Just two weeks after South Korea began an official return to normal, a bed shortage is looming, prompting the government to organize an emergency meeting with hospitals. But even as hospitals scramble to make room for COVID-19 patients, the government is intent on keeping the country open, pursuing instead policies to boost travel and spending. Senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday morning held an emergency teleconference with directors of hospitals in Seoul and n

SEJONG -- South Korea looks set to keep its undesirable No. 1 position in the pay gap between male and female employees in 2020 among the 38 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. According to the organization, Korea posted 31.5 percent in the gender wage gap last year. This means that women earned 31.5 percent less than men on average, a gap that is likely to surpass those of other members, based on previous years’ data. According to the OECD’s def

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor sports facilities and counseling centers have enjoyed a business boom, while internet cafes and karaoke rooms struggled, fresh data shows.  According to Shinhan Card’s Big Data Lab on Tuesday, which analyzed new business openings in the January-September period in 2020 and 2021, tennis courts and outdoor golf courses saw a jump of 174 percent and 131 percent, respectively, during the nine-month period.  Golf has enjoyed expl

DAEGU - Come November, parents who have children taking the Suneung, or college scholastic aptitude test, flock to Palgongsan. While the mountain in Daegu attracts many hikers year-round for its splendid views -- carpeted with azaleas in the spring, vibrant green leaves in the summer, colorful fall foliage and the delicate winter snowscape -- Palgongsan draws pilgrims to its Gatbawi, a seated stone Buddha at one of the mountain peaks that is believed to have the power to make wishes and prayers

The chief of the state watchdog on personal information protection has apologized for the recent leak of personal information of 181 petitioners involved in a Facebook personal data breach case. The Personal Information Protection Commission mistakenly sent the personal information of all 181 petitioners to 19 of them earlier this month. The commission has been arbitrating between the petitioners and Facebook over the social networking service's unauthorized leak of their personal data. "

Samsung Electronics Co. appears to be moving closer to making a final decision on the site for its new chip fabrication plant in the United States, as global semiconductor companies have engaged in increasingly fierce competition amid a global chip crunch. The South Korean tech giant was found to have withdrawn its application filed in January with Manor Independent School District (ISD) in Travis County, Texas, for corporate tax incentives regarding its new chip plant, the Texas comptroller's

CrucialTec, once famed for its optical trackpad for BlackBerry, is venturing into the sizzling electric vehicle market, with a no-contact painting technology. Called the “Vacuum Steam Solution (VSS)” transfer technology, the Pangyo-based firm’s new expertise is about painting the surface of electric devices like smartphone cases, home appliances, as well as the interior and exterior materials of automobiles. By applying heat and pressure to ink-coated films in a manner that

South Korean stocks inched down Tuesday as investors digest the results of video talks between the presidents of the United States and China. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 2.31 points, or 0.08 percent, to close at 2,997.21 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 567 million shares worth some 10.5 trillion won ($8.9 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 547 to 304. Foreigners bought a net 241 billion won, wh

Korea Gas Corp. was born in the aftermath of the global oil crises of the 1970s, with a mission to lead a fuel transition to natural gas. Nearly four decades later, the company is being asked to step up, as South Korea plans another grand energy transition to hydrogen. “In the aftermath of the global oil crisis, Korea decided to switch its national fuel to natural gas and formed Kogas (in 1983). Since then, Kogas led the natural gas transition and experienced every step along the way,&

Twenty-six people have been apprehended on charges of smuggling illegal drugs from Southeast Asia and distributing them across the country, police said Tuesday. Police also caught 45 others who purchased drugs from the dealers of a drug trafficking ring. Of the total of 71 suspects, 22 were formally arrested. The dealers were found to have smuggled methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids and other narcotics from unidentified Southeast Asian countries from May last year to August by hiding them

SK Inc., the holding company of South Korea's No. 3 conglomerate SK Group, said Tuesday it is in the final talks to invest in a US gene therapy company, in its latest move to expand its foothold in global biopharmaceuticals.  SK said it plans to sign a formal deal soon with the Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM), a Philadelphia-based contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO), before the end of this year. Details on the terms of the investment were not available. With

A proposed conversion of industrial-use urea or urea solution into vehicle-use solution is impossible right now, a state-run laboratory said Tuesday, dashing hopes for an early end to the nation's acute shortage of the chemical compound. The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) under the Ministry of Environment said it has tentatively concluded it is difficult to convert industrial urea or urea solution for use by diesel-fueled vehicles to cut emissions. South Korea has been mak