Korean prosecutors on Tuesday raided the offices of eight local firms that manufacture construction materials to determine if they rigged prices of their products.The move aims to determine if companies deliberately fixed prices that distorted the free market and hurt other firms and consumers that used their products.Investigators raided offices of the firms and homes of senior executives, and confiscated documents and other materials, which they think will help determine the validity of the pr

Korean singer and contemporary dancer Nam Hyun-joon, better known by his stage name Poppin' Hyun Joon, has secured a ticket to a global dancing competition in the United States, his agency said on Tuesday.The 37-year-old dancer, famous for his popping techniques, and his teammates won second place in the preliminary competition in Korea on Saturday, according to his management company Happy Face Entertainment.In Korea, Nam is considered to be one of the first-generation K-pop street dancers, alo

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn returned from his overseas trip to Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Tuesday, after expanding Seoul's diplomatic ties and fostering business opportunities for local firms.During his trip, Hwang met Uzbekistan Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev and agreed to expand economic cooperation between Seoul and Tashkent. It marked the first time in eight years for a Korean prime minister to visit the Central Asian country. He also visited Saudi Arabia in an apparent bid t

North Korea has cast women in a TV program to push forward an anti-smoking campaign, Pyongyang observers here said Tuesday.North Korea's Central TV Station aired a 40-minute-long public service announcement program on Friday titled "The Extra Quality Favorite Item Threatening Life," North Korea watchers said.In the video, a narrator from the TV station explained about the dangers of smoking, saying, "Today, our North Korean women do not smoke at all, so we have met many women to hear various opi

Korean Ambassador to Italy Lee Yong-joon on Monday received a Premio Simpatia 2016 award from the Rome city government for his contributions to disseminating Korean culture in the European country.Lee is the first Korean diplomat to receive the award in the ceremony held at the city hall. He was honored for his contributions to spreading Korean culture among Italians since his appointment as ambassador to Rome in May last year.Lee successfully operated the Korean Pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo,

Ten Korean designers will open a pop-up store at a renowned concept store in Paris next month, a local design foundation said Tuesday.The Seoul Design Foundation said the store, named "Seoul's 10Soul," will open at L'eclaireur in Paris on June 22 and run for three weeks.The designers include those who participated in Seoul Fashion Week, including D. Gnak, Heich es Heich, Nohke and Moohong. "We created the opportunity for the designers' clothes to be actually sold to customers," said Jung Ku-ho w

Korea's Cabinet on Tuesday approved a package of new bills, including the country's first comprehensive anti-terrorism bill that the government stresses is critical for safeguarding the country from acts of violence spreading across the globe.The bill approved in the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Il-ho, provides the National Intelligence Service with access to personal information, including financial transactions of terrorism suspects.It also includes plans on establishi