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...

South Korean figure skater Kim Ye-lim has withdrawn from the upcoming world championships after testing positive for COVID-19, the sport's national federation said Friday. An official with the Korea Skating Union (KSU) said Kim received a positive result from her polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test Thursday night and will not be able to skate at the world championships opening next Wednesday in...

A professor and students of Ewha Womans University's College of Music will begin holding lunchtime concerts every weekday in front of the Russian Embassy in central Seoul next week to wish for peace in Ukraine, officials said Friday. The concert series, titled "Small Concert for Peace," will kick off at 12:30 p.m. Monday with 20 to 30 minutes of performances by a cello quartet of professor Bae I...

Fremont, California, is the happiest city in the United States, according to a new survey from WalletHub based on some 30 key indicators for happiness, ranging from depression rates to income growth and average use of leisure time each day. WalletHub said the coronavirus pandemic has left one-third of US residents so stressed that it‘s difficult to make basic decisions. WalletHub said it dep...

The UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights has repeated his call for the international community to send enough COVID-19 vaccines to the reclusive country, a report showed Friday. Tomas Ojea Quintana described it as a "new way" to engage with the North in his report on its human rights situation to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council next week, with his six-year term ending ...

Two South Korean football clubs that faced each other last week have been struggling to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus inside their locker rooms, with another matchweek on the horizon. Ulsan Hyundai FC extended their lead atop the K League 1 tables by beating FC Seoul 2-1 last Friday. In the ensuing days, both clubs have seen multiple COVID-19 cases pop up. Ulsan had to play a play...

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit above 400,000 on Friday, led by the wave of the highly transmissible omicron variant, amid the government's steps to shift away from rigorous social distancing. The country reported 407,017 new COVID-19 infections, including 39 from overseas, raising the total caseload to 8,657,609, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tall...

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Friday, as investors placed hopes on the ongoing fourth round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks after eased Fed uncertainties. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 3.9 points, or 0.14 percent, to trade at 2698.41 points as of 9:15 a.m. Large caps traded mixed in Seoul. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.7 percent, and No....

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the opening of a landmark bridge in Turkey will serve as a good opportunity to display South Korea's technology and financing system as he arrived in the transcontinental country to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties. The 1915 Canakkale Bridge, which straddles the Dardanelles strait in northwestern Turkey, is the world's longest suspension bridge, with a 2,0...

The government will ease the limit on private gatherings to eight people from the current six while maintaining the 11 p.m. business curfew, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said Friday. Kwon made the announcement as South Korea has been weighing the option of further relaxing the virus restrictions amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The measures will take effect M...

How our ancestors recorded life on view at Horim Museum How did Koreans preserve memories when they did not have technologies like those available today? Horim Museum shows some 170 cultural relics from Korea’s ancient time to modern era, guiding us through how their memories and history can be found in the artifacts. Looking back on 40 years of its history, Horim Museum – one of the major priv...

Jeju Fire Festival The Jeju Fire Festival will be held at Saebyeol Oreum in Aewol-eup on Jeju Island from March 18 to March 20. The annual festival is a reinterpretation of “bangae,” the oldest nomadic culture in Jeju, where people pray for richness and health by burning off old grass and, in the process, kill vermin in the fields. Lighting up the night sky, the fire show puts on a stupendous ...

Fairmont Ambassador Seoul showcases Fairmont Yeoui Blossom tea set Fairmont Ambassador Seoul is offering a spring-inspired afternoon tea set served at the hotel’s first-floor Atrium Lounge. This season’s high tea set features a collection of cherry blossom-themed desserts and beverages, complemented by a menu of irresistible savory items. The selection of seven desserts is served on an elegant ...