South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Monday the country plans to closely cooperate with local chipmakers to respond to the US' latest request for them to share information on their supply chains. The US Department of Commerce has recently asked global chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics Co., to share information on inventories, demand and other details by Nov. 8 to "help improve trust and transparency within the supply chain." The request spawned concerns about the lea

Industry Oct. 18, 2021

South Korea's major travel agencies are expected to recover from the prolonged fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and swing to a profit in 2022 on growing demand for overseas travel, a market tracker said Monday. Local brokerage houses have projected that industry leader HanaTour could register a consolidated operating income of 3.9 billion won ($33 million) in the coming year, a sharp turnaround from an operating loss of 114.9 billion won last year, according to financial information provider Fn

Industry Oct. 18, 2021

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" has dominated the South Korean box office in its opening weekend, topping 1 million total admissions, box office data showed Monday. The sequel to 2018's "Venom" sold a combined 778,000 tickets over the Friday to Sunday period, bringing its combined total to over 1.1 million since its release last Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It is the third film this year to surpass the 1 million mark in its first week of release,

Film Oct. 18, 2021

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Monday he feels "betrayed" by a former aide arrested over a massive development corruption scandal, once again disavowing any connection to the case threatening to mar his presidential campaign. Lee made the remark ahead of the National Assembly's audit of his government, referring to Yoo Dong-gyu who served as acting president of Seongnam Development Corps. in charge of the development project in Seongnam, south of Seoul, when Lee was its mayor. Yoo

Politics Oct. 18, 2021

South Korea plans to decide whether to join a mega Asia-Pacific free trade agreement involving 11 nations as early as this month in an effort to diversify its export portfolio, the country's finance minister has said. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki made the remarks during his meeting with reporters Thursday (local time) in Washington, D.C. after attending the Group of 20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors. South Korea has been "actively" reviewing the joining of th

Economy Oct. 18, 2021

After being subject to rumors about a possible COVID-19 infection over the weekend, Son Heung-min scored for Tottenham Hotspur in their latest victory. The South Korean star netted his team-leading fourth goal of the Premier League season in their 3-2 win over Newcastle United at St. James' Park in Newcastle, England, on Sunday (local time). Son is tied for fifth overall in the league in goals, three behind co-leaders, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Jamie Vardy of Leicester City. Son's goal w

Soccer Oct. 18, 2021

A key partner in a corruption-laden urban development project involving a former aide to the ruling Democratic Party's presidential nominee was detained upon his arrival from the United States on Monday for questioning over bribery and other allegations. Nam Wook is believed to be holding a key to resolving suspicions over how a previously unheard-of asset management firm, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped astronomical profits from a 2015 project to develop the Daejang-dong distri

Politics Oct. 18, 2021

Pohang Steelers reached the semifinals of the top Asian club football tournament with a 3-0 victory over Nagoya Grampus on Sunday. Lim Sang-hyub grabbed a brace and Lee Seung-mo added another for Pohang's convincing win in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul. This will be Pohang's first trip to the final four at the AFC competition since 2009, which is the last time they won the tournam

Soccer Oct. 17, 2021

A key figure at the center of an escalating land development corruption scandal was to arrive in South Korea this week for questioning over his suspected role in bribing influential figures in exchange for business favors. Attorney Nam Wook left Los Angeles on Sunday and was to arrive in South Korea early Monday to face a probe by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office over allegations that he was involved in illegal lobbying over the course of the 2015 development project in Seongnam, s

Politics Oct. 17, 2021

A video featuring football star Son Heung-min promoting South Korea as a tourist destination will be unveiled this week, the culture ministry said Sunday. The 80-second video with Son of Tottenham Hotspur is aimed at allowing viewers to feel South Korea's unique and attractive features so as to draw more overseas visitors to the country in the post-pandemic era. The video will be available on Monday on social media channels run by the Korea Tourism Organization, the ministry said, adding that

Soccer Oct. 17, 2021

South Korea's first vice foreign minister left for London on Sunday for talks with British officials on bilateral relations, the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual interest, his office said. The weeklong trip by Choi Jong-kun will take him to Belgium where he will attend the seventh session of the Korea-EU High-level Political Dialogue for in-depth discussions on ways to boost their ties and regional security circumstances, it said. Choi is also set to meet w

Foreign Affairs Oct. 17, 2021

Temperatures in Seoul sharply dropped to nearly 1 degree Celsius on Sunday, marking the coldest morning for mid-October in 67 years, the state weather agency said. The morning low in Seoul came to 1.3 C in the day, the lowest since Oct. 13, 1954, when the figure was 1.2 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Some areas of the capital city saw the mercury drop below zero, and the season's first ice was seen in the city, 17 days earlier than average, it added. Cold weath

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2021

The chief of the UN nuclear watchdog has vowed to continue close consultations with South Korea and other nations over Japan's plan to discharge radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the pledge during his meeting with Ham Sang-wook, Seoul's deputy foreign minister for multilateral affairs, in Vienna on Friday, according to the m

Foreign Affairs Oct. 17, 2021

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday sent offerings to a controversial war shrine for the first time since taking office this month, a news report said. Kishida sent a "masakaki" tree to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo to celebrate its two-day Autumn festival that runs through Monday, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency. It marked the first time Kishida has sent an offering to the shrine, seen as a symbol of the country's past militarism, since he took office earlier this

Foreign Affairs Oct. 17, 2021

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases fell to the 1,400s on Sunday, as health authorities plan to apply eased distancing rules for a gradual return to normal life. The country added 1,420 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,403 local infections, raising the total caseload to 342,396, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally fell from 1,618 cases reported on Saturday, and 1,684 on Friday and 1,940 on Thursday. The daily infection count has stayed in th

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2021