최근 연예계에서도 층간소음 논란이 빈번한 가운데 배우 류필립(31)과 가수 미나(49) 부부도 사과했다. 류필립과 미나는 4일 유튜브 채널을 통해 "저희로 인해 많이 불편했을 분들께 우선 죄송하다"고 밝혔다. 그러면서 "집에서 디제잉과 드럼 소리가 들려 1년 내내 고통받았다고 하셨는데 우리 집에는 디제잉이나 드럼 소리와 관련된 장비는 없다. 그만큼 시끄러우셨다고 말씀하시는 것 같다. 다시 한번 죄송하다"고 했다. 두 사람은 "당연히 아랫집에 얼굴을 찾아뵙고 용서를 구하고 싶지만, 문을 두드리고 인사드리는 것조차 불법 행위이기 때문에 이러지도 못하고 저러지도 못하고 있다"면서 "긴 시간을 두고 사과를 드릴 예정이고 오해를 풀겠다"고 설명했다. 앞서 한 온라인 커뮤니티 게시판에 류필립-미나 부부의 이웃이라는 누리꾼이 "일주일에 평균 3~4회를 새벽까지 심각하게 소음을 낸다"며 "정말

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday as investors speculate on a US congressional pushback over the massive size of the $2.25 trillion infrastructure proposal in the United States. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.71 points, or 0.15 percent, to 3,108.09 points in the first 18 minutes of trading. In Seoul, top cap Samsung Electronics edged up 0.24 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 0.71 percent. Top automaker Hyundai Motor lost 0.21 percent, and i

K-pop boy band SHINee's livestream concert held on Sunday attracted some 130,000 fans from 120 countries, its agency said Monday. Fans from countries like the United States, Japan and Italy joined the online concert "Beyond Live - SHINEE: SHINee World" streamed worldwide via Naver V Live on Sunday, according to SM Entertainment. Hashtags like #SHINee and #SHINee_BeyondLive were top trending keywords among Twitter users in countries like Colombia, Canada and New Zealand during the con

Seven matches into the 2021 K League 1 season, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are the only undefeated club. Jeonbuk defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3-1 on Saturday, a match contested against the backdrop of Jeonbuk's controversial acquisition of a former Suwon youth player Paik Seung-ho. Suwon have claimed that Paik, one-time FC Barcelona prospect, had contractual obligations to sign with them after returning from Europe. But Jeonbuk have countered that the midfielder was available because Suwon had

Nearly a quarter of companies in South Korea failed to pay the interest on their debts in 2020 despite an overall rise in corporate earnings, a report said Monday. A total of 255 listed firms in Asia's fourth-largest economy had an interest coverage ratio of less than 1 last year, up six from a year earlier and accounting for 25.1 percent of 1,017 businesses listed on the country's main and secondary bourses, according to the report from the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI). The intere

South Korea's household debt has been rising faster than that in most major economies to reach nearly 100 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), a report showed Monday. The country's household debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 98.6 percent as of the end of June last year, according to the report from the Korea Institute of Public Finance. The figure is much higher than the global average of 63.7 percent and 75.3 percent for advanced economies. South Korea's growth pace of household debt has al

South Korea's foreign reserves declined in March as the US dollar's strength reduced the value of non-dollar assets, central bank data showed Monday. The nation's foreign reserves came to $446.1 billion as of end-March, down $1.43 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). Foreign reserves consist of securities and deposits denominated in overseas currencies, International Monetary Fund reserve positions, special drawing rights and gold bullion. The FX reserves dec

A wooden building collapsed during reinforcement work, killing two South Korean workers, in the southern city of Gwangju, police said Sunday.  On Sunday afternoon, four workers were buried under the wreckage of an old wooden house, an official at the Dongbu Fire Station said over the phone. Two of them were killed in the accident and the other two were transferred to a hospital for treatment, the official said. Police are investigating to determine the exact cause of the accident, he

North Korea on Sunday blasted Japan for approving history textbooks that distort history and glorify Tokyo's imperial past. The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) noted that those school textbooks have left out details of Japanese atrocities during its colonial period while also renewing territorial claims to Dokdo, South Korea's easternmost islets. "The textbooks define Japanese invasions as a step toward civilization and prosperity," the KCNA said. "Japan has establishe

South Korean listed firms saw their net profit increase nearly 20 percent last year despite the fallout from the pandemic, the bourse operator said Sunday. The combined annual net income of 694 KOSPI-listed companies, excluding financial firms, came to 63.45 trillion won ($56.25 billion) on a consolidated basis, up 18.15 percent from the previous year, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). Their combined operating profits rose 3.2 percent on-year to 107.4 trillion won, while sales decreased b

South Korea's exports of agriculture products reached an all-time high in the first quarter of the year on the back of strong demand for kimchi and processed foods, data showed Sunday. The record amount of $1.98 billion represents a 13.7 percent rise from the previous year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. By category, outbound shipments of fresh products remained sluggish, but those of processed goods increased 9.3 percent to hit $359 million.

A new Japanese single by global K-pop sensation BTS has topped iTunes charts in 97 countries and regions, the group's agency said Sunday. According to Big Hit Music, "Film Out" also debuted at No. 1 on Oricon's daily digital singles chart in Japan, with 23,344 downloads. The single also reached the top of major Japanese streaming sites, such as Line Music, AWA and mora. "Film Out" was released last Friday, with its music video also uploaded on YouTube the same day. It garn

South Korean shipbuilders clinched orders in the first quarter worth ten times more than the total orders logged for 2020, as the shipyard industry is recovering from the fallout of the pandemic, data showed Sunday. Korean shipbuilders led by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. won new orders for 126 ships or 5.32 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) in the January-March period, according to the data provided by global market researcher Clarkson Research Service. The tally compared with orders for 5

It was a day of firsts for the San Diego Padres' South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong. In his first major league start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Diego on Saturday (local time), Kim also picked up his first hit and RBI. He ended the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout. The Padres prevailed 7-0. Kim got the start at second base and batted sixth at Petco Park. Kim had come off the bench on Opening Day on Thursday but struck out swinging. He sat out the next game before getting

Early voting for next week’s by-elections finished Saturday with a turnout of 20.54 percent, the highest in South Korea’s by-election history, according to election authorities. During the two-day advance voting period that ended at 6 p.m. on the day, 2.49 million of the total 12.16 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the National Election Commission. The previous record high of 19.40 percent was posted in the Oct. 29 by-elections in 2014. (Yonhap)  Presi

미국에서 아시아계를 겨냥한 증오범죄가 기승을 부리는 가운데 한인 편의점에서 '쇠막대기 난동'이 벌어져 충격을 더하고 있다. 3일(현지시간) 성열문 캐롤라이나한인회연합회 이사장과 지역 언론매체들에 따르면 지난달 30일 오후 3시께 성 이사장이 운영하는 노스캐롤라이나주 샬럿의 편의점에 한 흑인 청년이 도로 표지판 기둥으로 보이는 금속 막대기를 갖고 들어와 다짜고짜 난동을 부리기 시작했다. 과자 선반을 바닥에 넘어뜨린 이 청년은 금속 막대기를 마구 휘둘러 냉장고와 냉동고, 테이블 등 각종 기물을 닥치는 대로 때려 부쉈다. 난동 장면은 물론 놀란 손님들이 서둘러 가게를 빠져나가는 모습도 편의점 CCTV에 담겼다. 그는 금속 막대기를 휘두르면서 성 이사장 부부를 향해 "XX 중국인들아, 너희 나라로 돌아가라"고 욕설을 퍼부었다. 자신이 부순 냉장고에서 에너지 드링크를 꺼내 마시던 그는 출동한 경찰에 현장에서 체포됐다. 이 편의점은 대중교통 환승센터에 위치해 경찰과

South Korea's consumption of petroleum declined to a five-year low last year amid the pandemic, data showed Sunday. The country's consumption of petroleum reached 878 million barrels last year, down 5.8 percent from the previous year, according to Korea National Oil Corp. The tally marked the lowest since 2015, when the country consumed 856 million barrels. It also marked the first time in five years that such consumption dipped below 900 million barrels. The consumption of jet fuel declined

BUSAN -- The Busan One Asia Festival (BOF), a major annual K-pop event, will kick off online next month in this southeastern port city due to concerns over the new coronavirus pandemic, organizers said Sunday. According to the Busan Tourism Organization, BOF 2021 will be streamed online from May 6-9 from the second-biggest South Korean city, about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to reach more fans amid the pandemic. The festival's three main events -- K-pop Concert, Park Concert and BOF Lan

When 5G networks were first rolled out in South Korea in April 2019, telecom operators claimed that their ultrafast mobile speeds and low latency would usher in a new era for smartphone users and even power future technologies from autonomous vehicles to virtual reality (VR) content to cloud gaming. Fast forward to 2021, self-driving cars are still a way off and cloud games still work on previous 4G LTE networks. The next-generation networks have instead faced user disappointment due to slower

Samsung Lions' skipper Huh Sam-young is managing his second Opening Day in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Saturday, but it feels like the first one to him. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic caused multiple delays to the start of the season. It had been scheduled to start on March 28, and the league eventually decided on May 5. By the time that first day rolled around, it was too anticlimactic for Huh. This year, things are at least starting on time. Four of the five games scheduled w