Sam Smith released a new version of his smash-hit title "I'm Not The Only One" featuring K-pop star Taeyeon as a project for the 10th anniversary of his debut album, his label said Thursday. "I'm Not The Only One" is a track on the British pop star's debut album, In The Lonely Hour, released in 2014. Taeyeon, a member of K-pop girl group Girls' Generation, participated in the 10th anniversary edition of the song, singing parts of the song in Korean, acco

K-pop Aug. 29, 2024

LG said Thursday it will buy a combined 500 billion won ($375.9 million) worth of stake in its home appliances and chemical units from November as part of efforts to increase their corporate value. LG plans to purchase 200 billion won worth of shares in LG Electronics and 300 billion won worth of shares in LG Chem on two occasions, the company said in a regulatory filing. If the purchase is completed, LG's stake in LG Electronics will increase to 31.59 percent from 30.47 percent, and inte

Companies Aug. 29, 2024

Samsung Electronics and its labor union are likely to resume their talks over a wage increase and others in early October at the earliest, industry sources said Thursday. Early this month, members of the National Samsung Electronics Union, the largest labor union of the South Korean tech giant, returned to work as they have held several rounds of talks since January but have been unable to narrow their differences over the wage increase rate, vacation system and bonuses. The NSEU, representing

Companies Aug. 29, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol approved the appointment of Kim Moon-soo as new labor minister Thursday, his office said, as the opposition bloc strongly denounced Kim's view about the Japanese colonial rule. Kim, former head of the presidential Economic, Social and Labor Council, was nominated by Yoon for new labor minister late last month. During Monday's parliamentary confirmation hearing, Kim said Koreans during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule were regarded as Japanese nationals, stic

Politics Aug. 29, 2024

Girl group Le Sserafim returned Thursday with its fourth EP, titled "Crazy," urging listeners to pour their passion into whatever makes their hearts race. "Crazy" marks the K-pop quintet's new release six months after its third EP, "Easy," which was released in February. The band made its debut on the coveted Billboard Hot 100 with the album's main track. "The new album's message is simple and clear: Let's go crazy with Le Sserafim,"

K-pop Aug. 29, 2024

South Korean shares retreated more than 1 percent Thursday, led by chipmakers after an underwhelming earnings result by global artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 27.55 points, or 1.02 percent, to close at 2,662.28. Trade volume was moderate at 284.7 million shares worth 11.3 trillion won ($8.47 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 590 to 280. Institutions and foreign investors sol

Market Aug. 29, 2024

South Korean shares dropped more than 1 percent after opening Thursday, taking a cue from Wall Street losses prompted by an underwhelming earnings result by global artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 31.62 points, or 1.18 percent, to 2,658.21 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight in the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.39 percent, with the S&P 500 losing 0.6 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq compos

Market Aug. 29, 2024

The 17th Summer Paralympic Games began with the first outdoor opening ceremony in the competition's history in Paris on Wednesday night, as the French capital welcomed athletes with disabilities under the motto, "Games Wide Open." Paris had also held the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics outside a stadium for the first time, with athletes riding boats down the iconic Seine River. On Thursday, Paralympians marched down the famous Champs-Elysee and toward Place de la Concorde

More Sports Aug. 29, 2024

Nearly 60 percent of big companies in South Korea have either not yet established a recruitment plan for the second half of the year or do not plan to hire at all, a poll showed Thursday. According to the survey carried out by polling agency Research & Research on the country's top 500 companies by sales from Aug. 5-19, 57.5 percent of responding firms said they have yet to come up with recruitment plans or don't plan to hire new college graduates during the remainder of the year.

Economy Aug. 29, 2024

Taeil, a member of K-pop boy band NCT, has left the team after being accused of sexual offense allegations, NCT's agency said Wednesday. "Our company recently found out that Taeil has been accused in a criminal case in relation to a sexual crime," SM Entertainment said. "In the process of verifying the details, the company reached the conclusion that (he) could no longer be part of the team, given the gravity of the incident." The company said the decision was made upon

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

The chief executive of Haru Invest, a troubled South Korean cryptocurrency deposit service, was injured Wednesday after being stabbed during a fraud trial. The CEO, only identified by his surname Lee, was stabbed in the neck by a man in his 50s during the trial at the Seoul Southern District Court and was taken to a hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening, according to authorities. Police said they have arrested the assailant on charges of attempted murder and are investigating his motiv

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

South Korean shares closed almost flat Wednesday ahead of US tech giant Nvidia's closely watched earnings announcement. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 0.58 points, or 0.02 percent, to close at 2,689.83. Trade volume was moderate at 276.4 million shares worth 10.4 trillion won ($7.77 billion). Losers, however, outnumbered winners 625 to 260. Institutions sold a net 33.9 billion won worth of shares, while individuals and f

Market Aug. 28, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol has postponed his planned dinner with ruling People Power Party leaders until after the Chuseok holiday, his office said Wednesday, amid a row with the PPP leader over the issue of the medical school quota increase. Yoon had planned to host a dinner Friday with PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, five Supreme Council members, and the party's policy chief, but the presidential office said the meeting has been put off to prioritize the issues of peopl

Politics Aug. 28, 2024

Three out of 10 deepfake victims who sought help from a state agency tackling digital sex crimes were minors, officials said Wednesday, underlining the seriousness of such crimes. A total of 781 deepfake victims asked for help from the Advocacy Center for Online Sexual Abuse Victims between Jan. 1 and Sunday, and 288 of them, or 36.9 percent, were minors, according to the Women's Human Rights Institute of Korea under the gender ministry. The number of underage victims of deepfake crimes rep

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a test-fire of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher with a new guidance system, state media reported Wednesday, amid speculation that the new artillery system could be provided to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine. Kim attended Tuesday's test of the multiple rocket launch system that is produced at defense industrial enterprises under the Second Economic Commission, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The weapon could put Seoul and its

North Korea Aug. 28, 2024