South Korea's trade deficit is expected to widen this month compared with a month earlier due mainly to fewer working days and a trucker strike, the finance ministry said Friday. The country had national holidays for the June 1 local elections and Memorial Day on June 6, and truckers staged a weeklong strike over a minimum wage scheme and other state supports earlier this month, disrupting and d...

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases came below 8,000 for the second consecutive day Friday, marking a moderate downtrend amid the slowing omicron wave. The country added 7,227 new COVID-19 infections, including 111 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,312,993, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally is down from 7,497 the previous day and Wednesday's 8,992....

South Korea had the highest household debt-to-gross domestic product ratio among 36 major economies in the first quarter, a global finance report said. The country’s household debt-to-GDP ratio came to 104.3 percent in the January-March period, followed by Lebanon with 97.8 percent, Hong Kong with 95.3 percent, Thailand with 89.7 percent and Britain with 83.9 percent, according to data from th...

너무 열심히 일하다 몸과 마음이 지치는 현상을 번아웃증후군 (BurnOut Syndrome)이라고 한다. burn out은 말 그대로 활활 다 불타버린 상태를 말한다. 그래서 요즘은 일과 삶의 균형을 찾자는 워라밸(Work and Life Balance)이란 말도 유행했다. 필자는 개인적으로 살면서 한 번쯤은 번아웃될 정도로 무언가에 몰두하는 것이 필요하다고 생각한다. 그래도, 건강까지 해치는 것은 반대한다. 주변에 건강까지 해칠 정도로 심하게 일하는 분이 계시다면 “살살하세요!”, “쉬엄쉬엄 하세요!”라고 말한다. 영어로는 “Take it easy!”가 가장 먼저 떠오른다. 그런데, “Easy does it.”이란 표현도 있다. 두 문장에 모두 it이 있는데 이것이 특별히 무엇을 지칭하는 것이 아니다....

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 20,000 for the sixth consecutive day, according to its state media Friday. More than 11,010 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not provide information on whet...

Seoul shares opened higher Friday after the market plunged to a 19-month low the previous session amid growing concerns about a recession. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 11.80 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,326.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US stock market inched up on the second day of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony before Congress, d...

The value of construction contracts in South Korea climbed more than 10 percent in the first quarter of the year on more public and private projects, government data showed Friday. The value of civilian and public work contracts in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 73.1 trillion won ($56 billion) in the January-March period, up 10.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the...

North Korea approved an "important issue" to strengthen its "war deterrent" during a three-day high-profile party session on defense policies and strategies earlier this week, state media said Friday. Also decided was to "supplement the operation duties" of frontline troops with an "important military action plan," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which carried a report on the...

Led by teen swimming star Hwang Sun-woo, South Korea has submitted its best-ever relay performance at the swimming world championships. Hwang, the reigning 200m freestyle silver medalist, joined Kim Woo-min, Lee Yoo-yeon and Lee Ho-joon for the sixth-place finish in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay at the FINA World Championships at Duna Arena in Budapest on Thursday (local time). They set a new...

The couple’s extensive overseas travels, often to remote and exotic places, even while he was working in the cut-throat beauty industry, has served him well. Their influences are scattered throughout the resort, down to the colorful elongated sculptures of men in hats he brought back from a trip to Africa that stand near a window at the cafe. Most of the sculptures face the window, appearing to l...

The KNIGA, fully funded by the government, was officially founded in 2008, after being operated as a preliminary school for Korea National University of Arts for several years. With three campuses across the country, the KNIGA currently has nearly 100 young students of classical music. Another pillar that supports young musicians is the Kumho Cultural Foundation’s programs for musical prodigies...

Born in 1971 in Seoul, the artist grew up in the US and is currently based in New York City. The exhibition “Begin Where You Are” at Gladstone Seoul runs through July 8. The US gallery opened its Seoul location in April as its first Asian venue. Yi also had a solo exhibition called “Hyundai Commission: Anicka Yi In Love With The World” at Tate Modern in the UK, held from Oct.12, 2021 to Jan. 16...

Shilla Seoul launches ‘Summer Floating Yoga’ package To meet with growing demand from guests wanting wellness programs, the Shilla Seoul, located at the heart of the Korean capital, is launching a special yoga program for the summer. The floating yoga program starts before the regular operation hours of the hotel’s “Urban Island” pool, open only to yoga package guests. After the 50-minute yoga ...

Garden of Morning Calm Hydrangea Festival and Exhibition The Garden of Morning Calm, situated in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, is one of Korea’s major botanical gardens. In an attempt to promote the beautiful hydrangea blooming in July, the festival presents five types of hydrangea with photo zones. Visitors can enjoy the differently shaped flowers and leaves of hydrangea, the most attractive f...