South Korea said Monday it plans to increase support for overseas expansion by startups and smaller firms as part of efforts to strengthen its ties with Southeastern Asian countries and nations in Eurasia. The government plans to further promote economic cooperation with the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Europe based on the outcome of summit diplomacy with such nations, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The country will pursue cooper

South Korea and the United States were to begin two days of biannual defense talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss regional security situations and pending alliance issues, the defense ministry said. During the 20th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), the two sides plan to discuss "major pending security issues," such as the assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and the policy coordination on North Korea, according to the ministry. The meeting comes two da

The number of 5G network base stations in South Korea accounted for just 11 percent of the total in the second quarter, data showed Monday, amid continued user complaints against the latest generation networks. As of the April-June period, there were 162,099 5G base stations in the country, compared with a total of 1.47 million mobile network base stations, according to data from the Korea Communications Agency. The number of 5G base stations was far outnumbered by around 1 million 4G base sta

Nearly 2,400 foreigners are engaging in the home rental business in South Korea, with Chinese nationals accounting for more than one-third of the total, government data showed Monday. The number of foreign home rental business operators in Asia's fourth-largest economy stood at 2,394 as of the end of June last year, according to the data from the land ministry. There were 885 Chinese housing rental business owners here, taking up 37 percent of the total. Americans came next with 702, followed

Dividend payouts by South Korean listed companies jumped nearly 24 percent in the first half of the year amid their strong earnings, a corporate tracker said Monday. The combined amount of dividends paid out by 140 firms, including top-cap Samsung Electronics Co., came to 9.3 trillion won ($7.9 billion) in the January-June period, up 23.5 percent from a year earlier, according to Leaders Index. The firms cover those that have announced dividends out of the country's 2,323 listed corporations.

Following the news that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked by phone on Sept. 9, there has been much speculation about what the two discussed. Biden has denied a report that Xi turned down a proposed summit, and China’s government spokesman has said only that both sides “agreed to maintain regular contact through various means.” Still, it is clear that the Biden administration is seeking a relationship that manages, if not resolves, areas of diverge

  Kwon Soon-woo claimed his maiden ATP Tour title at the Astana Open on Sunday, becoming the first South Korean champion on the world's top tennis circuit in more than 18 years. Kwon, world No. 82, defeated the 65th-ranked James Duckworth in straight sets, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 in Nur-Sultan. The last Korean to take an ATP title is the retired Lee Hyung-taik from January 2003. Kwon and Lee are now the only two South Koreans to win a regular ATP Tour event. "I am just really, really happy

  A lawmaker of the People Power Party (PPP) offered Sunday to leave the main opposition party amid mounting criticism over his son receiving a massive severance pay from a firm at the center of a controversial land development scandal. Rep. Kwak Sang-do submitted to a regional party chapter a document to end membership with the party, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the party's floor leader, said, as his political opponents ramped up an offensive against Kwak over the severance pay. His son reporte

Twenty-nine of Korea’s 66 cryptocurrency exchanges met a legal deadline to put themselves under regulatory supervision, but they still face challenges, market insiders said Sunday, such as risks from legal breaches and an inability to convert coins into Korean won. The Financial Services Commission said Saturday that 29 exchanges submitted applications to register their businesses by Friday and will process them within three months, legitimizing their status as market players but also s

Days after “Squid Game” became the first Korean drama series to rank first on Netflix’s US top 10 TV show list, the global streaming service has unveiled its line-up of Korean programming for the upcoming months, spotlighting 10 drama series and reality shows. Netflix Korea introduced the shows during Tudum, Netflix’s global fan event, on Saturday, which was streamed on Netflix Korea’s YouTube channel. The real-time fan event was moderated by K-pop band Super J

A real-time discussion, “What Do Museums Connect?: Museums in a Post-Pandemic World,” between art experts across the globe and the general public, will be livestreamed on Thursday by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The discussion is part of an MMCA symposium that started earlier this month to explore the changing environment for museums and their expanding role in post-pandemic times. The symposium offers 10 talks by art experts consisting of two section

But with increase of less than 1 percent tally still stuck at mid-2016 level

North Korea’s offer to reopen inter-Korean dialogue could be a test to see South Korea’s response and make it accountable for whatever actions Seoul takes in its dealings with Pyongyang later, experts said Sunday amid growing speculation for a thaw in ties. On Saturday, Kim Yo-jong, who handles propaganda affairs as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, said the regime would be open to talks on conditions, in response to President Moon Jae-in’s call at the UN la