President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday stressed that managing the COVID-19 pandemic is the utmost priority for the presidential transition team, as the committee began its 53-day run. Speaking in the first general meeting of the committee, Yoon requested the special committee in charge of handling the COVID-19 crisis to focus on the damage compensation system for sole proprietors, and preventiv...

The Korean veteran actress said her worries disappeared when she watched the final version of the drama. “They all say Apple, but I don’t care apple or pear,” Youn joked. “But when I watched it, the cinematography was really good.” She also went on and talked about Kim Min-ha, who played Sunja in her early twenties. “I also had worries about young Sunja because she does not have much acting ex...

South Korean stocks extended their winning streak to a third session Friday after choppy trading, as investors eye the ongoing Ukraine-Russia peace talks after eased Fed uncertainties. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 12.51 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 2,707.02 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 634 millio...

Genesis, Hyundai Motor’s standalone luxury brand, proved that it not only makes great combustion engine cars but also premium electric cars by introducing the Genesis Electrified GV70. The luxury electric SUV has inherited much of the exterior and interior design of the original GV70 which had been praised by many car lovers for its sophisticated design. But some changes here and there helped t...

Apple Inc. will launch its newly upgraded iPhone SE smartphone in South Korea next week, the country's telecom operators said Friday, as the US tech giant aims to expand its leadership in the budget-friendly smartphone market. Last week, Apple unveiled its low-end iPhone SE featuring better battery life and access to 5G connection, as well as the iPad Air and new green versions of the iPhone 13....

The United Nations’ independent investigator on human rights in North Korea urged China and Russia to stop forcibly repatriating North Korean refugees and abide by the requirements of UN conventions forbidding refoulement. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, expressed his concerns over the perennial but wei...

South Korea said Friday it plans to open temporary settlement lines between local banks and their units in Russia in a bid to help local firms facing difficulties in trade financing due to global sanctions against Russia. The government plans to support swift trade financing-related payments for local companies as Woori Bank and Hana Bank are set to open ad hoc settlement accounts with their aff...

A co-director of the upcoming period drama "Pachinko" said Friday the show is specifically about a Korean family moving to Japan in the 20th century, but it also tells a timelessly universal story of immigrants throughout the world. Based on the namesake novel written by Korean American author Min Jin Lee, the latest Apple TV+ original series depicts the life of Sunja, born to a poor family in B...

Global sales continued to excel in Brazil , Turkey , Italy , and the Czech Republic in Q4 2021 CUPERTINO, Calif. , March 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zepp Health (NYSE: ZEPP), a global smart wearable and health technology leader, completed the final quarter of 2021 with yet another season of sharp and steady growth, and achieved a top-five ranking in global adult watch shipments, accordin...

Standard Chartered Bank Korea said Friday its net profit tumbled more than 50 percent in 2021 from a year earlier on large one-off costs. Combined net income stood at 127.9 billion won ($106 million) last year, down 50.3 percent from a year earlier, said the local unit of British banking giant Standard Chartered Bank. The lender said the bottom-line plunge is blamed on one-off costs worth 252.7...

Former major leaguer Kang Jung-ho, whose once promising career was derailed by a series of off-field problems, is returning to baseball. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday that they have signed their former All-Star shortstop to a one-year pact, extending a lifeline to a player who had abandoned a comeback bid two years ago. The Heroes said Kang will make...

South Korea's Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho will meet the chief of the US Space Command here later this week to discuss North Korea's long-range rocket development and other security issues, his office said Friday. Park and Gen. James Dickinson are set to hold talks at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday, as the allies are striving to bols...

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol aims to open Cheong Wa Dae to the public "before spring flowers wither," Yoon's spokesperson said Friday, suggesting that the compound would be turned into a public place before Yoon's inauguration in May. Kim Eun-hye, Yoon's spokesperson, made the remarks as Yoon and his transition team is considering relocating the presidential office to either the foreign ministr...

The South Korean economy has extended its recovery momentum on the back of robust exports, but the fast spread of the omicron variant is feared to constrain the recovery of private spending, the finance ministry said Friday. External economic uncertainties also heightened as volatility in raw material prices and market fluctuations amplified due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ministry said...