Global fandom platform Weverse saw the biggest number of daily visitors this year on Aug. 3, when girl group Blackpink launched its community, according to Weverse’s Fandom Trend report released Thursday. Weverse, the online fan community operated by K-pop powerhouse Hybe, released the annual report, wrapping up the year’s significant trends inside the mobile fandom platform. The report also showed that Blackpink’s fandom, known as Blink, grew the fastest, with over 1 million

President Moon Jae-in visited a front-line military unit on a western border island on Thursday and hailed Marines there for their hard work, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon flew by helicopter to Baengnyeong Island near the western sea border with North Korea and began his visit by paying his respects at a memorial dedicated to the 46 sailors killed in the North's sinking of the Cheonan corvette in 2010, his spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said in a written briefing. Moon then visited the headquarters o

  Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's national flag carrier, said Thursday it will secure 557.8 billion won ($470 million) through a property sale as part of its efforts to improve its financial status amid a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, Korean Air will sign a deal to sell its land and building at Songhyeon-dong in central Seoul to the public housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp., the company said in a regulatory filing. LH will exchange the Songhyeon-dong site with

South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook on Thursday emphasized the need for close defense cooperation with China and Japan to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the region, the defense ministry said. "While the alliance between South Korea and the United States remains strong, I think (Seoul should) closely cooperate and get along with neighboring China," Suh said during a lecture in Singapore.  China can play a key role in the denuclearization of the Kore

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook held talks with his Singaporean counterpart Thursday to discuss regional security cooperation, including joint efforts to fight terrorism, his office said. The talks between Suh and Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen came on the second day of his three-day trip to Singapore, a key partner for Seoul's New Southern Policy aimed at deepening ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Suh was on an overseas trip that also took him to Guam a

  Tomorrow X Together surprised fans with the group’s first carol, “Sweet Dreams,” Thursday.   　 The band gave just three hours’ prior notice in announcing the song’s release. The news came with an image that showed the five bandmates, each as a stamp, with a Christmas tree.   　 In the R&B-based tune featuring melodic piano sounds, they wish everyone a warm Christmas despite the challenging time, with only good things in the future.  

The head of a local carmakers’ association said Thursday that the country’s finished carmakers would enter the certified used car market here starting next month, despite resistance from small businesses. Jung Man-ki, chairman of the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, said that local carmakers will no longer wait and will prepare to register for business licenses and establish physical spaces to launch their B2C secondhand car businesses.  “Although there is no

Though the resurgence of coronavirus infections and the spread of the omicron variant have been threatening the industry, next year‘s lineup of classical music performances is already being announced, packed with concerts previously delayed due to the pandemic as well as big names returning to Korea after several years. The concert schedule announced by classical music production company Vincero comprises 15 performances between March 17 and Dec. 8. While most of the concerts are schedu

Arte Museum Gangneung, the largest immersive media art museum in Gangwon Province, opened on Thursday with the theme “Eternal Nature,” presenting 10 media art displays that feature impactful visuals, sensuous sounds and fragrances offering an immersive art experience. The 4,600-square-meter museum is located in Gangneung and is the third immersive museum founded by d’strict, following Art Museum Jeju, which opened in September 2020, and Arte Museum Yeosu, which opened in Augu

US likely ‘playing along’ as Pyongyang not ready to play ball

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi faces a long transition to a bullish rally, during which investors will have to navigate uncertainties complicated by supply bottlenecks, a rate hike and a presidential election, according to Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Goldman Sachs cut the Kospi target to 3,350 from 3,700, changing its view on Korean shares from “overweight” to “marketweight,” saying it would be hard to expect market-beating corporate earnings again next year.

Ham Young-joo (left), vice chairman of Hana Financial Group, congratulates Hong Hwa-jin, leader of the data & investment division at Hana Bank, who led the first 33 participants for the last six months in the group’s program designed to nurture women leaders.