SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, said Monday it launched its augmented reality (AR) app in the United States as it seeks widespread adoption of the immersive technology. The mobile carrier said it released its Jump AR app, previously only available in South Korea and Hong Kong, on Google's Play store in the United States, allowing American Android users to experience its mixed reality content, such as taking photos with celebrity avatars. SK Telecom said it also released a

The defense ministry on Monday extended the current social distancing rules for the military, which allow service members to take vacation in a limited manner, for three weeks. The Level 2 scheme, which was supposed to expire Sunday, will be in place until May 2 in line with the government's guidance, according to the ministry. Under the Level 2 scheme, troops are allowed to go on vacation while strictly adhering to antivirus measures, such as a mandatory quarantine and coronavirus tests. Up t

Global K-pop dynamite BTS is set to hold "Bang Bang Con 21," the latest in a series of streaming events for fans amid the ongoing pandemic, its management agency said Monday. The online event will be streamed on the seven-piece act's official YouTube channel Bangtan TV starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, according to Big Hit Music. The show will include clips of past concerts and fan events, including "2015 BTS Live Trilogy: Episode 1. BTS Begins," "BTS 5th Muster [Magic S

Nearly 2,000 employees at a state housing developer have signed contracts for public housing provided by their own company over the last 10 years, data showed Monday. According to the document that Rep. Kwon Young-se of the opposition People Power Party received from the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), 1,900 workers at the company signed such contracts between 2011 and 2020. The company is at the center of the ongoing government-led investigation into alleged land speculation involving its

South Korean all-female group Mamamoo will perform for an online K-pop show series to be launched by a British music streaming service next month, its management agency said Monday. The quartet will hold a special online concert of their hit songs and also share behind-the-scenes moments on LIVENow's K-pop series on May 1, according to RBW. The show, titled "LIVENow K-pop Presents Mamamoo," will be streamed worldwide at different times according to regional time zones to reach more v

North Korea urged grassroots leaders of the ruling Workers' Party to be at the forefront of efforts to strengthen the leadership of Kim Jong-un, state media said Monday. During a workshop of the secretaries of party cells held from Friday to Sunday, the North also called for rooting out anti-socialist practices, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The lecturers said that the work of establishing the unified leadership system of the General Secretary is the most i

Shares of two Korean battery makers spiked Monday as they ended a two-year legal dispute over electric vehicle (EV) battery technology, which cleared uncertainty over their businesses. On Sunday, LG Chem-owned LG Energy Solution Ltd. and SK Innovation Co. reached a last-minute settlement in a bitter US trade dispute, just one day before an import ban on SK was to take effect. SK Innovation agreed to pay 2 trillion won ($1.78 billion) in compensation, half in cash and half in royalty, to its bi

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 600 for the first time in six days Monday partly due to fewer tests over the weekend, amid looming concerns over the fourth wave of the pandemic. The country reported 587 more COVID-19 cases, including 560 local infections, raising the total caseload to 110,146, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure was down from 614 the previous day, but it was still high given fewer tests conducted over the week

South Korean stocks were little changed Monday amid lingering concerns over virus outbreaks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 0.24 point, or 0.01 percent, to 3,132.12 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks came to a muted start after the KOSPI snapped its six-day gaining steak the previous session as valuation pressure increased ahead of the earnings report season. Over the weekend, South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for the thi

North Korea urged economic guidance organs to take full responsibility in implementing economic development plans as it held a Cabinet meeting to review the country's first-quarter production results, state media said Monday. The enlarged session of the plenary meeting of the Cabinet took place via video links Sunday, with Premier Kim Tok-hun presiding over the meeting and Vice Premier Pak Jong-gun making a report on the economic performance in the first quarter, according to the Korean Central

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has equaled his career high for goals in a Premier League season. The South Korean star netted his 14th goal of the campaign in a3-1 loss to Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). Son's 40th-minute goal, set up by Lucas Moura, put Tottenham ahead 1-0, but Man United rallied with three unanswered goals for the victory. This was Son's first goal in the league since Feb. 7 against West Bromwich Albion. With 14 goals, Son

South Korea's presidential office on Sunday denied as "incorrect" a Japanese report that the United States asked Seoul to join the US-led Quad forum. The Yomiuri Shimbun, a major Japanese daily, reported earlier in the day that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had strongly requested Seoul join the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue group, also known as Quad, during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Suh Hoon early this month. "(The newspaper's) citation is very i

New satellite images show that North Korea may be modifying its submersible missile test barge at a shipyard on its east coast, a US expert website monitoring the communist country said Sunday. 38 North said commercial satellite imagery taken Saturday (US local time) indicates that a missile canister for the submersible missile test barge has likely been removed. The removal is "possibly for maintenance, or for the replacement with a new canister or launch frame to accommodate larger subm

The music video for a remix of the 2017 BTS hit "MIC Drop" has earned 900 million views on YouTube, becoming the group's fifth song to reach the milestone, its agency said Sunday. YouTube views for the "MIC Drop" remix, uploaded in November 2017, reached the milestone at around 9:21 a.m. Sunday, according to Big Hit Music. The record was reached only three days after the K-pop superstar's "Fake Love," the main track for the seven-piece act's third full album "

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Sunday it has decided to fine five manufacturers of sewage pipes a combined 890 million won ($796,000) for colluding to fix prices of industrial products. Dobong Pipe and six other companies colluded to fix their quotations between 2012 and 2017 for 243 rounds of sewage pipe purchasing bids by public institutions, according to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). The deal is valued at 27.3 billion won. Of the seven firms, the regulator decided to impo

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun arrived in Iran on Sunday, a report said, as Seoul seeks to improve relations with Tehran amid lingering tension over Iranian funds frozen in Korea under US sanctions. Chung's three-day trip to Tehran came days after Tehran released a Korean oil tanker and its captain three months after its seizure over alleged oil pollution, paving the way for better bilateral relations. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Chung is slated to meet wi

A rapid growth in tourist numbers is bringing joy to and causing concern among residents of Jeju, the southern holiday island increasingly favored by locals as an alternative to overseas travel amid the COVID-19 outbreaks. Tourist arrivals on Jeju Island have rapidly recovered to pre-coronavirus levels in recent months to the delight of its tourism sector, but residents are concerned about growing COVID-19 cases among visitors. According to Jeju provincial authorities on Sunday, the number of

South Korea's flagship carrier Korean Air Lines Co. is expected to have turned a profit in the first quarter of 2021, data showed Sunday, as the company expanded its logistics business after the new coronavirus pandemic virtually suspended passenger travel. The country's top airline operator is expected to post an operating profit of 76.6 billion won ($68.3 million) for the January-March period, compared with a loss of 82.3 billion won posted a year earlier, according to a poll released by Yonh

North Korea urged its people to stay faithful to leader Kim Jong-un as it marked the ninth anniversary of his assumption of top posts of its ruling party and the state amid economic woes from crippling sanctions. It, however, did not have any major events, including the national ceremony, to celebrate the anniversary apparently because of the new coronavirus pandemic and as Pyongyang tends to mark only every fifth or 10th anniversary with large-scale events. "We celebrate the 9th annivers

미국의 '골프 황제' 타이거 우즈가 자동차 전복 사고를 냈을 때 경찰이 사고 현장에 있던 우즈의 가방 안에서 약병을 발견했다는 사실이 뒤늦게 드러났다. 우즈 차 사고를 조사한 미국 로스앤젤레스(LA) 카운티 보안관실은 22페이지 분량의 사건 보고서를 통해 이러한 내용을 공개했다고 10일(현지시간) 워싱턴포스트(WP) 등이 보도했다. 보고서에 따르면 우즈는 지난 2월 23일 캘리포니아주 롤링힐스 에스테이츠 곡선 구간 도로에서 사고를 냈고, 경찰은 사고 차량 옆 덤불에서 빈 플라스틱 알약 병이 들어있는 우즈의 백팩을 회수했다. 경찰은 보고서에 어떤 약병인지를 보여주는 "라벨이 부착돼있지 않았고, 용기 안에 무엇이 들어있었는지를 알려주는 아무런 표시도 없었다"고 썼다. 일간 USA 투데이는 사고 당일 우즈가 묵었던 5성급 리조트의 감시 카메라에는 우즈가 백팩을 메고 나서는 장면이 포착됐다고 전했다. 또 사고 현장에 출동했던 응급 요원은 우즈를 차량에서 꺼내려 할