After a four-year hiatus, boy band BTOB is ready to greet fans as the spring season nears and the flowers bloom. Now that all six bandmates have finished their mandatory military service, they‘ve returned with their 3rd full-length album, “Be Together,” released Monday evening. In an online press conference on Monday, Eun-kwang described the album as an album that spells out what it means to be “together” and defines “togetherness.” “BTOB is a

South Korea’s top health official said Monday the surge the country is experiencing now is necessary to move toward an endemic phase from the pandemic, and omicron’s milder severity aids the transition. Son Young-rae, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson, said the recent uptick in hospitalizations and deaths driven by the omicron variant “does not warrant the same level of alarm as with the delta wave.”　 From cases diagnosed Jan. 16-29, the overall f

South Korea stopped monitoring COVID-19 patients younger than 60 beginning Feb. 10 in a switch to what is known as a self-care scheme, after the milder omicron overtook delta as the dominant strain here.  But following deaths among younger patients isolating at home, concerns are rising over possible safety oversights in the new system. 　 According to health authorities Monday, at least two patients died in the Seoul area while in home isolation over the weekend. In Suwon, Gyeonggi Provi

Mounting concerns over Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine are increasingly weighing on an already jumpy local stock market, as investors price in a full-blown geopolitical crisis that could send foreigners holding Korean shares fleeing back home. The benchmark Kospi tumbled to 2,743.80, down 0.03 percent or 0.72 points from Friday’s closing. Foreigners, whose holdings account for a little over 30 percent of all Korean stocks, and institutions were net sellers, offloading 64 billi

Red Velvet will hold two concerts in Seoul next month, label SM Entertainment announced Monday. 　 The quintet will perform live at “2022 The ReVe Festival: Prologue” on March 19-20. The second day’s performance will be broadcast live for fans from around the world. 　 It has been two years and three months since its previous standalone concert.  Last week the band confirmed that it will put out an album in March, as it hinted at the label’s all-star concert last mo

A new president is about to be elected, leading South Korea through the next phase of the pandemic. So why is COVID-19 getting so little attention in the presidential race? 　 It wasn’t until after a hospital bed shortage induced by the “living with COVID-19” scheme in November that the leading candidates -- the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae-myung and main opposition People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol -- set up dedicated committees for outlining their p

From smashing pine boards to beating for victory on drum, candidates in heated race to draw attention

Those in their 20s, 30s question sincerity of pledges targeted to them via social media

The nation’s low-cost carriers facing financial difficulties caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic are bringing in cargo planes and planes for long-haul flights to diversify their source of revenue. T’way Air, for instance, will introduce on Thursday Airbus A330-300 planes that can cover long-haul distances for more than 300 passengers. The plane will begin to operate within the country in March and then be used for longer routes to Singapore, Australia, Croatia, and Kyrgyzstan

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday said it will inject another batch of capital to support workers in the performing arts sector, which has been hit hard by COVID-19. The ministry and the Arts Council Korea, a state-run organization dedicated to supporting the arts and performers, will support 2,000 workers in the sector with a budget of 22.8 billion won ($19 million). The latest plan follows three similar three packages in 2020 and 2021, totaling 73.9 billion won which went

A galvanizing moment may be coming for licensing and registration system for giving tattoos, which has been outlawed for 4 decades

Chinese movie star Fan Bingbing will make her first Korean drama appearance in JTBC’s new series “Insider.” According to local cable channel JTBC, the shooting of Fan’s segments in the series was recently completed. The broadcaster did not say whether the actor is making a cameo or appearing in a minor supporting role. “Though the actor has joined ‘Insider,’ detailed information about Fan Bingbing’s role is yet to be revealed, as it is closely r

5.2% of Korean workers paid over 8 million won a month

Hanwha Defense, the South Korean manufacturer of the K9 self-propelled howitzer, plans to launch a forum of its user countries in April to share their experience in operating the artillery system, officials said Monday. The company will hold the inaugural session of the "K9 User Community" in Changwon, 400 kilometers south of Seoul -- the manufacturing hub for the weapons system currently run by six foreign countries, including Finland, Norway and Estonia. The company has sent out invi

President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for unvaccinated people to get Novavax Inc's vaccine, as the nation started administering fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines amid a surge in omicron infections. Moon made the remarks at a meeting with senior aides as the government is grappling with a new wave of infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. Starting Monday, health authorities began administering fourth doses of shots to high-risk groups, such as elderly people in nursing homes