 million hours of viewing for the week from Nov. 15-21, outnumbering "The Queen of Flower" with 38.6 million hours and "Squid Game" with 30.4 million hours. The feat is remarkable, considering &qu

Television Nov. 24, 2021

South Korea plans to offer more than a dozen military choppers to support UN peacekeeping operations (PKO) , multiple sources said Wednesday, as Seoul seeks to increase its contributions to the key mission of the international organization. Seoul has been in talks with two or three countries that have shown an interest in using the helicopters as part of their PKO operations in conflict-laden parts of the world, according to a source who requested anonymity. Another source said the United Nati

Defense Nov. 24, 2021

South Korea on Wednesday sought international cooperation on its efforts to secure a stable supply of urea solution following a recent supply crunch, the industry ministry said. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo made the request during a "networking day" event for official development assistance (ODA), which brought together ambassadors and charge d'affaires from 27 developing countries in Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energ

Economy Nov. 24, 2021

Construction equipment maker Hyundai Doosan Infracore Co. said Wednesday it has signed a deal with local builder SK Ecoplant to improve digital technologies related to construction site management. Under the deal, Hyundai Doosan Infracore will develop new technologies using its cloud-based construction site management platform XiteCloud, which will be demonstrated on the construction sites of SK Ecoplant, the company said. Thanks to growing demand for the construction technology digitalization

Industry Nov. 24, 2021

Police will reinforce training of its workforce on the use of stun guns and other weapons to enhance their ability to deal with violent criminal scenes, officials said Wednesday amid public fury over a bungled police response to a knife attacker. The plan came after criticism that police officers failed to stop a knife-wielding man from seriously wounding a neighbor over a noise dispute earlier this month even though they were deployed at the scene and were in possession of a stun gun and a gu

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2021

Prominent Japanese filmmakers, including Cannes-winning Hirokazu Kore-eda, have been joining hands with South Korean productions amid the country's increased presence in the global cinema scene. Kore-eda, who won the top prize of the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for "Shoplifters," is working on the drama film "Broker" (working title) in South Korea with CJ ENM, the entertainment unit of South Korean conglomerate CJ Group. The film is now in post production.

Film Nov. 24, 2021

The number of South Koreans who moved to different residences in the country declined for the 10th straight month in October amid decreased housing transactions, data showed Wednesday. The number of people who changed their residences fell 10.7 percent on-year to 540,000 last month, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the 10th consecutive month the number has dropped and represented the sharpest on-year decline since a 10.9 percent fall in June 2019. The decline was

Economy Nov. 24, 2021

Police have apprehended 130 members of a criminal ring that operated an illegal gambling website from the Philippines, where about 1.3 trillion won ($1.09 billion) was bet over a two and a half year period, officials said Wednesday. Of them, nine have been formally arrested, and the group's leader, who had fled to the Philippines, will be repatriated to South Korea, the international crime investigation unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. The group was found to have streamed ga

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2021

The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a record low in September, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate. A total of 21,920 babies were born in September, down 6.7 percent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest for any September since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. In the third quarter, the number of newborns also reache

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2021

South Korea's terms of trade fell for the seventh consecutive month in October as prices of imports grew at a faster pace than export prices, central bank data showed Wednesday. The nation's net terms-of-trade index for goods -- a gauge of overall trade terms -- stood at 91.26 last month, down 6.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure is calculated by dividing the index for export prices by that for import prices. It shows the a

Economy Nov. 24, 2021

The South Korean economy is likely to expand 3.2 percent on-year in 2022 on the back of a recovery in private consumption and brisk exports, a local think tank said Wednesday. The Korea Capital Market Institute (KCMI) also forecast the gross domestic product of Asia's fourth-largest economy to increase 4 percent this year from a year earlier. "Private consumption is expected to show a marked upturn in the first half of next year thanks to a shift in anti-coronavirus measures and improving

Economy Nov. 24, 2021

Sales of imported commercial vehicles in South Korea fell 26 percent in October from a year earlier amid the extended COVID-19 pandemic, an industry association said Wednesday. The number of newly registered imported commercial vehicles declined to 336 units last month from 452 a year ago, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement. Decreased sales of Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Scania trucks weighed on the monthly result, KAIDA said. From January to

Industry Nov. 24, 2021

A massive search operation resumed Wednesday to find an Asiatic black bear that remained on the loose for a third day after escaping from a bear farm just south of Seoul, officials said Wednesday. The escape occurred at the farm in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10:30 a.m. Monday, when five Asiatic black bears left their cage. Three of the bears were soon discovered by officials of the Han River Basin Environmental Office, who captured two of them and killed a third that ran to attac

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2021

Main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl is leading his ruling Democratic Party rival, Lee Jae-myung, by a smaller margin than before in a hypothetical multicandidate race, a survey showed Wednesday. Yoon garnered 44.1 percent support against Lee's 37 percent in the survey of 1,011 adults conducted Monday and Tuesday, according to Realmeter. The difference was down to 7.1 percentage points from 9.8 points two weeks ago after Yoon lost 0.3 point and Lee gained 2.

Politics Nov. 24, 2021