South Korea will pay out its first batch of compensation to its nationals who participated in US military intelligence operations in North Korea before and during the Korean War, and their bereaved families, the defense ministry said Thursday. On Wednesday, the ministry convened an internal review panel to make the decision applicable to 160 individuals, including 143 who worked for the Korea Liaison Office (KLO) and other units from 1948 to 1953. The panel approved 1.57 billion won ($1.31 mil

Recent Korean TV series adapted from American and European originals have made their presence felt on the local entertainment scene, which is expanding its horizons to the global market. Starring big-name stars Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seung-won, "One Ordinary Day," an original by local stream service Coupang Play, is based on BBC's popular crime drama "Criminal Justice." The eight-part series delves into the criminal justice system through the story of two men connected to woman

The ruling Democratic Party will push for electoral reforms, including changing the single five-year presidential term to a renewable four-year term, in an effort to forge national unity and increase the political participation of minor parties, its chief said Thursday. DP Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil announced the measures in a press conference at the party headquarters in a likely bid to forge a coalition with minor opposition presidential candidates ahead of the March 9 presidential election.

Presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party said Thursday that the time for a candidacy merger with Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is over, reiterating his commitment to finish the presidential race on his own. "The time had already passed when I declared that the candidacy merger is off the table," Ahn told reporters at the National Assembly. "I have not received any calls (from Yoon)." Earlier this month, Ahn ha

South Korea's imported car business lobby group said Thursday it has appointed an Audi Volkswagen Korea executive as its new chief to help their members gain a bigger share in the local passenger vehicle market. Till Scheer, group managing director of Audi Volkswagen Korea, will serve as the 15th chairman of the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) from March to February 2024, KAIDA said in a statement. "With a heavy sense of responsibility, I aspire to find solut

South Korea's top trade official met with foreign envoys to Seoul on Thursday and discussed ways of cooperation to ensure stable supplies of key materials amid global supply chain disruptions and simmering tensions surrounding Ukraine, the industry ministry said. The meeting took place in Seoul between Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and ambassadors and charge d'affaires of nine resource-rich nations -- Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Brazil an

At the core of hotel concierge service is knowing a guest’s needs through even the subtlest gestures, and remembering them on their next visit, according to Kum Sang-jin, assistant manager of the rooms team at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul. Kum received the Les Clefs d’Or badge of two golden keys on Feb. 14, which symbolizes professional expertise as well as the best and most unique concierge services. Founded in 1929 by Pierre Quentin, head concierge of the Hotel Ambassador Paris, th

The Vietnamese government is closely monitoring bank accounts of North Koreans in the country as part of efforts to implement UN sanctions against Pyongyang, an international organization's report showed Thursday. The Southeast Asian country has taken proactive measures against Pyongyang's activities prohibited under UN Security Council sanctions, according to an evaluation report on Vietnam's steps to combat money laundering released by the Financial Action Task Force. Based in Paris, the organ

South Korea's central bank held its key interest rate steady Thursday amid worries that the upsurge in COVID-19 infections and heightening geopolitical risks stemming from Eastern Europe could undercut economic recovery momentum. The Bank of Korea (BOK), however, sharply revised upward its inflation outlook for this year, raising the possibility that it could hike the interest rate in the months to come. As widely expected, the seven-member monetary policy board of the central bank voted to fr

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stayed above 170,000 for the second consecutive day Thursday amid the fast spread of the highly contagious omicron variant across the country. The country reported 170,016 new COVID-19 infections, including 169,846 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,499,188, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number is slightly down from a record high of 171,452 on Wednesday. The country added 82 more deaths from COVID-19 on Thurs

Skating medalists from the recent Beijing Winter Olympics have withdrawn from the domestic winter sports competition starting this week, the sport's national federation said Thursday. The Korea Skating Union (KSU) said speed skater Lee Seung-hoon and short tracker Lee Yu-bin have pulled out of the National Winter Sports Festival, which kicks off Friday. Lee Seung-hoon won the bronze medal in the men's mass start in Beijing last week. Lee Yu-bin was a member of the silver medal-winning team in th

　If a terrorist attack occurs in the Gwanghwamun Square area in central Seoul, Gwanghwamun Station on Subway Line 5 is most likely to become the primary target, a study warned, calling for comprehensive counterterrorism preparedness in accordance with the capital's rising international recognition. 　The study authored by professor Cho Youn-oh of Dongkuk University and her undergraduate students issued such a warning after assessing the risk of terrorism in 16 zones of the central Seoul square.