Convention effect maximized after last Friday’s race, industry watchers say

South Korea's top military officer embarked on a weeklong trip to Belgium and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday to promote bilateral defense exchanges and cooperation, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. During his visit to Brussels from Wednesday to Friday, JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul plans to meet senior officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including Military Committee Chairman Adm. Rob Bauer. Won is also scheduled to hold talks with European Union Militar

South Korea is closely monitoring signs of North Korea's reopening of its border long closed due to the coronavirus, a unification ministry official said Tuesday, amid reports a train in operation was spotted in the region bordering China. Local media broadcast footage of a train crossing the bridge over the Amnok River connecting Sinuiju in North Korea to the Chinese port city of Dandong on Monday, saying it appears to be a test operation ahead of an imminent border reopening. Yet, Seoul's un

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it will try to provide COVID-19 relief handouts to all people in January after earmarking the money in the next year's national budget despite opposition from the government and its rival party.  The DP plans to use this year's excess tax revenue to fund its universal relief grant scheme. If the government does not issue additional state bonds, the party believes 200,000-250,000 won ($170-$210) can be given to each person. "We will try

At a time when civil liberties are under attack in countries around the world, South Korea offers hope in demonstrating a different approach of encouraging civic participation and protecting civil liberties, said Sanjay Pradhan, chief executive of the Open Government Partnership during an interview with The Korea Herald on Saturday at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. According to Pradhan, Gwanghwamun Square is an inspirational example because after candlelit protests brought down the previ

Convenience store chain CU is exporting 10,000 dalgona, the traditional Korean sugar candy from “Squid Game,” to Mongolia and Malaysia, said its operator BGF Retail. Dalgona, an old-fashioned Korean candy made using sugar and baking soda, has become an overnight sensation after the success of the Netflix show. A total of 10,000 dalgona will be shipped to Mongolia and Malaysia, 5,000 to each country, BGF said. The product will feature four different shapes -- umbrella, star, heart

Television director Hyun Don hopes to bring back the heyday of cooking shows with “The War of Chefs.” “After producing multiple seasons of ‘Hansik Battle,’ I worked on other food programs. But it is when I am presenting outstanding Korean dishes that I feel most comfortable,” Hyun said in an online press conference Monday. Unlike “Hansik Battle,” which took on a tournament format, the director’s latest show has adopted a team competition fo

The agricultural ministry said Tuesday it is investigating suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm as it issued a nationwide standstill order to help contain its spread. The suspected cases of the avian influenza were reported from a quail farm in the central county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is the first time in about seven months that suspected bird flu cases were reported from a farm,

The justice ministry announced Tuesday it has come up with a law revision to allow capable singles to become eligible for full adoptions. The ministry said it plans to submit the bill to revise the current civil law to allow singles 25 and older capable of supporting the well-being of an adoptee to become eligible for full adoptions. According to the current law, full adoptions, which cuts off all legal ties of an adoptee with the original family, are allowed only for married couples, while s

Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda has been named South Korean baseball's top player for October, the month in which he also set an all-time strikeout record for a season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Tuesday that the Cuban ace beat five other candidates for the Player of the Month honor for the final month of the regular season. Miranda earned 15 out of 32 votes from media, and 144,942 out of 277,106 online votes cast by fans. He went 2-0 in five October starts and re

South Korea's tax agency said Tuesday it has launched probes into suspected tax evasion by 30 people who pocketed corporate profits for personal gains or handed down wealth to their children by illegal means. The National Tax Service (NTS) said it has cracked down on corporate chiefs and their family members who allegedly misused corporate profits or made illegal off-shore tax evasions and capital transactions. Of them, nine people made illegal property-related transactions or traded intangibl

A total of 14 African nationals have been apprehended for allegedly defrauding more than a million dollars from South Koreans after building relationships with them online while posing as diplomats, doctors and soldiers, police said Tuesday. The suspects, most of them from Liberia and other African countries, allegedly used such fake identities to befriend 24 victims and swindled a total of 1.67 billion won ($1.4 million) from them in what is known as a "romance scam," according to th

South Korean manufacturers' domestic supply rose at a slower pace in the third quarter from three months earlier mainly because a shortage of auto chips dented vehicle production, data showed Tuesday. The manufacturing domestic supply index stood at 105.3 in the July-September period, up 2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The reading slowed from the second quarter when it grew at the fastest-ever on-year pace of 9.1 percent. The index, which measures b