The government decided Friday to extend current social distancing rules for two more weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the country struggles to contain the omicron variant. "Slowing the pace of the omicron's spread, which is heading to its peak day after day, is a priority in this difficult circumstance where we cannot accurately estimate the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday period," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting. The government has been enforcing e

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party has tested positive for COVID-19, the party said Friday. Rep. Song Young-gil went into isolation Thursday after testing positive on a rapid antigen test. He then took a polymerase chain reaction test and got back the result Friday morning. "(Song) plans to strictly follow the guidelines of the health authorities," the DP said in a notice to reporters. The chairman has canceled his public schedule for Friday. (Yonhap)

South Korea's consumer prices rose more than 3 percent for the fourth consecutive month in January due mainly to high prices of oil products and dining out amid soaring energy prices and a global supply chain crisis, data showed Friday. The consumer prices advanced 3.6 percent on-year last month, compared with a 3.7 percent gain in December, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The country's consumer inflation has increased more than 3 percent every month since October last year

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to congratulate China on the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, highlighting the "invincible strategic relations" between the two countries, Pyongyang's state media reported. An opening ceremony for the Feb. 4-20 competition was to be held in the Chinese capital later in the day, although North Korea is not taking part in the Winter Games following the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s

If you finished watching Netflix’s “All of Us Are Dead” and still feel like you need more, drop by the series’ pop-up zone at Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam in Banpo-dong this weekend. The pop-up zone, which runs until Sunday, is inspired by the 12-part series that was released on Jan. 28. The zone is open from noon to 9 p.m.  Since most of the Netflix show is filmed in a high school, the zone has many photo spots that feature a school theme. One of the most po

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket prices vary by age. Updates can be found at www.eworld.kr. Yangju Snow Festival The Yangju Snow Fes

InterContinental Seoul COEX launches Valentine’s Day package InterContinental Seoul COEX presents the “Sparkling Love Diary“ package, which comes with a necklace gift for couples to celebrate Valentine’s Day. In collaboration with Swarovski, the package includes a one-night stay in the Classic Room, a Swarovski necklace, a bottle of rose wine, and an Instax camera rental service for visitors to document their memories. Guests can enjoy a breakfast buffet for two, prep

The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Korea) Opened Jan. 26 Action, Comedy Directed by Kim Jung-hoon Set in the Joseon era, pirate captain Hye-rang (Han Hyo-joo) and her crew go on a journey to look for hidden treasures of the Goryeo Kingdom that no longer exist. Troublemaking swordsman Muchi (Kang Ha-neul) and his followers also decide to join them. However, on their way, they are met with all sorts of adversities.  Kingmaker (Korea) Opened Jan. 26 Drama Directed by Byun Sung-hyun Oppositi

The fight against global warming is rapidly moving into the courtrooms. In the past few years, in landmark cases in the Netherlands, Germany and France, courts have agreed that state and corporate entities have a duty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and demanded they adopt more aggressive policies. A Dutch court, for example, ordered the government to reduce emissions to 25 percent below 1990s levels, forcing it to go beyond its proposed goal of 17 percent. These rulings mark an encouraging