The Korean edition of the Playboy magazine hit the shelves of local bookstores Monday covering a wide range of topics from celebrities to social and political issues, and lifestyles. There are no nude photos, its local publisher Kaya Media Corp. said.Kaya Media Corp. signed a contract in January with Playboy Enterprises, the owner of the US magazine, to publish the Korean version of the 63-year-old monthly magazine. Nam Tae-hyun features in Korean edition of Playboy (Playboy Korea) Playboy was l

President Moon Jae-in plans to outline his policy on North Korea when he meets with a group of US senators and congressmen Monday, an aide said.Moon is scheduled to meet in the afternoon with Sens. Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), as well as two Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Ann Wagner (R-MO). President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)Markey is the ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs.Heightened tensions with North Korea are expe

Samsung Electronics Co. is set to start a global war of high-end smartphones this fall by showcasing a new flagship model later this week, industry watchers said Monday.The South Korean tech giant will showcase the presumed Galaxy Note 8 in New York on Wednesday, with its smaller rival LG Electronics Inc. also planning to unveil the LG V30 at end-August.US tech giant Apple Inc. is also expected to introduce a new iPhone next month. (Yonhap)The presumed Galaxy Note 8 is a successor of the ill-fat

Crucial decision-making at global tech firm Samsung Electronics Co. has been pushed back since its de facto leader Lee Jae-yong was imprisoned in February, industry sources said Monday.According to the sources, Samsung held fewer in-house strategy meetings in the second quarter compared with the year earlier period. The in-house strategic meeting is attended by the heads of Samsung's three major business units, including its handset business. The South Korean tech giant hosted two strategy meeti

An average South Korean works 20 days a year until "tax freedom day," with high income earners working up to four more months to cross the threshold, data showed Monday.The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) analyzed tax data from 2007 to 2015 based on income and effective tax rates. Results for 2015 show that a South Korean had to work until Jan. 20 to theoretically pay off their taxes for the year and start to earn money for themselves.The difference between the rich and the poor was as

WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Sunday that this week's joint exercises with South Korea will involve fewer American troops than last year because of the current emphasis on integration, not because of recent tensions with North Korea.The Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise is set to run from Monday through Aug. 31 with the participation of some 17,500 US service members, down from 25,000 last year. (Yonhap)Tensions have run high in recent weeks following North Korea's two intercon

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday reaffirmed his efforts to create new quality jobs, especially for the youth, calling it a part of efforts to fight the country's low birthrate."Creating good jobs is not only a way to give hope to young people, but also increase the number of taxpayers and consumers," the president said in a rare event attended by his ministers and top presidential aides to explain the new government's policy measures. Sunday's event also involved some 250 citizens who v

A new poll released Sunday showed President Moon Jae-in continuing to enjoy high approval ratings despite a slight drop from the previous month. According to the poll conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), 85.3 percent of those surveyed said the new president was doing a good job in managing state affairs. The reading marked a 0.6 percentage point drop from a month before.The poll was conducted on 1,018 adults throughout the country on Friday and Saturday. It carried a confiden

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his commitment to reforming the military and beefing up the national defense capability Sunday during an inaugural ceremony for the new top military officer.Moon became the first head of state to attend a change of command ceremony held at the Ministry of National Defense compound in Seoul. President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)"The goal of military reform lies in making an army that wins (battles), is full of patriotism and morale among all ranks of soldiers, and is tru

North Korea on Sunday lambasted an annual joint military exercise to be staged by South Korea and the United States this week as an act of "adding fuel to the fire" on the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula.  In an editorial, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling party, said the US moves to place the worst-ever sanctions on it and launch military provocations have made the situation on the peninsula extremely tense.The allies' Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise will kick off

South Korea's new top military officer was inaugurated Sunday with a stern warning that North Korea will face merciless retaliation for any attack.Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stressed that the current security conditions on the peninsula are "more serious than at any other time" amid the North's fast-advancing nuclear and missile programs. Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, salutes during his confirmation hearing at the National Assemb

President Moon Jae-in has appointed an incumbent assistant deputy governor of the Bank of Korea as the new vice chief of the central bank, it said Sunday.Yoon Myun-shik, who entered the central bank in 1983 and served in various posts, was chosen to succeed Jang Byung-wha as BOK deputy governor, according to the bank. The position has been vacant for two months since Jang retired. This file photo taken April 28, 2017, shows Yoon Myun-shik, who was appointed the vice governor of the Bank of Korea

South Korea's top 30 conglomerates increased their investment 28 percent on-year in the first half of this year on the back of strong performances by chip and display makers, a market tracker said Sunday.The total amount of investment came to 37.14 trillion won ($32.5 billion) in the January-June period, sharply increasing from 29 trillion won recorded for the same period a year earlier, according to CEO Score.The tally covers the groups' 271 subsidiaries that have unveiled their half-year busin

A Korean movie about a cabbie who took a German journalist to the center of the Gwangju pro-democracy uprising in 1980 became this year's first film to attract more than 10 million moviegoers Sunday, its distributor said."A Taxi Driver," released Aug. 2, became the 15th Korean movie and 19th movie of all time to cross the milestone in the Korean box office, the Showbox said. "Train to Busan," which premiered July 20 last year, was the latest one to reach the achievement. The zombie flick sold 11

A Seoul court has recognized a Jordanian man as a refugee in a suit filed against the Seoul Immigration Office, citing there is a high possibility of political persecution if he goes back home, judiciary sources said Sunday.The man, whose identity has been withheld, is believed to have taken part in anti-government protests in his home country from January 2011 to March 2014 as part of the Arab Spring in 2011, a wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa that led to the overthrowing of