South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it has launched a pilot project to build a smart farm in Kazakhstan, as the country seeks to boost exports of smart-farming solutions. The construction is expected to be completed in October, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The smart farm, sized 1 hectare, will be used to cultivate popular produce in Kazakhstan, including tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries. The smart farm was specifically designed to cope with

Economy May 24, 2021

South Korea's oceans ministry said Monday it will seek to include killer whales in its list of protected marine species as the country plans to bolster measures to preserve marine mammals in line with tightened global environment rules. The move came in line with efforts to meet the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of the United States, which centers on bolstering protection of animals, including dolphins and whales, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The US is

Social Affairs May 24, 2021

The defense ministry on Monday extended the current social distancing rules for the military for another three weeks, which allow service members to take vacations in a limited manner. The Level 2 scheme, which was supposed to expire Sunday, will be in place until June 13 in line with the government's COVID-19 guidance, according to the ministry. It is the third-highest level in the five-tier alert system. Under the scheme, troops are allowed to go on vacation while strictly adhering to antivi

Defense May 24, 2021

North Korea has stayed mum on the results of last week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden amid questions about how Pyongyang will react to Biden's willingness to engage diplomatically with the country. At the summit meeting on Friday (Washington time), the two leaders agreed to engage diplomatically with the North to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also reaffirmed that dialogue will be pushed based on previous agreements, including the 2

North Korea May 24, 2021

"F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, has topped 1 million attendees in its first week of release in South Korea, local box office data showed Monday. The action blockbuster attracted 628,000 people over the Friday-Sunday period, bringing its combined total to 1.13 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It became the fourth title to surpass the 1 million threshold in 2021, following Disney-Pixar fantasy "Soul," Japanese a

Film May 24, 2021

Last week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden created "sufficient" conditions needed to resume the long-stalled dialogue with North Korea, Unification Minister Lee In-young said Monday. On Friday (US time), Moon and Biden held their first face-to-face summit in Washington and agreed to engage diplomatically with North Korea and take "pragmatic" steps to reduce tensions, while reaffirming that dialogue will be pushed based on previous agreements,

North Korea May 24, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 600 for the second straight day Monday on fewer tests over the weekend, with a rebound in the reproduction rate, coupled with sporadic cluster infections, straining the country's antivirus fight. The country reported 538 more COVID-19 cases, including 513 local infections, raising the total caseload to 136,467, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload stood at 585 on Sunday and 666 on Saturday. There

Social Affairs May 24, 2021

Defense ministry officials were to hold a meeting with residents around a US THAAD missile defense base Monday in an effort to address their concerns, the ministry said, as protests against the base have shown no signs of letting up. Residents in the central county of Seongju have long opposed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base in their town, resulting in clashes with police every time the government brings construction equipment and other items to the base. Monday's meeting

Defense May 24, 2021

K-pop boy band BTS has won four prizes, including the major title of Top Selling Song, at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA), the most for the group at the event ever. The septet was awarded Top Selling Song, Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist and the fan-voted Top Social Artist during the BBMA ceremony that was aired live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday (US time). It is the first time the band has won more than two titles at the BBMA. In 2019, it took home the Top

K-pop May 24, 2021

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reiterated Washington's commitment to diplomacy with North Korea to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, saying, "The ball's in their court." Blinken made the remarks after US President Joe Biden stressed the willingness to engage diplomatically with Pyongyang to take pragmatic steps toward the denuclearization goal, after his first in-person summit with President Moon Jae-in in Washington on Friday. "

North Korea May 24, 2021

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has wrapped up his most successful Premier League campaign to date. Son got the start and was taken out during second-half injury time, as Tottenham beat Leicester City 4-2 at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, on Sunday (local time). It provided a positive conclusion to an otherwise disappointing season for Tottenham, which finished in seventh place on 62 points and settled for the third-tier continental competition, UEFA Europa Confe

Soccer May 24, 2021

It was a battle within a battle, as Toronto Blue Jays' ace Ryu Hyun-jin went up against fellow South Korean, Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman Choi Ji-man, for the first time in their major league careers. The Rays took the game 6-4 at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Sunday (local time). But the all-Korean pitcher-batter duel between Ryu and Choi, both graduates of Dongsan High School in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, ended in the pitcher's favor. Ryu got Choi to ground out in his first

Baseball May 24, 2021

Pitching into the seventh inning for the third straight start wasn't enough for Ryu Hyun-jin to stop the Toronto Blue Jays' slide. The South Korean left-hander settled for a no-decision after holding the Tampa Bay Rays to two runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Sunday (local time). Ryu struck out seven and walked one, before leaving the game with two outs in the seventh and the score knotted at 2-2. His ERA rose slightly from 2.51 to 2.53, while his reco

Baseball May 24, 2021

A senior foreign ministry official said Sunday that a joint statement adopted after a recent summit between President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Joe Biden mentioned the Taiwan Strait to show Seoul's view that the stability and peace in the region are in its national interest. Moon and Biden held their first face-to-face summit in Washington on Friday (US time) and adopted the statement in which they emphasized "the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.&

Foreign Affairs May 23, 2021

South Korea's military announced four additional COVID-19 cases Sunday, including two Army soldiers. A ranking Army officer based in Pocheon, north of Seoul, was diagnosed with the coronavirus after returning from leave, according to the Ministry of National Defense. A rank-and-file solider serving in Inje, Gangwon Province, tested positive, having contacted an infected civilian during his stay in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, on leave, it added. Two civilian employees at Army bases in Jangse

Defense May 23, 2021