The South Korean sensation "Squid Game" has posted a total of 1.65 billion hours of streaming in the first four weeks of release, becoming the most-watched Netflix content of all time. Netflix on Tuesday (US time) released the global top 10 lists of films and TV shows based on hours viewed in their respective first 28 days on its platform. "Squid Game" topped the non-English popular TV show list with an aggregate 1.65 billion hours of viewing over the first four weeks follo

Television Nov. 17, 2021

Voice phishing scammers are getting increasingly bold lately as many of them prefer to directly meet fraud victims to extort money, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Wednesday, releasing the results of its recent crackdowns. The NPA said its wholesale crackdowns on voice phishing criminals, conducted for eight months this year between February and June, and between August and October, netted 19,634 roundups, of which 1,845 suspects were put under arrest. By type of phishing crimes busted b

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2021

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has decided to impose a combined fine of 16.9 billion won ($14.3 million) on four mobile payment platform operators for colluding to impose excessive fees on delinquent consumers. KG Mobilians Co., SK Planet Co., and two other firms jointly introduced fees for consumers who failed to pay prices of goods via their settlement services between 2010 and 2019, and colluded to sharply hike delay charges and maintain them, according to the Fair Trade

Industry Nov. 17, 2021

More than half of South Koreans think an increase in online classes by schools is the biggest setback among changes in lifestyle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey showed Wednesday. The poll released by Statistics Korea showed 50.5 percent of those surveyed said they negatively assessed a rise in online education, and 14.8 percent said online classes will likely accelerate down the road. South Korea has ordered schools to conduct online classes full-time or run them along with in-person

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2021

The government of the southeastern city of Gimhae on Wednesday withdrew a mandatory virus test program of foreign children registered at the city's daycare centers amid a backlash over xenophobia and rights violations concerns. A government memo obtained by Yonhap News Agency showed the municipality, located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, ordered 93 daycare centers to cooperate with preemptive tests of foreign children under their care on Monday and Tuesday. The city government explained

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2021

A metaverse event on Wednesday will conjure up late national independence hero Kim Gu in the virtual space to welcome him back home from China, 76 years after his little-celebrated homecoming amid complex post-independence politics. The Seoul Museum of History said the event, set to be held on the Zepeto platform later in the day, will virtually recreate Kim as a metaverse avatar as well as the surroundings of a building used as a home for Kim when he returned from China on Nov. 23, 1945, to ho

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2021

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that venture business executives are at the forefront of digital innovation in the post-pandemic era, praising them for helping to transform the nation's economy into a pacesetter. Moon made the remarks at an opening ceremony of an industry exhibition for startups, called "COMEUP 2021," earlier in the day. "By accelerating digital innovation, the world has now embarked on a new takeoff that goes beyond recovering from the COVID-19 crisis,&q

Politics Nov. 17, 2021

Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado Quesada will make a state visit to South Korea next week to discuss a range of bilateral and global issues with President Moon Jae-in, Moon's office said Wednesday. The Costa Rican president will arrive in South Korea on Sunday for a four-day visit and hold a summit with Moon on Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee told reporters. The summit is aimed mainly at enhancing bilateral economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of space and

Politics Nov. 17, 2021

South Korea's military reported 12 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,147, the defense ministry said. An officer based at the ministry compound in Seoul tested positive after developing symptoms. Some 60 military personnel who came in contact with the officer, however, tested negative. A civilian employee of an Army unit in Cheorwon, 88 kilometers north of Seoul, was infected after an acquaintance tested positive. An officer of a unit un

Defense Nov. 17, 2021

With travel restrictions eased under the "living with COVID-19" scheme, big-name K-pop stars are heading overseas to hold live concerts with foreign fans that have not been held for nearly two years. Superband BTS is at the forefront of the move, scheduled to throw a series of live in-person concerts in Los Angeles, titled "BTS Permission To Dance On Stage - LA" to be held at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 27 and 28 and Dec. 1 and 2. They will be the septet's first live in-person con

K-pop Nov. 17, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases spiked to surpass the 3,000 mark Wednesday, just shy of an all-time high, health authorities said, deepening concerns over medical capacity amid the continued surge in critical cases. The country reported 3,187 new COVID-19 cases, including 3,163 local infections, raising the total caseload to 402,775, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure, a sharp hike from 2,125 cases the previous day, is the second-

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2021

A 2.9 magnitude earthquake struck off South Korea's southeastern coast early Wednesday, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred at 1:39 a.m. in waters about 35 kilometers off the city of Ulsan, some 415 km southeast of Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a depth of 19 km, and the quake's tremor was recorded at Level 1 on the seismic intensity scale, which means most people would not have felt it. According to the KMA, the quake w

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2021

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday, largely by losses in tech, auto stocks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 9.95 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,987.26 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged down 0.14 percent, No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix lost 0.45 percent, and pharmaceutical giant Samsung Biologics retreated 0.92 percent. Hyundai Motor, the country's largest carmaker, moved down 0.73 percent, with its smaller affi

Market Nov. 17, 2021

South Korea have defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iraq in succession in their World Cup qualifying campaign, using identical starting lineups. But how they achieved those results couldn't have been more different, as the Taeguk Warriors proved that they can win matches in a variety of ways. Three different players scored in South Korea's 3-0 victory over Iraq at Thani bin Jassim Stadium in Doha on Tuesday (local time). It was South Korea's fourth win in six contests in Group A durin

Soccer Nov. 17, 2021

GS Energy Corp., an energy unit of South Korean conglomerate GS Group, has secured a deal to annually bring in about 200,000 tons of blue ammonia from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 2025, according to the company. GS Energy announced Tuesday it has joined a project led by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) to build a production facility to co-develop the clean energy compound in a city west of Abu Dhabi. GS Energy will hold a 10 percent stake in the project. Further details on the terms o

Industry Nov. 17, 2021