The main opposition People Power Party held a meeting Tuesday to decide on disciplinary measures against its lawmakers allegedly connected to suspected illegal real estate dealings one day after the state anti-corruption watchdog announced the results of a probe into opposition lawmakers' past deals. On Monday, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) said it has identified 13 alleged speculation cases linked to 12 incumbent PPP legislators. The ACRC has delivered its findings to

Politics Aug. 24, 2021

BUSAN -- July's average sea surface temperature in the waters between South Korea and Japan reached the highest level in 40 years, a think tank said Tuesday, calling for countermeasures against ocean subtropicalization. According to the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, the East Sea's average sea surface temperature was 22.2 C last month, the highest since relevant record keeping began in 1982 and 2.7 C higher than the average of the past 30 years. Considering an increase of a m

Social Affairs Aug. 24, 2021

Key of South Korean boy band SHINee is set to drop a new song next week ahead of the release of his first solo album in 2 1/2 years, his management agency said Tuesday. The song "Hate that..." will hit domestic online music services at 6 p.m. on Monday, before the release of the new album containing the track in September, according to SM Entertainment. The 29-year-old's previous solo album was released in March 2019 on the day he enlisted in the military to begin his mandatory servi

K-pop Aug. 24, 2021

South Korea's tax agency said Tuesday it has launched probes into suspected tax evasion by 59 people who allegedly pocketed illegal profits or increased wealth in an improper manner. Of them, 29 people earned money in an illegal or dishonest fashion while misusing corporate funds to buy luxury goods, according to the National Tax Service (NTS). The agency also cracked down on people and entities that gave damage to pandemic-hit merchants and individuals to increase their assets. Since last ye

Economy Aug. 24, 2021

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Tuesday it has granted conditional approval for a deal by KT Skylife Co. to buy cable TV operator Hyundai HCN Co. on concerns that the takeover could partially hamper market competition. In October last year, KT Skylife Co., a satellite broadcasting affiliate of local telecom giant KT Corp., signed a deal to acquire Hyundai HCN Co.'s broadcasting business for 491.1 billion won ($420 million). The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said it has given the gr

Industry Aug. 24, 2021

South Korea's household credit grew at a faster pace in the second quarter as non-banking financial firms increased loans, central bank data showed Tuesday. Household credit reached a record high of 1,805.9 trillion won ($1.54 trillion) as of June, up 41.2 trillion won from three months earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Household credit refers to credit purchases and loans for households that have been extended by financial institutions, including commercial lenders

Economy Aug. 24, 2021

The number of employed people in minor cities and counties in South Korea rose in April from a year earlier as slumps in the job market eased amid the economic recovery, data showed Tuesday. The number of employed people for 77 smaller cities in nine provinces reached 13.1 million as of end-April, up 3.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The corresponding number for 77 counties across the nation grew 1.4 percent on-year to 2.07 million, the data s

Economy Aug. 24, 2021

Unification Minister Lee In-young met with the US envoy for North Korea on Tuesday and discussed a coordinated approach to jump-start stalled talks with Pyongyang, an official said. During the breakfast meeting, Lee and US Special Representative Sung Kim shared their overall views on the current situation and discussed how to resume dialogue and cooperation with the North at an early date, the official said. Kim's visit here comes amid chilled inter-Korean relations after the North blasted the

Foreign Affairs Aug. 24, 2021

As the entertainment horizon has been widened thanks to the advent of global streaming platforms, not only silver screen stars but also big-name film directors are making the switch to television or even smaller devices like mobile phones. Director Lee Joon-ik of the historical dramas "The King and the Clown" (2005) and "The Throne" (2015) will make his small screen debut with "Beyond The Memory," an original series by Korean streamer Tving and a TV adaptation of a

Television Aug. 24, 2021

South Korea's two largest display makers -- Samsung Display Co. and LG Display Co. -- on Tuesday said they will showcase their latest innovations at the country's leading exhibition for display panels this week. The two companies will take part in the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID) 2021, which runs from Wednesday to Friday in Seoul. Samsung Display, the world's top mobile display panel maker, said its exhibitions will focus on OLED technologies used in Samsung Electronics

Industry Aug. 24, 2021

Colombian President Ivan Duque on Tuesday began a three-day state visit to South Korea, which includes a summit with President Moon Jae-in on establishing a comprehensive bilateral partnership in key areas. Duque arrived in South Korea earlier Tuesday via Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, officials said. He is scheduled to hold a summit with Moon at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday, the second day of his South Korean state visit. According to officials, the state visit was arranged at the

Politics Aug. 24, 2021

South Korea is reviewing granting special stay permits to Afghans residing in the country amid a humanitarian crisis erupting in Afghanistan following the Taliban's seizure of power, the justice minister said Tuesday. "The government is reviewing granting special residence permits to Afghans residing in the country," Justice Minister Park Beom-kye told reporters on his way to his office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul. About 400 Afghans are currently staying in South Korea, accordi

Foreign Affairs Aug. 24, 2021

Two Army soldiers and a cadet have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,588, the defense ministry said Tuesday. An officer in Paju, north of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a vacation, while a solider based in the northwestern border town of Yeoncheon was found to have gotten infected during a vacation before discharge, according to the ministry. In the southeastern city of Yeongcheon, a cadet wa

Defense Aug. 24, 2021

California's legislature has passed a new resolution to celebrate kimchi, a popular Korean fermented side dish, to promote the consumption of healthier food, industry sources said Tuesday. Under the bill led by Californian Assemblyman Steven Choi, which was passed on the previous day, the US state of California plans to celebrate November 22 as "Kimchi Day," according to the World Institute of Kimchi. The latest move came as South Korea celebrated its first Kimchi Day in 2020 in line

Foreign Affairs Aug. 24, 2021

North Korea's main newspaper on Tuesday urged Japan to repent and make reparations for colonial-era brutality on the occasion of the 111th anniversary of Tokyo's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, pointed out that Japan forced Korea to sign the treaty in 1910, and called it a fabricated and illegitimate treaty. The paper challenged Japanese assertion that the annexation took effect legally with the approval of King Sunjong

North Korea Aug. 24, 2021