Once omicron explodes, Korea plans to choose opposite of lockdown

Samsung Electronics on Friday debuted its new Galaxy XCover Pro, a rugged smartphone that features a removable battery, a feature long gone in today’s smartphone market. The compact phone, priced at 275,000 won ($231.80), comes in black and white and features a 5.3-inch LCD display as well as a waterproof and dustproof body. The most distinctive feature is a 3,000 mAh replaceable battery that lasts long enough for all-day use and supports a quick charge rate of up to 15 watts. Upon its

An unfriendly letter that a high school girl wrote to a soldier in the mandatory military service surprised many this week, not only because of the letter's sarcastic tone but also due to the fact that the practice of having students send thank-you letters to troops still exists. In a nation facing a belligerent North Korea across the world's most heavily fortified border, writing letters to soldiers used to be a fixture for students in South Korea, especially elementary school pupils, when Col

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is leading his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol by 37 percent public support to 31 percent, a survey showed Friday. Lee's support rose 1 percentage point from last week, while Yoon's rose 5 points, according to the Gallup Korea survey conducted on 1,001 adults from Tuesday to Thursday. In third place was Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, at a record high 17 percent, up 2 percentage points from

South Korean stocks extended their losing streak to a second session Friday amid concerns about fast rate hikes at home and in the United States. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) declined 40.17 points, or 1.36 percent, to close at 2,921.92 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 523 million shares worth some 10.6 trillion won ($8.9 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 663 to 209. Institutions sold a net 600 billion w

North Korea fired an unidentified projectile eastward Friday, South Korea's military said, hours after it warned of a "stronger and certain" response following the United States' imposition of new sanctions. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the launch, the third in a little over a week, without elaborating further. Earlier in the day, Pyongyang issued the warning after Washington slapped the sanctions on six North Koreans involved in the regime's weapons of mass destruction

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is in search of a new owner again after a merger plan with its larger rival Hyundai Heavy Industries failed due to an EU veto on monopoly concerns. The European Commission announced Thursday its prohibition for the merger, claiming that the deal could reduce competition in the global LNG carrier market amid soaring energy prices. Back in 2019, Hyundai Heavy announced it would acquire a 55.7 percent stake in Daewoo Shipbuilding from its largest shar

SEJONG -- The Ministry of Economy and Finance has unveiled its policy to draw up a supplementary budget worth 14 trillion won ($11.7 billion), most of which will be used to support small business owners including the self-employed. Under constitutional government in Korea since 1948, this will mark the second time a supplementary budget bill has been submitted to the National Assembly in January. This first case was conducted in January 1951 during the inter-Korean War. In a news briefing at G

South Korea’s central bank on Friday raised its base rate by 25 basis points to 1.25 percent, returning it to the level before the pandemic started, with its chief hinting at additional hikes. As a result of its first rate-setting meeting of the year, the Bank of Korea’s monetary policy board delivered its third pandemic-era rate hike, following its previous 25 basis point rate hikes in August and November, respectively. The move in August ended more than a year of record-low inter

To ensure success, pop culture NFTs should come from titles with a solid fan base

Celltrion’s COVID-19 antibody treatment Regkirona has received temporary approval in Switzerland, the Korean biopharmaceutical company said Friday. Celltrion submitted the results from its global third-phase clinical trial and all clinical data on virus variants including the delta variant, according to the company. Swissmedic, which is responsible for the authorization and supervision of therapeutic products in Switzerland, gave the temporary nod Wednesday. The approval is for use Reg

A former US Forces Korea (USFK) chief said Friday that North Korea's recent self-proclaimed hypersonic missile launches, if true, can be a reason for South Korea and the United States to be "very concerned," citing the absence of "sure means" to counter them. Curtis Scaparrotti, who led the USFK from 2013-2016, made the remarks after Pyongyang claimed to have successfully test-fired hypersonic missiles on Jan. 5 and Tuesday. South Korea's military has assessed that the Nort

Kakao Entertainment released well-known author Cho Seok-ho’s new series “Call Sign” as both a web novel and a webtoon on Friday. “Call Sign,” one of the most anticipated projects of the first half of the year, revolves around a rookie firefighter who has the ability to save others’ lives by putting his own life at stake. “In our world, there are many people who put all of their passion and whole heart into saving other people’s lives. Similar to