South Korea will play Portugal for its final match of Group H in the World Cup on Saturday (Korean time), at the same time as Ghana and Uruguay. Here is a look at what needs to happen for South Korea to reach the next round. - If two teams have the same number of points, the top team is decided by the following criteria, in order: goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head result, and "fair play" - the teams' disciplinary records. If this does not separate them, the FIFA organizi

Repatriations of foreign women and children affiliated with Islamic State from detention camps in northeast Syria hit a record high in 2022, Kurdish authorities said. Thousands of foreigners including women and children had gone to Syria to live in IS' so-called "caliphate" until 2019, when US-backed Kurdish forces snatched the last pocket of Syrian territory from the jihadists. Fleeing women and children were housed in overcrowded detention camps run by Kurdish authorities and in

The number of multiple-home owners in South Korea fell 2 percent on-year in 2021, data showed, apparently on tax burdens. The number of multiple-home owners reached 2.27 million in 2021, falling from 2.32 million tallied in the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. They took up 15.1 percent of the total homeowners, down 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier. The total number of homeowners came to 15 million in 2021, up 2.7 percent from a year earlier. Over the period, the country'

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar - the first time the soccer tournament has been held in the Middle East - kicked off on Sunday. The tournament is being held through Dec. 18. The first World Cup tournament was held in 1930 - 92 years ago - and entirely within the city of Uruguay's capital Montevideo, according to FIFA's website. Brazil has won the World Cup a record five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002, followed closely by Germany and Italy with four wins apiece. Following is a li

　South Korean supergroup BTS has been nominated in two categories for the 2023 Grammy Awards, becoming the first K-pop act to receive Grammy nominations for the third consecutive year. 　The septet was nominated for the best pop duo or group performance for “My Universe,” along with British rock band Coldplay, and best music video for “Yet to Come,” during the official Grammy nomination ceremony livestreamed by the US Recording Academy. 　The best pop duo/group performan

　South Korea will be playing the country's 10th consecutive FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 　Its pursuit of only a third trip to the knockout phase begins Thursday against Uruguay, the first Group H match for both countries. 　South Korea will then play Ghana on Nov. 28 and Portugal on Dec. 2. 　Portugal, at No. 9, is the highest-ranked team in Group H, followed by Uruguay at No. 14, South Korea at No. 28 and Ghana at No. 61. 　South Korea should have a fighting chance to make it out of Group H, but

　South Korea’s rice output fell 3 percent this year from a year earlier due to a sharp drop in precipitation and lack of sunny days, data showed. 　The country’s rice production came to 3.76 million tons this year, falling from 3.88 million tons tallied in 2021, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　It marked the sixth straight year that the country’s yearly rice production stayed below 4 million tons. 　The agency attributed the decline in rice output to a dro

　Three out of every 10 students from elementary to high school were overweight or obese last year, as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic kept them from outdoor activities, an Education Ministry report showed. 　The rate of overweight or obese students reached 30.8 percent as of 2021, according to the report based on health checkup results from 1,023 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide. 　Of the total students included in the report, 19 percent were obese, up 3.9 percentage points, while

　Smash-hit Netflix series “Squid Game” actor Lee Jung-jae will star in “The Acolyte,” an upcoming Star Wars series to be streamed on Disney +, according to production company Lucasfilm. 　“The Acolyte” is a mystery thriller written and directed by Leslye Headland for Disney+ and has begun production in Britain, Lucasfilm said in a release posted on its website. 　Among other main cast members are Amandla Stenberg of “The Hate U Give,” Manny Jacint

　The number of marriages between South Korean nationals and foreign spouses set a new record low last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed. 　A total of 13,926 transnational couples tied the knot here in 2021, down 13.9 percent, or 2,251, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. They accounted for 7.2 percent of all marriages. 　It marked the lowest reading since 2008, when the statistics agency started to compile related data. 　The decrease came as the pandemi

　The base taxi fare in Seoul will increase by 1,000 won ($0.75) to 4,800 won in February 2023 - the first hike in four years - the city government has announced. 　The Seoul Metropolitan Government passed the plan to raise the base rate for mid-sized sedan cabs operating in the capital city from the current 3,800 won. 　It will be first hike of the base taxi fare since February 2019. 　The city government’s decision came as the central government and the ruling People Power Party have ann

　Qatar Airways was named the world’s best airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022, while Singapore Airlines and Emirates landed in the second and third spots respectively. 　In a strong showing for Asia-Pacific carriers, Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Australia’s Qantas Airways rounded out the top five. Korean Air, South Korea’s largest air carrier, was named the world’s ninth best air carrier. 　The World Airline Awards were determined by an online custom

　More than 29,000 migrants have died trying to reach Europe since 2014, with 5,000 deaths in the last two years, the International Organization for Migration said in a report. 　The UN agency's Missing Migrants Project spoke of "increasing numbers of deaths seen on routes across the Mediterranean, on land borders to Europe and within the continent.'' 　According to the report, the deadliest migration route continues to be the Central Mediterranean, where 2,836 people have died since Januar

　President Yoon Suk-yeol saw his approval rating dip slightly at the end of last week, a survey showed, in the aftermath of the Halloween crowd crush. 　In a poll of 2,521 Korean adults conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, 34.2 percent positively assessed Yoon's job performance, down 1.5 percentage points from the previous week. 　Yoon’s disapproval rating was 62.4 percent, up 0.7 percentage point. 　In terms of daily rating, support for Yoon dropped from 35.7 percent T

　The number of households in the capital city of Seoul is expected to gradually decrease starting in 2030, data showed, as more people move to other areas in search of affordable housing. 　According to the estimate by Statistics Korea, the number of households in Seoul, which came to 3.95 million in 2020, is expected to grow through 2029 and reach a peak of 4.12 million. 　Starting in 2030, however, the number is expected to lose ground, eventually reaching 3.79 million in 2050, it added. 　Th