BMW’s M division vehicles are on display at the BMW Driving Center located in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Thursday. BMW Korea plans to hold a series of promotional events, including a special exhibition at the center to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the German carmaker’s high-performance motorsport brand for the next two months. (BMW Korea)

South Korea’s e-commerce giant Coupang topped the list of the largest employers here last year, adding almost 30,000 new jobs in the year alone, according to industry data released Thursday. According to market tracker Korea CXO Institute, Coupang hired 29,361 new employees in 2021, with its total workforce standing at 72,763. The figure made up almost half the total 63,740 new hires made by th...

South Korean real estate platform Rsquare said Thursday it has collected over 65,000 pieces of commercial real estate data in Singapore, officially launching its business in the major Asia-Pacific hub. The company has compiled both quantitative and qualitative data on office buildings, hotels, distribution centers, factories and other commercial buildings in Singapore’s principal districts. “Ju...

Vaccine equity What is concerning is the sluggish speed at which vaccines are being distributed in developing countries, Xu said. This means slower recovery, further widening the gap between developing and developed countries. “The rate of vaccination is the best predictor of socioeconomic recovery and future growth (of a country). There’s a serious inequity between developed and developing cou...

The main opposition Democratic Party took a major loss in the local elections, but Kim Dong-yeon’s narrow victory for Gyeonggi Province governor came as a partial relief and possible sign that all may not be lost for the party. Although the party lost 12 of the 17 seats in the elections of metropolitan government to the ruling People Power Party, it won in the biggest battleground Gyeonggi Provi...

Even by the standards of South Korea’s convoluted politics, Hong Joon-pyo has had a rather unusual career trajectory. He was a five-time lawmaker, twice elected governor of South Gyeongsang Province and head of the main conservative party for two separate stints. He was the party’s presidential candidate five years ago and recently was a runner-up in its presidential primary, losing to Yoon Suk-...

South Korean brokerages’ yearslong plan to launch the first alternative trading system here has entered a new phase, with more companies expressing support and the exchange’s ownership structure getting clearer, media reports said Thursday. According to local reports, 30 small- and medium-sized brokerages have expressed willingness for the first time to use the ATS, if launched, to the ATS task ...

“I wanted to do it differently this time. It is a story of a woman who hides her feelings so I wanted to make the audience want a closer look into her mind. It had to be done carefully to show the subtle changes in her feelings. To do that, I had to limit any provocative elements,” he said. “If my film is music, it is a song with a singer who sings with a delicate and soft voice, so I thought tha...

South Korean and Chinese defense chiefs will hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of a major international security forum, Seoul’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday. The meeting comes as South Korea’s newly inaugurated Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup is set to make his international debut at the Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit to be held in Singapore from June 10 to 12. China’s minis...

A raft of major changes is in store for South Korea’s political circle in the wake of local elections, with new faces likely to emerge as leaders of major parties moving forward. For the main opposition Democratic Party, a sweeping reform has been in the works since the March presidential election defeat, but experts say something similar could also be demanded of the ruling People Power Party. ...

Leaders of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea resigned en masse Thursday following a crushing defeat in the local elections. Rep. Yun Ho-jung, chair of the party’s emergency steering committee, announced following a party meeting that the committee will resign immediately “to assume responsibility” for the disappointing outcome. “All members of the Democratic Party’s emergency commit...

A weekly K-pop chart program is set to air on US satellite radio and will be the first American countdown show dedicated exclusively to Korean music. “K-pop Radar” will be broadcast on SiriusXM, a satellite radio service in North America with about 35 million subscribers, according to local music startup Space Oddity on Thursday. Beginning this week, the hour-long show will air at 8 p.m. Easter...

President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party’s political clout is growing, following a landslide victory in the June 1 local elections despite the opposition dominating the National Assembly. Yoon vowed to dedicate all his energy to stabilizing people’s livelihoods. The local elections are crucial for Yoon, as they determine the political direction of the first two years of his adm...

Among the few consolation prizes for Democratic Party of Korea’s bitter loss in Wednesday’s local elections was the resounding victory won by its candidate Oh Young-hun in the race for the Jeju governor’s office. Born and raised in the southern resort island, the 53-year-old politician was the first Democratic Party candidate to be elected Jeju governor in 20 years. Woo Keun-min in 2002 was elec...

After a months-long supply disruption due to the war in Ukraine, Posco International said Thursday that it has partially resumed operation of its grain export terminal located in the country’s eastern border area. According to the company, its operation resumption follows its clients’ request for supply. Some 2,000 tons of wheat have been exported its terminal in Mykolaiv this week, where some 1...