The 22nd IYF English Speaking Contest will be held on Nov. 12, with applications open until later this month. The event is hosted by the International Youth Fellowship and sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Seoul Metropolitan City and the National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea. Middle and high school student applicants must submit their scripts by Oct. 15, and university student applicants by Oct. 22. Common themes for all participants are: "My dream," "Moving momen

The United Nations Security Council failed to reach a consensus on how to handle the series of ballistic missile launches by North Korea, as China and Russia backed Pyongyang's actions as reasonable. The 15-member council held a public meeting on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's consecutive ballistic missile launches that include an intermediate-range missile that flew over Japan to land in the Pacific. The United States accused China and Russia, two permanent members of the council

Former Vice Culture Minister Kim Jang-sil has been appointed the new head of the Korea Tourism Organization, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday. The post had been vacant since May, when Ahn Young-bae stepped down. Passing the civil service examination in 1979, Kim has served in various posts in the government. In 2008, during the Lee Myung-bak administration, Kim was appointed vice minister at the Culture Ministry. From 2009 to 2012, he served as the head of the Seoul

A woman in her 40s, who was suffering from continuous domestic violence, was murdered by her husband in the street on Tuesday, once again raising alarm over the country's measures for protecting victims. The victim had reported her situation to police multiple times, but restraining orders and separation measures were not effective enough. The suspect, a 50-year-old man, was arrested later Tuesday, and has reportedly claimed that he cannot remember the incident because he was drunk. The vic

SEJONG -- South Korea’s economic policymakers are likely to adopt another round of contingency plans to minimize possible instability in consumer prices, as the OPEC+ has decided to curb oil production. The oil cartel’s decision comes after some local policymakers and market insiders claimed that Korea’s inflation was considered to have peaked in July, when consumer price growth posted 6.3 percent. At a meeting in Vienna on Wednesday, the OPEC+ publicized its plan to reduce c

South Korean stocks made solid gains Thursday as investors picked up big-cap tech shares on hopes for a recovery in a semiconductor industry cycle. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 22.64 points, or 1.02 percent, to end at 2,237.86, extending its winning streak to a third consecutive session. Trading volume was moderate at 631.62 million shares worth 6.67 trillion won ($4.75 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 776 to 118. Foreigners bought shares worth 252.05 bill

Out of 96 chairmen, executives initially called in as witnesses, only four appeared

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves shrank by nearly $20 billion in September, the biggest monthly decline in 14 years, as authorities double down on efforts to prop up the quickly depreciating won that is now at a 13-year low against the US dollar. According to Bank of Korea data on Thursday, the reserves stood at $416.77 billion at the end of September, down $19.66 billion from $436.43 billion in August. That is the largest monthly dip since October 2008, when reserves fell by $27.4

Koyote, a legendary co-ed Korean vocal group that boasts a career extending across 24 years, is back on the music scene with the new album “Let’s Koyote.” The band, consisting of Kim Jong-min, Shin Ji and Bbaek Ga, held its ever-first media showcase since debuting in 1998 in Seoul on Wednesday to unveil two new songs -- “Hero” and “Soulmate” -- and look back on a long-lasting career. The two-track album is the follow-up to upbeat summery song “Go,&

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration has begun the official process of shutting down the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, but turbulence is expected as the main opposition party remains against the abolition. According to the plans set out by the Yoon administration, the ministry will be shut down and its focus on youth, family and gender equality will be transferred to a bureau under the Health Ministry under the name of Population Family Gender Equality Division. Functions regarding emplo

Tycoon who leads S. Korea's 2nd-largest conglomerate embarks on unexpected mission to industrialize hansik. Experts say he might want to be more than just a businessman

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip maker, has denied any plans to reduce production of memory chips, amid widespread fear of an economic slowdown and falling chip prices. “We have no plan to do so for now,” Han Jin-man, senior vice president of Samsung’s memory chip business division, told reporters at a tech forum on Wednesday in San Jose, California, in response to a question about potential production reduction plans. Han’s remarks come as Sam

BUSAN--Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung Chiu-wai, attending the 27th Busan International Film Festival, said he is willing to perform in Korean drama series. “If there are roles for which I can overcome the language barrier, I would like to star in Korean drama,” the Hong Kong actor said in Cantonese during a press conference held at the KNN theater in Busan on Thursday.“I recently watched the film 'CODA.’ If there is a role that does not require me to speak like the cha

Half a year has passed since Hyundai Motor Group suspended operations of its Russian plant over global logistics issues, without a clear vision for a breakthrough while global competitors have already exited the market. But market experts say Hyundai simply leaving Russia is not an answer, due to massive investment and significant market share. According to a report recently released by Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Russia shipped zero cars in August, as opposed to the 17,64