The cryptocurrency turnover in South Korea has more than doubled over the past month, a market tracker said Friday, as retail investors scramble to the virtual currency amid the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The combined turnover of 14 cryptocurrency exchanges in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to $21.63 billion as of 4 p.m. Thursday, according to CoinMarketCap. In particular, the top four exchanges -- Bithumb, Upbit, Corbit and Coinone -- had a combined turnover of $18.85 billion, o

Namyang Dairy Products, a major dairy producer here, has come under fire for claiming its yogurt drink prevents COVID-19. At a symposium hosted by the Korea Research & Institute of Bio Medical Science on Tuesday, the head of Namyang Dairy’s internal research institute presented the results of its research on Bulgaris, the firm’s yogurt drink. “We’re the first firm in the country that has discovered fermented dairy products are effective in preventing influenza and

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group convicted of bribery, returned to prison Thursday, about a month after an appendicitis surgery, sources said.    Lee was transferred to Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul on March 19 to receive an emergency surgery after suffering a ruptured appendix.    The 52-year-old tycoon was supposed to return to Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, last Friday but was advised

Controversy surrounding actor Seo Yea-ji has continued to mount, as more allegations of bullying have surfaced, despite denials from her agency in an official statement. An alleged staffer that used to work with the actress posted on an online portal early Wednesday morning that Seo had regularly mistreated her staff members in her agency, Gold Medalist. “As a staff member going around in the same car with her for several years, verbal abuse was nothing. She smoked in the car, so I suff

President Moon Jae-in instructed Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday to look immediately and thoroughly into allegations of corruption involving his secretary for culture. The move came after a news report that a local company established in 2004 by the secretary, Jun Hyo-gwan, won a dozen contracts, worth a total of 5.1 billion won ($4.5 million), with the Seoul metropolitan government on culture-related projects while he was serving as a senior official in charge of innovation planning affairs at City

After recent drama fiascos, Chinese investment seen as poisoned chalice

Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning director of South Korean black comedy "Parasite," will be part of a 15-member "ensemble cast" that will present at the Academy Awards later this month. Bong, who directed the 2019 film that fetched four Oscars, including best picture and best director, will join former winners and nominees to present at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony slated for April 25 (US time). The list of the first round of presenters, released on the Academy of Motion

In the film “Minari,” Korean grandmother Soon-ja, played by Youn Yuh-jung, arrives in the US with her luggage packed with seeds for Korean vegetables and other home goods for her daughter. Youn’s own bag has been overflowing with trophies from the US for her acting in “Minari” alone, and on Monday, she added another feather to her cap with one from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards. At the BAFTA ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Yo

South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea's military moves in coordination with the United States, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday, amid signs of activity at the North's main shipyard used to develop submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). According to 38 North, commercial satellite imagery of the North's Sinpo Shipyard indicates that a missile canister for the submarine missile test barge has likely been removed, possibly for maintenance or for the replacement of a new c

North Korea has built a new submarine believed to be capable of carrying at least three ballistic missiles and is gauging the right time to unveil it, a local news outlet said Sunday, citing anonymous Seoul officials familiar with the matter. “South Korea and the US believe North Koreans have finished building one that they revealed in 2019,” Yonhap News Agency quoted the officials as saying. The North’s state media released a photograph at the time, in which leader Kim Jong-u

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun arrived in Iran on Sunday, a report said, as Seoul seeks to improve relations with Tehran amid lingering tension over Iranian funds frozen in Korea under US sanctions. Chung's three-day trip to Tehran came days after Tehran released a Korean oil tanker and its captain three months after its seizure over alleged oil pollution, paving the way for better bilateral relations. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Chung is slated to meet wi

The South Korean government has issued revised guidelines on handwritten entry logs required at small businesses like restaurants for contact tracing purposes, as part of efforts to boost the use of encrypted personal numbers. In February, the government rolled out the encrypted data service to better protect privacy, but it has been slow to take off, in part due to lack of public awareness campaigns. The revised guidelines, released earlier this week, strongly recommend that people use their

A man who allegedly intruded into a home and killed three women after stalking one of them was unmasked in front of the press Friday morning, following a rare police decision to disclose his personal details. The Nowon police station in northeastern Seoul sent Kim Tae-hyeon, 24, to the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office on charges of murder, theft, housebreaking, consistent harassment and violation of information and communication network laws. Kim said he felt “guilty for

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group convicted of bribery, will return to jail later than the scheduled date, industry sources said Friday, after doctors recommended longer hospital care following his appendicitis surgery. Lee was transferred from Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, to Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul on March 19 to receive the surgery after suffering a ruptured appendix. The 52-year-old tycoon was suppos

Innisfree, a cosmetic brand under Amorepacific, has been forced to clarify its eco-friendly “paper bottle” packaging after a customer’s complaint about plastic usage and a “misleading” label went viral online. In a post on a Facebook group called “No Plastic Shopping,” a customer shared photos of what is inside the package for the brand’s face serum product after cutting the bottle in half. Despite the label reading “Hello, I‘m Paper