The government raised $1.3 billion by selling foreign exchange stabilization bonds at the second-lowest-ever rates despite heightened uncertainties in the global financial markets, the Finance Ministry said Thursday. It sold US dollar-denominated bonds worth $500 million with a maturity of 10 years to yield 1.769 percent, 25 basis points more than US Treasurys and five-year euro-denominated bonds worth 700 million euros ($809 million) with a negative yield of 0.053 percent. The bonds were iss

Kim Han, second solo clarinetist of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, speaks about charms of his chosen instrument

Autumn is here. And the best way to enjoy the glorious colors of trees and scent of pine while learning about Korean history is to visit forest trails inside Joseon royal tomb compounds which will stay open through Nov. 30. For those who want to enjoy trails in the city, there are two trails in Seoul — a trail at royal tombs Taeneung and Gangneung and a trail at Mount Cheonjang near Euineung. The trail between Taeneung and Gangneung is around 1,800 meters long and the trail near Euineu

Esports academies seek to boost students’ chances at becoming professional esports players

South Korean President Moon Jae-in reiterated the country’s commitment to the hydrogen economy, while meeting government and industry officials Thursday. Attending a briefing session on the progress of the country’s hydrogen programs, he also encouraged chiefs of major conglomerates, including Hyundai Motor Group and SK Group, in attendance to continue their effort for building a hydrogen ecosystem. “A hydrogen economy is one of the core areas the government is working on f

Hyundai Mobis will invest 1.3 trillion won ($1.09 billion) to build two new hydrogen fuel cell system plants in South Korea, it said Thursday. The affiliate of Hyundai Motor held a groundbreaking ceremony for one of the two to be built at the industrial complex in Cheongna International City, Incheon, with President Moon Jae-in and Deputy Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki in attendance. This new fuel cell plant along with the other to be established in the southeastern city of Ulsan are expected to

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it is unveiling an open-source software solution specially designed to expand the use of the compute express link memory platform. Dubbed a “scalable memory development kit,” or SMDK, it is the industry’s first solution for customers of the relatively new memory platform CXL developed by Samsung in May. CXL is an open interconnect standard that allows not only CPUs but also other high-performance computing system such as artificial intellige

Defense Mininstry reportedly mulling study on transgender military service

A visit to Korea to see his brother, K-pop sensation Eric Nam, changed Brian Nam’s life. After a podcast experiment that started in Eric’s kitchen reached number one in 29 countries, Brian quit school and followed his passion for connecting people through podcast content. Along with their other brother Eddie, who works in artist management, the three launched Dive Studios in 2019. In our conversation with Brian, we learn about what it’s like to start a company with family an

A Korean carmakers’ association has sent a letter to the US House of Representatives, asking it to reject a legislative bill to offer tax incentives for US-made electric vehicles, arguing the proposed plan could unfairly disadvantage foreign carmakers and limit customer choice. The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday the written letter, directed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Richard Neal, concerns the $4,500 tax incentive plan for American electric vehicles

Baristas and other employees of Starbucks Korea mobilized two trucks emblazoned with words of protest on Thursday, expressing their pent-up anger against the coffee chain and calling out treatment they consider inhumane. “Starbucks Partners are not expendable. Partners, who have raised their voices for the first time in 22 years, shall not be silenced,” read the message on the sides of both trucks, which drove past symbolic locations in Seoul for Starbucks Korea.  These inclu

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this week for talks on bilateral relations and cooperation, his ministry said Thursday. Chung is scheduled to begin a four-day trip to the Middle Eastern nation Friday, during which he will hold talks with his UAE counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it said. He also plans to pay a courtesy call on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Chung is expected to have discussions on efforts to boost two-way c

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), saw his lead over opposition rival Yoon Seok-youl narrow slightly amid a swirling development corruption scandal, a poll showed Thursday. Lee was leading Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) 26 percent to 17 percent, according to the joint poll by four pollsters -- Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research. In the same poll last week, Lee was leading Yoon 29

Politicians blame short selling for increased market volatility