K-pop super group BTS is no stranger when it comes to smashing album sales and breaking music streaming records. But against its colossal brand recognition, the one nagging caveat for BTS especially in the West had been its lack of ample presence on radio airwaves -- a key index in measuring the broad public appeal of an artist. That was until its latest single "Dynamite" exploded globally, and especially more prominently in the United States and other Western territories, such as Br

Three American service members and three others affiliated with the US military have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea earlier this month, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. Two service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on government chartered flights, while another service member, one civilian employee and two dependents arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, on commercial flights, a

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Monday it has suspended two of its domestic plants for four days, as some of its workers were confirmed to have contracted the new coronavirus. Kia halted the operations of two plants in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, from Wednesday through Monday, with all of the 6,000 employees at the plants staying at home, a company spokesman said over the phone. "As of noon Monday, 11 assembly line workers were confirmed to have been in

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Monday asked Russia to play a "constructive" role in moving stalled inter-Korean relations forward and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee made the request during his first meeting with Russian Ambassador to Seoul Andrey B. Kulik sine his inauguration in July, also stressing the need for Moscow's cooperation in pursuing three-way projects involving the two Koreas and Russia that he said would contribute to peace and prosperity in

An international organization on maritime data is expected to adopt new guidelines later this year to refer to all seas by numbers, rather than specific names, officials said Monday, a move expected to affect a long-running dispute between South Korea and Japan over what to call the East Sea. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) plans to brief its member states on the results of discussions about how to revise the "future of limits on oceans and seas," known as "S-23

Samsung Electronics Co. lost its status as the top smartphone vendor in the Indonesian smartphone market in the second quarter of the year, dropping to the third spot, a report showed Monday, as Chinese brands expanded their presence with budget devices. Samsung clinched a market share of 19.6 percent in the Southeast Asian country in the April-June period, down from 27 percent a year ago when it was the top smartphone vendor in Indonesia, according to industry tracker Counterpoint Research.

The defense ministry decided to keep restrictions on leave for soldiers in place for another week in an effort to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, officials said Monday. Last month, the ministry imposed the ban on vacation and restricted their off-installation movement, as the country saw a surge in COVID-19 infections. But it eased rules earlier this month to allow vacation for new recruits and those who have not traveled off base for a long time. "We will maintain the Level 2 so

The main opposition party will launch an emergency fact-finding mission to look into corruption allegations raised against one of its lawmakers, party officials said Monday. The special emergency fact-finding committee of the People Power Party (PPP) will be tasked with probing allegations that its lawmaker Park Duk-hyum illegally clinched construction orders from government agencies, they said. The three-term lawmaker is suspected of having clinched orders worth over 100 billion won ($86.13 m

  The Seoul city government said Monday it has decided to adopt the design of hanok, or traditional Korean houses, for high-tech bus stops in the capital. The design, titled "Beauty of Korea," centers on adopting the signature curves of hanok for the city's "smart shelter" bus stops, according to the Seoul city government. The design was selected in a public vote. The city government plans to install the smart shelters for trial operation in around 10 areas in Seoul, i

Stung by the protracted new coronavirus outbreak, South Korean duty-free operators are struggling to overcome the industry-wide slump with belt-tightening measures, including increasing the number of closing days at some outlets in major local cities and cutting their overseas operations. Industry leader Lotte Duty Free began closing its outlets at COEX in southern Seoul and the southeastern port city of Busan every Sunday and Monday from this month. In April, Lotte decided not to open the tw

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, said Monday it has released a mobile app-based DNA testing service in partnership with bio firm Macrogen Inc. and the mobile carrier's joint venture Invites Healthcare Co., expanding its involvement in the digital health care sector. The subscription-based service, named care8 DNA, is offered through a mobile application, on which users can sign up for 29 types of genetic testing, such as for nicotine reliance and hair loss, according to th

South Korea will invest 200 billion won ($172 million) over the next nine years to conduct research on technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of dementia, the health ministry said Monday. The investment plan was unveiled to mark World Alzheimer's Day, designated by the World Health Organization to boost public awareness of the degenerative brain disease. The Ministry of Health and Welfare also said it will announce late this month the government's fourth comprehensive dementia manageme

Hanwha Precision Machinery Co., a major assembly automation equipment maker in South Korea, said Monday it has developed core semiconductor packaging equipment in collaboration with the country's No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. Hanwha Precision and SK hynix worked together to commercialize the die bonder, a machine that attaches a semiconductor die to a package, such as a printed circuit board in the back-end chip packaging process. Hanwha Precision Machinery said its die bonder has better mate

LG Electronics Inc., a major home appliance maker in South Korea, said Monday it plans to launch a hair loss treatment device within this year. South Korea's drug safety ministry recently approved the LG Pra.L MediHair as a laser apparatus for medical use, according to the company. LG said its hair growth helmet is based on Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT), which was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. The wearable device combines 146 la

Students in Seoul and its surrounding area returned to school for in-person learning Monday as new coronavirus cases have declined recently. The measure, which will remain effective until Oct. 11, was introduced following the relaxed social distancing guidelines amid a recent drop in new coronavirus cases. It also reflects worries over the widening learning gap. High school seniors, who have been excluded from the government's school reopening measures, also switched to a mix of remote and in

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Monday slammed South Korea over recent defense talks between Seoul and Washington about deterring nuclear and missile threats from the communist nation, criticizing Seoul for being hypocritical by talking peace while preparing for war. Seoul and Washington held their biannual Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) via videoconference earlier this month and discussed ways to boost their alliance to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and agre

도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령 앞으로 독극물 '리친'이 담긴 우편물을 보낸 용의자가 체포됐다고 AP 통신이 20일(현지시간) 보도했다. 통신은 복수의 사법 당국 관계자를 인용해 여성인 용의자를 뉴욕주와 캐나다가 접한 국경 근처에서 체포했다고 전했다. 용의자는 관세국경보호청(CBP)에 의해 구금됐으며, 연방법 위반 혐의를 적용받게 된다고 이들 관계자는 말했다. 앞서 백악관을 수신처로 한 이 우편물에서 리친이 들어있는 것으로 드러나 미 당국에 의해 도착 전 차단됐다고 지난 19일 미 언론들이 보도한 바 있다. 발신처는 캐나다인 것으로 캐나다 경찰은 밝혔다. 피마자 씨에서 추출된 물질로 별도의 정제 과정을 거쳐 만들어지는 리친은 0.001g의 극소량만 사람에게 노출돼도 죽음에 이르게 할 수 있는 독극물이다. 연방수사국(FBI)과 백악관 비밀경호국, 우편검사국이 이 사안을 조사 중인 것으로 전해졌다. (연합뉴스)

South Korean shares opened a tad higher Monday, led by chip and auto gains on the main bourse. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 5.67 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,418.07 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.51 percent, with No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advancing 0.84 percent. Hyundai Motor, the country's largest automaker, jumped 3.59 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors leaped 3.97 percent. Internet portal giant Naver ga

South Korea's national cemeteries will be closed during the upcoming Chuseok holiday to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the veterans affairs ministry said Monday. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, visits to 11 national cemeteries across the country will be restricted, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Chuseok is one of the country's biggest traditional holidays, during which families hold rituals thanking their ancestors and visit their graves. This year, South Kor

President Moon Jae-in called Monday on the government to step up efforts to complete its drive to reform South Korea's prosecution service, police and state intelligence agency. He was speaking at his first Cheong Wa Dae meeting in 1 1/2 years on a related strategy with government ministers and senior ruling Democratic Party (DP) officials. "Our government's reform (work) of the power institutions is making irreversible progress," Moon said at the outset of the session. "Now, we