The number of social enterprises certified by the government has reached over 3,000, with a majority of the firms committed to providing jobs to underprivileged people, according to officials Sunday. The labor ministry's expert committee on social enterprise development on Wednesday certified 97 businesses as new government-approved social enterprises, bringing the total number of social companies in the country up to 3,064. The 3,000-mark milestone was reached in 14 years since the gov

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2021

The government has drafted a new mid-term plan to expand the education of 53 foreign languages that are less commonly taught but deemed increasingly important to the nation's engagement with the world, officials said Sunday. Education, justice, gender and other ministers Wednesday discussed the education ministry's proposal for the second five-year basic plan for the education of the critical foreign languages, which will be implemented in 2022. The 53 languages designated by a presidential de

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2021

President Moon Jae-in vowed Saturday that South Korea will continue to contribute to the fight against terrorism as he marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "My deepest sympathies go out to President Joe Biden and the American people. Twenty years have passed, but the shock of that day still remains as deep wounds in the hearts of so many," he said in a Facebook message. Moon noted that violence cannot win over peace and inclusiveness and that the tragedy of the

Politics Sept. 11, 2021

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Saturday filed a complaint with the prosecution over what it called an illegal raid against one of its lawmakers in a snowballing political meddling scandal. The complaint accuses Kim Jin-wook, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), and five investigators of abuse of power and an illegal raid on the office of PPP Rep. Kim Woong on Friday. Rep. Jun Joo-hyae, a PPP spokeswoman, delivered the complaint to the

Politics Sept. 11, 2021

Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin will make his next start on regular rest after all. The Blue Jays, currently in Baltimore for a four-game series against the Orioles, announced Friday (local time) that the South Korean left-hander will start the first game of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday. The first pitch is set for 4:35 p.m. Saturday in Baltimore, or 5:35 a.m. Sunday in Seoul. Ryu's previous start came on Monday at Yankee Stadium, where he pitch

Baseball Sept. 11, 2021

South Korean stocks are likely to come under selling pressure next week amid concerns about the spreading virus variant and regulation fears that had led to massive sell-offs of giant platform companies. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 3,125.76 points Friday, down 2.35 percent from a week ago. The weekly loss came as an increase in the country's new coronavirus cases raised concerns of an economic slowdown, in addition to regulatory move against fintech compa

Market Sept. 11, 2021

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed in the 1,800s for the second straight day Saturday as infections continued to spread in the greater Seoul area. The country added 1,865 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,816 local infections, raising the total caseload to 271,227, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The number of new cases was down 27 from Friday but still 62 more than a week ago. In the past week, the number of new cases has ranged from 1,375 to 2,049, aver

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2021

Kakaopay, a financial unit of tech giant Kakao Corp., will suspend its car insurance comparison service later this month after providing an unauthorized brokerage service, industry sources said Friday. Kakaopay's service to help customers find the best deal among six partnered car insurers, including Hyundai Marine and Fire Insurance Co. and DB Insurance, will be suspended from Sept. 25, according to the sources. The Financial Services Commission said the online program is not advertising tha

Technology Sept. 10, 2021

Doosan Infracore on Friday announced that it will sell stocks to raise 800 billion won ($682 billion). The proceeds from the stock sale will be used mainly to pay off its debts and for other purposes, the company said in a regulatory filing. Doosan Infracore will issue some 115.1 million common shares at a price of 6,950 won per share. The stocks will be sold to the firm's existing shareholders. Hyundai Genuine, the holding company of Doosan Infracore, will buy up to 28.8 percent of the sto

Industry Sept. 10, 2021

South Korea and Poland agreed Friday to boost exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of defense and related fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. Vice Minister Park Jae-min and his Polish counterpart, Marcin Ochiepa, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul, as Ochiepa visited South Korea to attend the annual security forum of the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD). "The Polish vice minister expressed his country's will to expand and deepen the bilateral defense cooperation with

Foreign Affairs Sept. 10, 2021

  South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, will visit Tokyo next week for bilateral and trilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, the foreign ministry said Friday, as Seoul steps up diplomacy to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.    Noh and his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, plan to hold a trilateral meeting on Tuesday, as they strategize on reengaging with Pyongyang, amid concerns over signs of the reclusive regime

Foreign Affairs Sept. 10, 2021

Apple Inc. on Friday rejected US game maker Epic Games Inc.'s request that its hit title "Fortnite" be rereleased in South Korea in a case that highlights a tug-of-war over lucrative payment systems on the app market. The video game maker earlier tweeted that it asked Apple to restore its "Fortnite" developer account and that it plans to relaunch the game on Apple's mobile operating system in the country in light of a new legislation that effectively allows alternative in-ap

Industry Sept. 10, 2021

Nearly eight out of 10 South Koreans have no plans to visit their hometowns or travel during the upcoming Chuseok holiday amid the widespread COVID-19 fears, a poll showed Friday. In the survey of 1,001 adults nationwide conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 77 percent said they do not have any plans to leave their homes for more than one night during the Chuseok holiday, the autumn harvest celebration. This year's Chuseok runs from Sept. 20-22, and it will be extended by an extra

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2021

US robotics startup Boston Dynamics said Friday it will expand its partnership with South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group to integrate its robotics technologies in future mobility solutions and expand their applications in other industrial sectors. Boston Dynamics demonstrated its latest robotics technologies during an online media event after the automotive group in June completed the $880 million purchase of its 80 percent stake from Japanese conglomerate Softbank. Boston Dynamics, spu

Industry Sept. 10, 2021

A university student developed a website to make it easier for people to navigate a web of ever-changing social distancing rules on private gatherings. The creator, Kim Joon-tae, said he developed the website (www.canwemeet.us) to reduce inconveniences coming from complicated rules on private gatherings that differ depending on time of the day, vaccination status and regions, among other things. The service, which went up Tuesday, asks a user seven questions about a planned gathering to ultima

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2021