Lee Tae-won, a renowned South Korean movie producer, died Sunday after his health waned following an accidental fall last year, according to his aides. He was 83. Lee died in the afternoon at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul, where he has been under treatment following the accident in May last year. His memorial altar is expected to be set up at the same hospital. Lee first started his career as a movie producer with a film, entitled "A long affection," in 1959. But hi

Film Oct. 24, 2021

South Korean defense companies have signed business contracts worth $128 million in total during a biennial arms exhibition held south of Seoul last week, its organizers said Sunday. More than 250 local companies joined the five-day Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX), which ended Saturday. The event marked a rare opportunity for the companies to explore new opportunities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the finalized contracts, local companies ha

Defense Oct. 24, 2021

Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda is the new single-season strikeout king in South Korean baseball. Miranda got his 224th strikeout of the 2021 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season Sunday against the LG Twins, surpassing a 37-year-old record held by the late Lotte Giants legend Choi Dong-won. Miranda's record-breaking strikeout came against Hong Chang-ki for the second out in the top of the third inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Miranda had thrown 169 1/3 innings before S

Baseball Oct. 24, 2021

K-pop superband BTS was set to hold an online concert, "BTS Permission To Dance On Stage," on Sunday, featuring cutting-edge visual effects, according to its management agency. The seven-piece act's performance on a scale equivalent to an offline concert will be livestreamed from a local stadium, starting at 6:30 p.m., Big Hit Music said. It is BTS' first global online concert in about a year. The agency said powerful visual effects will help the audience enjoy computer-generated vis

K-pop Oct. 24, 2021

The Seoul city government said Sunday it will begin normalizing late-night public transportation operations on weekdays, months after they were reduced due to social distancing measures against COVID-19. It plans to put intra-city buses and subway lines No. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 back in normal operation Monday followed by subway lines No. 3 and 4 on Dec. 1. The city has reduced its public transit services after 10 a.m. on weekdays by up to 20 percent since July. The measure led to an average 35

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2021

JEJU -- South Korea's Coast Guard has seized a Chinese boat for fishing without a permit in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the southern resort island of Jeju, its officials said Sunday. The 272-ton vessel carrying 11 crew members is suspected of conducting fishing activities in waters 116 kilometers south of the city of Seogwipo on the island at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday without any authorization. The vessel is also alleged to have attempted to flee despite the Coast Guard's repe

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2021

SEJONG -- South Korea's antitrust regulator said Sunday it has decided to order Nissan Motor Corp., Porsche AG and their two Korean units to take corrective steps for falsified information over gas emissions of their diesel cars. Nissan Motor, Nissan Korea, Porsche and Porsche Korea are alleged to have stated false information about gas emissions of their diesel vehicles imported for sale in South Korea, according to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). The KFTC also decided to impose a fin

Industry Oct. 24, 2021

Cargo processed at South Korean seaports advanced 8.1 percent in the third quarter of this year as trade gained traction amid the global economic recovery from the pandemic, the oceans ministry said Sunday. Cargo handled at the country's ports came to 393.03 million tons during the July-September period, up from 363.53 million tons a year earlier, according to the data by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Handling of export-import cargo surged 8.6 percent on-year to 338.85 million tons in

Economy Oct. 24, 2021

A North Korean media outlet on Sunday slammed the United States for its recent proposal to create a new working-level defense dialogue with South Korea, accusing Washington of seeking to raise military pressure on Pyongyang. The US floated the idea of instituting the unofficial dialogue platform during the allies' regular defense talks in Seoul last month, sources have said, as Washington is pushing to rally its democratic allies to counter China's growing assertiveness. Meari, a North Korean

North Korea Oct. 24, 2021

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases fell below 1,500 on Sunday amid signs of a letup in the fourth wave of the pandemic, with the country seeking to phase out social distancing restrictions, as its vaccination rate reached the milestone of 70 percent. The country reported 1,423 new cases, including 1,395 local infections, raising the total caseload to 351,899, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's tally is down from the 1,508 counted the previous day. New virus

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2021

South Korea on Saturday achieved its goal of fully inoculating over 70 percent of the country‘s population earlier than scheduled amid its accelerating vaccination drive. A total of 35.94 million people have received their both shots of COVID-19 vaccines as of 2 p.m., accounting for 70 percent of the country’s 51.3 million population, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). South Korea began its nationwide vaccination campaign in late February. The ach

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2021

After her third consecutive bogey-free round, South Korean tour star Lim Hee-jeong is on the verge of her maiden LPGA victory on home soil. Lim, a four-time Korea LPGA (KLPGA) winner, opened up a four-stroke lead through 54 holes at the BMW Ladies Championship on Saturday in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Lim, who collected seven birdies en route to a 65 at the par-72 LPGA International Busan, leads the 84-player field at 18-under. World No. 2 Ko Jin-young and another KLPGA p

Golf Oct. 23, 2021

A chemical used for fire suppression leaked from the basement of a high-rise building under construction in southwestern Seoul on Saturday, leaving two workers dead and nine others injured, firefighters said. The fatal chemical leak occurred on the third basement floor of the 18-story Gasan Metro Knowledge Industry Center building under construction in the capital‘s southwestern ward of Geumcheon shortly before 9 a.m., they said. Two male workers aged 50 and 45, respectively, were rushe

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2021

Former US Forces Korea (USFK) chief Curtis Scaparrotti has stressed the importance of solidarity between the militaries of South Korea and the United States in the face of continued North Korean threats, an organization dedicated to promoting the alliance said Saturday. Scaparrotti, who led the USFK from 2013-2016, delivered a lecture on the long-standing alliance Friday, according to the Korea Chapter of the Korea Defense Veterans Association, as tensions resurfaced following the North&rsquo

Foreign Affairs Oct. 23, 2021

North Korea on Saturday blasted the United States for causing military tension with China by meddling in Taiwan affairs. Pak Myong-ho, the North’s vice foreign minister, also accused the US of trying to topple both Beijing and Pyongyang. “This year alone, the US dispatched all kinds of battleships into the Taiwan Straits on the plea of ‘freedom of navigation’ whenever occasion called. Some time ago, it even mobilized a battleship of its ally only to escalate tension in

North Korea Oct. 23, 2021