Lee Seok-ki, a former left-wing lawmaker who was imprisoned for plotting a rebellion against the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea, was released on parole Friday. Lee was released from a detention center in Daejeon with an ankle bracelet that allows officers to monitor offenders on parole. Previously, Lee refused to wear the ankle bracelet. Upon his release, Lee criticiz...

A special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, has sparked a wide range of responses in South Korea’s political circles. The ruling Democratic Party appeared largely to respect the president’s decision, while lawmakers from the opposition parties voiced different opinions, mostly raising doubts about the special pardon. Democratic Party Ch...

South Korean presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myung on Friday promised to push forward with plans to build a nuclear-powered submarine and launch a space command against multifaceted threats as part of his policy manifesto. The presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea announced his envisioned defense and security policies at a news conference, under the theme of “fostering a sm...

Suga, a member of K-pop superband BTS, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his management agency said Friday. Suga was confirmed to have the virus in a polymerase chain reaction test after arriving in Seoul from the United States on Thursday, according to Big Hit Music. "Suga received his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in late August," it said. "He has no special symptoms and is sta...

GUIYANG, China , Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 21 , the 2021 International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) Annual Conference kicked off online. Against the backdrop of global COVID-19 pandemic, international organizations, IMTA members, tourism experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from all over the world attended via videoconferencing, about 50 guests were presented at the main v...

Shinhan Financial Group, one of the four banking giants in the country, has named a former IBM managing director as its digital chief officer to accelerate a push to expand its digital services. Kim Myoung-hee, who spent the last 23 years developing digital operations at IBM before joining SK telecom to oversee digital efforts at the country’s largest mobile carrier, is considered one of the lea...

Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean star Son Heung-min has been named the country’s top athlete for the fifth straight year in a national poll. Gallup Korea announced the findings of its annual survey on athletes. In a poll of 1,700 South Koreans over the age of 13 from Nov. 5 to 28, Son earned overwhelming support of 72.8 percent as the top South Korean athlete for 2021. Respondents could sele...

The South Korean stock market continued its winning streak to a fourth session Friday amid eased concerns over the impact of the omicron variant on the global economy. The local currency gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 14.26 points, or 0.48 percent, to 3,012.43 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 530 million shares worth...

South Korean budget carrier Air Premia Co. said Friday it has opened its first international cargo flight to Singapore to focus on the cargo business amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Premia plans to operate the Incheon-Singapore route every Friday at 8:30 p.m. The company said it will consider starting passenger flights to Singapore depending on the COVID-19 pandemic. It also plans to review wh...

After a forgettable one-season stint in the majors, South Korean left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong is back with the Kia Tigers. The Tigers announced on Friday they have brought back their franchise icon on a four-year contract worth up to 10.3 billion won ($8.7 million). The 33-year-old pitcher will earn 2.5 billion won in total salary, 3 billion won in signing bonus, and a maximum 4.8 billion won in ...

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday its memory chip complex in the Chinese city of Xi'an went into an emergency mode as the Chinese authorities enforced a lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The South Korean tech giant said the emergency measure has not affected production, as it has been fully utilizing factory workers living in the company's dormitory. "The factory is currently fu...

The competition is heating up between two South Korean tech giants, Naver and Kakao, to enter the emerging digital health care market worth an estimated 320 trillion won ($270 billion) and growing using artificial intelligence, market insiders said Friday. According to Naver, it plans to build an in-house “smart hospital” supported by AI in its new headquarters next year. Attending to some 4,300...

The dairy producer tops Asian and global rankings for community efforts, product excellence, and exemplary governance. HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam , Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk) has been recognized by both the Global CSR Summit and Awards 2021 and the Asian Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards 2021 (ACES Awards), demonstrating the...

Amazon Prime Video, a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon, joined cross-industry group 8K Association earlier in December, Samsung Electronics said Friday. Samsung Electronics, one of the founding members of the 8K Association, said in a statement that Amazon Prime Video’s entry raises the anticipations for the 8K ecosystem’s growth momentum, in addition to Google that joine...