BTS' new album, "Proof," has topped the US Billboard's main albums chart for this week, becoming the sixth chart-topper from the South Korean group, the chart's operator said. The anthology album landed atop the Billboard 200 by earning 314,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending June 16, Billboard said Sunday (US time). "The overwhelming majority of that unit figure ...

South Korea plans to expand fuel tax cuts in July as part of efforts to ease inflationary pressure from surging energy costs, the finance minister said Sunday. The government will expand tax cuts on fuel consumption to a legal cap of 37 percent from the current 30 percent, according to Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho. The measure will be effective until the end of this year. South Korea is facin...

Russia’s growing engagement in Africa is gaining attention. The Wagner Group, a shady mercenary organization, is the centerpiece of this activity. Since 2015, it has become an important security player in at least a half-dozen countries across the continent. The Russian government denies any connection, but Wagner is widely believed to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and doing Russia...

Partnering with PSG for Metaverse Art Project PARIS , June 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Mandopop King Jay Chou , represented by Edison's Co., announced recently that they are launching a new metaverse art project together. Chou teamed up with some of the world's most valuable footballers for the commercial shooting, including Italian goalkeepi...

President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a "housewarming" event in the front yard of the presidential office in central Seoul on Sunday, inviting some 400 neighbors and others to celebrate the relocation of the office. Living up to his campaign pledge, Yoon has moved the presidential office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan from Cheong Wa Dae in line with his campaign pledge to connect be...

South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri will be moved to the launch pad early Monday as planned for its scheduled launch the following day, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said Sunday. The institute canceled its initial plan to launch Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, last Thursday after a part in the oxidizer tank sensor was seen malfunctioning during a final pre-launch checkup at the launc...

The South Korean government on Sunday decided to further extend tax cuts on fuel consumption as part of efforts to ease inflationary pressure from surging energy costs. Starting next month, the legal cap of fuel tax cuts will be increased to 37 percent from the current 30 percent. The tentative measure will be effective until the end of this year. "The government will immediately implement meas...

The rallies near the homes of President Yoon Suk-yeol and his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, are turning into partisan feuds among people with little regard for residents affected by the demonstrations, with both sides proposing a volley of revisions to amend the demonstration law. Since April this year, a total of seven legislative motions, most of them separately, by the People Power Party and Demo...

South Korea is going full steam ahead in its bid to host the World Expo in 2030, with a delegation of top government and business leaders set to attend a presentation for the bid in Paris. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is set to attend the general assembly at the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organization overseeing the World Expos, on Tuesday, accompanied by more than 50 top off...

It is a tough time for blockchain technologies like nonfungible tokens, as the volatile cryptocurrency market has upended the outlook for NFT art, which has enjoyed explosive growth in recent years. However, even though NFTs are going through a maturing period, experts say they still offer great potential for the art industry in the future. NFT is a financial security consisting of digital data ...

South Korean automotive duo Hyundai Motor and Kia have hit a 3 million milestone in sales of eco-friendly cars, 14 years since their first hybrid models debuted back in 2009. Eco-friendly cars include hybrid electric, full-electric and fuel-cell electric vehicles. According to Hyundai Motor Group on Sunday, its two brands sold a total of 3,006,414 units of eco-friendly cars over the past 14 yea...

Driving a small electric vehicle in the pouring rain isn’t always pleasant. But the second generation Kia Niro EV has proven that even a small EV can be stable and smooth under slippery conditions. Running on front-wheel drive, the battery-powered compact vehicle seemed to have an edge for driving in extreme weather conditions over rear-wheel drive vehicles. It comes with a 150-kilowatt or 204 h...

Seoul Metro’s deficit problem Seoul Metro’s naming rights sales come as it has struggled with yearslong deficits. The subway system suffered a net loss of 1.1 trillion won in 2020. It was in the red again the following year, losing some 960 billion won. In a recent report released by Seoul Metropolitan Council, Seoul Metro was urged to secure sustainability by reducing losses and risks. While...

Lim said he participated in the competition to check himself and where he stood in terms of the maturity of his music. “I am more worried than anything else," Lim said after winning the competition. "I wanted my music to become deeper, and if that desire reached the audience, I’m satisfied," he added. A native of Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, Lim is among the few Korean winners of an internationa...