“Squid Game” was announced the winner of the breakthrough series’ long format category at the 2021 Gotham Awards on Tuesday. Five other TV series, including Amazon Studios’ “Small Axe” and HBO Max’s “It’s A Sin,” vied for the prize in the over 40-minute category at the annual US awards ceremony for lower-budget indie movies and TV series. The award ceremony took place on Tuesday in New York and “Squid Game” director Hwan

LOS ANGELES – Witnessing the emotional reunion of K-pop titans BTS with their fans in Los Angeles, it was clear that the two years apart left their bond not just completely unscathed, but stronger than ever. “I really wanted to say I missed you, and we know how hard things were for you, how thankful I am. In Korea, we didn’t have any fans and performed in front of the camera. I really shouldn’t feel this way, but the first time I saw you in two years, honestly it was a

The Indonesian Embassy has cohosted the Kriuk Cooking Competition to give South Koreans and local Indonesians a chance to demonstrate their skills with noodles. The competition is an example of how cooking can unite the minds and hearts of both Indonesians and South Koreans, the Indonesian Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Zelda Wulan Kartika said. The participants used instant noodles, a popular food among students in Indonesia and Korea, as the main ingredient. ASEAN Culture House Di

Dunamu, the operator of cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, said Tuesday that it has launched the beta version of its video chat metaverse platform, pushing the boundary between the real world and virtual reality. Metaverse refers to virtual communities that let users interact in real time. On 2ndblock, the metaverse platform, a video chat window automatically pops up when users’ avatars are close by, and users can see each other’s faces through webcams. They can also actively communic

HONORING SERVICE The Bulgaria Embassy in Seoul honors Jeong Jin-kyu, former ambassador of Korea to Bulgaria, with the Order of the Madara Horseman of the First Degree, the highest Bulgarian award conferred to foreign diplomats, at a reception at the embassy on Nov. 24. Bulgarian Ambassador to Korea Petko Draganov applauded Ambassador Jeong’s outstanding contribution to the development of bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Korea on behalf of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. (Bulgari

South Korea’s Shinhan Bank said Tuesday it has completed its review of its cross-border wiring and transfer technology for stablecoins, but remained cautious on its actual adoption. Stablecoins are a form of cryptocurrency designed to have a stable value tied to traditional government-backed currencies, or to a commodity such as gold, to dodge the volatilities that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have. “With the stablecoin transactions growing overseas, including JP Morgan&rsqu

A merger between SK Inc. and SK Materials has been completed to pave the way for a 5 trillion won ($4.2 billion) investment in key businesses including battery, chip and display materials, officials said Tuesday. “By 2025, SK Inc. will invest a total of 5.1 trillion won into four key sectors -- battery materials, power and compound semiconductors, semiconductor materials and displays,” a company official said. The core business SK Inc. will absorb from SK Materials is anodes, on

An attorney-turned-presidential candidate is under attack for having represented in court heinous murderers, including his nephew. What does a lawyer’s case history tell you about the person? Before entering politics, Lee Jae-myung was a lawyer – a human rights lawyer according to his own words. Now he is South Korean liberal faction’s presidential candidate. To reach the top office, he must beat conservative standard-bearer Yoon Seok-youl, who was until this March the count

Celltrion Healthcare to deliver 150,000 vials of Regkirona to Europe before year‘s end

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it rolled out an automotive semiconductor chip that delivers a fifth-generational network connectivity for in-vehicle infotainment services for the first time in the industry. The newly-launched telematics control unit for cars, Exynos Auto T5123, aims to provide essential information to a vehicle in real-time via high-speed download speeds of up to 5.1 gigabits per second. Samsung said the new auto chip will allow passengers to enjoy high-definition content st

The Australian state of Queensland marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of its office in Seoul with an official reception on Nov. 24. The reception was attended by Australian Ambassador to Korea Catherine Raper, the Gyeonggi provincial government ambassador, Kim Young-jun, and over 50 dignitaries and members of the local business community, at the Millennium Hilton Seoul.  Cameron Dick, Queensland’s treasurer and minister for trade and investment, said Korea and Queensla

South Korea and Britain have agreed to bolster bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence and 5G on the sidelines of a tech forum, Seoul's ICT ministry said Tuesday. Lee Tai-hee, South Korea's deputy minister for planning and coordination at the science and ICT ministry, held talks with Chris Philp, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in London on Monday (local time) as he visited the Future Tech Forum. During their meeting, Lee

Exports by South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have reached an all-time high this year amid a global economic recovery, government data showed Tuesday. As of Monday, local SMEs' overseas shipments exceeded the previous full-year record of $105.2 billion set in 2018, according to the data from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Korea Customs Service. Smaller companies' exports stood at $100.9 billion in 2019 and $100.7 billion last year. This year's SME exports accou

All 197 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended up coming to an agreement, the “Glasgow Climate Pact,” a day after two weeks of intensive negotiations over the course of the 26th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 26). Unlike before, forests have been included on the key agenda of the UN climate conference. At the World Leaders Summit “Action on Forests and Land Use” event, the “Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration” was