Ateez sold over 1.7 million units of its second studio album in the first week, according to KQ Entertainment Friday. LP “The World Ep Fin: Will” became its third million-selling album and set a first-week sales record for the band, surpassing that of its previous album – its ninth EP “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” which ranked No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart when it came out in June. The new album swept all major albums chart at home and a series of those across the

Four contentious bills, including the pro-labor "yellow envelope" law, were scrapped Friday as they failed to pass through the National Assembly in a revote after President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed them last week. The results have widely been expected as two-thirds support is required for vetoed bills to pass through the Assembly again, and the ruling People Power Party, which is against the measures, holds 111 seats in the 298-member parliament. The "yellow envelope" bill calls

DS Dansuk, South Korea’s resource recycling company, on Friday threw its hat into the ring as the last candidate for a market debut this year, with bold plans for businesses ranging from biodiesel to battery and plastic waste recycling. “After the initial public offering, we will set up additional production facilities and invest more in research and development to create a strong foothold as a global brand leading the circular economy," said DS Dansuk co-CEO Kim Jong-wan during

The Korean delegation at COP28, consisting of representatives from groups Greenfund and Jeski Social Campaign along with climate and environmental activists and experts, said Friday that they held a performance at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, calling for opposition to war and solutions to the climate crisis. (Jeski Social Campaign)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday approved his nomination of Cho Hee-dae as the new chief justice of South Korea's top court, ending the rare, monthslong judiciary leadership vacuum. Yoon's approval came hours after the National Assembly voted 264-18 for the nomination of Cho, who was formerly a Supreme Court justice until his retirement in 2020. Cho passed the parliament's confirmation hearing earlier this week. Cho, 66, will take office on Monday. A chief justice normally serves six years in a

Cho Min, daughter of ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk, on Friday attended the first hearing for her trial on forgery charges in a college admissions scandal. Cho told reporters she would "faithfully engage in her trial" and declined to comment further, as she appeared at the Seoul Central District Court. The 32-year-old, who was trained as a physician, is accused of fabricating her own credentials when she applied for an undergraduate degree at Korea University and another at Pusan National

South Korean stocks gained more than 1 percent Friday, led by the strong performance of big-cap tech shares that tracked overnight gains on Wall Street. The local currency sharply rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 25.78 points, or 1.03 percent, to finish at 2,517.85. The secondary KOSDAQ jumped 2.11 percent to end at 830.37. The Kospi's trade volume was moderate at 421.4 million shares worth 7.69 trillion won (US$5.88 billion), with winners ou

South Korean drama production Studio Dragon said Friday it notched accolades at the 2023 Asian Academy Creative Awards for the second consecutive year with its megahit Netflix original series "The Glory." The AACA is the largest content awards ceremony in Asia held annually in December in Singapore. Works from 17 countries across the Asia-Pacific, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Viet

South Korea’s ruling party on Friday announced a fresh batch of recruits to run in the 2024 general election. Among the five recruits disclosed by the People Power Party’s parliamentary recruitment committee is Park Chung-kwon, a North Korean defector who worked in intercontinental ballistic missile research at the National Defense University in Pyongyang. The 37-year-old has been a researcher at Hyundai Steel since he escaped from North Korea in 2009. The committee said Park was &ld

The Seoul city government named 15 foreign nationals from 13 countries as honorary citizens on Friday for their contribution to the city's development. Rahil Ahmadova, a honorary citizen from Azerbaijan, was recognized for her efforts as a lecturer to spread awareness about multiculturalism and for her efforts to help other foreign nationals adjust to living in Seoul. Daniel Chukwunonso Nwagbala, another recipient from Nigeria, was recognized for his fundraising efforts for people with deve

Hanwha Aerospace said Friday it has clinched a deal with the Australian government to supply 3.2 trillion won ($2.4 billion) worth of armored tanks. Hanwha Defense Australia, the company’s subsidiary in Australia, is poised to deliver 129 units of Hanwha’s Redback infantry fighting vehicles by 2028. The tanks will be manufactured in a new plant in Australia set to complete construction next year. Hanwha said it will be supplying military equipment designed for export for the first ti

LG Energy Solution said Friday that it has signed an agreement with Impact Clean Power Technology, a leading Polish battery systems manufacturer, ramping up its foray into the European market for commercial electric vehicles. ICPT, established in 2005, operates the GigafactoryX near Warsaw, which manufactures and assembles advanced battery systems for larger EVs such as electric buses and trucks. Under the agreement, the Korean battery giant will supply 200,000 nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) ba

Mercedes-Benz’s new E-Class sedan is hitting the Korean market in January next year, the Korean unit of the German luxury carmaker said Friday. The 11th generation E-Class is a complete revamp from the 10th version launched in 2016. In Korea, the car claimed the No. 1 spot in sales for seven consecutive years among foreign brand cars. Korea is Mercedes-Benz’s fourth-largest market globally. The new model, unveiled at the digital world premiere this April, underwent a full change to f

With plans to prepare for the Visit Korea Year 2023-24 campaign, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is going all out to make Korea another Asian tourism powerhouse and create a more enjoyable tourism environment for domestic holidaymakers. In a press briefing in Seoul on Thursday, Jang Mi-ran -- the second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism -- expressed high hopes to turn Korea into an appealing destination for both foreigners and locals, exceeding pre-pandemic visitor levels

Song Young-gil, former chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, on Friday denied allegations of illegal campaigning before a 2021 ballot where he was elected the party chairman, as well as separate bribery allegations. The prosecution is now seeking criminal charges against the 60-year-old, who was a five-term lawmaker. He has not been indicted for the allegations. Song said he would exercise his right to remain silent during the interrogation, in a show of resistance to what he c

Jazz melodies and fragrant cocktails captivated the audience at the LG Art Center, Wednesday, marking the first day of a series of special performances presented by the music agency Antenna. "Club Arc Antenna" showcases the work of six Antenna singer-songwriters, offering music, art and cocktails, as well as allowing the audience to visit backstage areas and mingle with the performers. Renowned jazz pianist Yun Seok-cheol kicked off the series on Wednesday, and will be followed by sing

Citibank Korea has been named the Best International Bank in Korea for 2023 by Asiamoney, a monthly financial magazine published in Hong Kong, the bank announced Friday. Asiamoney explained that it selected Citibank Korea for the latest award, as it demonstrated significant improvements in performance across various financial metrics, citing tangible gains in total revenue and net income compared to the previous year. The bank showed particularly strong growth in the corporate banking businesses

BTS member V will appear in the new music video of a singer-songwriter IU. IU's agency, Edam Entertainment, confirmed that she wrapped up filming the music video with V on Tuesday. The new album is likely to be released within the first half of 2024. V appeared as a guest on IU's official YouTube channel in September, showing their close friendship. The new music video was directed by Um Tae-hwa, who directed the 2023 film “Concrete Utopia.” Um was also in charge of directi

A South Korean court on Friday handed a 12-year prison term to a 30-year-old Turkish woman, who stabbed her boyfriend to death after being repeatedly assaulted by him. The defendant has been charged with murder after she killed her boyfriend in Daegu in August. The crime had been spontaneous, as the victim physically assaulted her multiple times in the past and had been beating her up at the time of the crime. "The court took into account that the defendant had been physically assaulted by

Daegu prosecutors on Friday said that they have indicted a woman in her 30s, on the charge of falsely accusing men of rape after meeting them on a dating application. According to the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, the accused met six men on the app from October to December of last year and had consensual sexual relations with them. She then filed charges for rape or sexual assault against them. Officials found that she filed multiple charges of sex crimes to police in other regions, a