Busan started its campaign Tuesday to host the Expo 2030 world fair at a virtual meeting convened by the organizing body Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Busan Metropolitan City said. Busan -- one of five cities including Rome, Moscow, Odessa and Riyadh to have submitted the bid -- was the first city to make its case online. The Busan mayor leading the Korean delegation proposed holding the fair under the theme: “The era of great change: Sailing toward a better future.”

No confirmed plans to go public yet, Dunamu CEO says

A powerful 4.9-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday afternoon struck the southwestern coast off Jeju Island, causing panic as it marked one of the strongest earthquakes in South Korea’s recent history. The Korea Meteorological Administration said in an emergency alert that the earthquake was observed 32 kilometers southwest of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, at 5:19 p.m. Tuesday. The epicenter is suspected to be 17 kilometers below sea level, with a latitude of 33.15N and a longitude of 126.24E, acco

As deaths and hospitalizations continue a record-breaking streak, the South Korean government says it has yet to decide if COVID-19 restrictions will be brought back. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson Son Young-rae told Tuesday’s news briefing that it “may need to evaluate” if reintroducing restrictions is necessary. He denied accusations that the government was “delaying restrictions,” explaining, economic implications also had to be taken

President Moon Jae-in, who is on a state visit to Australia, met with Australian businesspeople on Tuesday to discuss expanding cooperation in key minerals between the two countries. The meeting came a day after the Korean and Australian industry ministries signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the core mineral supply chain. It was attended by Simon Crean, the chair of the Australia-Korea Business Council, Ian Gandel, non-executive chairman of Australian Strategic Materials

South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug on Tuesday called on countries in the Asia-Pacific region to strengthen solidarity and cooperation to tackle various global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis.   　 His remarks came during the inaugural ceremony of the 29th annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum that kicked off for a three-day run from Monday to Wednesday. Under the theme of “The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening Re

South Korea’s KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo vowed to cooperate with ASEAN banks in achieving carbon neutrality at a leadership meeting of the UN-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance, the firm said Tuesday. “As a representative of Asia in this meeting, KB will focus on spreading and supporting net-zero initiatives in ASEAN nations where we have a vast network of businesses,” Yoon said at the NZBA Steering Group Principals Meeting held via video conference on Monday.

The education ministry on Tuesday promised to come up with measures to improve its plan to place cram schools under the government vaccine pass system amid strong opposition from students and parents, officials said. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae held a meeting with representatives of the Korea Association of Hakwon (KAOH), a cram school industry trade group, and agreed to present measures related to the vaccine pass expansion by the end of the year. Starting February, the government plans

Globally, more than 970 million people live with a mental health disorder, corresponding to more than 1 in 10 people. Mental health is a challenge that concerns all nations and a large part of the population in our modern society.  The 2021 World Happiness Report by the United Nations saw Denmark ranked second. However, in Denmark, which has a population of about one-tenth the size of Korea, with 5.8 million people, it is estimated that 8 percent of the population has depression and 25 per

Kazakhstan marked the 30th anniversary of its independence Monday commemorating the development, peace and prosperity it has achieved since then. Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union on Dec. 16 1991. Kazakhstan Ambassador Bakyt Dyussenbayev declared 2021 as significant year for Kazakhstan-Korean relations due to the state visit of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the first visit by a foreign head of state since beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The state visit

Police in Seoul were ordered to look into all pending stalking and sexual offense cases again to see if the victims are under sufficient protection, officials said Tuesday, after recent two deaths were blamed on failures to provide due police protection. The order, issued by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, came after criticism of police rose after a 26-year-old man, surnamed Lee, killed his former girlfriend's mother and seriously injured her younger brother at their home in southern Seou

A senior US diplomat in charge of economic and trade policy is scheduled to visit Seoul this week to discuss cooperation on supply chain, technology, healthcare and other sectors, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Jose W. Fernandez, US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, plans to arrive here on Wednesday for a three-day visit after travelling to Tokyo. It is his first regional trip since taking office in August. During his stay in South Korea, Fernande

South Korean stocks retreated for a third consecutive session Tuesday as investors took to the sidelines ahead of a meeting of the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 31.71 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 2,987.95 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 566 million shares worth some 9.2 trillion won (US$7.8 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 574 to 284. Foreigners