South Korea extended the ban on short-term travelers from 11 African countries for another four weeks on Wednesday in an effort to “prevent the omicron variant from entering the country.” But as cases rise elsewhere, the decision to single out Africa has left many Africans living in Korea angry. The measure to restrict entry from select African countries was first enacted in late November, soon after the omicron variant was first detected in South Africa. The Korea Disease Control a

  A total of 467 people affiliated with the US Forces Korea tested positive for the new coronavirus in the week ending Dec. 27, according to data from the US Forces Korea released Thursday.  The US military counted 457 cases among service members at its Osan base and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and 10 from overseas arrivals.  The weekly figure marks a steep rise from 75 cases reported in the previous week of Dec. 14-20. It was also the highest since Nov. 9.&

The year is at its end, but the problems that many had hoped to see the ends of still aren’t. At its start, the year was “supposed” to bring hope. Hope in the form of vaccines to end the pandemic. Hope in the form of the UN Climate Change Conference. Hope in the form of a new US administration and the changes its rise would set in motion. The reality, however, has fallen far short of the hopes. The new administration taking control in the US has led to little change in the

Lisa of Blackpink generated 300 million streams on Spotify with her solo song, “Money,” in 112 days, the shortest time for a K-pop solo musician, according to label YG Entertainment.   　 The song, which ranked No. 93 on Billboard’s Hot 100 when it came out, is from her solo debut album, “Lalisa.” It also topped iTunes’ top songs chart in 72 regions.   　 Last month, the performance video for “Money” surpassed 300 million views on YouTube

SEJONG -- Korean businesses, including those in the manufacturing and service industries, saw the index for their retail sales decline sharply last month despite brisk industrial output, state data showed Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki also commented on the weakening sentiment index over private consumption, picking negative factors like bolstered quarantine against the omicron variant of COVID-19. According to Statistics Korea, the nation’s retail sale

Winner of ‘Show Me The Money 10’ talks about winning hip-hop audition program, career and musical values

Anti-corruption agency chief claims checking phone logs of main opposition party lawmakers done via legitimate processes

Imported commercial car sales in South Korea surpassed 200,000 units again this year despite an automotive semiconductor shortage, an industry association said Thursday. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, imported commercial car sales for the January to November period this year increased 3.6 percent from the same period last year, selling a total of 252,242 units. The top selling brands were Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi being responsible for more than

The Fair Trade Commission Chairperson Joh Sung-wook discussed how to regulate online platform monopolies with Cedric O, French secretary of state for the digital transition and electronic communications, officials said Thursday. The two representatives found the need to revise the law and regulations to establish order in the digital market in response to tech giants abusing their market power and not allowing new players to enter the market. The FTC Chairperson Joh said the FTC is working on

Hyundai Motor Co. said Thursday it will suspend one of its seven domestic plants next month to prepare for the production of electric vehicles. Hyundai Motor will halt the Asan plant from Jan. 3-28 to upgrade the facilities before beginning production of EVs next year, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company plans to resume operations of the 300,000-unit-a-year Asan plant, which produces the Sonata sedan and the Santa Fe SUV, on Feb. 3. Hyundai has seven domestic plants -- five

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to dominate news in 2021, impacting all areas of life from the economy to politics. Hopes of vaccines ending the pandemic were quashed, and daily caseloads around the world soared to new highs. The year also saw an unexpected wave of Korean popular culture, surges in stock markets, deaths of old dictators and rise of new, and intensifying rivalries on the global stage. Here are The Korea Herald’s top 10 international and domestic news stories of the year.

Automaker struggles with next-generation model due to cost, lack of infrastructure

The South Korean stock market finished the final session of the year with lackluster trading Thursday as investors took to the sidelines amid a lack of market-moving events. The local currency gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 15.64 points, or 0.52 percent, to finish at 2,977.65. Trading volume was a bit slim at about 454.04 million shares worth 8.59 trillion won ($7.23 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 485 to 377. T

Despite the toughened social distancing rules, Korean action film “The Policeman’s Lineage,” directed by Lee Kyu-man, is set to be released Wednesday, with hopes of becoming a hit akin to “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Marvel ‘s latest Spider-Man film, which was released Dec. 15 here, has sold more than 5 million tickets, according to box office figures released by the Korean Film Council, setting a high mark for a film since the pandemic began. The charm of Lee