Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), is likely to announce his resignation from the governorship next week, officials here said Friday. "Lee has decided to step down from the governor position on Oct. 25 and will soon tender his resignation to the provincial council chairman," an official with the Gyeonggi provincial government told Yonhap News Agency. Lee will work as the governor of the populous province surrounding Seo

The justice ministry on Friday ordered the military to drop its plan to challenge a court ruling that said it was unjust for the military to discharge a transgender soldier over her gender reassignment surgery. Justice Minister Park Beom-kye accepted a recommendation from an advising committee on administrative suits which reviewed the case of Byun Hee-soo. "The court's ruling is not intended to allow transgender people to serve in the military, but it's saying that the military's compul

  Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Friday met Turkey's top diplomat and vowed to bolster ties between the two countries, his office said. Kim welcomed Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Seoul and discussed ways to beef up their cooperation. In their meeting, Kim asked for Istanbul's support on South Korean firms so that they can expand their economic ties. They also touched on issues to increase personnel and cultural exchanges between the two nations. Cavusoglu responded th

Korean abstract artist Park Seo-bo was awarded South Korea’s highest cultural honor, the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, in a ceremony held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Friday. “Park has played a pivotal role in introducing Korean abstract art globally, pioneering ‘dansaekhwa’ art that represents Korean art today,“ the Culture Ministry said in the selection of Park for the honor. Park was previously the recipient of two other Order of Cultura

Seventeen put out its ninth EP, “Attacca,” on Friday, with its first English-language song “2 Minus 1” included among the seven tracks.   　 “It is a song that Joshua and I sang together,” explained Vernon. It is a digital-only track and was made in English “to express our gratitude toward our fans from around the world,” he said.   　 The two searched for the best genre to highlight their charms, and as per Vernon’s suggestion, cho

Literary critic Lee O-young, an important figure in the Korean cultural scene, was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit Geumgwan on Friday, alongside artist Park Seo-bo. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected 17 recipients of the cultural order, recognizing their contribution for the development of arts. Lee and Park recieved the Geumgwan Merit, the highest honor. Lee is a critic, writer and scholar who served as Korea’s first culture minister from 1990-91. He is curre

Netflix released two poster images for its original series, “Hellbound,” on Friday, drumming up excitement for the upcoming project. “Hellbound,” a fantasy thriller directed by Yeon Sang-ho, is an adaptation of an animation and webtoon of the same title. The series features supernatural events in which random people receive a text message saying they will be sent to hell. Supernatural beings like grim reapers deliver final judgment on people according to their past deed

Korean American actor Don Lee, better known as Ma Dong-seok in Korea, says that he will return to the cinema with a heartwarming Marvel film in “Eternals.” “The film centers around the people of different races from around the world getting together to form a new family. The audience will be drawn to the touching stories of the film,” Lee said during an online press conference with a group of reporters Friday morning. “It was a surprising experience to become fr

The chances of Korean teams facing each other in the semifinals -- or even in the finals -- of the League of Legends World Championships have increased, as the Korean teams qualified in their respective group stages. The eight teams that made the quarterfinals are: Damwon Kia, T1, Hanwha Life Esports and GenG Esports of Korea; Edward Gaming and Royal Never Give Up of China; Cloud9 from US and Mad Lions of Europe. Damwon Kia, T1, Royal Never Give Up and Gen.G Esports topped their sections in th

South Korean mobile payment app operator Kakao Pay has priced its initial public offering at 90,000 won ($76.60) per share, at the top end of its indicative price range of 60,000-90,000 won, the company said in a regulatory filing Friday. Kakao Pay, a 55:45 joint venture of internet giant Kakao Corp. and China’s Ant Group, wrapped up its book building on Thursday. While institutional investors placed their bids to obtain new shares for the IPO, a total of 1,545 domestic and overseas insti

The Samilro Changgo Theater, which is managed by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, is to run a three-week program in November for drama creators under the theme “Meetings and Hospitality.” Founded in 1975, the Samilro Changgo Theater in central Seoul was the first private small theater in Korea. Since 2018, it has been managed by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The “Changgo Opening” project, which runs Nov. 5

Some of the metal type blocks found in Insa-dong, central Seoul in June have been confirmed to be Gapinja, the oldest extant metal types from the Joseon era, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Friday. The National Palace Museum of Korea is to hold a special exhibition, “Encounter With the Brilliant Scientific Technology of Joseon Dynasty,” from Nov. 3, showcasing the metal type blocks to the public for the first time. In June, the Sudo Research Institute of Cult