Container shipping costs from South Korea to the US east coast and Europe increased for the fourth consecutive month in August amid prolonged geopolitical risks in the Red Sea, data showed Thursday. The average shipping cost for a 40-foot container from South Korea to the US east coast rose 11.9 percent on-month to 8.66 million won ($6,530), according to data from the Korea Customs Service. The cost to Europe increased to 8.06 million won, up 2.8 percent over the same period. On the other hand,

President Yoon Suk Yeol left for the Czech Republic on Thursday for a trip focused on ensuring South Korea's bid to win a major nuclear energy project and deepen economic ties with the European nation. During his four-day visit, Yoon will hold talks with Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala to expand cooperation in nuclear energy, trade, investment, technology and other areas. It comes two months after a consortium led by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was select

2) 파트 5 3문제 1. The original speaker ------- by the organizer because he will be out of the country for the next few weeks. (A) replaced (B) is replacing (C) will be replaced (D) has replaced 해석 기존 연설자가 다음 몇 주간 국외에 있을 예정이기 때문에, 그는 주최자에 의해 대체될 것이다. 해설 태에 맞는 동사 채우기 문제 주어(The original speaker)와 동사(replace)가 ‘기존 연설자가 대체될 것이다’라는 수동의 의미 관계이므로 수동태 동사 (C) will be replaced가 정답이다. 어휘 organizer 주최자, 창립자 replace 대체하다, 대신하다 2. The RAD Magazine Club ------- members with e-mail upd

Seoul shares opened lower Thursday tracking losses on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a half percentage point, the first rate cut in more than four years. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.35 percent, or 8.90 points, to 2,565.51 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Fed cut its overnight lending rate to a range of 4.75 percent to 5 percent in an aggressive start to a monetary-easing cycle in the world's biggest economy. The US central bank

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Thursday the government will work closely with the Bank of Korea and swiftly take market stabilization measures if necessary, as the US Federal Reserve cut its interest rates for the first time in over four years. "Following the Fed's monetary policy pivot, the market is moving away from a complex global crisis, which was triggered by excessive liquidity supplied to cope with the pandemic, as well as shocks to the global supply chain caused by the wa

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its benchmark interest rate by half of a percentage point, the first cut in 4 1/2 years, in a major policy shift less than seven weeks away from the presidential election. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank announced the decision to reduce the rate to the 4.75 to 5.0 percent range from its 23-year high, putting an end to its post-pandemic tightening cycle. FOMC members' new median economic projections showed

The United States will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed country, a senior US diplomat said Wednesday, after Pyongyang made a rare disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility last week. During a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell reiterated the US position, reaffirming America's "durable" and "evolving" deterrence commitment to South Korea, and stressing that Washington "will not accept any kind of threat&

진행자: 김혜연, Paul Kerry 1 in 4 Korean workers extend Chuseok holiday with paid leave: survey 기사 요약: 명절에도 쉬지 못하는 한국인들, 4명 중 1명만이 추석 연휴 기간 중 유급휴가 [1] Chuseok is one of South Korea’s two biggest traditional holidays, bringing families together under the full moon to wish for a bountiful harvest and honor ancestors. But for hardworking ordinary people in Korea, the holiday's true significance perhaps lies in the rare opportunity it offers for people to escape the daily grind of their jobs.

Rampant rental deposit fraud and high loan interest rates are driving university students to opt for paying monthly rent instead of lumpsum “jeonse” deposits for leased housing. However, with a surge in the monthly rent due to limited property availability in university areas and more demand, students are facing significant financial pressure. As of July 2024, real estate big data from Dabang shows the average monthly rent in major university areas in Seoul has risen to 608,000 won

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration has ushered in a nuclear energy renaissance as it permitted the long-suspended construction of two nuclear reactors last week. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the building of Shin Hanul reactors No. 3 and 4 in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. They are the first new nuclear power plants to be authorized in the country since the Saeul (formerly Shin Kori) Units 5 and 6 in June 2016, even though Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., the

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has characterized AI as “the most profound technology humanity is working on. More profound than fire, electricity, or anything that we have done in the past." The hype around “existential risk” in AI follows a similar narrative, analogizing it to Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb. Such grand pronouncements have stirred many a corporate board and government agency to develop AI deployment plans. The problem, though, is that it’s not yet clear i

South Korea reported its fourth case of lumpy skin disease in cattle this year, the agriculture ministry said Wednesday. The case was confirmed at a livestock farm in Yeoju, 66 kilometers southeast of Seoul, breeding 116 cows, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is the fourth LSD case confirmed in South Korea since the first outbreak at a livestock farm in Anseong, some 65 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 12. To prevent further infections, the government has co

Private equity firm MBK Partners said Wednesday it has no plans to sell Korea Zinc Inc. to China after acquiring a stake in the world's largest zinc smelter. MBK Partners announced last week that it will acquire shares in Korea Zinc through a tender offer, aiming to secure a 15 percent stake in the company with a budget of 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion). The equity firm said the share purchase was agreed upon with Young Poong, the largest shareholder of Korea Zinc, which holds a 33 percent s

Ukrainian drones struck a large military depot in a town deep inside Russia overnight, causing a huge blaze and prompting the evacuation of some local residents, a Ukrainian official and Russian news reports said Wednesday. Meanwhile, a senior US diplomat said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recently announced -- but still confidential -- plan for winning the war “can work” and help end the conflict that is now in its third year. Ukraine claimed the strike destro

North Korea has launched balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea, the South's military said Wednesday. "North Korea is once again launching balloons likely carrying trash directed towards the South," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, noting the balloons could travel toward the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, and the Seoul metropolitan area. Citizens are advised not to touch any balloons if found. Instead, the JCS urged people to report sightings to the nearest military

A heat wave warning was issued for all parts of Seoul during the Chuseok holiday Wednesday, marking the latest-ever red alert in September, weather authorities said. Seoul was put under a heat warning, after a heat advisory was upgraded to a heat warning in the southwest 10 a.m., followed by the rest of the capital city at 2 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. This was the latest heat warning ever issued in Seoul in September since the introduction of the heat warning sys

South Korea's exports of instant noodles, also known as ramyeon, were estimated to have reached $800 million in the first eight months of this year, data showed Wednesday. The figure represents a 31.7 percent hike from the January-August period of last year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. By country, outbound shipments to China grew 26.9 percent on-year to $160 million and exports to the United States jumped 61.5 percent to $140 million, m

Maintaining 28,500 American troops in South Korea is "essential," the nominee for US Forces Korea commander has said, amid concerns that former President Donald Trump could weigh a USFK troop reduction should he return to the White House. Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson staked out his position in written answers to lawmakers' questions ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. If confirmed, he would lead the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, United Nations Command and USF

North Korea appears to be making progress in converting a Russian heavy transport plane into what could be the country's first airborne early warning platform, a report showed Wednesday, citing commercial satellite imagery. Joseph Dempsey, a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, made the analysis based on recent satellite imagery taken of the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport. In the report, Dempsey identified the aircraf

The Seoul High Court said recently it upheld a six-year prison term for a 67-year-old North Korean defector for the attempted murder of another defector over a faulty investment opportunity. A defendant was found guilty of attempted murder, after he stabbed the 70-year-old victim nine times and assaulted him with his fist at 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 14. The court turned down his claim of not intending to murder the victim, pointing out that he called the police after the crime and said he had "ju