South Korea on Friday launched a new premium express bus service with nearly flat seats that will provide long distance travelers with first-class comfort and experience.The new premium bus has 21 passenger seats, instead of 28 in previous premium models, allowing each seat to recline up to 160 degrees, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Each seat is also equipped with a personal display monitor, providing various content from movies and TV programs to music and game

IPL, a member company of the Born2Global Center, signed an agreement with Roobo on Nov. 11 for the distribution of its social robot “iJINI.” Under the agreement, IPL will provide iJINI and related AI services in China. IPL CEO Kim Kyeungwook said, “We will launch iJINI in China by March 2017, and this agreement guarantees a minimum sales value of 16 billion won ($13.5 million), the biggest amount for a single item exported by a domestic robot producer.”iJINI is a robot based on a new concept tha

Experts stressed the importance of regional cooperation in eradicating air pollution Thursday, also calling for a binding pact that will require each and every country in Northeast Asia to do their utmost.In an international seminar hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), experts from South Korea, Japan and China also highlighted a need to have China involved in such joint efforts, noting air pollution has no boundaries."South Korea's government and business community will do their

A former Chinese diplomat warned that the US anti-missile system to be deployed in South Korea could be the first target for a Chinese attack if conflict breaks out between the two superpowers. Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, also said the installment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system will bring a significant change to China's relations with South Korea, prompting Beijing to "re-think" the burgeoning bilateral partnership."The

Poultry farmers of Maengdong-myeon, Eumseong County in North Chungcheong Province blamed migratory bird droppings for the outbreak of avian influenza, Monday.Local wire service quoted a heartbroken 55-year-old farmer who claimed to have done everything in his power and the County’s in order to prevent the yearly outbreak. Ducks are buried alived on Monday from a poultry farm found to be AI-positive in Maengdong-myeon, Eumseong County in North Chungcheong Province. (Yonhap)All poultry farms in th

NS Beyond announced Monday that a number of domestic and international companies are seriously considering using its simple, safe, and independently developed authentication solution Trusted Pass in their products. CEO Nam Seon-mo said, “It is still a bit early for us to disclose any specific details, but it is true that domestic and foreign conglomerates have shown considerable interest in our authentication solution.” Trusted Pass is a safe and simple authentication solution that offers the hi

The number of North Korean students studying in the US has more than doubled on-year, US-based Radio Free Asia reported Thursday. Citing data from an annual report by the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, RFA said there were currently 18 North Korean students in the US, while in the previous year there had only been eight. Among the identified students, 16 were enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs, one in graduate school and one in a non-degree program. The number of North Korean

The name Rockefeller resonates with wealth. In 2016, the oil-rich Rockefeller family ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of America’s richest families with a net worth of $11 billion.What is much less known about the Rockefeller’s is their philanthropic mission to pursue a cultural exchange between Asian and American artists. Wendy O’Neill, a fifth-generation Rockefeller, expressed her wishes to increase philanthropic support for Korean artists at a press briefing held in Namsan Art Center in Seoul,

The long-held alliance between South Korea and the US will not change and continue to grow whoever wins the US presidency, American Amb. to South Korea Mark Lippert said Wednesday."Our alliance has been strong for over 60 years and I see no change in that," Lippert told reporters during his embassy's public event to watch the 2016 US presidential election. "Over the 60 years, we have had this special alliance. It's been through ups and downs. (But) it will always get stronger. I am confident tha

President Park Geun-hye will not attend an Asia-Pacific leaders’ summit next week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, as she is grappling with an influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime confidante.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesman Cho June-hyuck cited the grave security situation on the Korean Peninsula as the official reason for her absence from the meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) scheduled for Nov. 17-19 in the Peruvian capital of Lima.“Given the seve

Negotiations at the UN Security Council over a new sanctions resolution on North Korea are being drawn out with no signs of an imminent breakthrough nearly two months after Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test.Analysts said that the delay appears to be in part because of political uncertainties in the United States, which will hold a presidential election this week, and a strategic rivalry between the US and China.Following Pyongyang's Sept. 9 nuclear test, the most powerful one to date, the US, along

The alliance between the United States and South Korea remains strong and durable despite a massive scandal rocking South Korean President Park Geun-hye, the White House said."The alliance between the United States and South Korea is a close alliance, it's a strong alliance, and it's one that is strong today as it's been. And one of the hallmarks of a strong alliance is that it remains durable, even when different people and different personalities are leading the countries," White House press s

South Korea is to hold a meeting of security agencies Tuesday to discuss ways to deal with a growing number of Korean nationals murdered in the Philippines, the foreign ministry said. The foreign ministry-chaired meeting will bring together officials from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the prime ministerial center for anti-terrorism, the National Intelligence Service, and the police to delve into ways to better protect people traveling or living in the Southeast Asian country. It was con

The Financial Supervisory Service will offer interpretations for financial consultations in 19 foreign languages, starting Nov. 1. The FSS, in collaboration with the Immigration Contact Center, said Monday that the new translation service is expected to ease the difficulties faced by immigrants or members of multicultural families in Korea.  (Financial Supervisory Service)Those seeking the language support can dial 1332, which will connect them with foreign language experts who provide translati

Ko Young-tae -- one of the closest figures to the controversial presidential confidante Choi Soon-sil accused of meddling with state affairs -- returned home Monday afternoon after a second probe that lasted 24 hours. Ko has surfaced as a key figure in the corruption scandal that is shaking the nation after Choi denied ownership of the tablet PC in which confidential documents including unedited manuscripts of the president’s speeches were found. Choi, 60, claimed the laptop was Ko’s, saying she

Phones under another person’s name, or “daepo phone,” are attracting attention after it was revealed that a number of high ranking officials involved in the Choi Soon-sil scandal have used them for clandestine communications. Former senior policy secretary Ahn Jong-beom, one of the government officials suspected of helping establish illegally funded sports foundations where the president’s confidante Choi Soon-sil is known to be the de facto head, had used the daepo phone to keep in contact with

South Korea and Cuba discussed ways to boost bilateral ties Monday, holding their first economic cooperation dialogue in 57 years.The meeting of the Korea-Cuba economic cooperation committee was held in Havana, involving some 150 business leaders from the two countries, according to the Federation of Korean Industries, South Korea's largest business lobby that represents the country's top 600 companies.The meeting marked the first of its kind since the countries severed diplomatic ties in 1959,

AfreecaTV, South Korea’s biggest video-streaming platform, has pledged to offer a fair profit-sharing scheme to streamers after its shares plummeted. The move came after four of its top streamers decided to leave AfreecaTV in favor of YouTube over profit-sharing issues. Investors took the departure of heavyweights as a bad sign. Shares of AfreecaTV went down by as much as 14 percent over the past two weeks to trade at 25,150 won in early Friday trading on the KOSDAQ. AfreecaTV lost about 44 bill

The governor of South Korea's South Chungcheong will make a four-day visit to Japan this week to deepen the province's cooperative ties with Japanese prefectures, the South Korean provincial government said Thursday.Gov. Ahn Hee-jung is scheduled to leave for Tokyo on Friday for talks with officials of the pro-Seoul Korean Residents Union in Japan, to discuss ways to promote cultural exchanges for youths of the two countries before heading to Shizuoka, southwest of Tokyo, the next day to take pa

A senior financial regulator said Tuesday that South Korea will support Iran in the development of its capital markets, citing ongoing financial cooperation between the two countries.Jeong Eun-bo, vice chairman of the Financial Services Commission, said bilateral cooperation has gained further urgency to meet growing financial needs following the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran earlier this year.Jeong made the comments in a meeting with Shapour Mohammadi, head of Iran's Securities a