Hanwha Ocean has forged a strategic partnership agreement with Babcock International, a London-based defense company, aiming to expand its footing in the global shipbuilding market. Hanwha Ocean CEO and President Kim Hee-cheol, Babcock International CEO David Lockwood and other executives, including UK’s Second Sea Lord Nick Hine and Mark Goldsack, managing director of business growth and AUKUS at Babcock, attended the signing ceremony Thursday at the Korean shipbuilder’s headquarter

Seoul National University, South Korea's top university and the alma mater of President Yoon Suk Yeol, has joined a growing wave of calls for his resignation on Thursday, a movement that has been spreading across universities and the religious sector nationwide since late October. A total of 525 SNU professors held a press conference at the university's museum in Seoul on Thursday, announcing their participation in the movement of institutions issuing declaration spreading across the c

Korea is expected to face a winter marked by the more frequent occurrence of heavier, wetter snow than usual, the Korea Meteorological Administration projected on Friday. Starting Wednesday, Korea already witnessed a historic two-day spell of record-breaking November snowfall. According to the KMA, the unprecedented heavy snowfall nationwide was due to the warmer temperatures of the West Sea compared to previous years, due to the unusually warm weather South Korea experienced during summer and a

Pandemic-era social distancing rules that once left theaters empty and concert halls silent are now a fading memory, with South Korea's performing arts sector reporting record-breaking revenue of 1.4 trillion won ($1.08 billion) in 2023, up 46 percent from the previous year. The figure represents a 67 percent increase over 2019, before COVID-19 began to spread. The numbers in the latest report released Thursday by the state-run Korea Arts Management Services paint a picture of an industry t

A growing wave of women entrepreneurs are reshaping South Korea’s highly competitive content industry, and the Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub has emerged as a central platform for fostering women-led startups in the sector. The hub, run by Gyeonggi Content Agency, has supported numerous female entrepreneurs, including Korea Deep Learning CEO Kim Ji-hyun, GemGem Therapeutics CEO Kim Jung-eun and Studio Boldy CEO Min Hyun-kyung, who are blending creativity and technology to address pra

NewJeans took an early flight to Tokyo on Friday, marking the girl group's first activity since unilaterally terminating their exclusive contract with Ador. The group is set to appear on Nihon TV’s “Best Artist 2024,” Saturday, and Fuji TV’s “2024 FNS Music Festival,” on Dec. 4. At Gimpo International Airport, in Gyeonggi Province, the group briefly bowed to the press before proceeding to the departure gate without commenting on the ongoing dispute. The t

With all five members of NewJeans having expressed their desire to continue working with Min Hee-jin, former CEO of Ador and producer, during their press conference on Thursday, all eyes are on whether the reunion will happen. Min’s first public appearance after NewJeans’ press conference will be on Dec. 6 as she is scheduled to speak at a talk concert hosted by Hanwha General Insurance and Folin to talk about her experience as a K-pop producer. Min is in a legal battle with the K-po

The Korea Heritage Service will restore parts of Sajikdan, a Joseon-era (1392-1910) altar in Jongno-gu, Seoul that was destroyed by Japan during the colonial period, according to the state-run agency. Restoration will take place around Anhyangcheong, a building north of the altar where Joseon kings and their subjects prepared for ancestral rites. Musical instruments and other ceremony supplies were kept there as well. The restoration will be complete by 2026, the agency said, adding it will enli

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said Friday the possibility of dialogue between North Korea and the United States seems to be high under the incoming Donald Trump administration, calling on the government to come up with a strategy to prevent South Korea from being bypassed. Lee, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, made the remarks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly, noting media reports that Trump's transition team is considering direct talks with North K

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