An absolute majority of bond mavens in South Korea predict the country's central bank to raise its key interest for November in an effort to curb rising inflation and household debt, a poll showed Tuesday. According to the survey of 100 bond experts by the Korea Financial Investment Association, 90 of the respondents forecast the Bank of Korea (BOK) to jack up its policy rate at a rate-setting meeting slated for Thursday. The number of experts expecting a rate increase was up from 13 percent r

A first shipment of urea is set to arrive in South Korea from China later Tuesday, which is expected to help address a supply crunch of urea solution, a key fluid needed in diesel cars to cut emissions. A ship carrying 300 tons of urea will arrive in the southeastern city of Ulsan around 9 p.m. Tuesday after leaving from the Chinese eastern city of Tianjin on Saturday, officials said. The government said it plans to accelerate necessary procedures to enable the urea to be used to produce urea

More than 1 in 6 South Korean married women suffered a career break this year as they quit their jobs due to child rearing and getting married, data showed Tuesday. The number of women aged 15-54 who have stopped working after marriage reached 1.45 million in April, down 3.8 percent, or 57,000, from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. Such women accounted for 17.4 percent of the total 8.32 million married women, down from 17.6 percent a year earlier. The 2021 tally

North Korea has opened a nationwide computer programming competition aimed at cultivating talents to lead the country's information and technology development, a propaganda outlet said Tuesday. A semifinal for the competition, organized by the Kimchaek University of Technology, took place between Nov. 5-15, with the final match slated to kick off Friday for an 11-day run, according to DPRK Today. In an interview with it, the university's vice president said around 1,240 participants, ranging

The South Korean fantasy horror "Hellbound" has regained the global No. 1 position on Netflix's popular TV show rankings. According to data released by streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol on Monday (US time), "Hellbound" rose one notch to top the list of the most-watched Netflix TV shows, replacing the former No. 1 "Arcane," an animated series based on the online battle game "League of Legends." The Korean-language show debuted No. 1 on the day after its

The Seoul city government will co-host a virtual international conference with UN-Habitat next week to explore ways to protect heritage sites in large cities, officials said Tuesday. The webinar, titled "Heritage and Metropolis," will bring together city and heritage management experts from more than 30 cities in 15 nations for two days of discussions on Dec. 1 and 2, city officials said. Other participating cities include Shanghai, Milano, Delhi, Istanbul and New York. On the firs

After BTS won the artist of the year, considered the top honor, at the American Music Awards (AMAs), beating out big names like Ariana Grande, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, all eyes are now on the South Korean group's next challenge -- the Grammy Awards. Will a gramophone-shaped trophy be an added jewel for the K-pop megastar who has bagged two of the three largest music awards in the United States this year? BTS won artist of the year, favorite pop duo or group and favor

Temperatures fell by over 10 degrees to below zero in many parts of the country Tuesday morning, with snow falling in many regions as well, the state weather agency said. The mercury had dropped to minus 3.7 C in Seoul as of 7:30 a.m., the lowest this fall, and below minus 5 C in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital and mountainous areas of the northeastern Gangwon Province, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Morning lows dipped below ze

South Korea's military reported 10 additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,203. An officer of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command based in Seoul tested positive after developing symptoms. A civilian employee of the Air Force stationed in Osan, 55 kilometers south of Seoul, and an Army officer in the central city of Daejeon were also confirmed to have contracted the virus after exhibiting symptoms. An Army officer stationed in Pocheon, 46

Military strongman who ordered Gwangju massacre will not be buried in National Cemetery; Cheong Wa Dae will not offer condolences

  South Korean carmakers’ sales fell 22 percent last month from a year earlier as an extended global chip shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to weigh on vehicle production and sales, industry data showed. The country’s five carmakers - Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and SsangYong Motor - sold a combined 548,192 vehicles in October, down from 705,047 units a year ago, according to data from the companies. Their domestic sales declined 21 percent

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has ruled out the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle in the final months of the current administration amid rumors some Cabinet members could quit to run in next year's local elections. "It makes no sense," Kim said during his press meeting Monday in the central city of Sejong. "There are only six months left of this government's term, so how can we do a reshuffle?" Rumors have been circulating recently that Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki may run