Two student organizations hosted a peace forum and concert at Imjingak, a site near the Demilitarized Zone, the buffer zone between South and North Korea, to commemorate the Korean War and honor its veterans. The groups -- the Mind Shelter Project and Past for Present -- organized the "Youth International Peace Forum and Concert" in the lead-up to UN Veterans International Memorial Day on Nov. 11, building on their inaugural event from last year. The program, themed, "Unforgetting

Mirae Asset Securities, South Korea's largest stock brokerage company, has shown unparalleled performance with its aggressive global expansion strategy and significantly increased customer assets, despite the higher interest rate environment that put pressure on stock valuations. Managing the largest overseas stock balance and pension assets in Korea, Mirae Asset has generated solid profitability centered on asset management this year. Its customers’ investment returns from overse

Kakao Bank, a major online lender in Korea, is bolstering its presence in Southeast Asia with reinforced partnerships with Indonesian digital bank Superbank. The bank on Wednesday announced it has signed a contract to collaborate on developing new financial products with Superbank, a digital bank in which Kakao Bank is one of the major shareholders. According to the new contract, Kakao Bank will provide consulting for Superbank’s new financial products, leveraging its expertise in mobile

Mirae Asset Global Investments has continued to expand its presence in global markets. Of its total assets under management at 370 trillion won ($265 billion), almost 40 percent are now managed overseas. When Mirae Asset first ventured into overseas markets back in 2003, it was met with considerable skepticism. Critics doubted whether the company could compete with established giants such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch. However, Mirae Asset Founder Park Hyeon-joo recognized the long-term p

Kyobo Life Insurance, one of Korea’s leading life insurers, has launched a new life insurance plan that combines the benefits of whole life insurance with added lifetime protection for cancer and long-term care. The “Kyobo Cancer and Whole Life Care Insurance” provides financial support for policyholders diagnosed with cancer or requiring long-term care. During the premium payment period, the plan guarantees a full refund of premiums paid under the main contract, while waiving

Shinhan Financial Group is intensifying efforts to enhance its corporate value, with Chairman Jin Ok-dong leading initiatives both domestically and internationally. In November, Jin attended a joint investor relations event in Hong Kong, organized by South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service, following a similar event in New York in May. He presented Shinhan's corporate value enhancement plan, outlined strategies for strengthening South Korea's capital market, and discussed glob

Hana Financial Group recently hosted a ceremony with the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups to celebrate surpassing 10,000 holders of its savings accounts tailored for small and medium-sized enterprise workers. Late last month, Hana Bank launched a savings program in collaboration with the ministry to support the growth of SMEs by helping their employees build a nest egg and encouraging longer tenures with their companies. Employees who deposit at least 100,000 won ($71.6) per month can receiv

Industrial Bank of Korea is intensifying its efforts to support small businesses struggling with the economic downturn and high interest rates. Last month, the state-run lender unveiled a comprehensive support plan, extending the interest rate reduction period for government-backed small business loans by a year with a 130 billion won ($93 million) investment. It will also allocate 28 billion won to dedicated loan funds and 14 billion won to preferential rates on savings and debt restructuring

JB Financial Group is seeking another big leap under Chairman Kim Ki-hong who has recently been reappointed for the third term for his leadership in elevating the group’s financial stability and profitability. In the third quarter of this year, its return on equity reached 14.7 percent, reflecting a 2.6 percentage-point increase on-year. The company highlighted this as the highest ROE ratio among domestic financial holding companies, surpassing the double-digit target often regarded as a b

(From left) Frantz Hotton, CEO and president of Pernod Ricard Korea, Sandy Hyslop; Ballantine’s master blender; and Miguel Pascual, marketing director of Pernod Ricard Korea, pose during the launching event of Ballantine’s 40 Year Old Masterclass Collection – The Waiting, the latest release from the iconic Scotch whisky brand, in Seoul on Wednesday. (Pernod Ricard Korea)

Stray Kids confirmed that it will perform two more times in the US for its ongoing international tour dominATE, label JYP Entertainment said Wednesday. The decision comes after tickets for its concerts, in Los Angeles and New York, sold out as soon as they became available last week. The tour now will be held across 32 regions and will be made up of 44 live shows in total. The eight members will carry on with their tour in Macao on Friday and visit four more cities in Asia until January next yea

A joint South Korean-Chinese fraud ring that swindled of 12.2 billion won ($8.73 million) from more than 80 victims in a romance scam has been caught, police said Tuesday. The Busan Metropolitan Police arrested 12 suspects, including a Korean leader in his 20s and a Chinese leader in his 30s, on charges including conspiracy to defraud. Eight additional suspects were charged without detention. According to police, the group recruited South Korean accomplices in their 20s and 30s and flew them to

The "Thirty-Three Blooms" solo exhibition by artist Hwang Do-you (born 1987) is on display at Art Side Gallery in Jongno-gu, Seoul, until Dec. 28. This exhibition delves into abstract floral forms through simple brushstrokes and vivid colors, featuring approximately 10 works that reflect the artist's distinctive sense of flatness. Hwang conveys floral forms through areas of color and rhythm, emphasizing the purity and autonomy of painting. Notably, the exhibition showcases works c

One in three students in Jeju Province is either overweight or obese, giving the island the highest student obesity rate among regions in South Korea, data shows. Approximately 33.4 percent of students enrolled in Jeju’s elementary, middle and high schools had a body mass index over 23, the threshold for an overweight classification in South Korea, according to an analysis of student health data from 2022 led by the Education Ministry. This was the highest rate nationwide, compared to th

South Korean stocks closed lower Wednesday as investors offloaded semiconductor shares amid concerns that the incoming US administration may scrap subsidies for chipmakers. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 17.3 points, or 0.69 percent, to close at 2,503.06. Trade volume was moderate at 406.3 million shares worth 8.4 trillion won (US$6 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 516 to 372. Major tech shares lost ground after a sen

Samsung Electronics, the world's leading smartphone and memory chip maker, announced a major personnel reshuffle on Wednesday, replacing the top brass at its sluggish chip-making business division. While retaining the three vice chairs for management stability, the company replaced the heads of its chip business units and created two new positions to enhance operational efficiency. "The company sought to overcome uncertain internal and external business challenges and aim for a new bre

Hybe appears to be reinforcing Bang Si-hyuk’s authority with a series of leadership reshuffles following this year’s high-profile fallout with former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin. Big Hit Music, Hybe’s subsidiary label home to global sensation BTS, appointed Shin Seon-jeong as its new CEO on Tuesday. Shin, a pivotal team member at Hybe, joined its predecessor Big Hit Entertainment in 2010 and contributed significantly to the creation and early success of BTS. The label stated its goal

By Nurgali Arystanov Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Korea Kazakhstan is emerging as a key investment destination in its region, consistently attracting substantial foreign direct investment (FDI) since its independence in 1991. With over $431 billion in FDI to date, driven by investors such as the Netherlands, the US and Switzerland, Kazakhstan is emerging as a promising landscape for foreign companies, including those from South Korea. This robust economic relations

Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform making waves globally, has reached a milestone this month — 20 million users worldwide. And South Korea is riding this wave, too. According to Mobile Index, the rising platform’s Korean monthly active users reached 595,588 in October, marking a staggering 1,147.69 percent increase from September. Though these numbers are still modest compared to X’s 6 million and Threads' 4 million Korean monthly active users, the momentum i

GWACHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- South Korea’s defense acquisition minister said the upcoming US administration under returning President Donald Trump could be an opportunity for the country’s defense industry. Seok Jong-gun, who heads the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in charge of arms exports, told reporters Tuesday that Trump decreasing support to US allies could open up a new market for South Korean defense companies to explore. The minister said he sees Trump presiden