A labor dispute is brewing at Hyundai Motor Group, as its unionized workers warned of a possible strike after they failed to narrow differences with management over wage hikes and working conditions amid the automaker’s shifting focus toward electric vehicles, a threat to its manufacturing-focused workforce. According to the industry on Sunday, the labor union with some 47,000 members at the Hyu...

When Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, people here needed a way to relieve their grief, even in a sarcastic way. Although it is no longer widely performed, there was the genre of “manyo,” a popular form of folk music in the 1930s. Usually performed by musical troupes at the time, manyo songs generally had comic lyrics set to a melody that belied the sorrow and sarcasm und...

A research team under Seoul National University admitted to submitting a plagiarized paper at an international conference after accusations spread online. The team, led by professor Yoon Sung-roh from the prestigious Seoul National University, submitted a paper at the Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition held earlier this week in New Orleans. Yoon was the head of the Presidenti...

The family of Lee Dae-jun, a fisheries official who was killed by North Korean troops in 2020, is seeking disclosure of what former President Moon Jae-in did in the time from when he was alerted of Lee’s capture by the North until he was shot dead six hours later. “President Moon had about six hours to take action and possibly save him,” the slain official’s older brother, Lee Rae-jin, told The ...

LG Electronics said Sunday it is making its foray into the burgeoning electric vehicle charging market, calling the sector one of its key growth drivers for its next big leap. As part of the big push, the firm said it has acquired a 60 percent stake in AppleMango, a local battery maker, in partnership with GS Energy and GS Neotek that took over 34 percent and 6 percent in the company, respective...

South Korean social media platform Cyworld on Sunday launched a new service called “digital inheritance,” which allows the family of a deceased user to inherit digital data. Family members will gain access to published photos, videos and even the diary of the deceased, while other private materials open to friends or the account owner may not be disclosed due to privacy issues. The company adde...

Having starred in a number of TV dramas including “IRIS II: New Generation” (2013) and “Let’s Eat” (2013), Yoon shared his emotion about the “idol-turned-actor” label he carries, having made the jump from K-pop to acting. “Before I started my mandatory military service, many people had critical views towards members of K-pop group starring in drama or films. I have been through similar experienc...

South Korea’s key stock index and its secondary bourse both saw the biggest drop among 40 global indexes, including inflation-hit Argentina’s Merval S&P, data showed Sunday, prompting concerns of a possible market crash. From the end of last month to Friday, the nation’s main bourse, Kospi, fell 11.89 percent from 2,685.90 to 2,366.60, while the secondary, tech-heavy Kosdaq dropped 15.01 percent...

Seoul recorded the highest-ever morning low for June on Sunday, with temperatures hitting 24.8 C or higher, the state weather agency said. The figure, recorded at 2:34 a.m., broke the previous record of 24 degrees set on June 19, 1997, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The city of Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, also recorded the highest morning low in 117 years with 2...

President Yoon Suk-yeol spent Sunday preparing for his first overseas trip as president on the eve of his departure to Spain for a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), officials said. Yoon plans to attend the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday and Thursday (local time), which will mark his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage since taking office last month. South Korea...

Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, a Samsung Electronics executive-turned-lawmaker, said Sunday she decided to accept an offer from the ruling People Power Party to chair an envisioned special parliamentary committee on semiconductors. The decision drew attention because Yang is considered an opposition figure though she left the main opposition Democratic Party and became an independent last year amid allegat...

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. had the highest electric vehicle sales in Indonesia last month, an Indonesian automotive industry association said Sunday. Hyundai sold 196 EVs -- 195 units of the IONIQ 5 and one unit of the IONIQ Electric -- in the Southeast Asian market in May, according to the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries (GAIKINDO). Hyundai accounted for 98 percent of the e...

J-Hope, a rapper and dancer of K-pop supergroup BTS, plans to release his solo album "Jack in the Box" next month, his agency said Sunday. J-hope will debut his first solo album on July 15 and drop a prerelease single Friday, according to Big Hit Music. He will be the first BTS member to go solo since the septet announced plans earlier this month to take a temporary break to focus on their indi...

South Korea's new coronavirus cases remained below 7,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday as the omicron variant is slowing down. The country added 6,246 new COVID-19 infections, including 135 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,326,019, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's tally is down from Friday's 7,227 and Saturday's 6,790. The daily casel...

North Korea has held an anti-American rally for the third day in a row to mark the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, with participants vowing to "mercilessly annihilate" the United States if it provokes the North, state media reported Sunday. The North has held anti-US rallies since Thursday to mark the war anniversary for the first time in five years. Pyongyang skipped such rallies in 2018 am...