Novelist Kim Hee-sun won the fiction category of the Daesan Literary Awards on Tuesday for her latest novel "All About 247,” a thought-provoking work that explores a post-pandemic society shaped by the aftermath of COVID-19. Set in near-future Korea, after the pandemic, society has built systems to prevent large-scale outbreaks. A global Disease Control Center now coordinates efforts worldwide to fight infectious diseases. Fever-reducing drugs are banned to curb virus spread, heat sen

A 28-week pregnant woman from Daejeon had to travel 200 kilometers to Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, for an emergency delivery after nearby hospitals turned her down citing a lack of available facilities, authorities said Monday. The Daejeon Fire Department said it received a report that a woman's water broke at around 2:52 a.m. on Monday. Emergency paramedics arrived at her home and took her to a local hospital she regularly goes to, only to be told the facility could not handle an emerg

NCT127 will launch its fourth international tour in January next year, announced label SM Entertainment Tuesday. Tour “Neo City – The Momentum” will start with a two-date concert in Seoul Jan. 18-19 and will resume in mid-February in Jakarta, Indonesia. The itinerary includes Bangkok, Taipei and Macao as well as six cities in North America and three in Japan. It will be the first time the subunit is touring North America in two years. Meanwhile, the bandmates shared photographs

Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, is at risk of losing its designation as a "Top Job Creation Company” by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, following a public petition filed Thursday with the National Assembly. As of Tuesday, just six days after the petition launched, the National Assembly’s online petition site showed over 41,500 signatures supporting the revocation of Hybe’s recognition. With a threshold of 50,000 signatures needed for an official review and 24

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn on Tuesday visited Hanwha Asset Management to praise the asset management unit's recent progress in its ongoing efforts for global expansion. He was accompanied by Kim Dong-won, president and chief global officer at Hanwha Life Insurance, and Hanwha Asset Management CEO Kim Jong-ho. “Despite unfavorable market conditions, Hanwha Asset Management has overcome challenges and pushed innovations, and emerged as Korea’s leading asset management co

President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a news conference on Thursday at 10 a.m., as the South Korean leader approaches the halfway point of his five-year term on Nov. 10, watchful of challenges at home and abroad. Yoon's news conference comes at a turbulent time due both to heightened external uncertainties -- as the US begins counting ballots from Wednesday here that will determine its next president as well as control of the US Congress -- as well as scandals here involving him and his wife. T

A surge in cases of scrub typhus at the end of October has prompted the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to advise caution to avoid contact with mites. There were 312 cases of scrub typhus 312 between Oct. 24 and 30, a fivefold increase from 57 two weeks earlier according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The disease is caused by bacteria carried by the larvae of chiggers, also known as harvest mites, which suck fluids from animals including humans. The bacteria can

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated on Tuesday that it wants to expand its current foreign caregivers pilot program -- now a little over two months in -- to include more caregivers from Southeast Asian countries other than the Philippines. Since September, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been running a six-month foreign caregiver pilot program with the Labor Ministry, with an aim to provide selected households based in Seoul with affordable chi

South Korean stocks ended lower for the second day Tuesday as investors treaded water ahead of the US presidential election. The local currency sharply lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 12.09 points, or 0.47 percent, to close at 2,576.88. Trade volume was slim at 306.1 million shares worth 7.6 trillion won ($5.5 billion), with winners outpacing losers 514 to 356. Individual investors purchased a net 388.9 billion won worth of local stocks, wh

On the day of the US presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, North Korea fired a salvo of ballistic missiles on Tuesday in an apparent message to Washington -- a continuation of its unrelenting saber-rattling, which included the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Escalating tensions further, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, released a forceful English-language statement on US Elec

Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Tuesday it has signed a design and planning contract with Bulgaria's state energy agency for the new construction of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in the region, in partnership with US-based builder Westinghouse. The signing took place at the Council of Ministers building in Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, attended by key officials including Hyundai E&C President Yoon Young-joon, Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Energy Minister Vladimir

A draft of new sentencing guidelines unveiled on Monday calls for tougher penalties for severe and repeated cases of animal cruelty, a move widely seen as a push to end a long era of leniency in the judicial treatment of such offenses. The guidelines, drafted at a meeting of the Supreme Court’s sentencing commission on Friday, are the top court’s first formal framework for animal abuse crimes, a court spokesperson told local media. The move comes as public concern over animal cruelty

Young Poong, a Korean zinc smelter, has come under fire for environmental violations and an array of industrial accidents occurred at its Seokpo refinery. According to the company, its Seokpo refinery in North Gyeongsang Province was ordered by the Supreme Court to shut down for two months for violating a water conservation law. It is the world's sixth-largest zinc producer, which makes up around 2.4 percent of global production in 2023, according to global energy data provider Wood Mackenz

MANAMA, Bahrain -- South Korea’s cooperation with the Gulf region, including Bahrain, is set to strengthen as the free trade agreement involving the two countries will take effect soon, according to a top Bahraini governmental official. "Last year, we had a trip with a big delegation to Korea. We met with many of the leading companies there,” Bahrain’s Minister of Industry & Commerce Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro told The Korea Herald during an interview held in Manama, Bahr

MANAMA, Bahrain – Strengthening its partnership with Bahrain would open a door of opportunities in the Middle East for South Korea, an investment forum held by the Gulf island nation's economic board suggested. Bahrain hosted the second edition of Gateway Gulf on Sunday and Monday. This year’s Gateway Gulf was held six years after the inaugural edition in 2018. Arranged by the Bahrain Economic Development Board, it was held under the theme of “Investing in a Rapidly Transf

South Korean steelmaker Posco Group announced Tuesday that its joint venture, Posco Zhongtai Air Solution, has started construction of a high-purity rare gas plant in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. The joint venture was launched in August between Posco Holdings and China's Zhongtai Cryogenic Technology, which own 75.1 percent and 24.9 percent of the entity, respectively. Zhongtai, which specializes in gas-related facilities, is a Chinese cryogenic equipment company listed on the Shenzhen

South Korean builder Daewoo Engineering & Construction announced Tuesday that Kim Bo-hyun, the current executive vice president, is set to take on the role of CEO at the upcoming board meeting scheduled for December. Kim, born in 1966, is a retired South Korean Air Force brigadier general and former fighter pilot. He joined Daewoo in 2021 as the head of the acquisition team during Jungheung Group’s takeover of the company. After a year as an adviser, he took on the role of executive vi

The traditional Korean ways of making fermented pastes and sauces, or “jang,” are all but certain to make UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage, the Korea Heritage Service said Tuesday, citing a decision the same day by the UN culture and heritage body to recommend the practice for inscription. The final decision by the 12-member Evaluation Body of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be reviewed by the 24-country

Los Angeles is about to be illuminated in Seventeen's colors. Pledis Entertainment announced Tuesday its plans to hold Seventeen The City Los Angeles — an event set to transform downtown LA and the city's iconic landmarks with Seventeen-themed activities and displays. Los Angeles marks the final stop of Seventeen’s US tour "Right Here," which began in October. Seventeen The City, which will run from Thursday to Monday, offers events for fans to enjoy before and af

Stories about popular regional cuisines, ingredients and liquors will be published in Korean and foreign languages in an e-book titled "Taste Your Korea," according to the Korea Tourism Organization. The e-book, to be published in collaboration with the leading Korean comic artist and foodie Huh Young-man, will be released by the end of the year. Huh is best known for his mega-hit comic, “Sik Gaek,” (2002-2010) and is the host of the food reality show “Huh Young-man&r