President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition committee on Monday met with family of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was shot dead by North Korean troops near the western sea border on Sept. 21, 2020. Ahn Cheol-soo, the chief of the presidential transition committee, spoke with the official’s older brother Lee Rae-jin and an attorney representing his family at around 12: p.m. at the...

President Moon Jae-in says he believes Korea’s experience in forest restoration and international forest cooperation can contribute to sustainable forest management around the world, in a message to mark Seoul’s hosting of the 15th World Forestry Congress, He suggested three ways in which Korea would contribute to the international community. “First, we will actively participate in the internat...

The World Forestry Congress, a five-day gathering that kicked off on Monday in Seoul, is where all stakeholders in the industry are meeting to review and discuss policies on forests and the environment under the theme of “Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests,” according to the secretary-general of the congress. The congress, held every six years, is the largest and most si...

Toss Bank is now the first South Korean internet-only bank to allow foreign residents here to open an online bank account, the lender said Monday. “Starting Monday, all foreigners here are able to open an account as long as they have their registration card,” Toss Bank said in a statement. Foreigners are offered the same service as locals, according to the bank, which was set up last year, four ...

For instance, Min explains that people can’t help but to bump into others in overcrowded Korean cities. Koreans think that this is inevitable, and no one seems to mind at all unless the contact really hurts. On the other hand, Americans might find it unpleasant, since they are accustomed to maintaining personal space in public places. The book also describes Korean cultural attributes that seem ...

An affiliate of blockchain company AMAXG has begun a project to protect music copyrights, and find and foster musical talent through a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). A DAO is a member-owned community without centralized leadership and represented by transparent rules fixed in computer code. DAO’s financial transaction records and program rules are maintained on a blockchain. AMAXG...

Shin Dong-won, chairman of South Korea’s largest instant noodle maker Nongshim, looks around the company‘s second factory in US in this photo released Monday. According to Nongshim, the new factory located in Rancho Cucamonga, California can produce up to 350 million instant noodles per year. The Korean noodle maker said it aims to reach annual sales of $800 million (1.01 trillion won) in the US ...

SEJONG -- South Korea’s trade-related officials are striving to overcome the worsening trade balance in the wake of declining exports to major destinations, including China and Russia, from a variety of incidents. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo on Monday presided over a meeting to map out countermeasures against external negative factors which involve China’s possible lockdown of more major cities a...

People seemed reluctant to take off their masks, although the country’s outdoor mask mandate was lifted on Monday. For various reasons, it was difficult to find people not wearing masks than those wearing them. “It is rather inconvenient to take off a face mask outside and put it back on when entering an indoor space,” said a 32-year-old female graduate student surnamed Cho in Seoul when asked w...

“It’s her (Gomez’s) birthday today. So she’s just turned 16. She was 14 when we started this. She’s just brilliant,” he said. “And she’s such a fresh lovely human being, very enthusiastic and has all the requisite energy to fill the boots of this quite iconic recent character in the comics.” Cumberbatch also pointed out that Gomez’s character brings representation to mainstream media. ”It’s a v...

With less than a month left until the local elections, South Korea’s two major political parties finished drawing their lineups for 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections. South Korea’s conservative People Power Party is hoping to win at least 10 of the 17 posts, putting forward some well-known candidates. The party is looking to score another win following its success in the presid...

The prime minister and foreign minister nominees on Monday were grilled by ruling party lawmakers over personal and family allegations at a confirmation hearing. Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo, whose confirmation hearing resumed Monday after a boycott by the Democratic Party of Korea, responded head on to the allegations. Lawmakers of the Democratic Party and the Justice Party bombarded hi...

South Korea’s financial authorities failed to notice a mammoth embezzlement scheme at a top bank here, in which an employee withdrew a combined 61.4 billion won ($48.84 million) from 2012 to 2018, despite carrying out 11 audits during the period, sources said Monday. Police arrested the employee surnamed Jeon, who is in his 40s, last Wednesday mere hours after Woori Bank had reported the theft...

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine -- A long-awaited evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was under way Sunday, as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed that she visited Ukraine's president to show unflinching American support for the country's defense against Russia's invasion. Video posted online by Ukrainian forces showed elderly women and mothers with sma...

China’s top nuclear envoy is set to discuss political solutions with South Korean officials amid a continuing tug of war among countries over how to respond to a series of advanced weapons tests by North Korea. Liu Xiaoming, special representative of the Chinese government on Korean Peninsula affairs, arrived in South Korea on Sunday. Liu’s first visit to Seoul after his appointment in April 20...