From COVID-19 frontline nurses to expat TikToker, 10 people from diverse walks of life share their thoughts and wishes for the new year

Naver and Kakao -- Korea’s two largest online service providers -- are prompting financial companies to better meet fintech needs and regulators to write rules that are fair to both of them. Naver Financial, a key Naver fintech subsidiary, started offering loans last year to small businesses with Woori Bank. The Naver Financial CEO said last month that he was considering seeking a permit to oversee more banking services to issue insurance and credit cards. Meanwhile, Kakao Pay, a mo

NFT market likely to reach new high, driven by clothes and fan merchandise this year, experts say

After winning the John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished children’s book in 2020 with “When You Trap a Tiger,” author Tae Keller said the book was inspired by a folktale that her Korean grandmother used to tell her. The Korean folktale she was referring to was “The Sun and the Moon” that centers on two siblings and a tiger. Keller’s storybook also includes a tiger from a Korean folklore which appeared at a grandmother’s house to find something t

Minor opposition candidate Ahn proposes expanding basic living subsidies for low-income families by abolishing ‘obligatory provider policy’

Pyongyang’s silence on S. Korea, US could indicate its agony, internal difficulties

South Korea-based exhibitors are headed for CES 2022 in Las Vegas to showcase new technology in line with the global drive to cut carbon emissions and the urge to adapt to the new normal. Artificial intelligence-based solutions for chips and batteries, and nickel-rich batteries will show paths to reducing carbon footprints, while virtual reality-inspired mobility solutions are also expected to take center stage at what is considered the world’s largest electronics show. On Sunday, SK T

From ground to sky, and at home, robots have permeated into daily lives; Korean tech firms -- both small and big -- are betting on this fast-emerging market this year

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said Sunday it plans to unveil the world’s first gaming monitor with both a 4K resolution and a 240 Hz refresh rate display at the upcoming CES 2022. Thus far, gaming monitors with ultrahigh definition -- having the resolution of 3,840 pixels wide and 2,160 pixels high -- have shown a latency of up to 144 Hz display. With the new 32-inch monitor, dubbed Odyssey Neo G8, Samsung Electronics is expected to show off the technology with the unprec

South Korea’s military said Sunday that an unidentified person crossed the eastern inter-Korean border into North Korea. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said an individual was spotted crossing the Military Demarcation Line at around 9:20 p.m. Saturday, through surveillance equipment installed in the border region. The JCS added it confirmed the person crossed the border at 10:40 p.m., some 80 minutes after the military immediately deployed its unit to locate the person. The J

South Korea's initial public offering (IPO) market is expected to have another bumper year in 2022 as a slew of companies, including battery maker LG Energy Solution, are planning for stock market debuts, analysts said Sunday. The amount of money raised via IPOs on the main and tech-heavy stock markets reached a record high of 20.8 trillion won ($17.5 billion) last year, according to industry data. As more firms are preparing to go public with an aim of attracting more than 1 trillion won via

Proof of vaccination required for access to multiuse facilities will be valid only for six months after the primary series or booster doses starting Monday, health authorities said as they seek to stem the latest upsurge in virus cases. Under the tightened measure, those who completed the primary series on July 6 last year or before will not be allowed to use those facilities starting Monday if they are not administered with a booster shot, officials said. The so-called vaccine pass is require

The state human rights watchdog has rejected a petition accusing the government of a human rights violation over its decision to revoke the license of an anti-North Korea group of defectors for sending propaganda leaflets across the border, sources said Sunday. The petition was filed with the National Human Rights Commission in June last year after the unification ministry decided to revoke the license of Fighters for a Free North Korea and to file a criminal complaint against its head, Park Sa

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the mausoleum of his late grandfather and father in his first reported public activity this year, Pyongyang's state media said Sunday. Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of state founder and his grandfather Kim Il-sung and his father, Kim Jong-il, are enshrined, on the occasion of the start of the new year, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The visit to the mausoleum came after he unveiled this ye