As operator of state-funded project, Korea Bio bolsters cooperation among bio firms, research institutes and investors

S.Korea and US to discuss on a new operational war plan against N.Korea

A Canadian virtual real estate company Metaverse Group, a subsidiary of investment firm Tokens.com, bought a virtual land in a metaverse platform called Decentraland for $2.4 million. Established in 2017, Decentraland is an online platform that deals with virtual assets in the form of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, based on the Ethereum blockchain. Avatars in the Decentraland can earn money by embarking on speculative investment, hosting exhibitions, and conducting advertisement campai

An independent music label under Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind boy band BTS, announced a plan Wednesday to hold its first global audition aimed at launching next-generation boy bands and girl groups. According to All Doors One Room (ADOR), anyone born between 2002 and 2010 can apply for an audition from Wednesday to Jan. 10, regardless of their nationality and country of residence. Since the audition is set to take place online, applicants are required to submit applications along with t

DAEJEON -- Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for a man charged with raping and killing the 20-month-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend. The 29-year-old man, surnamed Yang, allegedly killed the baby girl for not stopping crying on the night of June 15 by covering her with a blanket and punching and stomping on her for about an hour while drunk at his home in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul. He was also charged with raping the toddler before beating her to deat

South Korea could make "big adjustments" to its virus prevention measures if the number of omicron coronavirus variant cases spike in the country, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. "We discussed such an issue during a special virus response meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in on Nov. 29," Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for communication, told a YouTube channel of a local news outlet. "We have completed our review (on the issue).&q

R&B singer Bumkey made his Japan debut Wednesday with the release of the single “Attraction (Japanese Remix),” a collaboration with popular Japanese rapper Miyachi as a featured artist. The musician’s single was released on Japanese music streaming platforms at midnight, while it became available on local online music sites at noon. The new single is a remix version of “Attraction,” featuring Korean hip-hop act Dynamic Duo, which was released in August 2013. I

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday lauded the cooperative movement's role in promoting social responsibility on a range of issues, including environment and society. "The spirit of corporate federations, which has become an important axis of the global economy, must become a value of our society and the world," Moon said at the opening ceremony of the 33rd World Cooperative Congress. Moon said the competitiveness of coexistence and cooperation will be strengthened when socially res

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) said Wednesday it has bagged orders worth a combined 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion) to build six liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. Under the deals with two companies in North America, the 174,000-cubic meter LNG carriers will be delivered by the second half of 2025, DSME said. DSME has won orders worth $10.44 billion so far this year, far exceeding its annual order target of $7.7 billion. With the latest deals, DSME's annual orders

　A police officer accused of fleeing a crime scene and leaving two victims alone with a knife-wielding attacker in Incheon last month has been dismissed, police said Wednesday. 　The punishment, decided at a disciplinary committee held a day earlier, is the second most severe that can be handed down to a public servant, after removal with pension stripped from the person. 　The fired officer was a 20-something woman with about six months on the job. She was dispatched to the scene on Nov. 15 al

The average life expectancy of South Korean babies born last year reached 83.5 years, more than seven years longer than two decades ago, data showed Wednesday, amid improved public awareness about health and a better medical system. The average life expectancy at birth in 2020 was 2.4 months longer than a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Compared with 10 and 20 years ago, the average life expectancy became 3.2 years and 7.5 years longer, respectively. The read

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday that its secretary general Shin Bong-sam has been elected as a bureau member of the OECD’s Competition Committee. According to OECD, major objective of OECD Competition Committee is to inform and encourage senior regulators and antitrust enforcers to act consistently on enforcement of competition laws.  The committee is comprised of representatives from 16 member countries which lead the enforcement of competition laws. A tot

National security adviser Suh Hoon will visit China this week to meet with Beijing's top diplomat, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, as Seoul pushes to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War. Suh will visit the northeastern port city of Tianjin on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi, the presidential office said. The two plan to meet Thursday and "exchange opinions on issues of mutual concern, such as South Korea-China rel