The ongoing COVID-19 surge in Korea is wreaking havoc on schools, leaving students, parents and teachers confused with quarantine protocols. The Education Ministry said Wednesday that 379,983 kindergarteners, elementary, middle and high school students in Korea were confirmed of COVID-19 from March 15 to Monday. A total of 1.05 million students have tested positive since the new semester began e...

The South Korean government has approved the emergency use of anti-COVID-19 pill Lagevrio, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday. The medicine, co-developed by US pharmaceutical company MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is the second anti-coronavirus pill to be authorized by the country’s health officials, following the approval of Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid in December. Am...

SK Trading International, a subsidiary of South Korean refiner SK Innovation, announced Wednesday plans to purchase up to 200,000 barrels of “net-zero oil” each year for five years from US-based Occidental Petroleum Corp., in a move to use the sustainable commodity for commercial products. The affiliates of SK Group, South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate by assets, will use the oil for produc...

Cellist Mischa Maisky is coming back to South Korea for the first time in five years, with three recitals in April and May. The cellist will be accompanied by pianist Lily Maisky, who is also his daughter. Maisky and his daughter will kick off a three-concert series at Gunsan Arts Center in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on April 29. After performing at the Seoul Arts Center on May 1, the duo w...

Speculations are rising that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification could see major changes under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The Foreign Ministry may regain trade functions from the Industry Ministry with growing importance on economic security. The Unification Ministry, meanwhile, appears likely to see its role reduced amid increasing tensions with the North. Ta...

LG Energy Solution and SK On, two Korean battery makers that are increasingly expanding their production base in key markets for electric vehicles, have recently won hefty incentives in the US and Europe, respectively. On Tuesday, the state of Michigan approved a package of incentives worth about $600 million for LG Energy Solution, including $565 million in government subsidies and $132.6 milli...

North Korea is cooperating with cybercriminals around the world, including those from Russia, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, amid heightened cybersecurity concerns around the world due to Russia’s war with Ukraine. “All I can say, generally, is that North Korea’s cyber capabilities have been manifest in the world and they work with all kinds of cybercriminals around the worl...

South Korean gaming giant Nexon will launch Dungeon & Fighter Mobile -- the latest title of the developer’s megahit intellectual property -- on Thursday, the company said Wednesday. Similar to the PC version, the mobile title is a fast-paced 2D anime-styled side scrolling action game combined with elements of role-playing games and based on a continuously developing storyline. Dungeon & Fighter...

The Export-Import Bank of Korea said it provided 600 million euros ($661.6 million) in financial support for the construction of the world’s longest suspension bridge, which opened last week in Turkey. The 2,023-meter Canakkale Bridge, built by a consortium of South Korea’s DL E&C and SK ecoplant, and Turkey’s Yapi Merkezi and Limak, connects Europe and Asia over the Dardanelle Strait. The 3.13...

The world has changed overnight with the war in Ukraine. As European nations and the US are expected to make respective gigantic shifts in re-armaments and foreign policies –- Asian countries are on high alert to assess the situation and interpret what these mean to them. The Korea Herald has co-organized a webinar with some of the members of the Asia News Network on the topic of “Europe’s Geopo...

DeVita makes a strong first impression as she enters AOMG’s modest studio in Gangnam, southern Seoul, in a pair of sneakers and a green dress. With smoky eye makeup and her hair dyed bright red, her look for the day matched the rich, poignant songs she’s known for. But in person DeVita was down-to-earth and perky, speaking as if she was meeting a high school friend for the first time in a while....

LG AI Research, an in-house research hub of South Korea‘s fourth-largest conglomerate, said Wednesday it has opened a new research center in the United States. The center is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, near the University of Michigan. It is LG AI Research’s first overseas location. The new facility will be led by Lee Hong-lak, chief scientist of AI and professor of electrical engineering an...

If you are fully vaccinated in South Korea or elsewhere and have your vaccination status registered in the country, you can now enter without quarantine on the way back. Those who are fully vaccinated abroad but have not been able to register their vaccination status in the COOV system will also be free of the seven-day long self-quarantine, which is currently required, from next month. As of W...

“Wear this mask to take a break from work or receive the government’s emergency cash grants for the infected,” read the post. In response to the advertisement, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced it would closely monitor online secondhand platforms and crack down on any postings that “threaten public health.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum warned against the act of refusing C...

South Korea's political parties are set to launch nomination committees for the June local elections, returning to full election mode as early as next week. The liberal Democratic Party of Korea plans to set up an internal committee on managing nominations by Friday, a day after the party elects a new floor leader to succeed Rep. Yun Ho-jung, who now stands as a leader of the emergency steering ...