A Seoul court on Thursday ruled partially in favor of a group of college entrance exam takers and their parents in a lawsuit seeking state compensation for an erroneous early "time is up" signal that shortened the exam time by two minutes. The exam time for the fourth session of the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, held in December 2020, was cut short for exam takers in a high school in wes...

South Korean household income rose for the second quarter in a row in the fourth quarter of last year thanks to an economic recovery amid eased antivirus curbs, data showed Thursday. The average household earned 4.64 million won ($3,876) per month in the October-December period, up 6.4 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It marked the largest increase fo...

Employment for wage workers in South Korea grew at a slow clip in the third quarter of 2021 from three months earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Thursday. The number of paid employee jobs came to 19.6 million as of end-September, up 2.6 percent, or 491,000, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The tally was much lower lower than an on-year increase o...

The presidential National Security Council (NSC) on Thursday expressed strong regret over Russia's attack on Ukraine, shortly after President Moon Jae-in said South Korea will join international sanctions against Moscow. National security adviser Suh Hoon presided over the meeting after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in eastern Ukraine. During the meetin...

South Korea will pay out its first batch of compensation to its nationals who participated in US military intelligence operations in North Korea before and during the Korean War, and their bereaved families, the defense ministry said Thursday. On Wednesday, the ministry convened an internal review panel to make the decision applicable to 160 individuals, including 143 who worked for the Korea Li...

Recent Korean TV series adapted from American and European originals have made their presence felt on the local entertainment scene, which is expanding its horizons to the global market. Starring big-name stars Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seung-won, "One Ordinary Day," an original by local stream service Coupang Play, is based on BBC's popular crime drama "Criminal Justice." The eight-part series delve...

The ruling Democratic Party will push for electoral reforms, including changing the single five-year presidential term to a renewable four-year term, in an effort to forge national unity and increase the political participation of minor parties, its chief said Thursday. DP Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil announced the measures in a press conference at the party headquarters in a likely bid to forge...

Presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party said Thursday that the time for a candidacy merger with Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is over, reiterating his commitment to finish the presidential race on his own. "The time had already passed when I declared that the candidacy merger is off the table," Ahn told reporters at the National...

South Korea's imported car business lobby group said Thursday it has appointed an Audi Volkswagen Korea executive as its new chief to help their members gain a bigger share in the local passenger vehicle market. Till Scheer, group managing director of Audi Volkswagen Korea, will serve as the 15th chairman of the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) from March to Februa...

South Korea's top trade official met with foreign envoys to Seoul on Thursday and discussed ways of cooperation to ensure stable supplies of key materials amid global supply chain disruptions and simmering tensions surrounding Ukraine, the industry ministry said. The meeting took place in Seoul between Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and ambassadors and charge d'affaires of nine resource-rich nations...

At the core of hotel concierge service is knowing a guest’s needs through even the subtlest gestures, and remembering them on their next visit, according to Kum Sang-jin, assistant manager of the rooms team at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul. Kum received the Les Clefs d’Or badge of two golden keys on Feb. 14, which symbolizes professional expertise as well as the best and most unique concierge servi...

The Vietnamese government is closely monitoring bank accounts of North Koreans in the country as part of efforts to implement UN sanctions against Pyongyang, an international organization's report showed Thursday. The Southeast Asian country has taken proactive measures against Pyongyang's activities prohibited under UN Security Council sanctions, according to an evaluation report on Vietnam's s...

South Korea's antitrust regulator on Thursday approved Jungheung Group's acquisition of its bigger rival Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. in a deal worth more than 2.06 trillion won ($1.7 billion). The Fair Trade Commission approved the takeover deal as it won't hamper competition in the construction market, the regulator said in a statement. Jungheung is the 17th largest builder in terms ...

South Korea's central bank held its key interest rate steady Thursday amid worries that the upsurge in COVID-19 infections and heightening geopolitical risks stemming from Eastern Europe could undercut economic recovery momentum. The Bank of Korea (BOK), however, sharply revised upward its inflation outlook for this year, raising the possibility that it could hike the interest rate in the months...

Featuring Intricate Combination of Multiple Finishes TOKYO , Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced today the latest addition to its G-SHOCK brand of shock-resistant watches. Based on the GMW-B5000, the original full-metal take on the first-ever G-SHOCK, the new GMW-B5000MB features an array of detailed finishes that come together in a refined black design. GMW-B500...