Police said Friday they have closed an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations raised against a former member of K-pop boy band F.T. Island without filing charges due to a lack of evidence. Choi Min-hwan, a former drummer for the band, was suspected of engaging in prostitution and sexually harassing his then wife, Yulhee, a former member of girl group Laboum. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station said no charges were filed against Choi due to insufficient evidence of the alleged misconduct.

South Korea dropped a spot to No. 23 in the latest FIFA men's rankings released on Friday. According to FIFA, South Korea fell to No. 23 with 1,585.45 points, down from 1,589.93 points. South Korea had a win and a draw in their two most recent matches, beating Kuwait 3-1 on Nov. 14 but being held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Palestine on Nov. 19 in the Asian qualification tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Palestine were ranked 100th then and they, too, slipped a spot to 101st. South Korea w

Former President Moon Jae-in's daughter was referred to the prosecution without detention on Friday on suspicions of illegally operating house sharing businesses in Seoul, police said. The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station said it sent the case of Moon Da-hye to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office for further investigation and a possible indictment. She is suspected of running an Airbnb business at a studio apartment in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo district without official declarat

Proposed Bill: Special Act on Strengthening Competitiveness and Promoting Innovative Growth in the Semiconductor Industry Proposed by Rep. Lee Chul-gyu (People Power Party) ● Amid the intensifying global competition for semiconductor dominance, this bill introduces measures to bolster Korea’s semiconductor industry. It establishes legal grounds for providing subsidies for infrastructure development and forming administrative bodies to support semiconductor policy formulation and execution.

A worker fell to his death during a nighttime painting operation at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, according to police on Friday. The accident occurred around 11:48 p.m. on Thursday, when the worker, in a team of two, was painting a four-story-high ceiling inside the hotel on a scaffold lift. According to officials, one of the wires supporting the equipment snapped, causing him to fall from a height of 20 meters. The victim was not directly employed by the hotel but had been cont

South Korea's industry ministry on Friday hosted a session to discuss strategies for applying quantum computing technologies in industries, including biohealth, chemical and materials. The event at Yonsei University, attended by government, business and academic officials, came as the government aims to offer tailored support for the initiative, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Yonsei University is building a new computing center, set to be completed by 2028, featuri

Polestar Korea said Friday it began delivering the Polestar 4, the Swedish electric vehicle maker's first coupe-styled sports utility vehicle, for the customers here. According to the automaker, the delivery started in five cities -- Seoul, Hanam in Gyeonggi Province, Busan, Jeju and Daejeon. The Polestar 4 was launched in the Korean market in August this year with a starting price of 66.9 million won ($48,000) and a certified maximum driving range of up to 511 kilometers per charge. (Poles

North Korea released around 40 trash-laden balloons from Thursday night to early Friday, its 32nd launch this year, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday. The military reported that about 30 objects had been found across Gyeonggi Province and the greater Seoul area by Friday morning. “These items, including anti-South propaganda leaflets, have been analyzed and confirmed to contain no hazardous materials,” the JCS said in a statement. The release of waste-filled ballo

Samsung Electronics Co. conducted a regular executive reshuffle Friday, promoting a new wave of younger employees to senior positions in a bid to place more focus on high-end technologies and overcome ongoing business challenges. "In response to the current business crisis, Samsung Electronics has adopted a meritocratic approach to human resource renewal, elevating proven talent to leadership roles," the tech giant said in a statement. "Young leaders with exceptional management pe

BUCHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- Winning the Bucheon Diaspora Literary Award came as “a complete surprise” for Senegalese author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, who writes in French. The Goncourt Prize-winning author was on holiday in Senegal with his parents when he received the news. He said he hadn’t anticipated returning to Korea so soon after his first visit last year for the inaugural Choix Goncourt de la Coree, a literary event organized by the Academie Goncourt and the French Embass

Seventy-six artificial intelligence-based digital textbooks have been certified for classroom use for the first time, covering elementary to high school students, the education ministry said Friday. The textbooks, which were listed in the official gazette, are for the subjects of math, English and information for elementary school grades 3 and 4, middle school grade 1 and high school grade 1. The 76 were chosen from 146 textbooks submitted for certification. The certified textbooks will be displ

Ador, Hybe’s sublabel, claimed Thursday that its exclusive contracts with the members of the K-pop girl group NewJeans are still effective. “The exclusive contracts signed between Ador and NewJeans members are still valid. Therefore, we ask that you (NewJeans) continue to work with Ador for future engagements, just as you have been doing,” said Ador in a press release. This came soon after the group announced the termination of their exclusive contracts with their agency Ador a

누구에게나 마음과 몸이 피곤하고 어려울 떄가 있다. 11월은 토익 시험이 3회나 있었고 새 토익 단어책 탈고, 세종 사이버대 기말고사 출제, EBS 김대균토익킹 1월호 원고 마감 등이 겹쳐 어디 도망가고 싶은 마음도 있었다. 다행히 다 마무리하고 기본으로 돌아가 원고를 만들어 드린다. 오늘은 영단어 공부로 셀 수 없는 명사들과, 특이한 형태의 명사들, 헷갈리기 쉬운 형용사들을 정리해 드린다. 어디서 보신 적이 있을만한 단어들이지만 총 정리의 의미가 있으니 반복하여 보시길 부탁 드린다. [뒤에 -s가 붙으면 오답이 되는 명사들 (불가산 명사)] information 정보 furniture 가구 software 소프트웨어 advice 조언 equipment 장비 hardware 하드웨어 progress 진전 gear 장비 kitchenware 부엌용품 access 접근 clothing 의복 glassware 유리제품 funding 자금조달 merchandise 상품 eyewear

By Choi Jae-bong The presence of global brands, such as for automobiles, footwear and food products, has become an inseparable part of our daily lives. From consumer goods to global platform corporations, multinational enterprises have firmly embedded themselves into the global economy, which is now entirely ordinary to us living in this era. MNEs play a pivotal role in the global economy, driving technological innovation, creating jobs and fostering industrial development across various sec

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, led by declines in big-cap tech shares amid concerns about an economic slowdown. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) shed 32.29 points, or 1.29 percent, to 2,472.38 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The country's industrial output, retail sales and facility investment all fell on-month in October, deepening concerns about a lack of growth momentum, government data showed. Presenting a bleak growth outlook for 2025, the Bank of K

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has scored his first continental goal of the season, doing so in a draw versus AS Roma in London in the UEFA Europa League. Son opened the scoring for Spurs with a penalty goal in the fifth minute in the league phase match of the second-tier competition at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Thursday. After Evan N'Dicka equalized for Roma in the 20th minute, Brennan Johnson gave Spurs a 2-1 lead in the 33rd minute. However, Tottenham settled for a draw

A former chairman of a major dairy company has been arrested on charges of breach of trust and false advertising related to a yogurt product's benefits against COVID-19. Hong Won-sik, former chairman of Namyang Dairy Products Co., was arrested late Thursday night following the issuance of an arrest warrant by the Seoul Central District Court, which cited concerns he will destroy evidence. Hong is accused of inflicting losses of some 10 billion won ($7.16 million) on the company by needlessl

Chinese nationals accounted for 56 percent of all housing units owned by foreigners in South Korea, data showed Friday. According to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the home ownership of foreigners, Chinese nationals owned 52,798 out of the 95,058 housing units registered under foreign nationals in the country as of the end of June. The number of homes owned by Chinese nationals grew 4.9 percent from six months earlier. Following Chinese, Americans owned 21,36

Live Jazz Bar in Cheongdam Enjoy a live performance with some of the city's best food at Chungdam Nine, a jazz bar located in Cheongdam, Seoul. Chungdam Nine is a fancy jazz bar that recently reopened after a renewal that turned it into a venue straight out of the musicals "Chicago" or "Moulin Rouge." The red curtains, crystal chandeliers, marble tables and red dining sofas create a feeling of decadent luxury. Formal attire is not required, but most guests do wear formal

“Wicked” (US) Opened Nov. 20 Musical/Fantasy Directed by Jon M. Chu Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a green-skinned outcast with extraordinary magical abilities, and Glinda (Ariana Grande), a popular and ambitious young woman, form a complex and transformative friendship as they navigate the challenges of their world. “Hidden Face” (South Korea) Opened Nov. 20 Thriller Directed by Kim Dae-woo Orchestra conductor Seong-jin (Song Seung-heon) notices that his fiancee Su-yeon (Cho