South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Friday amid concerns about a debt crisis of Evergrande Group, a leading Chinese property developer. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) slipped 3.11 points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,004.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a weak start amid the uncertainties surrounding Evergrande, largely as the firm has to pay some $80 million worth of bond coupons by Saturday. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite added 0.62

Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea, has seen a sharp recovery in the number of inbound and outbound travelers over the past two months amid the country's push for a "Living with COVID-19" plan. According to Incheon International Airport Corp., the state-run operator of the airport, the number of international travelers departing or landing via Incheon jumped 44 percent, compared with a year earlier, to some 338,000 in August. It was the first monthly figur

South Korea's sensational survival drama "Squid Game" has been nominated in two categories at an annual US awards ceremony for lower-budget indie movies and TV series. According to the nominations of the 2021 Gotham Awards released Thursday (US time), "Squid Game," a Netflix original, was listed in the section of Breakthrough Series – Long Format (over 40 minutes), along with five other TV series, including Amazon Studios' "Small Axe" and HBO Max's "It's

A 2.4 magnitude earthquake struck South Korea's central region Friday morning, the state weather agency said. The earthquake occurred about 26 kilometers south of Jecheon, 168 km southeast of Seoul, at 6:51 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter is estimated to be at a depth of 14 km. The earthquake was recorded at a maximum of Level 3 on the seismic intensity scale in North Chungcheong Province, where the epicenter was located. Gangwon Province in th

North Korea's nuclear activities has expanded over the years and continue to move ahead, creating a big challenge for verification and safeguard efforts, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Thursday. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also highlighted the need for a diplomatic process to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. "What is relevant is to see that compared with 2009, this program has spawned in activity wise, geographically into t

Allowing humanitarian assistance to a country under US sanctions does not weaken the sanctions against the regime but rather serves American interests in the long-term, US officials said Thursday. Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of treasury, also said providing humanitarian assistance to the people would better serve American interests and policy goals. "We ultimately want to and need to and will ensure that our sanction regimes have an economic impact on their targets. But as (former) Se

Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival The 2021 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival is scheduled to take place at the Jinju Namgang River and fortress of Jinjuseong in South Gyeongsang Province from Dec. 4-31. Originating from the floating lanterns that were used during the 1592-1598 Imjin War as a military strategy to prevent Japanese troops from wading across the Namgang River, the 21-year-old festival welcomes visitors to enjoy the parade of glittering lanterns created by local students. Various progra

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents desserts for Halloween Day Special Grand InterContinental Parnas in Samseong-dong is offering Halloween special desserts and beverages for the upcoming spooky holiday. Treats are offered at the hotel’s bakery from Oct. 22 through the end of the month. The desserts and beverages are prepared by the Grand Deli’s head pastry chef Eric Kalaboke from New York. A total of six items uniquely designed by the chef are available during the limit

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (US) Opened Oct. 13 Action Directed by Andy Serkis Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) struggles to adjust to life as the host of the alien Venom. One day, serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) escapes from prison after becoming the host of Carnage, a chaotic spawn of Venom. With Kasady and Carnage on the loose, the city turns to chaos. Stillwater (US) Opened Oct. 6 Thriller Directed by Tom McCarthy  Bill (Matt Damon) visits France to meet his daughter Allison (A

Soon half the world’s population will have been vaccinated for COVID-19. As of this writing, 49 percent, or 3.76 billion people, have received at least one dose. This is impressive considering that the first doses were given only ten months ago. Though much work remains, particularly in addressing vaccine inequality, the trajectory is favorable. By the end of 2022, the world could be over 90 percent vaccinated, which should bring the pandemic to an end. After a slow start, South Korea has