Beijing's visa exemption for South Korean tourists will take effect on Friday this week, but expectations are mixed about the impact, as it comes after years of waning popularity of China as a travel destination here. China announced Friday that it would allow passport holders of Korea and eight other countries to enter China without visas for up to 15 days for tourism, business, family visits, and transit purposes. Chinese nationals are still required to apply for a visa to enter Korea. Lo

The 14th Seoul International Pride Film Festival kicks off Thursday for a seven-day run, opening with Hong Kong filmmaker Ray Yeung’s movie “All Shall Be Well.” “All Shall Be Well,” which won this year’s best feature queer film award at Berlin International Film Festival revolves around two women Angie (Patra Au) and Pat (Lin-Lin Li) who have been together for over four decades. Following Pat's unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of Pat

Andy Kim, 42, a three-term Congress representative from New Jersey, has won the US Senate race, becoming the first Korean American elected to the Senate. Kim, a Democrat, defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw, securing 53 percent of the vote to Bashaw’s 44.7 percent, with 87 percent of ballots counted as of 3 p.m., according to AP. This Senate seat opened in August when former Senator Bob Menendez resigned after being convicted on charges of bribery and acting as an agent of the Egyptian gover

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- Everland, South Korea’s largest theme park located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is known for its thrilling rides and much-loved animals like the Bao panda family. But if you need another reason to visit Everland, the park's unique fall foliage is open to public visitors for the first time. The theme park's latest attraction is a 14.5-million-square-meter ginkgo tree area named For Rest, considered the largest colony of ginkgo trees in Korea. But this

In an effort to clamp down on the rapid spread of deepfake sex crimes here, the Korean government on Wednesday rolled out a comprehensive package of strengthened measures to handle the AI-generated sexual abuse, from properly educating students to improving laws and seeking tougher punishment. It marks the first time for the government to map out a pan-governmental response plan following concerns over the lack of a coordinated strategy by related institutions for tackling deepfake sex crimes in

South Korean steel giant Posco Group on Wednesday held the 2024 Posco Group Tech Forum, an annual event dedicated to sharing advancements in the core technologies of the group’s key businesses and discussing future directions. Now in its 36th year, the event was held offline in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, for the first time in five years following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s forum focused on deepening understanding of the group’s core technol

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan (right) met with Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulazia Al Saud, the defense minister of Saudi Arabia, in a hotel in Seoul on Monday to reaffirm their commitment to a defense partnership. During the meeting, Hanwha vowed to provide advanced defense systems, as part of the Saudi Arabian government’s Vision 2030 initiative that seeks to localize more than 50 percent of its military procurement by 2030. This is the second meeting for the Hanwha heir

South Korea's leading cosmetics original design manufacturer, Kolmar Korea, announced Wednesday it will start a packaged product service to accelerate product launches by up to six months, aiming to strengthen its position in the global market. The packaged product service, or PPS, allows clients to obtain products simply by choosing from pre-developed formulations and containers. Typically, launching a new cosmetic product takes nine to 12 months. Kolmar anticipates the PPS system will sho

South Korean stem cell research company Miracell showcased its stem cell extraction system, Smart M-Cell, during the IV Congreso Semdor Valencia conference in Spain last month. Hosted by the Spanish Pain Society, the annual conference brought together pain management experts from around the world to explore effective solutions for preventing and treating pain. This year’s event, held Oct. 24-26, invited doctors from Spain, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Greece and Italy. During the confe

With only a week left before the national Suneung college admissions exam, some test takers and their parents are reaching out for additional assistance to manage test anxiety jitters: pills that make them brainier. Lee, an 18-year-old third-grade high school student who attends a private school in Incheon's Songdo district, is one of them. "I heard that the anxiety-soothing pills and traditional Korean medicine like 'cheongsimhwan' could ease test anxiety symptoms such as ra

South Korea's leading mobile carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it will open an artificial intelligence data center based on US tech giant Nvidia’s graphics processing units next month in Seoul, along with an AI data center testbed in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, in the same month. The announcement came as the company unveiled its AI revenue model identifying three key areas for rapid monetization upon its earnings release for the July-September period: data centers, business-to-business

South Korean builder Daewoo Engineering & Construction said Wednesday a delegation of its executives recently visited the US to meet with private equity firms and developers as part of its efforts to expand its real estate development operations in the country. The delegation, which included Vice Chairman Chung Jin-haeng, Jung Jung-gil, director of the North America Development Department, and other company officials, visited Chicago and New York last week to explore potential partnerships w

The South Korean police said Wednesday it is investigating a man in his 50s on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend over an argument that broke out because he thought she was looking down on him. The suspect is accused of killing the victim, also in her 50s, at a motel in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday, according to the Paju Police Station. He then called the victim's family at around 8:20 p.m. and confessed the murder to them, who immediately called the police. The police found the

A man who lost consciousness while eating at a restaurant was rescued by a fellow diner and police who promptly arrived on the scene, Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency revealed in a recent video. The clip posted on its official YouTube channel showed an incident that occurred at a restaurant in September. The man suddenly lost consciousness while having a meal with his friend, after which the friend immediately called the 119 emergency service for help. A person who was sitting on the table n

A South Korean internet celebrity is being pelted with criticism over causing a drunk driving accident and then joking that she may as well have "killed" the victim. The YouTube streamer in her 20s is being investigated for drunk driving, according to the officials at the Incheon Bupyeong Police Station. She is accused of ramming her car into another at around 12:40 a.m. last Friday in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, while driving under the influence of alcohol. Her blood alcohol level tested at

Unseasonably warm weather with day highs of around 20 degrees Celsius has delayed the autumn foliage peak, leaving large parts of Korea’s major foliage hotspots green as of Wednesday. Of the 21 hotspots the Korea Meteorological Administration monitored, seven -- including Naejangsan in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, famous for its maple leaves -- had not reached their foliage peak Wednesday. The KMA announces the “peak” when 80 percent of the place is covered with autumn foli

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump secured anticipated wins in states favoring their respective parties on Tuesday, as political attention gravitates to key battleground states that will likely decide the outcome of this year's general election. With vote counting under way, Harris won New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Delaware and other Democratic-leaning states, while Trump clinched victories in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Ohio and oth

If you’ve ever attended a Korean wedding, you know the drill: First, hand over an envelope of congratulatory money at the front desk to receive your meal coupon, then either attend or skip the ceremony itself, which typically lasts 30 minutes to an hour. Enjoy a sit-down or buffet meal during which the couple, after the formal wedding ceremony, make their rounds to each table, thanking the guests. But that wasn’t the wedding day that Rebecca Nour, a Lebanese American influencer, ha

Judicial and police officers will keep a close eye on notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon's new home from literally across the street, as the city government of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, said Wednesday that it had rented a unit near his residence. Cho, who was released four years ago after serving 12 years in prison for raping an 8-year-old girl, relocated to a multiunit home in Wa-dong, Danwon-gu in the same city last month. This sparked concerns over child safety in the area, despite the

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier, said Wednesday its third-quarter net profit decreased 9.1 percent from a year earlier due to an increase in non-operating costs. Net profit for the July-September period came to 280.2 billion won ($202.1 million), down 9.1 percent from a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Its operating profit rose 7.1 percent on-year to 533.3 billion won, while sales increased 2.9 percent to 4.53 trillion won. The company said its net pro