North Korea retreated four notches in an annual international corruption ranking to 174th among 180 countries last year, a report by an anti-corruption watchdog showed. The reclusive country scored 16 out of 100 in the Corruption Perceptions Index report issued by Berlin-based Transparency International, down two points from the previous year. The index evaluates countries based on how corru...

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) will push for another extra budget to support pandemic-hit small businesses, the party's floor leader said Tuesday. Rep. Yun Ho-jung said the DP plans to swiftly draft a second supplementary budget for this year after the March 9 presidential election and will even consider using an emergency order if necessary. His remarks came a day after the National Assembly...

DAEJEON -- A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison for putting liquid bathroom cleaner into the intravenous drip line of another patient for unclear reasons while in hospital for burn treatment, sources said Tuesday. The man committed the crime at a hospital in Daejeon, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, in March last year. Following the infusion, the patient complained o...

The top diplomats of South Korea and India have met in France to discuss regional issues and ways to expand cooperation and exchanges in various areas, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong sat down with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Paris on Monday (local time) on the eve of the Indo Pacific Ministerial Forum 2022. They were invited to the F...

Instant noodles captured the top spot in production among food products in South Korea in 2020 on a surge in exports amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday. The output of instant noodles, or "ramyeon" in Korean, stood at 1.93 million tons in 2020, up a whopping 231 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Ramyeon's ranking in term...

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Tuesday as Russia sent in forces to parts of Ukraine. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 42.05 points, or 1.53 percent, to 2,701.75 points as of 9:15 a.m. Investors dumped local stocks following reports that Russian dispatched what it called "peacekeeping forces" to eastern Ukraine. Most large caps slumped in Seoul, led by fore...

South Korea's business sentiment improved for March to exceed the benchmark level for the first time in three months amid relaxed anti-coronavirus measures in major economies, a poll showed Tuesday. The business survey index (BSI) of the country's top 600 companies by sales stood at 102.1 for next month, up 2.4 points from February, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said. It represents ...

The artist considers her works as part of a “process of searching for the hidden beauty behind a phenomenon.” When asked if a person has her own color, Toh said she believes so. As for herself, she has numerous colors that define her. “I don’t think I have a single color for myself,” she said. Toh is a granddaughter of Do Sang-bong (1902-1977), the famed modernist who pioneered Western-style pai...

The MMCA Hyundai Motor Series, inaugurated in 2014, is sponsored by Hyundai Motor as a project supporting established Korean artists. Selected artists are commissioned to create new works that are then shown at an exhibition at the state museum. Choe is the ninth artist chosen for the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series. Former winners include the artistic duo Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho, Yang Hae-gue...

President Moon Jae-in will preside over a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, Cheong Wa Dae said. The meeting, set to take place at Cheong Wa Dae at 11 a.m., comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in Ukraine after recognizing their independence. Moon is expected to use the meeting t...

Warburg Pincus and Ontario Teachers', both existing shareholders in PDG, also invest in this round SINGAPORE , Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore -based Princeton Digital Group (PDG) has closed an equity investment from Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) as a lead investor for $350M . Both existing shareholders in PDG, Warburg Pincus and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (Onta...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a verbal message to Chinese President Xi Jinping to congratulate China on the "successful" closing of the Beijing Winter Olympics, according to Pyongyang's state media Tuesday. "In the message the respected Comrade Kim Jong-un extended heartfelt warm congratulations to General Secretary Xi Jinping upon the splendid proceeding of the Beijing Winter Olympic...

LAS VEGAS , Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today VIMworld.com announced its first-ever Global VIM Producer Contest, offering an exciting opportunity for artists and NFT producers globally to join. The top few winners, chosen by community vote, will share a pool of over ~$20,000 USD , where the #1 winner will take home ~$13,000 USD and will have their Smart NFT along with its background stor...

SYDNEY , Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Australian brand Piping Hot Australia and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) announced today their research partnership to develop a sustainable fibre made from seaweed. Piping Hot has commissioned this innovative biomaterial research as a vital investment in its mission for clean oceans. Commencing in February 2022 , UTS climate scientists will...

We begin today’s respite with an easy, one-question pop quiz: QUESTION: At the end of the 20th century’s Cold War, the three nations with the largest nuclear arsenals were: the United States, Russia, and -- (A) Britain, (B) France, (C) China, (D) none of the above? And the correct answer, as you probably know, is: (D). When the Soviet Union collapsed, about one-third of the former Soviet nucl...