South Korean companies are closely monitoring the situation as Western sanctions on Russia over the Russia-Ukraine geopolitical crisis may threaten the supply chains of the country’s key exports such as semiconductors, batteries and automotives. According to industry sources Wednesday, the prices of aluminum and nickel -- key minerals for EV batteries -- hit all-time highs in 14 years and 11 yea...

A Seoul court on Wednesday ruled against South Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor in a damages suit filed against Japanese companies, apparently on grounds that the cases' statute of limitations has expired. The suit was filed against Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Kumagai Gumi Co. by a 104-year-old victim named Kim Han-soo and the bereaved family of a late victim, surn...

Kisum, whose real name is Jo Hye-ryung, made her debut in 2013 with her collaboration with singer Se-A, “First Love.” She gained recognition through the 2015 Mnet’s female rapper survival program, “Unpretty Rapstar,” and has been actively releasing music both for herself and in collaboration with other musicians. While she has less of the boisterous, bubbly energy iconic of Kisum’s early days, t...

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday slammed Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, accusing him of hiding the truth about his wife’s alleged involvement in a stock manipulation case. “Yoon will lose in the presidential election because of Kim Keon-hee’s stock manipulation charges,” Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the ruling party said, speaking at a campaign co...

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. said Wednesday it has received a 1 trillion-won ($840 million) order to build four liquefied natural gas carriers for an African shipper. Under the deal, Samsung Heavy will deliver the four environment-friendly LNG ships to the unidentified shipper by September 2025, the company said in a statement. "We expect more LNG ship orders this year on increasing demand for ...

South Korea climbed to the first-tier group of countries last year in terms of how well its state policies for artificial intelligence are aligned with democratic values, a U.S. nongovernmental organization said Wednesday. In 2021, South Korea moved up by one notch to the first-tier group with 11 points, compared with 8.5 points the previous year, according to a report by the Center for AI and D...

South Korean project management company HanmiGlobal said Wednesday it has acquired Tarr Whitman Group, a Seattle-based construction support consulting firm, to further expand its business to the US market. TWG will operate as a business unit within Otak, another US subsidiary of HanmiGlobal, and continue to focus on project control services for Otak and TWG clients. Following an integration of t...

LIG Nex1 showcased its robots, unmanned surface vehicles and surveillance drones at an international exhibit in the United Arab Emirates, hoping to expand exports to and technological cooperation in the Middle East. The South Korean defense company took part in the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference, which was held in Abu Dhabi from Feb. 21 through 23. Among LIG Nex1’s products on displ...

While keeping its overall look intact, the 2022 Renault Samsung SM6 has upgraded safety and convenience features such as LED matrix vision headlamps in all of its trims. Like most European cars, the SM6, which is sold as the Renault Talisman in Europe, has kept its unique design, despite having had minor facelifts over the six years since its launch. The LED matrix vision headlamps are smart he...

South Korea's largest exhibition of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) will be held in the southeastern port city of Busan this week, showcasing the latest technologies and models and offering a forum on the industry's future, organizers said Wednesday. Drone Show Korea 2022 will take place at Bexco Exhibition Center from Thursday to Saturday under the theme of "Connected by Drone." The sixth editi...

Supreme Court Justice Cho Jae-youn on Wednesday categorically denied any link to a massive development scandal following a newspaper report that a central figure in the scandal promised him a luxury house. Cho made the remark during a press conference after the Hankook Ilbo daily reported last week that Kim Man-bae, the owner of an asset firm at the center of the scandal, said he promised a hous...

South Korea has approved the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday, amid growing concerns over sharply soaring infections ahead of schools' opening next week. The country reported a record high of over 170,000 daily cases of COVID-19 from the previous day. Of the new cases reported in the last week, almost 30 percent were ...

After spending more than a decade overseas, South Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol is coming home. Jeju United of the K League 1 said Wednesday that Koo, 32, has agreed to rejoin the team where he made his professional debut in 2007. Further details of the contract will be hammered out once Koo arrives in South Korea Thursday, the club added. Koo played for Jeju from 2007 to 2010, netting eight g...

The military on Wednesday reported 767 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 14,022. The new cases included 510 from the Army, 86 from the Air Force, 60 from the Navy, 55 from the Marine Corps, and 39 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry. There were also 14 cases from the ministry, two from the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forc...

The Japanese government’s newly launched effort to place a gold mine complex on the UNESCO World Heritage List plunges it into another unseemly historical and diplomatic quagmire. In December, Japan’s Council for Cultural Affairs approved the candidacy of the complex on the island of Sado, 32 km from the Japanese mainland. The Korean Foreign Ministry quickly protested and public concerns mounted...