Hyundai Motor Co. will voluntarily recall over 25,000 Kona all-electric models for a faulty battery cell component, the transport ministry said Thursday. Hyundai Motor will recall 25,564 Kona Electric models manufactured between Sept. 29, 2019, and March 13, 2020, as a possible short circuit in the faulty battery cell system may start a fire in the pure EV model, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The recall comes after 13 cases of fires in the model have

South Korean stocks extended their winning streak to seven straight sessions Thursday, thanks to the massive foreign buying that stemmed from US stimulus hopes. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 5.02 points, or 0.21 percent, to close at 2,391.96. Trading volume was moderate at about 939 million shares worth some 12.2 trillion won ($10.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 510 to 300. Foreigners bought a net 756 billi

INCHEON -- A cram school teacher was sentenced to six months in prison Thursday for lying about his job and whereabouts after testing positive for COVID-19 and subsequently causing some 80 infections. In the ruling, the Incheon District Court said the defendant "lied more than 20 times to health officials tasked with contact tracing," there by impeding their efforts to timely isolate people who might have been infected with or exposed to the virus. "His act inflicted huge econom

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- Defense Minister Suh Wook and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper held phone talks Thursday and reaffirmed their commitment to a strong alliance and a firm combined defense posture, the defense ministry said. The call marked the first talks between the two since Suh took office as defense minister last month. "The two ministers reaffirmed the importance of strengthening the ironclad South Korea-US alliance and closely cooperating on defense issues," the ministry sa

The government will seek to come up with additional measures to rein in soaring "jeonse" rates as part of efforts to stabilize the housing market, the country's chief economic policymaker said Thursday. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, who doubles as the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, made the remark during an annual parliamentary inspection of the ministry. "Jeonse rates have risen considerably over a short period of time and they are unlikely to go down easily down t

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday his government will protect and support social workers nationwide, who are involved in "indispensable face-to-face" activities despite the new coronavirus outbreak. He was speaking at a virtual meeting with employees at public social service agencies operating in eight regions under the initiative of his left-leaning administration. They provide care services to children, the disabled and adults with long-term health conditions. "Welfare and t

South Korea and China have agreed to extend their bilateral currency swap agreement, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Thursday, in a move aimed at helping ease a potential liquidity crunch amid the new coronavirus outbreak. In 2017, the BOK and People's Bank of China extended the won-yuan currency swap deal worth 64 trillion won ($55.3 billion) for three years, and the arrangement was set to expire Saturday. The two Asian nations inked the currency swap deal in April 2009 in the midst of the globa

South Korea's rice output is expected to shrink 3 percent in 2020 due mainly to bad weather conditions and reduced cultivation area, government data showed Thursday. The country's rice production is likely to come to 3.63 million tons this year, compared with 3.77 million tons a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The amount would represent the lowest level since 1980, when South Korea produced 3.55 million tons of rice. It would also mark the fifth consecutive y

국내에서 AI(인공지능) 작곡가가 만든 곡으로 신인가수가 데뷔해 화제다. 8일 지스트(광주과학기술원)에 따르면 지스트 AI대학원의 안창욱 교수팀이 개발한 국내 유일 AI 작곡가가 만든 곡으로 신인가수 하연이 데뷔했다. 소녀시대 태연 동생으로도 알려진 하연은 안 교수팀이 개발한 AI 작곡가 EvoM(이봄)이 작·편곡한 곡을 바탕으로 프로듀서 누보(NUVO)의 협업을 통해 하연 본인이 직접 작사한 노래를 데뷔 싱글 앨범 '아이즈 온 유(Eyes on you)'에 담았다. 안창욱 교수는 "기존 가수들이 인공지능과 협업해 음원을 발매한 경우는 종종 있었으나 이번처럼 인공지능의 곡을 통해 실제 가수가 정식 데뷔한 것은 세계 최초"라고 설명했다. 안 교수는 "AI 작곡가가 극복해야 할 장애물들이 아직 남아있지만, AI 작곡가와의 협업을 원하는 음악가들이 점차 늘어나고 있다는 점은 분명 긍정적 신호"라며 "AI가 만든 곡을 케이팝(

South Koreans are estimated to have spent nearly 30 hours on YouTube in September, a report showed Thursday, far surpassing other popular social media apps. South Korean users spent an average of 29.5 hours on Google's video-sharing app last month, compared with 12 hours on KakaoTalk, the country's top messenger app, according to data from local market tracker IGAWorks. Local users spent an average of 11.7 hours on global social media app Facebook, followed by 10.2 hours on Naver, South Korea'

Tens of million personal data records have been leaked over the past five years but fines for the leaks averaged 258 won ($0.22), a lawmaker said Thursday, calling for tougher penalties. According to Rep. Park Kwang-on of the ruling Democratic Party, over 64 million leaks of personal information, such as names, social security numbers and mobile phone numbers, were reported from the public, private and online sectors from 2016 to last month. Of them, administrative action was taken in 50.87 mi

North Korea could unveil newly developed strategic weapons, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), during this week's widely expected military parade in a bid to strengthen internal unity amid economic difficulties, the unification ministry said Thursday. Other new weapons the North could show off include a transporter erector launcher vehicle and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the ministry said in a report to the parliamentary audit. The parade is expected to tak

South Korean K-pop boy band BTS won the 2020 Van Fleet Award for its contribution to strengthening ties between South Korea and the United States, South Korea's leading business lobby group said Thursday. The two other recipients are the Korean War Veterans Association and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), according to the KCCI. The KCCI became the first Korean organization to earn the award. In 2014, KCCI Chairman Park Yong-maan received the same prize as an individual. The

North Korea's Premier Kim Tok-hun visited flood-hit eastern areas and called for speedy reconstruction to provide people with better houses and living conditions, state media reported Thursday. Kim "made a survey of the progress made in the projects for recovering from flood damage in South and North Hamgyong provinces," according to the Korean Central News Agency. "He underscored the need to ensure the best quality while speeding up construction and fully meeting the requiremen

On top of the mega success of K-pop superstar BTS' "Dynamite," a song featuring the septet has also dominated iTunes charts around the world, the band's agency said Thursday. "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) (BTS Remix)," the latest version of hit song "Savage Love" by US pop singer Jason Derulo and New Zealand producer Jawsh 685, has topped iTunes Top Songs charts in 66 countries, according to Big Hit Entertainment. It also ranked No. 3 on the US version of the c

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, taking a cue from U.S. stock rallies over stimulus hopes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 12.88 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,399.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Local stocks got off to a strong start, bolstered by optimistic signals by US House speaker Nancy Pelosi over an airline-relief bill in talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Investor appetite for risk also hiked on the back of the Federal Open

South Korea's Red Cross said Thursday that it will produce a mini documentary film featuring its humanitarian activities during the 1950-53 Korean War as part of efforts to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict. The documentary will be aired in December in four installments through Yonhap News TV, an all-news channel associated with Yonhap News Agency, with each installment running for about four minutes, according to the Red Cross. The film will be focused mostly on

South Korea needs to further expand the country's hydrogen charging infrastructure as it lags behind advanced countries amid growing interest in zero-emission vehicles, a business association said Thursday. South Korea has emerged as a major player in technologies involving hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles and fuel-cell battery-based power generation in recent years. But the country still is behind developed nations in hydrogen charging stations and the production, storage and transport o

South Korea posted a current account surplus for the fourth straight month in August as exports declined at a slower pace than imports amid major economies' reopenings after the pandemic-caused lockdowns, the central bank said Thursday. The current account surplus reached $6.57 billion in August, down from $7.45 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade. The current account has been in the black since the

South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee has made it onto the shortlist of two finalists in a race to become the new chief of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a news report said Thursday. The South Korean candidate will now compete with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria for the top seat, Reuters reported, citing three unidentified sources. The WTO earlier said the candidates for the final round of the selection process will be announced later Thursday (Geneva time). Member states will reac