The United States' recent restriction on South Korean chipmaker SK hynix's plan to bring advanced equipment to a Chinese factory was made out of "legitimate concerns," and more such moves could be possible, Washington's top trade official has said.    US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai made the remarks in her recent radio interview with CBS, a Seoul-based broadcaster, which aired on Monday. She visited South Korea for a four-day run from Thursday.    &q

South Korea and Japan held working-level diplomatic talks in Seoul on Monday amid a renewed spat over the former's easternmost islets of Dokdo. The talks between Lee Sang-ryol, the foreign ministry's director general for Asian and Pacific affairs, and his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, came after tensions resurfaced following Japan's protest over the recent visit to Dokdo by South Korea's police chief.    Lee said that Seoul can never accept any Japanese claim to Dokdo, a

As the frosty season is just around the corner, boy band SF9 hopped on the winter music craze by bringing out a song for chilly nights to warm listeners into a sensual mood. The group dropped the 10th EP, “Rumination,” nearly four months after the previous release to stake out an identity as performers on another level. In an online press conference Monday, the band said its 10th EP is a prequel to their “9lory” universe, which talks about the history of the nine ban

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