South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Friday, despite overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 33.06 points, or 1.22 percent, to 2,740.88 points in the first 30 minutes of trading. On Thursday (local time), US stocks closed sharply lower, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq plunging 3.7 percent amid worries over tightening monetary policy. The...

South Korea's daily virus cases on Friday hit another all-time high with infections exceeding 27,000 for the first time amid the fast spread of the omicron variant after a holiday season. The country reported 27,443 new COVID-19 infections, including 27,283 local cases, raising the total to 934,656, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The previous daily record w...

The last hurdle for South Korea to clear in the top Asian women's football tournament will be China. South Korea booked a spot in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup on Thursday by beating the Philippines 2-0 in the semifinals in India. Later that night, China set up a date with South Korea by edging out Japan 4-3 in a penalty shootout. The final will be Sunday...

Card spending in South Korea rose more than 10 percent in 2021 from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed Friday. Spending made with credit, debit and prepaid cards stood at about 977 trillion won ($811 billion) last year, up 10.3 percent from the same quarter a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Credit Finance Association. Card spending in Asia's f...

The government decided Friday to extend current social distancing rules for two more weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the country struggles to contain the omicron variant. "Slowing the pace of the omicron's spread, which is heading to its peak day after day, is a priority in this difficult circumstance where we cannot accurately estimate the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday...

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party has tested positive for COVID-19, the party said Friday. Rep. Song Young-gil went into isolation Thursday after testing positive on a rapid antigen test. He then took a polymerase chain reaction test and got back the result Friday morning. "(Song) plans to strictly follow the guidelines of the health authorities," the DP said in a notice to reporters. T...

South Korea's consumer prices rose more than 3 percent for the fourth consecutive month in January due mainly to high prices of oil products and dining out amid soaring energy prices and a global supply chain crisis, data showed Friday. The consumer prices advanced 3.6 percent on-year last month, compared with a 3.7 percent gain in December, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. T...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to congratulate China on the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, highlighting the "invincible strategic relations" between the two countries, Pyongyang's state media reported. An opening ceremony for the Feb. 4-20 competition was to be held in the Chinese capital later in the day, although North Korea is...

The exhibition “My Very Favorite Picture Book” at Hangaram Design Museum shows works from Korean children’s illustrated books. Some original sketches and digital paintings created for 18 illustrated books by seven illustrators are on display as well as interactive art created in collaboration with media artists, offering a variety of experiences. The exhibition includes 200 works from 18 picture...

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket p...

The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Korea) Opened Jan. 26 Action, Comedy Directed by Kim Jung-hoon Set in the Joseon era, pirate captain Hye-rang (Han Hyo-joo) and her crew go on a journey to look for hidden treasures of the Goryeo Kingdom that no longer exist. Troublemaking swordsman Muchi (Kang Ha-neul) and his followers also decide to join them. However, on their way, they are met with ...

InterContinental Seoul COEX launches Valentine’s Day package InterContinental Seoul COEX presents the “Sparkling Love Diary“ package, which comes with a necklace gift for couples to celebrate Valentine’s Day. In collaboration with Swarovski, the package includes a one-night stay in the Classic Room, a Swarovski necklace, a bottle of rose wine, and an Instax camera rental service for visitors to...

Green Hydrogen Company Moving its Headquarters from Southern California to Columbus COLUMBUS, Ohio , Feb. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyperion Companies, Inc., a green hydrogen technology company announced today that the company is moving its headquarters from Southern California to a 65-acre facility on the west side of Columbus, Ohio . The facility will also house a research and developm...