Despite some hiccups, the band is returning on Feb. 15 after a year away from music

From Thursday onward, Korea has begun its transition to the omicron response that entails a reduced governmental role in controlling the spread of the coronavirus and patient management, but a lot of the foretold changes are yet to be implemented in practice. Despite announcing that select primary care doctor offices would take on rapid antigen testing and both remote and in-person care of nonhospitalized patients, the list of clinics providing these services had not yet been disclosed as of

SEJONG -- The nation’s tax authority said Thursday that it has launched a full-fledged investigation into people engaging in irregular transfers of assets to their children. The action is aimed at turning up the heat on people, who sought to evade gift taxes by transferring their homes to children at prices lower than those on the trading market, according to the National Tax Service. Over the past several years, more and more homeowners were found to have chosen to give their homes to t

Han Kyung-rock of Crying Nut explores possibilities of online music fest transcending time, space and generations

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Thursday expressed deep disappointment and protested against Japan’s recent decision to seek a UNESCO World Heritage List designation for the gold mine on the island of Sado, which is associated with the wartime abuse of Korean laborers, in his first phone call with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi.  Their conversation came just days after the Japanese government on Tuesday decided to go ahead with the listing of the Sado min

Hanwha Defense announced Thursday that it will export the K9 self-propelled howitzer and other support vehicles to Egypt in a 2 trillion won ($1.6 billion) deal, the largest-ever supply deal for the locally-developed weapons system. Under the deal, the firm plans to supply the K9 howitzers, the K10 ammunition resupply vehicles and the K11 fire control vehicles. Technology transfer is also included in the deal for the local production of the K9. The firm said the first batch of K9 howitzers w

The South Korean government is seeking to establish a new office in a city along the China-North Korea border to facilitate inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, amid signs that the North may relax its pandemic border closure soon. 　 The South-North Korea Exchanges and Cooperation Support Association, which is run by the Unification Ministry, plans to open its first overseas bureau in a Chinese city near the border with North Korea, the ministry said Thursday. 　 “There are many private

Gangnam and Jonggak see biggest drop in passenger numbers amid working from home

Following a deadly landslide accident on Saturday, the industry is keenly focused on whether Sampyo Industry will become the first company to get punished under the new industry safety law that came into effect last week.  The accident occurred at Sampyo’s quarry in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday. All three missing workers who were making holes for demolition work were discovered dead this week.  Sampyo is the local manufacturer of con

More than two out of three Koreans in their 20s and 30s feel positive about plant-based meat alternatives and believe that they are better for the environment than animal meat, a survey showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by Shinsaege Food, 67.6 percent of 1,000 respondents aged between 20 and 39 said they feel good about consuming meat replacements. Some 71 percent said meat alternatives are necessary because they take up less land and water, and produce less greenhouse gas than

Celltrion USA, the US subsidiary of the Korean biotech firm, said Thursday it signed multiple deals to supply COVID-19 self-test kits worth 400 billion won ($330 million) in the US by the first quarter of this year. The latest deals involve some 10 government agencies and companies, including the Defense Logistics Agency and the e-commerce giant Amazon. Two kinds of test packs will be supplied: DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Home Test and DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test, both developed in partnership

The daily COVID-19 tally in Seoul has surpassed 5,000 for the first time, setting an all-time high for the second consecutive day, officials said Thursday. The Seoul city government reported 5,218 new cases Wednesday, up 1,009 from the previous high of 4,209 tallied the previous day. The latest tally was 1,789 higher than 3,429 recorded a week ago. Of the total, only 27 were cases of travelers from abroad. The proportion of omicron variant among new weekly infections rose to 60.5 percent la

South Korea’s central bank said Thursday that the global market was relatively stable during the three-day Lunar New Year holiday this week, but external risks remain high on the Korean market. “During the Lunar New Year holiday, which took place this year from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, stocks and rates in major economies rose, alongside a weak dollar trend, due to easing of the global risk-avoidance tendencies,” BOK Senior Deputy Gov. Lee Seung-heon said after a meeting to review th