“Four out of 10 kids that I saw today at a kids cafe were twins, and they were all fraternal,” wrote an anonymous mom in a post on an online community that has 2.6 million moms and wannabe moms as members.Another mom replied to the post, saying, “It’s because more women are having babies through in vitro fertilization these days. I envy those mothers who got two birds with one stone.” Such dialogue is common nowadays in South Korea, which faces a decreasing economically productive population.Ind

The successful first day of Kakao Bank, South Korea’s second internet-only bank, not only signaled a new era of mobile banking but is also pushing conventional banks to depart from their loan-focused business model.While recognizing Kakao Bank’s expanded interest benefits, financial supervisors have recently been adding pressure on leading banks to take more risks and boldly invest in new industries.KaKao Bank, a mobile platform-run banking service, attracted over 300,000 accounts af

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday held the first round of a two-day meeting with South Korean corporate leaders, discussing economic policies and business issues. The meeting comes as the government and the ruling party push for a tax hike on “super large companies” and high income individuals in its drive to reduce economic polarization. The meeting took place in the gardens of the presidential office, with the president and the business leaders partaking in craft beer produced by a local small

CNN revealed the list of the world’s coolest nationalities, with Brazilians taking the top spot, followed by Singaporeans, Jamaicans, Mongolians and Americans respectively. South Koreans ranked sixth among those surveyed from other nations, saying they may be the best drinking buddies in the world. CNN also picked film director Park Chan-wook as an icon of cool, saying his twisted visions freak out fellow countrymen, but have achieved cult status among emo film majors worldwide.

SsangYong Motor, the local unit of India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, has added diversity to South Korea’s sport utility vehicle market with its latest premium full-size G4 Rexton SUV, the company said Thursday. The G4 Rexton replaced the Mohave SUV made by Kia Motors as the best-selling large-size SUV here for two straight months since its release in May. The model recorded sales of 2,703 units in May and 2,708 units in June, according to the company. SsangYong Motor’s premium large-size SUV, the G4

President Donald Trump is besieged. He is reportedly looking for ways to close down the Russia investigation by the Justice Department. He already tried at least once, when he fired FBI Director James Comey. He still has the power to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller.President Nixon fired a special prosecutor, Archibald Cox. It did not go well for him, but he did it anyway. To fire Mueller, Trump probably first would have to fire Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general. And to do that, he

South Korea’s economic growth slackened in the second quarter of this year from a year ago due to slower exports, mainly in shipments of transportation equipment, petrochemicals and chemical products, data from the Bank of Korea showed Thursday.Exports declined 3 percent from the previous quarter and 0.1 percent from the previous year.But demand for semiconductors remained strong.Meanwhile, consumer sentiment improved under the Moon Jae-in government, with more spending on durable goods, s

The Moon Jae-in government and the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday agreed that the incoming tax law revision should focus on creating jobs and supporting small businesses.But the two sides failed to settle on how to raise extra tax from the rich. While the party viewed the hike as a crucial step to reform the nation’s economic inequality, the government remained reluctant to impose a direct burden on local businesses. The Democratic Party and the Finance Ministry

LG Uplus, South Korea’s smallest mobile carrier in terms of subscription, revenue and profit, reaped bigger growth in its second-quarter earnings than the top two players SK Telecom and KT, according to earnings announcements Thursday. LG Uplus posted 15.5 percent growth in operating profit in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, due to growth in its wireless and telecommunications service businesses. The company’s second-quarter sales stood at 3 trillion won ($2.7 billion),

When Ahn Sung-soo took the helm of the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company at the end of last year, he came to the job prepared. That is, the seasoned choreographer already had in his mind the first two works he would stage.Yet, it was scarcely more than a week before the curtain would go up that Ahn decided the piece was finally complete.“It was completed just yesterday,” said Ahn at his office at Seoul Arts Center on July 19.“Music for Rites -- The Afterimages of the Rose,” the first of

(Yonhap)Hyundai Motor, South Korea‘s largest automotive company by sales, showed a decline in earnings in the second quarter of this year due to weakened profitability, the company said Wednesday.The company’s profits totaled 24.3 trillion won ($21.6 billion), down 1.5 percent on-year between April and June this year, while its operating profits plummeted 23.7 percent on-year to 1.3 trillion won.The net profit for the second quarter this year was drastically slashed 48.2 percent compared to the