A gala ballet concert featuring the principal dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet has been canceled. The performance, newly titled “Super Ballet Concert of Ballet & Model 2024 in Seoul” from the initial title “Bolshoi Ballet Gala Concert 2024 in Seoul,” was scheduled to be held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from Tuesday to Friday. The cancellation came after the organizer’s proposal for alterations to the show’s cast and program was rejected by th

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, on Tuesday delivered a concise yet stern message to China and Russia not to hide and reward North Korea's bad behavior. She also urged Pyongyang to "say yes" to Washington's repeated calls for dialogue without preconditions. "Hiding the truth does not change it. Rewarding bad behavior only encourages it," Thomas-Greenfield conveyed pointed admonition to China and Russia during her visit to

A series of memorial events were held across the country Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry tragedy, in remembrance of the 304 lives lost in Korea's worst maritime disaster. At a ceremony held at the Hwarang Public Garden in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon vowed to remember the 304 victims forever. Kim also lamented that no senior officials were held accountable for the failed disaster response. "Another tragedy followed this tragedy. It is

South Korean streaming platforms are launching subscription packages tied with complementary services in response to mounting criticisms that the subscription fees for streaming services are getting too high, a phenomenon nicknamed "streamflation" here. On Monday, local telecom service provider KT launched a subscription package named "Tving + Starbucks" which includes access to Tving and a monthly coupon for a tall Americano at Starbucks. Three types of subscription packages

Stray Kids is gearing up for a new release in the summer, according to a local media report on Monday citing industry sources. Considering that it is slated to headline a series of music festivals abroad -- “I-Days” in Milan, “British Summertime Hyde Park” in London and “Lollapalooza Chicago” in Chicago -- from mid-July, an album is likely to be released in June, it speculated. Its last album was the November's “Rock-Star” tEP, which topped

Luxury fashion houses reported a slowdown in sales growth in Korea after years of upbeat sales that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recent earnings reports. “Consumption of expensive luxury products soared over the past few years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. But, luxury purchases started to slow down last year as consumer confidence remained low amid economic woes,” an industry source said on the condition of anonymity. The two largest luxury brands in

Foreigners who are ordered to leave South Korea because they have been in the country illegally or have committed a crime will have to be deported within 36 months starting next year. The Justice Ministry has proposed an amendment to the Immigration Act that would limit the maximum period of accommodating foreigners ordered with compulsory evacuation to 36 months. This follows the Constitutional Court's decision in March of last year that the indefinite detention of foreigners subject to de

Last year, South Korea's card payments surged past 900 trillion won ($644.6 billion) for the first time, amid heightened inflation and escalating consumer prices. Data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service reveals that the combined card payment performance of the nation's eight major credit card companies -- Shinhan, Samsung, Hyundai, KB Kookmin, Lotte, Woori, Hana, and BC -- reached 920.5 trillion won, marking a 6.4 percent increase from the 2022 total of 856.4 trillion won. T

The Busan One Asia Festival, celebrating its eighth edition this year, will take place over two days on June 8 and 9. BOF is hosted by the Busan city government and organized by the Busan Tourism Organization. On the first day of the festival, the BOF Big Concert, featuring various K-pop artists, will be held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, while on June 9, the Park Concert will take place at Hwamyeong Eco Park. The lineup for the Park Concert has not yet been announced yet. The BOF Big Concert

SM Entertainment and Kakao Games Corp. signed a partnership at SM Entertainment’s headquarters in Seoul on Monday to create a mobile game. The partnership follows South Korean tech giant Kakao Corp.'s acquisition of SM Entertainment in March last year. The K-pop label will use its artist IP to create a mobile game tentatively titled “SM Game Station” to be launched globally in the second half of this year, according to SM. Kakao Games Corp., the gaming unit of Kakao Corp.,

K-pop rookie group Illit made its first showing on Billboard’s Hot 100 dated April 20 with “Magnetic,” the lead track of its debut EP “Super Real Me,” landing at No. 91 on the chart. This makes Illit the first K-pop act to enter Billboard’s main songs chart with a debut single. Billboard’s Hot 100 ranks the week’s most popular current songs across all genres by streaming activity from digital music sources, radio airplay and sales data compiled by

South Korean stocks sank more than 2 percent Tuesday as Israel warned of a retaliation over Iran's drone and missile attack over the weekend. The Korean won also fell sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index plunged 60.8 points, or 2.28 percent, to close at 2,609.63. Trade volume was moderate at 557 million shares worth 11.9 trillion won ($8.48 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 771 to 124. Foreigners offloaded a net 272 billion won, while indiv

Line Next, the Web3 unit of Japanese-based LY Corp., has redefined the digital market with its mobile service Dosi, which made its official debut in January this year. Line Next says it has transformed Dosi from an NFT platform into a dynamic digital service that integrates Web3 technology with existing web features. Seeking to expand the non-fungible token ecosystem, Line Next is paving the way to lead the Web3 market by offering differentiated services and exclusive digital perks users want. T

Finance leaders from South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to hold their first-ever trilateral meeting in Washington on Wednesday, to step up economic cooperation amid heightened geopolitical risks in the Middle East. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok departed for the US on Tuesday to attend the three-way meeting, as well as a meeting of Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank presidents as part of the annual Spring Meetings between the International Monetary Fund and the World

Several members of the conservative bloc have exchanged blows among themselves in recent days, locking horns over whether the ruling party’s former interim leader is to blame for the devastating defeat in last week’s general election. Daegu Mayor and five-term conservative lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo kicked off a round of intense debate Friday by blaming Han for the People Power Party’s latest loss through a Facebook post. “(The People Power Party), which has survived the rive

The Korean won weakened to 1,400 won against the US dollar during trading hours Tuesday, marking a new 17-month low as the Korean economy faces headwinds from the escalating volatility in the Middle East. The local currency against the greenback closed at 1,394.5 won, losing its value by 10.5 won from the previous trading day. Shortly after trading began at 1,389.9 won, the rate weakened to 1,400 won to $1 at 11:32 a.m., marking the first time in 17 months for the currency exchange rate to hit t

South Korea witnessed its highest-ever import figures for pineapples and mangoes in March, largely driven by the government’s recent efforts to address the soaring prices of homegrown apples by diversifying demand toward alternative options. According to the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday, the import volume of pineapples reached 8,686 tons, worth $8.68 million, in March, up 44.7 percent from the previous year, marking a record high. Imports of mangoes also more than doubled to 6,264 tons

South Korea’s total market cap increased by nearly 100 trillion won ($72 billion) during the first quarter of this year, backed by jumps in stock prices in key industries, including semiconductors, data showed Tuesday. According to a report from local corporate tracker Korea CXO Institute, the combined market cap of 2,692 local firms jumped 96 trillion won during the January-March period to reach 2,599 trillion won. The figures exclude the value of preferred shares. The number of stocks wi

Kyobo Life Insurance CEO and Chairperson Shin Chang-jae (second row, second from left) poses for a picture with federation officials and former athletes during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Kyobo Life Cup Dream Sports Competition, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Since 1985, the insurer has contributed 12 billion won ($8.6 million) to support 148,000 aspiring young athletes through its social contributions program. (Kyobo Life Insurance)

Renault Korea on Tuesday outlined a brief history of its iconic “lozenge” emblem, revisiting its evolution following the company's rebranding earlier this month. The rebranding replaced the "storm’s eye" logo used exclusively by its Korean branch since 2000 with Renault's original diamond-shaped lozenge emblem. The diamond-shaped logo is prominently featured at the company's new flagship store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, where the rebranding announcement to