Bond issuance in South Korea fell sharply in September from the previous month due to decreased debt sales by the government and financial firms, data showed Friday. The value of bonds sold in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 57.5 trillion won ($48.3 billion) last month, down 9.6 trillion won from a month earlier, according to the data from the Korea Financial Investment Association. Last month's drop compares with a 1 trillion-won on-month decrease recorded in August. Sales of state and fi

Military prosecutors on Friday sought a 15-year prison sentence for a noncommissioned Air Force officer for the alleged sexual abuse of a female colleague that led to her death by suicide, officials said. The master sergeant, surnamed Jang, is suspected of sexually harassing the victim of the same rank inside a car on their way back to their base in the western city of Seosan after a private gathering in March. Following the military's poor initial responses to the case, she took her own life in

South Korea said Friday it plans to forge deeper ties with biotechnology firms from the European Union as it seeks to emerge as a global production hub of vaccines by 2025. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo is set to meet Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for internal market, during the Korea-EU Global Vaccine Business Round Table in Brussels later in the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Officials from 14 major biotechnology businesses from both regions, including SK Bios

Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to air a Hangeul Day special, “I Learned Korean Because of BTS,” on Saturday. The program centers around the globalization of Hangeul, the Korean writing system, fanned by the popularity of K-pop sensation BTS and its fandom, which it refers to as Army. While enjoying the band’s music, many members of Army also try to understand the meaning of the lyrics. Some fans are even commemorating Hangeul Day in their own ways, according to KBS. K

Legendary director Im Kwon-taek, 86, entered the theater in the Centum Campus of Dongseo University in Busan, where a press conference organized by the 26th Busan International Film Festival was to take place, proceeding slowly with a cane. With unsteady hands, he took out the golden-frame glasses from his jacket and began to look back on his 60 years in the Korean film industry. “I have a career of creating over 102 films or so,” he said. “If I state my career in one senten

Germany-based technology firm Merck Group said Friday it plans to invest around $693 million in South Korea through 2025 in the electronics sector, including semiconductor solutions. The investment by Merck is expected to lend hands to South Korea's so-called K-semiconductor blueprint, and help the country secure a stable supply chain of related materials, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The company entered the South Korean market in 1989 and currently operates 11 res

Twenty-two draftees at an Army boot camp just south of the inter-Korean border have tested positive for COVID-19, the defense ministry said Friday. The newly enlisted soldiers at the boot camp of the Army's Fifth Division in the border county of Yeoncheon underwent coronavirus tests and were confirmed to have been infected, two days after a colleague was diagnosed with the virus, according to the ministry. All of them joined the military late last month, and only three of the 23 members received

Apple Inc. launched the new iPhone 13 series in South Korea on Friday as it seeks a greater presence in rival Samsung Electronics Co.'s home turf. Apple and the country's three major mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- started shipping the iPhone 13 series, comprised of the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini, the 6.1-inch iPhone 13, the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max. The tech giant unveiled its new smartphones on Sept. 14 and started shipping the

The presidential field for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was shortlisted to four candidates Friday, with former Jeju Province Gov. Won Hee-ryong making the cut in the primary's second elimination round. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, former opposition lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and Won were announced as the four remaining contenders in the main opposition's presidential primary. Friday's result was based on a survey that combined a national poll and a se

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for a third straight day Friday, following a long weekend, amid concerns over the spread of the pandemic ahead of another extended weekend. The country added 2,176 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,145 local infections, raising the total caseload to 327,976, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections rebounded to over 2,000 on Wednesday after falling below the 2,000 mark Monday and Tuesday

　South Korea has imported twice as many cats and dogs this year compared with two years ago, as people spend more time at home amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, customs data showed. 　According to the data by the regional customs office in Incheon, a main gateway for trade located about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, the number of cats and dogs brought in to the country via air carriers reached 10,241 in the January-August period this year, including 7,961 canines and 2,280 felines. 　Th

Night of Jeonju and Heritage Story The Night of Jeonju and Heritage Story will take place Oct. 22-23 at Gyeonggijeon Shrine, Jeonju Hanok Village and Jeolla Gamyeong, the provincial government office. The annual event was postponed from September due to a COVID-19 surge. The two-day festival seeks to remember Korea’s cultural heritage and ancestors, and Jeonju is home to many Joseon-era historical sites. The festival will be held both online and offline. While admission fees vary for d