The Kia Tigers announced coach Kim Jong-kook will be the new manager of the South Korean baseball club Sunday. Kim signed a three-year contract for the post for a signing bonus of 300 million won ($253,000) and an annual salary of 250 million won. Kim is nicknamed the "Tigers' one club man," having played all of his 14 seasons with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team, starting in 1996. Mostly as a second baseman, he played 1,359 KBO games with a batting average of .247 and 6

South Korea will increase the number of electric vehicle chargers at highway service areas nationwide to over 1,000 by the end of 2022, the transport ministry said Sunday. Currently, there are 435 EV chargers at the country's highway rest stops. The government plans to increase the number to 730 by the end of this month and then add more than 300 chargers next year, it said in a press statement. The move is meant to help meet rising demand for EVs and the charging infrastructure, as the gover

K-pop superstar BTS' mega-hit single "Butter" has been selected as the Record of the Year by US magazine Variety, the label behind the group said Sunday. BTS won the award for its second English-language single "Butter" during Variety's Hitmakers event held in Los Angeles on Saturday (local time). "The song 'Butter' holds a special place in our heart," BTS said in a video speech. "We shared the song with everyone in hopes of lifting spirits, and the energy a

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 5,000 for the second straight day Sunday after hitting an all-time high a day earlier amid concerns over the spread of the omicron variant. The country added 5,128 new COVID-19 infections, including 5,104 local infections, raising the total caseload to 473,034, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections soared to a record high of 5,352 cases on Saturday, one day after health authorities announced stric

The head of South Korea's top financial regulator has said he will make continued efforts to bring household debt growth down to pre-pandemic levels, as fast increasing debt has emerged as a major risk that could threaten the country's economy. Koh Seung-beom, chief of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), still noted he will use some "flexibility" in managing the debt issue by taking into consideration economic, financial market situations and minimizing hurdles for people in actu

South Korea on Saturday reported suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu at a local egg farm.    The suspected cases of the avian influenza were discovered at an egg farm in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the government's avian influenza response headquarters.    Tests for the avian influenza are currently under way, and the results will be announced in up to three days, the headquarters said.    Highly pathogenic avian influenza is

The United States said Friday that it is keeping South Korea on its list of countries to be monitored for currency practices.    The US Treasury Department named 11 other countries, including China and Japan, on the monitoring list in its semiannual report to Congress.    It, however, said none of the countries were found to have purposefully intervened in currency markets for unfair gains.    "Pursuant to the 2015 Act, Treasury has also established a Monito

The Guro Industrial Complex, located in Guro-dong, southwestern Seoul, was once the heart of South Korea’s labor-intensive light industries back in the late 20th century.  The Guro Industrial Complex, established in 1965, was the first of its kind in South Korea. The district, which was relatively empty before, was soon filled up with manufacturing facilities and factory workers. The complex, which included textile manufacturing and other labor-intensive industries, continued to gro

The National School Non-Regular Workers’ Solidarity, consisting of non-regular school workers, went on a one-day general strike Thursday, demanding higher pay and an end to discrimination against non-regular workers. Without the workers to provide the usual cooked meals on plates, schools gave students prepacked lunches.  Elementary students at Ahyeon Elementary School sat down to lunches of bread, milk, chips and other processed foods, according to Yonhap News. More than 400 non-r

If you are hosting a dinner party, this Korean pork dish will definitely be delicious and memorable for your guests. Have a bossam party! You will love the taste and texture, and most of all, it’s fun dining together making bossam wraps with varying ingredients. What is bossam? Bossam is a popular Korean dish, consisting of boiled pork belly wrapped with napa cabbage leaves or lettuce, and served with dipping sauce. Traditionally a thick cut of pork belly is boiled in a slightly flavore

One of the most efficient uses of energy to heat our homes is right under our feet. Koreans have been staying warm for millennia by using a minimum amount of fuel to cook while warming the home at the same time. The “ondol,” an elevated indoor floor, is heated when fire used for cooking is simultaneously repurposed for heating the house. Thermal energy from fuel burned for cooking or warming the room is transferred upward as the heat rises from the underfloor, warming up the sto

Looking back on what we have consumed over the year could be one way to wrap up the year 2021, while preparing to make better choices in the new year. Whether an impulsive purchase or a considered decision, consumption patterns show what we desire and what cultural codes and trends are leading the society today. The pandemic challenges the once taken-for-granted in-person connections and communications. But this year also saw active communication between the market and businesses, leading to s

Lionel Messi, the legendary 34-year-old soccer player of Paris Saint-Germain, won his seventh Ballon d’Or on Monday. Presented by the news magazine France Football every year, the Ballon d’Or is given to the best soccer player of the year. Since the Ballon d’Or Awards did not take place last year due to the pandemic, Messi has won the trophy a second time consecutively. Messi won the Ballon d’Or for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and now 2021, becoming the soccer pl

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake occurred at 12:33 a.m. on Saturday in waters 16 kilometers northwest of Baengnyeong Island near the inter-Korean western border.    There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to properties, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).    The epicenter was located at a latitude of 38.02 degrees north and a longitude of 124.52 degrees east, while its depth was an estimated 20 km. (Yonhap)