K-pop superstar BTS has opened or will open additional offline pop-up stores in four Asian cities to meet rising demands for merchandise among the group's fans in the populous continent, its management agency said Monday. A BTS Pop-up: Map of the Soul store, which offers products themed around the seven-piece band's 2020 hit album "Map of the Soul: 7," already opened in Bangkok on May 1 to run through July 25, according to Hybe IP, an intellectual property arm of K-pop powerhouse Hybe

The ruling party chairman on Monday hailed the outcome of the recent South Korea-United States summit, assessing that the bilateral relationship picked up momentum for a "complete change." "I evaluate that the Korea-US relationship has (gained) momentum for a complete change, qualitatively unprecedented in the past. It has, in other words, entered into a strategic tipping point," Rep. Song Young-gil, who leads the Democratic Party (DP), said in a meeting of the supreme party

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min and a group of youngsters will look to take South Korea to the next phase in the ongoing qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Son was one of 28 players named to the South Korean men's national team Monday by head coach Paulo Bento, ahead of three World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for June. South Korea will serve as the centralized venue for all remaining Group H matches in the second round qualifying action for Asian countries. Teams last p

Seoul citizens had more free time but engaged in fewer cultural activities last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, a survey showed Monday. The average Seoulite had 3.6 hours of free time on weekdays and 6.5 hours on weekends, up 0.4 hour (12 percent) and 0.5 hour (8 percent), respectively, from 2018, according to the survey by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC). The foundation attributed the increase to reduced travel time due to remote working and fewer group activities and

China has raised no complaints about a recent agreement between South Korea and the United States to lift restrictions on Seoul's missile development, the defense ministry said Monday. After his first in-person summit talks with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday, President Moon Jae-in announced the decision to scrap the bilateral guidelines that ban South Korea from developing or possessing missiles with a maximum flight range greater than 800 kilometers. Asked if there was any re

This summer is expected to be hotter than usual with heavy rains concentrated in parts of the country rather than nationwide, the state weather agency said Monday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), temperatures in June and July are likely to be similar to or higher than the average year with a probability of 40 percent each, and lower with a probability of 20 percent. The average temperature in June is 21.1-21.7 C, and 24-25.2 C in July, the KMA said in its annual sum

Samsung Electronics Co. on Monday added more products to its monitor lineup with enhanced connectivity options as the South Korean tech giant targets to boost sales amid the pandemic-induced stay-at-home trend. Samsung said its latest Smart Monitor, powered by the Tizen operating system, includes a 43-inch M7 model supporting ultra-high definition resolution. The company previously introduced a 32-inch M7 last November. The 43-inch M7, which supports 65W charging through a USB Type-C port and

South Korea's business sentiment slightly fell for June due to deteriorating profitability in the manufacturing industry amid the coronavirus pandemic, a local think tank said Monday. The business survey index (BSI) of the country's top 600 companies by sales reached 102.6 for next month, down 5.1 points from May, the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) said in a statement. The index stayed above 100 for the fourth straight month after its March reading exceeded 100 for the first time in

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it has launched a pilot project to build a smart farm in Kazakhstan, as the country seeks to boost exports of smart-farming solutions. The construction is expected to be completed in October, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The smart farm, sized 1 hectare, will be used to cultivate popular produce in Kazakhstan, including tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries. The smart farm was specifically designed to cope with

South Korea's oceans ministry said Monday it will seek to include killer whales in its list of protected marine species as the country plans to bolster measures to preserve marine mammals in line with tightened global environment rules. The move came in line with efforts to meet the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of the United States, which centers on bolstering protection of animals, including dolphins and whales, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The US is

The defense ministry on Monday extended the current social distancing rules for the military for another three weeks, which allow service members to take vacations in a limited manner. The Level 2 scheme, which was supposed to expire Sunday, will be in place until June 13 in line with the government's COVID-19 guidance, according to the ministry. It is the third-highest level in the five-tier alert system. Under the scheme, troops are allowed to go on vacation while strictly adhering to antivi

North Korea has stayed mum on the results of last week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden amid questions about how Pyongyang will react to Biden's willingness to engage diplomatically with the country. At the summit meeting on Friday (Washington time), the two leaders agreed to engage diplomatically with the North to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also reaffirmed that dialogue will be pushed based on previous agreements, including the 2

"F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, has topped 1 million attendees in its first week of release in South Korea, local box office data showed Monday. The action blockbuster attracted 628,000 people over the Friday-Sunday period, bringing its combined total to 1.13 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It became the fourth title to surpass the 1 million threshold in 2021, following Disney-Pixar fantasy "Soul," Japanese a

Last week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden created "sufficient" conditions needed to resume the long-stalled dialogue with North Korea, Unification Minister Lee In-young said Monday. On Friday (US time), Moon and Biden held their first face-to-face summit in Washington and agreed to engage diplomatically with North Korea and take "pragmatic" steps to reduce tensions, while reaffirming that dialogue will be pushed based on previous agreements,

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 600 for the second straight day Monday on fewer tests over the weekend, with a rebound in the reproduction rate, coupled with sporadic cluster infections, straining the country's antivirus fight. The country reported 538 more COVID-19 cases, including 513 local infections, raising the total caseload to 136,467, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload stood at 585 on Sunday and 666 on Saturday. There

Defense ministry officials were to hold a meeting with residents around a US THAAD missile defense base Monday in an effort to address their concerns, the ministry said, as protests against the base have shown no signs of letting up. Residents in the central county of Seongju have long opposed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base in their town, resulting in clashes with police every time the government brings construction equipment and other items to the base. Monday's meeting

K-pop boy band BTS has won four prizes, including the major title of Top Selling Song, at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA), the most for the group at the event ever. The septet was awarded Top Selling Song, Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist and the fan-voted Top Social Artist during the BBMA ceremony that was aired live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday (US time). It is the first time the band has won more than two titles at the BBMA. In 2019, it took home the Top

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reiterated Washington's commitment to diplomacy with North Korea to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, saying, "The ball's in their court." Blinken made the remarks after US President Joe Biden stressed the willingness to engage diplomatically with Pyongyang to take pragmatic steps toward the denuclearization goal, after his first in-person summit with President Moon Jae-in in Washington on Friday. "

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has wrapped up his most successful Premier League campaign to date. Son got the start and was taken out during second-half injury time, as Tottenham beat Leicester City 4-2 at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, on Sunday (local time). It provided a positive conclusion to an otherwise disappointing season for Tottenham, which finished in seventh place on 62 points and settled for the third-tier continental competition, UEFA Europa Confe

It was a battle within a battle, as Toronto Blue Jays' ace Ryu Hyun-jin went up against fellow South Korean, Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman Choi Ji-man, for the first time in their major league careers. The Rays took the game 6-4 at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Sunday (local time). But the all-Korean pitcher-batter duel between Ryu and Choi, both graduates of Dongsan High School in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, ended in the pitcher's favor. Ryu got Choi to ground out in his first