Twice’s third studio album, “Formula of Love: O+T=<3,” landed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, according to the publication on Monday. 　 This marks the strongest record for the group whose previous EP, “Taste of Love,” entered the chart at No. 6 in June, and is the fourth-highest position for a K-pop act, following BTS, SuperM (both No. 1) and Blackpink (No. 2). 　 The nonet also became the first Korean girl group to have two albums among the Billboard 200’

For the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference -- or COP26 -- world leaders gathered for two weeks in Glasgow to check the progress of the nationally determined contributions and reaffirm their commitments for climate change transition. Although there are equivocal attitudes to its outcome and some unsatisfied groups, the global leaders in public and private sectors have made leaping progress if we recall how Kyoto Protocol rolled out in the end. The COP26 will be remembered as the most i

Renault Samsung Motors’ sport utility vehicle QM6 is becoming a popular choice for winter travel, as it offers a silent and convenient driving experience to drivers and leaves less of a carbon footprint, the company said Monday. The SUV, powered by gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas, has been the bestselling vehicle in its category. The gasoline-powered QM6 model first introduced in 2017 recorded top sales among midsized gasoline SUVs after just a year. Gas-powered SUVs were previously

Prices are rising for ramyeon, milk, and other everyday foods and drinks, as the pandemic has disrupted supply chains and pushed up the prices of agricultural goods. According to data from the Bank of Korea released Monday, consumer prices in the third quarter rose 2.6 percent from the same period last year. It was the steepest on-year increase in nine years, the institution said. First to feel the impact was South Korea’s No. 1 fried chicken franchise, Kyochon F&B. The company on

A government plan to expand cultural facilities to regional areas is making headway, after the decision for the so-called “Lee Kun-hee donation hall” to be established in Seoul caused an uproar among regional cities and lawmakers. Several proposals to secure the budget to launch additional venues of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, across the country will be discussed this week by the National Assembly’s budget settlement committee, according to mult

BTS indeed is the biggest boy band in history. The seven-member boy band on Monday bagged three trophies at this year’s American Music Awards, including the top prize -- the artist of the year. The 49th Annual AMAs was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. “Four years ago, we gave this first-time-ever TV live performance at this stage, AMAs, it was ‘DNA,’ and we were too excited and nervous at the time. And it’s been a long and amazing ride since then, bu

With an aim to gather Asian literary writers to discuss current and future agendas, the 2021 Asia Literature Forum is set to kick off Wednesday at the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju. Under the theme “Reading the lives and wounds in Asia,” the six-hour event will be held both at the location and through the ACC’s YouTube channel. Twelve writers from five countries will participate in the forum, with opening remarks by poet Kim Si-jong. Kim will talk about how language plays a

Localro, a popup store located in Seongsu-dong, a hip neighborhood in eastern Seoul with emerging artists and vibrant flea markets, displays local food products in neatly designed packaging. Since its opening on Nov. 16, the store has steadily attracted passersby who had no prior knowledge of the store, but ended up leaving with a handful of goods. The 13-day popup event is organized by the Korea Tourism Organization and run by Project Rent, an offline platform marketing company, with aims to

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said on Monday that he called on the US to begin talks on revising restrictions on steel imports from South Korea during last week‘s meeting with his US counterpart. “As the US has recently reached an agreement on or has begun negotiations with the European Union and Japan, we strongly conveyed (to the US) that they should begin talks with South Korea, their ally which is competing with the EU and Japan in the US market,” Yeo said in a press briefing

South Korean stocks rallied by some 1.5 percent Monday as a surge in chip heavyweights, such as Samsung Electronics, led the market gain. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 42.23 points, or 1.42 percent, to close at 3,013.25 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 524 million shares worth some 12.8 trillion won ($10.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 490 to 372. Foreigners bought a net 796 billion won and in

The Korea International Trade Association said Monday that it will bolster the monitoring of supply chains for key materials in close cooperation with government agencies and the trading units of conglomerates, amid the protracted urea solution supply crunch. According to a recent study by the trade lobby, South Korea is heavily dependent on single countries for its supplies of 3,911 materials, with China making up almost half the total. Over the past 10 months, Korea relied on imports from

The K-pop group takes home three trophies from the 2021 AMA, including the coveted Artist of the Year

Shares of South Korean semiconductor firms rose sharply Monday over market prospects on recovery of memory chip price on intensifying global race to adopt metaverse technology. Memory chips are a critical component in the metaverse, in which users interact with each other in digital worlds, which could offset the bearish forecast for memory chip prices.　 Samsung Electronics -- the tech giant with interests in semiconductors, electronic devices and handsets -- surged 5.2 percent Monday. Another