The box-office hit "12.12: The Day" won big at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards on Friday, sweeping multiple top honors at one of Korea’s most prestigious film ceremonies. Held at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, the Blue Dragon Film Awards celebrate standout Korean films released in theaters or on streaming platforms. This year, the awards considered 165 films released between October 2023 and October 2024, with 20 films, 10 directors, and 30 actors nominated across 18 categories.

Ulsan HD FC goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo has been voted the MVP of the top South Korean football league in 2024. Jo beat out Anderson Oliveira of Suwon FC and Yang Min-hyeok of Gangwon FC for the top individual award in the K League 1 on Friday. Jo earned 75 out of 116 votes from the media, eight out of 12 votes from K League 1 head coaches, and seven out of 12 votes from club captains. Those totals were converted to 63.36 points, with Anderson Oliveira finishing a distant second with 20.26 points. Y

Gangwon FC's teen sensation Yang Min-hyeok was named the best rookie in the top South Korean football league on Friday. Yang, 18, topped the voting for the Young Player of the Year honor in the K League 1, holding off Hwang Jae-won of Daegu FC and Hong Yun-sang of Pohang Steelers. Yang collected 115 out of 116 votes from the media, 11 out of 12 votes from the league's head coaches, and 10 out of 12 votes from team captains. Those voting totals were converted to 92.16 voting points. Pla

GIMPO, Gyeonggi Province -- South Koreans can now sip their Starbucks while taking in the rarest of views -- the shadowy realm of a forbidden land, North Korea. At a just-opened store, with seating for around 40 patrons, the glass walls frame panoramic vistas of Kaepung-gun and Songaksan in the North Korean city of Kaesong. It is located within the Jogang Observatory in the South Korean border city of Gimpo, part of the 154-meter-high Aegibong Peace Ecopark. This vantage point lies just 1.4 ki

The presidential office on Friday criticized the main opposition party's plan to report impeachment motions for the head of the state audit agency and three prosecutors involved in two different scandals surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee. “(The impeachment proposal against the chair of the Board of Audit and Inspection) marks the first of such case in our constitutional history and damages the foundation of the constitutional order,” presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-jeon said du

Korea welcomed 30.1 percent more foreign visitors this October compared to the same month last year, nearly matching pre-pandemic levels of 2019. The state-run Korea Tourism Organization reported Friday that 1,690,263 tourists visited Korea in October 2024, reaching 97 percent of the October 2019 figures. Most markets saw strong growth compared to last year. Chinese visitors led the charge with a 57.2 percent increase, while Taiwan and the Philippines each recorded 35.6 percent growth. Japanese

Samsung Electronics on Friday promoted a total of 137 executives in a year-end reshuffle, including tech-savvy executives with strong achievements in their respective areas, with a goal of reviving stagnant business performance. The total number of promotions is slightly down from last year’s 143, and includes 35 new vice presidents and 92 new managing directors. “Samsung Electronics carried out a major personnel reshuffle strictly based on the principle of meritocracy, with an aim t

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with his North Korean counterpart, No Kwang-chol, in Pyongyang on Friday amid the intensifying war in Ukraine, where North Korea has dispatched soldiers and provided weapons to bolster Russia's efforts. The meeting was held during Belousov's "official visit" to North Korea at the invitation of Noh, Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday. Belousov notably underscored the significance of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Part

BTS’ V dropped a digital single, “Winter Ahead (with Park Hyo-shin)," on Friday at 2 p.m.. Park Hyo-shin is a renowned ballad singer and musical actor. “Winter Ahead (with Park Hyo-shin)” is a track that reflects V's deep love for jazz music. “The song features saxophone, trumpet and piano to create a cozy atmosphere,” said Big Hit Music in a press release on Friday. The song’s romantic lyrics and melody are beautifully complemented by V and Pa

With Ador likely gearing up to start a legal battle, its now-former K-pop girl group NewJeans appears ready to move forward with their activities, signaling the start of what could be a long legal fight over rights and compensation. NewJeans' members announced the termination of their exclusive contracts with Ador Thursday, citing breaches of contract by the agency. The quintet asserted during the press conference in Seoul that they owe no penalties or compensation. Still, questions about t

The Moroccan Embassy in South Korea hosted an investment forum in Seoul on Thursday evening to bolster economic cooperation between Morocco and South Korea. Held under the theme “Morocco -- Sustainable Hub for Investment and Trade,” the event brought together government officials and industry leaders to explore new business opportunities and enhance bilateral relations between the two nations. In his welcoming remarks, Chafik Rachadi, ambassador of Morocco to Korea, emphasized the hi

Negotiations at the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in Busan, were seen making little progress with only two days left before the Dec. 1 deadline. The INC-5, which was started after a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly meeting in March 2022, is the final round of negotiations before delegations are expected to finalize the legally binding treaty text. The gathering started Monday and is scheduled to end on Sunday. Challe

With just three months remaining before the new school year begins in March, the South Korean government announced Friday it will unexpectedly scale back its plan to introduce AI-powered digital textbooks in classrooms, adjusting the pace and deferring the rollout for some subjects. Under the scheme, the digital conversion of paper-based books for mathematics, English and informatics courses will go ahead as planned for third- and fourth-grade students, seventh-graders and first-year high school

Spray-type bubble cleansers used by children during bath time have been found to pose fire and explosion risks due to their use of liquid petroleum gas as a propellant, according to a report released Friday. A joint investigation by the Korea Consumer Agency and the Korea Gas Safety Corp. revealed that all 40 bubble cleanser products for children tested were found to use LPG as a propellant. It didn’t disclose the names of the products. When used in enclosed spaces like bathrooms, the gas,

Minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party spokesperson and now ex-prosecutor Lee Kyu-won was disbarred from the practice of law for failing to uphold his duties to the profession and engaging in political activities while on duty, officials said Friday. The Ministry of Justice announced that they have officially revoked Lee’s license on Tuesday for “refusing to come to work following the April 10 general election without any justifiable explanation” and “violating the prose

BTS added another video to the list of its visuals with more than 1 billion views on YouTube, as “Butter” reached the milestone late Thursday. The music video for the 2021 mega hit joined the list of “Dynamite,” “Boy With Luv,” “DNA,” “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix),” “Idol” and “Fake Love.” The video earned the septet four Guinness World Records upon release. The synth pop tune made a hotshot debut on Billboard&rsq

South Korean steel giant Posco Group said Friday it has completed the construction of the second lithium hydroxide plant in Korea, which will drive up domestic production of this key material used in secondary batteries. The new facility, operated by Posco Pilbara Lithium Solutions, a joint venture, is located at the Yulchon Industrial Complex in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. It is the second of its kind after the first plant was constructed in November 2023. Each plant can produce 21,500 to

Incheon International Airport has completed the fourth-phase facility expansion, establishing itself as a megahub airport capable of accommodating over 100 million passengers annually. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Incheon International Airport Corporation hosted a grand opening ceremony for the renewed airport at Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, Friday. “This project is a testament to Korea’s long-term planning,”

BUSAN -- Picture books are not just for children, said celebrated picture book artist Lee Suzy, the first South Korean national to win the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration category in 2022. On the first day of the inaugural Busan International Children's Book Fair, Lee took the stage as one of the headliners, her popularity evident in the size of the audience -- the 100-seat venue was packed and latecomers gathered outside the venue to listen to her deliver her keynote speech.

Renault Korea’s latest hybrid sport utility vehicle, the Grand Koleos, secured a 30 percent share in the domestic mid-size SUV market in October, the company announced Friday. Launched in August, the Grand Koleos E-Tech Hybrid sold 5,296 units last month, boosting Renault Korea’s total hybrid vehicle sales this year to 11,110 units -- a 634 percent jump from the same period last year. Powered by Renault’s E-Tech Hybrid system, the Grand Koleos combines a gasoline engine with du