Flu comparisons misleading, omicron likely as severe as original Wuhan virus

Rozy, the first virtual social media influencer in South Korea, is set to make a debut as a singer this month, according to Sidus Studio X Friday. Rozy’s debut song will be produced by Vanilla acoustic’s Jung Jae-won, who has worked with artists such as Bolbbalgan4, while Music Vine is participating in the project as a production company. Sidus Studio X, which produced the virtual human based on AI, hinted that Rozy’s debut song will feature a warm melody and the virtual in

SEJONG -- Economic and financial policymakers are considering allowing self-employed people to roll over their debt as part of efforts to minimize insolvency amid the ongoing pandemic. The action comes during the meeting of chiefs from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Supervisory Service and the Bank of Korea on Friday. They will finalize their decision by next month whether to offer a debt rollover to the self-employed and microbusiness own

A twenty-eight-year old surnamed Lee has been watching Netflix‘s “Single’s Inferno” and Tving’s “Transit Love” over the past month, despite the many controversies surrounding the hit dating shows. “Seeing men and women in such ideal conditions, in exotic places, and, what’s best, without a mask, somehow gives me a sense of excitement and energy,” said Lee who works at a data analysis management company in Seoul. Lee has not dated an

Renault Samsung Motors said Friday that Renault Group has named Stephane Deblaise, the former vehicle program director at the French headquarters, as a new chief to lead the Korean business.  The 49-year-old who served Renault’s advanced project and cross-car line program director until recently will assume the new role from March 1.  Deblaise is joining the Korean unit as the first CEO with an engineering background. He also served as Renault’s chief engineer to oversee

South Korea’s top four major banking groups -- KB, Shinhan, Hana and Woori -- saw their combined earnings last year hit a record high, largely buoyed by robust interest and commission income. According to their separate regulatory filings, the total net profit of the firms soared 34.5 percent on-year to 14.5 trillion ($12 billion) last year, eclipsing the previous record of 10.8 trillion won in 2020. KB Financial Group outpaced rivals in terms of net profit. Its net increased 27.6 perc

McDonald’s Korea announced Thursday it will raise prices of some 30 food items by an average of 2.8 percent starting from Feb. 17, in line with other fast food chains that have carried out price hikes recently. Under the new scheme, the price of the Bulgogi Burger will increase from 2,200 won to 2,300 won ($1.84 to $1.92), while a small Americano coffee will be priced at 1,900 won, up from 1,700 won. Other popular combo meals are also expected to see increases of 200 won to 300 won. 

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday Kia Motors has topped JD Power’s reliability study for the first time, outpacing all rivals in the mass-market and premium segments.  Kia ranked first in JD Power’s 2022 US Vehicle Dependability Study, while its bigger sister Hyundai Motor came third. Genesis, which has become an independent luxury brand, ranked fourth overall, topping the premium segment.  The second place was taken by GM’s Buick brand.  This year’s JD P

Despite record earnings, platform giant’s brand image remains dampened after a series of mishaps

While enjoying the global popularity of zombie thriller “All of Us Are Dead,” actor Cho Yi-hyun, who stars as the cool-headed Choi Nam-ra, did not hide her excitement for a possible season 2. “Amid the zombie apocalypse, new races of zombies -- immune and the immortal -- were born. … I think there can be a collision within the zombie races and maybe a more intense battle with the humans,” Cho said during an online press interview with the group of reporters on Thu

Bassist says it’s time for rock to come out from the underground and gain limelight

The Education Ministry has shared additional details to the guidelines of its new “normalcy attendance” scheme for the new semester, apparently taken aback by criticism of the plans. On Monday, the ministry had announced that schools would move to “normalcy” in attendance measures for the new semester. Under the new measure, schools can flexibly change their attendance policy based on a new four-stage plan suggested by the ministry. The new plan, however, has been met

After four years of hiatus, the quartet is releasing a new song and will film music video soon

Samsung Electronics said Friday its subsidiary Harman, the US automotive solutions maker, has acquired German auto tech startup Apostera to bolster its leadership in the burgeoning connected car technology market. With the latest deal, Harman aims to further diversity its automotive product offerings using Apostera’s specialty in augmented reality and mixed reality software solutions. Established in 2017, the Munich-based Apostera supplies AR solutions for automotive head-up displays a