Suwon FC forward An Byong-jun was named the MVP of the K League 2 on Monday, becoming the first player of North Korean descent to nab the individual award in South Korean football. An scored 21 of Suwon's 53 goals to lead all K League 2 scorers. He earned 14 votes from K League coaches and team captains, and 57 votes from the media. Those votes were converted to 72.4 points, nearly 50 more than the runner-up, Lee Chang-min of Jeju United. An, who was born in Japan and has represented North Kor

South Korean companies’ stock and bond sales rose 19.7 percent in October from a month earlier due mainly to a robust gain in bond sales by financial firms, data showed Monday. Local companies raised a combined 20.6 trillion won ($18.6 billion) by selling stocks and bonds in October, up 3.4 trillion won from September, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. Last month, six companies raised a combined 1.07 trillion won through initial public offerings, up 52.5 perce

Electric scooter sharing companies in South Korea will continue to prohibit unlicensed minors from using their services despite a new law easing the minimum age requirements, joining government-led efforts to address safety concerns, the transport ministry said Monday. Local e-scooter sharing platforms currently offer their services to customers aged 18 years and older, or 16-17 years old with motorcycle licenses, but safety concerns have risen over teen users after a new law lowering the mini

South Korea is considering postponing the hosting of a UN ministerial conference on peacekeeping operations slated for next year amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Monday. Defense Minister Suh Wook, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and other senior officials held a preparatory meeting for the UN conference set for April and discussed adjusting the event schedule "in consideration of the COVID-19 situation and opinions from the UN and member states," the defense ministry said

The unification ministry said Monday that it is in talks with the World Food Programme (WFP) to redeem the money it sent for a project to provide rice assistance to North Korea after Pyongyang rejected the offer. In June last year, the ministry announced a plan to provide 50,000 tons of rice to North Korea through the WFP and sent the organization around $11.6 million to cover transportation, equipment and monitoring costs. The plan, however, has since been stalled as the North rejected the as

Kimchi is not just fermented cabbage but a central part of Korea's food culture, and the process of making it has already been recognized as a global standard for nearly two decades, Seoul's agriculture ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs made the remark to refute Chinese media's claim that Beijing has won a certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for its kimchi making process. The ministry said Beijing won ISO certific

Jin Air Co., the budget carrier unit of Korean Air Lines Co., said Monday it will resume flights to Fukuoka next month on eased entry restrictions in Japan. Jin Air will provide one flight a week on the Incheon-Fukuoka route from Tuesday mainly to meet business travel demand, the company said in a statement. The Fukuoka route was suspended nine months ago as more than 180 countries and territories strengthened entry restrictions to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jin Air currently

The Seoul city government said Monday it has made small public bicycles available for younger populations aged 13 years or older. Starting Monday, younger users have access to smaller and lighter "Ttaereungyi" in the eastern wards of Songpa and Gangdong, as well as the northwestern Eunpyeong Ward. "Ttaereungyi" are Seoul's public bikes that can be rented at unmanned rental stations installed across the city. Previously, they were only available for those 15 years old or ol

Two service members tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. A soldier showed symptoms while being quarantined due to an infection cluster at his Army boot camp in the border county of Yeoncheon. The total number of infections there grew to 72, according to the ministry. "We've wrapped up virus tests for around 800 members at the base and have taken measures to better manage troops there. As contact tracing is under way, more could undergo tests," a

A series of new coronavirus outbreaks have been reported at major industrial plants amid growing concerns about production losses, companies said Monday. COVID-19 infections have affected production and sales at local manufacturers this year. Kia Motors Corp., the country's second-biggest carmaker, suspended two of its three plants in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul on Monday, as four assembly line workers tested positive for COVID-19, a company spokesman said over the phone. "T

South Korean drug firm GeneOne Life Science Inc. said Monday it has won approval to conduct a second phase clinical trial of its treatment candidate for the novel coronavirus in the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved a phase two study of GLS-1027, an oral drug candidate known to prevent severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19 infection. The candidate will be administered to 132 adult COVID-19 patients from the moment of their infection to evaluate the efficacy o

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 400 range for the second day in a row Monday due apparently to less testing over the weekend, and health authorities warned that the country is bracing for the "biggest crisis" in the upcoming winter season. The country added 438 more COVID-19 cases, including 414 local infections, raising the total caseload to 34,201, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported three additional

Apple Inc. said Monday it will open a new store in South Korea, expanding its presence in the country dominated by local tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. Apple said on its homepage that it will soon open a new store in Yeouido, western Seoul, its second official store in the country. Despite the US tech giant's popularity in the local market, it currently operates one official store in South Korea in southern Seoul. Apple's new iPhone 12 series has sold around 600,000 models since its launc

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Monday after the benchmark index set a fresh record high the previous session amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 1.05 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,634.5 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a muted start as a recent surge in infections dampened investor hopes for a faster-than-expected economic recovery amid global development of new COVID-19 vaccines. Investors are also tempted to lo

그룹 방탄소년단(BTS)이 미국 빌보드 메인 앨범 차트인 '빌보드 200'에서 다섯 번째 정상에 오르며 또 한 번 새 역사를 썼다. 빌보드는 29일(현지시간) 예고 기사를 통해 방탄소년단의 새 미니앨범 'BE'가 이번 주 빌보드 200에서 1위로 데뷔했다고 밝혔다. 빌보드가 인용한 닐슨뮤직 데이터에 따르면 'BE'는 발매 첫 주 24만 2천점 가량의 앨범 수치를 기록했다. 빌보드는 음반 판매량과 디지털음원 다운로드 횟수를 앨범 판매량으로 환산한 수치(Track equivalent albums·TEA), 스트리밍 횟수를 앨범 판매량으로 환산한 수치(Streaming equivalent albums·SEA)를 합산해 가장 인기 있는 앨범 순위를 산정한다. 방탄소년단은 앞서 2018년 6월부터 올해 2월까지 '러브 유어셀프 전 티어', '러브 유어셀프 결 앤서', '맵 오브 더 솔: 페르소나', '맵 오브 더 솔 : 7' 등 앨범 네 장을 잇달아 이 차트

"BE," the latest album by K-pop megastars BTS, has landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's fifth album to top the Billboard's main albums chart. "BTS lands its fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as 'Be' bows atop the tally," US music publication Billboard reported Sunday (US time). "The set, which was released via Big Hit Entertainment on Nov. 20, arrives with 242,000 equivalent album units earned in the US in the week ending Nov. 26."

Apple Inc.'s iPhone 12 models have drawn a keen response in South Korea, with sales of the newest models estimated to be some 600,000 here since their launch late last month, industry sources said Monday, almost on par with the feat of Samsung Electronics Co.'s flagship models. The country's three major carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- are estimated to have sold around 500,000 iPhone 12 series models since Oct. 30, according to the sources. Considering that unlocked m

An injunction hearing will take place Monday to deliberate on the suspension of duty for the nation's chief prosecutor over a series of allegations. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Tuesday suspended Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from duty, as she sought a disciplinary measure against him over six counts of alleged misdeeds, including collecting personal information of justices in charge of cases related to a former justice minister and suspected election interference by presidential official

South Korea's industrial output stayed flat in October from a month earlier while consumption and investment declined again, data showed Monday, in a sign that economic recovery momentum still remains weak amid the pandemic. The nation's overall industrial production remained unchanged on-month in October, following a 2.2 percent on-month gain in September, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Compared with a year earlier, the industrial output fell 2.7 percent in October. Prod

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has held a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party and "harshly criticized" economic agencies for failing to handle policy in a scientific manner, state media reported Monday. The criticism appears aimed at tightening discipline of economic officials ahead of a rare party congress that Kim plans to hold in early January for the first time in four years to unveil a new five-year economic development plan. During the extended politburo meeting held Sunda