Lee Seok-ki, a former left-wing lawmaker who was imprisoned for plotting a rebellion against the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea, was released on parole Friday. Lee was released from a detention center in Daejeon with an ankle bracelet that allows officers to monitor offenders on parole. Previously, Lee refused to wear the ankle bracelet. Upon his release, Lee criticized the government’s announcement that came earlier in the day, which granted a special pardon

A special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, has sparked a wide range of responses in South Korea’s political circles. The ruling Democratic Party appeared largely to respect the president’s decision, while lawmakers from the opposition parties voiced different opinions, mostly raising doubts about the special pardon. Democratic Party Chairman Song Young-gil announced that the party “honors” the president&rsquo

Lee says he will adopt a hybrid system of conscript and volunteer military if elected

Suga, a member of K-pop superband BTS, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his management agency said Friday. Suga was confirmed to have the virus in a polymerase chain reaction test after arriving in Seoul from the United States on Thursday, according to Big Hit Music. "Suga received his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in late August," it said. "He has no special symptoms and is staying at home in accordance with the guidelines of the quarantine authorities." T

Shinhan Financial Group, one of the four banking giants in the country, has named a former IBM managing director as its digital chief officer to accelerate a push to expand its digital services. Kim Myoung-hee, who spent the last 23 years developing digital operations at IBM before joining SK telecom to oversee digital efforts at the country’s largest mobile carrier, is considered one of the leading women experts on digital transformation. Kim was the first senior women chief to lead the

　Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean star Son Heung-min has been named the country’s top athlete for the fifth straight year in a national poll. 　Gallup Korea announced the findings of its annual survey on athletes. In a poll of 1,700 South Koreans over the age of 13 from Nov. 5 to 28, Son earned overwhelming support of 72.8 percent as the top South Korean athlete for 2021. 　Respondents could select up to two athletes. 　Son has developed into one of the Premier League’s most d

The South Korean stock market continued its winning streak to a fourth session Friday amid eased concerns over the impact of the omicron variant on the global economy. The local currency gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 14.26 points, or 0.48 percent, to 3,012.43 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 530 million shares worth some 8.4 trillion won ($7.7 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 602 to 228. Foreigners bough

South Korean budget carrier Air Premia Co. said Friday it has opened its first international cargo flight to Singapore to focus on the cargo business amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Premia plans to operate the Incheon-Singapore route every Friday at 8:30 p.m. The company said it will consider starting passenger flights to Singapore depending on the COVID-19 pandemic. It also plans to review whether to operate cargo flights to Vietnam next month. Air Premia's Boeing 787-9 jet is a medium-size

After a forgettable one-season stint in the majors, South Korean left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong is back with the Kia Tigers. The Tigers announced on Friday they have brought back their franchise icon on a four-year contract worth up to 10.3 billion won ($8.7 million). The 33-year-old pitcher will earn 2.5 billion won in total salary, 3 billion won in signing bonus, and a maximum 4.8 billion won in incentives. Yang spent the first 14 seasons of his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career with the

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday its memory chip complex in the Chinese city of Xi'an went into an emergency mode as the Chinese authorities enforced a lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The South Korean tech giant said the emergency measure has not affected production, as it has been fully utilizing factory workers living in the company's dormitory. "The factory is currently fully operational," a company's official said, adding "We are closely watching the devel

Naver builds smart hospitals while Kakao uses AI to develop new drugs

Amazon Prime Video, a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon, joined cross-industry group 8K Association earlier in December, Samsung Electronics said Friday. Samsung Electronics, one of the founding members of the 8K Association, said in a statement that Amazon Prime Video’s entry raises the anticipations for the 8K ecosystem’s growth momentum, in addition to Google that joined the group in May this year. 8K refers to a set of high-performance standards that of