South Korea, the United States, Japan and eight other countries on Friday issued a joint alert about North Korean information technology (IT) workers accused of generating revenue to help fund Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs. The relevant authorities of the 11 countries released the alert, urging all countries, companies and other entities to deepen their understanding of North Korean IT worker schemes, implement measures to deal with them and strengthen countermeasures, such as

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Friday new strict regulations will be implemented in early August to curb "split listing" by conglomerates, in a bid to bolster the fiduciary duty of listed firms and interests of ordinary shareholders. Split listing, also referred to as duplicate listing, occurs when a core business division is spun off and listed separately, and has long been cited as one of the major reasons behind relatively low values for local stocks. Financial regulators have b

BTS' announcement that it will not submit music to next year's Grammy Awards has set off a wave of reactions. The group's fandom answered on the charts. Army, as the group's fans are known, pushed "Aliens," a B-side from the group's fifth full-length album "Arirang" about being cast as outsiders and owning the label, to No. 1 on iTunes song charts in 78 regions this week, months after the album's release. Many see that the group's decision as a protest against the Recording Academy's new best As

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday it would inspect the Army’s 1st Corps after frontline troops mistook a US military drone involved in a joint exercise for hostile aircraft, activated an air-defense alert and prepared to shoot it down. The JCS plans to examine the corps’ surveillance and reporting procedures and determine whether it properly maintained its operational readiness during Thursday’s incident. “We plan to conduct an on-site inspection of the 1st Corps to closely examine

The National Assembly on Friday voted in favor of a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act to strip the prosecution of its authority to investigate crimes under any circumstances. The bill passed the plenary session in a 175-2 vote with one abstained Friday. This followed the liberal parties' vote to lift the filibuster launched Thursday by the main opposition People Power Party. The Democratic Party of Korea expected that the bill would put the final touches on its reform to curb prosecutors' p

At its height, all roads led to Kaegyong, the imperial capital of the Goryeo empire, or Koryo, as it is known in North Korea. Protected by a vast fortress system with no fewer than 25 gates, the city welcomed officials, merchants, pilgrims, diplomats and foreign envoys from across Asia on their way to the imperial palace. On April 18, 2026, I stood before the monumental granite staircases of Manwoldae, the imperial palace of the Goryeo empire in present-day Kaesong. Although the timber halls had

South Korean stocks skyrocketed by a record 18 percent to reclaim the 6,500-point level Friday, driven by robust semiconductor gains as better-than-expected Microsoft earnings eased concerns over artificial intelligence spending. The local currency rose sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 1,001.89 points, or 17.91 percent to close at 6,595.45, sharply rebounding from a three-session deep rout caused by a drop in chipmakers and other AI-related sto

Samyang Foods is teaming up with South Korea’s Culture Ministry to translate the global popularity of its Buldak spicy noodles into visits to the country, combining the brand’s overseas reach with government tourism campaigns. The company said Friday it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to jointly promote Korea to international travelers. A signing ceremony was held at Seoul’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, where both parties a

South Korea's industrial output expanded at the fastest pace in six years in June, as a sharp rebound in automobile production rippled through consumption and investment while semiconductor output returned to growth, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Friday. Production, retail sales and facility investment all increased from May, marking the first simultaneous rise in the economy's three key indicators since March. The seasonally adjusted all-industry production index rose 2.3

Choi Jae-rim, one of the most sought-after actors in Korean musical theater, plays 109, the self-esteem cell in "Yumi's Cells," a new musical based on the hit webtoon. The role was built from scratch for the stage, with no counterpart in the original webtoon — and it's the cell he wishes everyone had. Why wish that on everyone? Because in his own definition, self-esteem isn't just self-belief; it's belief backed by evidence. "You keep a clear, objective eye on reality while never losing faith in

"Agent Kim Reactivated" was a summer phenomenon few in the industry saw coming. The 10-episode series wrapped its run on July 25, with ratings peaking at a nationwide series-high of 23.1 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. The dramatic surge cemented the project as one of Korea's defining television hits of the year — with veteran star So Ji-sub anchoring the show's massive breakout as a long-established name among the country's blue-chip action leads. Playing the titular Kim, a former special

A mix-up over a US spy drone flying near the inter-Korean border has raised questions about a potential communication gap between the allies after South Korean forces mistook the drone for an enemy threat and had almost prepared to shoot it down. On Thursday, the unmanned flying vehicle was spotted in the buffer zone, known as the Civilian Control Line, south of the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas. The Army's 1st Corps, responsible for front-line defense, activated Durumi, an

The government is preparing legislation that would ease labor regulations in planned Mega Special Zones for advanced industries, which has been drawing strong opposition from labor groups, according to local media reports. Local daily Hankyoreh reported Thursday, citing government and National Assembly sources, that the Industry Ministry plans to submit a bill on the designation and management of Mega Special Zones in early August. This includes a semiconductor cluster in the southwestern Honam

The US Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of its first new sunscreen ingredient in decades is like a flashing green light for South Korea, long practiced in the art of sunscreen, though it may not be quite as green as it seems. The agency approved bemotrizinol, or BEMT, the first new sunscreen active ingredient since the late 1990s, by amending the existing sunscreen monograph, with the new rules to take effect Aug. 9. In the US, sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, an

With the National Assembly set to vote on revoking the prosecution's direct investigative powers, a local media outlet on Friday reported that a supplementary probe by prosecutors recently helped a disabled man avoid criminal punishment. According to The Chosun Ilbo, a man in his 30s with severe developmental disabilities started his father's parked car and moved the vehicle about 10 meters into two other cars, on Dec. 26, 2025. In addition to being ordered to pay 36 million won ($25,000) in com

Alpha Drive One shared its plans to promote its upcoming second EP, “Unbreakable: Boy Beast,” uploading a timetable on Friday via agency WakeOne Entertainment. Starting with a series of posters, teaser photographs and trailer clips will be released in batches, followed by two music video teasers, leading to the album drop slated for Aug. 24. On Aug. 3, the seven bandmates will watch the first trailer video together with fans at a small movie theater in Seoul. The second EP comes about seven mont

A 63-year-old woman who spent half her life teaching elementary school students donated vital organs to four individuals after recently passing away from brain death. The Korea Organ Donation Agency said Friday that Lee Seung-hee's lungs, liver and both kidneys were donated to four individuals, and that tissue from the deceased was also donated. Lee fell unconscious on July 5 after suffering a severe migraine. She received medical treatment, but was eventually pronounced brain-dead. Her family s

The National Assembly, led by the ruling Democratic Party, was set Friday to vote on a bill that would strip the prosecution of its direct investigative powers as an opposition filibuster to block the move neared its 24-hour mark. The DP is expected to push for the passage of the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act during a plenary session at around 4 p.m., after ending a filibuster launched by the main opposition People Power Party the previous day. If approved, the revision would strip the

Michelle Park Steel, the new US ambassador to South Korea, on Friday called for joint efforts to write the "next chapter" in the Seoul-Washington alliance, stressing that the decadeslong partnership should remain "results oriented" and "forward leaning." In an op-ed to Yonhap News Agency, Steel also highlighted the need for the allies to set aside their differences and map out a path forward for their "mutual benefit," as she arrived in Seoul the previous day to officially assume office. "The Un

KIMA Week, an annual marine leisure festival held in Busan since 2013, runs through August, featuring a mix of beachside events, water sports and a national rowing competition. The festival is co-hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Busan Metropolitan Government and organized by the Korea Marine Leisure Network. The KIMA Beach event zone at Dadaepo operates through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., offering experience booths, a flea market, indie band performances, film screenings

The 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards, Korea's first awards ceremony dedicated to streaming series, took place at in Paradise City Hotel, Incheon. The awards recognize the best dramas and variety shows released on domestic and international streaming platforms between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. After a fiercely competitive race, this year's winners is set to be revealed on Friday night. Park Bo-young, Kim Go-eun, Hyun Bin, Park Ji-hyun, Park Ji-hoon, Go Youn-jung and Kim Jae-won were among the

Acting Prosecutor General Koo Ja-hyeon offered to resign Friday, shortly after the National Assembly, led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), passed a bill aimed at abolishing the prosecution's direct investigative powers. Koo told reporters Friday evening he has tendered his resignation offer to "take responsibility" for the passage of the contested bill. The revision to the Criminal Procedure Act passed a plenary session in a 175-2 vote with one abstention, after the Assembly voted in favor o

SK Inc. agreed to sell its controlling stake in semiconductor wafer maker SK Siltron to Doosan Corp. for about 2.3 trillion won ($1.6 billion), freeing up cash as the conglomerate reshapes its portfolio and invests in new growth businesses. SK’s board approved the sale of its 70.6 percent stake Friday, clearing the way for the two companies to sign a share purchase agreement. Doosan was named preferred bidder in December. The stake being sold comprises 51 percent held directly by SK and another

North Korea is showing growing concern that its declining birth rate could eventually undermine national development, with a state scholar describing population decline as a serious challenge to a country’s survival and future. In an article posted Friday on the website of Kim Il Sung University, Ho Kwang-rim, a professor in the university’s economics faculty, said persistently falling birth rates were leading to population decline in an increasing number of countries. Such a trend has become a

Korea's two largest cosmetics companies, Amorepacific and LG Household & Health Care, posted double-digit second-quarter growth, much of it a story of waning reliance on China and waxing sales in North America. Amorepacific Group on Thursday reported 1.25 trillion won ($873 million) in revenue and 122.8 billion won in operating profit, up 14.6 percent and 53.3 percent from a year earlier. Its main affiliate, Amorepacific, saw profit surge 59 percent. The bulk of that gain came from abroad, where

South Korean dessert brand Tokyo Berry is facing allegations that its products closely resemble Japan’s popular confectionery brand Tokyo Banana, potentially misleading consumers into believing the two brands are connected. Tokyo Banana is a banana-shaped sponge cake product made by Grapestone, a Japanese confectionery company. The controversy began after consumers shared side-by-side comparisons of the two brands’ packaging on social media to show the similarities of their designs. Tokyo Berry,

A portrait of Emperor Gojong, Korea’s oldest surviving national flag, or Taegeukgi, and relics of early independence activists have returned to public view as the National Museum of Korea reopened its renovated gallery dedicated to the Korean Empire (1897-1910) on Thursday. Located on the first floor of the museum’s permanent exhibition wing, the gallery brings together 65 objects, including seven state-designated treasures. Among the highlights are three royal seals and the “Uigwe,” or royal pr

Yangsan city, South Gyeongsang Province, broke its own record Friday for the highest temperature ever recorded through South Korea's standard weather observation system. The city in the southeastern region recorded 41.4 degrees Celsius as of 1:40 p.m., surpassing the 40-degree mark for the third straight day since Wednesday. The daily highs on Wednesday and Thursday were 41.3 C, which before Friday were the highest figures ever recorded by Korea's Automated Synoptic Observing System. The ASOS co

A Seoul court on Friday rejected a lawsuit filed by former Liberty University professor Morse Tan seeking to overturn a Justice Ministry travel ban against him, keeping the restriction in place until Aug. 15. The Seoul Administrative Court dismissed part of Tan’s challenge and rejected the remainder, marking the first substantive ruling on his efforts to contest the ministry’s repeated travel restrictions. “The portion of the claim seeking cancellation of the July 1, 2026 travel restriction is d

South Korea and Morocco underscored their commitment to deeper economic and strategic cooperation Thursday, with trade negotiations, railway infrastructure and investment emerging as key pillars of their growing partnership. Officials from both countries outlined the expanding agenda at a reception in Seoul marking Throne Day, the 27th anniversary of King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne. More than 350 people attended the reception, including diplomats, government officials, business leader

Hyundai Engineering has unveiled a new corporate vision aimed at expanding beyond its traditional engineering, procurement and construction business into future energy and advanced industrial facilities. The company announced the vision Thursday at a ceremony at its Seoul headquarters, defining its corporate purpose as “making a better life with our technologies on a road that connects space and energy” and its future direction as becoming “a key player leading the evolution of the energy value

KT said Friday it has signed a three-way collaboration agreement with on-device AI chipmaker DeepX and edge computing firm Sesol to jointly develop NPU-based artificial intelligence edge systems for use in transportation and industrial sites. Under the agreement, the companies will work together on a next-generation AI Edge Box powered by low-power, low-heat neural processing units, or NPUs, and expand on-device AI services to electric vehicle charging stations, mobile surveillance systems and t

A South Korean tourist bitten by a monkey at India's Taj Mahal reportedly waited nearly an hour for an ambulance, prompting widespread online criticism over tourist safety after footage of the incident went viral. Videos circulating online show the woman clutching her arm as she was escorted to the site's medical center. The footage quickly sparked concern among internet users in Korea. "You have to be prepared to die before going to India," one user commented. "Waiting an hour in a situation li

South Korea is moving to expand a submarine program unit under the country’s arms procurement agency, as it accelerates efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The Interior Ministry has drafted a revision to the organizational decree governing the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and affiliated agencies, according to government officials Friday. Public opinions on the proposal will be accepted through Monday. Under the revision, the Korean Submarine Project Group, a temporary or

Jennie of Blackpink has dominated music charts at home and abroad with her solo single “Less Than a Lover,” according to OA Entertainment on Friday. She claimed a trophy on a TV music chart show in Korea on the previous day, a first for the latest single, which is reigning atop a series of real-time music charts in Korea and China. The single topped the iTunes charts in 27 regions, the most for a K-pop solo endeavor this year, while the music video sits atop trending videos worldwide listed by Y

The South Korean government on Friday said it is pushing to implement a system allowing hospitals to share medical imaging of a patient, such as CT and MRI scans. The system, part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans for the second half of the year, is to spare patients the extra medical expenses and inconvenience of getting new scans every time they move between different hospitals. The patient would use a QR code to upload existing medical images to the medical institution of their choo

OneUS announced its plans for the "Full Moon" international tour via B Wave Entertainment on Thursday. The group will kick off the tour in Seoul with two nights beginning Oct. 24 before heading to South America and Europe the following month. In December, OneUS plans to tour North America, before heading back to Asia and continuing concerts through January and February. The upcoming tour is its first in about a year and the first since OneUS signed with its current agency. The four-member act le

Seoul stocks surged by double digits shortly after Friday's opening, triggering buy-side trading curbs on both the Kospi and Kosdaq indexes within minutes. As of 9:20 a.m., the Kospi was trading nearly 13 percent higher at 6,313 points, remaining in double-digit territory after climbing as much as 14 percent to an intraday high of 6,386.05. The benchmark opened 1.15 percent higher at 5,657.79, before rapidly advancing past 6,300. A buy-side sidecar was activated at 9:06 a.m., suspending program

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that South Korea and Chile can create significant synergy in areas from critical minerals and advanced manufacturing to the defense industry, if they join hands. The South Korean president made the remarks at a South Korea-Chile business roundtable in Santiago, which brought together executives from more than 20 South Korean and Chilean companies to explore joint business opportunities. "I am confident that we can create remarkable synergy through cooperatio

Paradise Hotel Busan runs beach volleyball wellness class Paradise Hotel Busan will hold a beach volleyball wellness class for hotel guests Sunday on Haeundae Beach. Played on sand, the sport works more muscles than a standard court, while cushioning the joints. The sea air and surroundings are meant to aid recovery. Lee Jin-hwa, a former pro volleyball player and national beach volleyball team member, leads the class, which first-timers can join. The program moves from dynamic stretching throug

Lotte Card Co. has been slapped with 5 billion won (US$3.38 million) in financial penalties and a business suspension of 1.5 months over its massive data leak, the financial regulator said Friday. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said the card company is banned from issuing cards to new customers from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15. Lotte Card's online payment system was hacked last year, resulting in the leak of personal information of about 2.97 million customers. It was also found that the company

The International Dance League, the world’s first dance competition modeled after major sports leagues, sees South Korea as a key hub for its expansion into Asia, its co-founder and CEO Connor Lim said Friday. Speaking at a press conference in Seoul a day before IDL’s Seoul event, Lim said the city’s location, strong dance and K-pop scenes, and tourism appeal make it an ideal base for fans from across the region. He said attendees have already traveled from countries including Japan and Hong Kon

What if you knew your time for love was limited? SBS’ new dating reality series "Love Against Time" takes that question literally, bringing together young adults in their 20s and 30s who have faced life-threatening illnesses and had at some point received terminal diagnoses. The series follows them as they navigate dating and search for meaningful connections, reckoning with what it means to live and love with a heightened awareness of time. At the center of the format is a 100-minute clock. Eac

South Korean stocks posted their largest daily gain on record Friday, as a chip-led rebound and massive foreign buying lifted the Kospi by more than 1,000 points. The benchmark Kospi closed at 6,595.45, up 1,001.89 points, or 17.91 percent, marking record daily gains in both point and percentage terms. It opened just 1.15 percent higher at 5,657.79 before rapidly climbing by double digits to reach an intraday high of 6,630.77, up 18.5 percent. A buy-side sidecar was triggered on the Kospi at 9:0

South Korean cartoonist Sanho has become the first Korean creator to win an Eisner Award, one of the comics industry's most prestigious honors. Publisher Munhakdongne announced Friday that Sanho's "Purgatory Funeral Cakes" won Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia at this year's Eisner Awards. The 38th Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were presented on July 24 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront during Comic-Con International in California, with winners announced across 32 categories

Coupang was ordered to compensate victims of a major personal data leak with 100,000 won ($70) each in either cash or Coupang Cash, South Korea’s Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission ruled Friday, marking the first case in which the e-commerce company has been found liable for damages over such a breach. The commission said it reached the decision after reviewing a collective dispute mediation request filed by 50 consumers affected by last year’s leak. It found Coupang liable for emotional dis

Black lines stretch across the walls and floor of the Seoul Box, while an animation unfolds on a towering curved screen overhead. Located at the hub of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the Seoul Box is the museum's tallest exhibition hall, designed for monumental, site-specific installations. Korean American artist Christine Sun Kim visualizes sound in her own language, expanding perceptions of how people communicate in an audio-centric world. Her works also confront th

SK hynix shares hit their daily upper limit Friday, as South Korean chipmakers extended a sharp rebound following a recent market rout. The stock surged 29.95 percent to 1,718,000 won ($1,203) in afternoon trading on the Kospi, briefly touching the 30 percent ceiling after opening 28.37 percent higher. South Korea limits daily stock-price movements to 30 percent in either direction, a threshold the Korea Exchange raised from 15 percent in June 2015. The rally came a day after SK Group Chairman C

Kolmar Korea said Friday its Wuxi plant in China has received Cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practice recognition from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, becoming the first overseas cosmetics factory operated by a Korean manufacturer to earn the designation. CGMP is a set of cosmetics manufacturing and quality-control standards administered by the ministry and aligned with the International Organization for Standardization’s cosmetics GMP guidelines. The evaluation covered the entire p

The dried-up bed of the upper reaches of Bohyeonsan Dam is exposed in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on Friday, as prolonged heat waves and below-average rainfall continue to worsen drought conditions across the southern regions. According to the National Drought Information Portal, the dam's storage rate stood at just 16.4 percent as of Thursday, highlighting mounting concerns over water supplies for agriculture and local communities. The government has warned that drought conditions co

President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet Argentine President Javier Milei on Friday to forge a supply-chain partnership on critical minerals and seek fresh momentum for stalled South Korea-Mercosur trade negotiations. Lee arrived in Buenos Aires late Thursday for a three-day official visit to Argentina, the first by a South Korean president in 22 years. Then-President Roh Moo-hyun made the last visit in November 2004. “Through his official visit, President Lee is expected to take cooperation with

LG AI Research unveiled South Korea’s largest homegrown artificial intelligence model on Friday, a system with 750 billion parameters -- more than three times the size of its predecessor -- as the conglomerate steps up efforts to build a globally competitive AI platform. The new model, K-Exaone 2.0, was released on open-source platform Hugging Face under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing developers and companies to use it commercially without charge, LG said. It is the second model developed by L

South Korea's tax revenue rose by 5.5 trillion won ($3.85 billion) in June from a year earlier on higher incomes and an increase in the number of homes traded, data showed Friday. The government collected 23.1 trillion won in taxes last month, up 31.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. The finance ministry attributed the increase to higher income tax collections, which totaled 8.9 trillion won in June, up 1.4 trillion won from a year earlier, reflectin

Rep. Koh Dong-jin of the main opposition People Power Party introduced a bill Friday to exempt semiconductor research and development personnel nationwide from South Korea’s 52-hour workweek cap. The bill from Koh, a former Samsung Electronics chief executive, comes amid reports that the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea are considering exempting chipmakers in the southwestern Honam region from the workweek cap as part of plans to develop a second semiconductor belt there. The

Sookmyung Women’s University said Friday it will participate in the 2026 US-Korea Conference on Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship in Florida next month, as the women-only university seeks to expand its research footprint in science and engineering. The conference will be held from Wednesday to Aug. 8 at the Omni Orlando Resort in Florida. Held annually since 1991, the event is expected to draw around 1,500 participants, including researchers, government officials, policymakers, industry r

A B-side track from BTS’ fifth studio album nabbed the No. 1 spot on iTunes songs charts in 78 regions, months after the album's release. “Aliens” from “Arirang” landed atop the charts as Army, the septet’s official fandom community, started streaming it together to show support for BTS' decision to skip next year’s Grammy Awards. The K-pop superband chose not to submit its work for consideration after the Grammys announced the creation of the new Asian pop category. The seven bandmates posted o

South Korea will closely monitor economic conditions and take "timely" measures, the finance minister said Friday, amid recent volatility in the financial markets. Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol made the remark during a meeting with economy-related ministers in Seoul, noting South Korea's economic fundamentals nevertheless remain strong, as reflected in the latest industrial output data. Industrial production rose 2.3 percent in June from a month earlier, marking the sharpest growth since a 2.9

South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Friday, surging by 13 percent, driven by gains in semiconductor shares stemming from an overnight rally in US tech giants backed by a strong earnings report from US tech giant Microsoft. After opening 1.15 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index widened gains, raking in 727.42 points, or 13 percent, to 6,320.98 as of 9:15 a.m. The country's benchmark suffered a deep rout for the past three consecutive sessions. The KOSPI fell near

South Korea's industrial output rebounded in June from a month earlier, snapping two months of decline led by the automobile and semiconductor industries, data showed Friday, with retail sales and facility investment also gaining ground. Industrial production added 2.3 percent last month from May, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the sharpest growth since a 2.9 percent rise posted in June 2020. It was also the first time since March for the three economic ind

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (US) Opened July 29 Action Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton Forgotten by the world and fighting crime alone, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) confronts a dangerous new threat as his powers begin to mutate. "Hope" (South Korea) Opened July 15 Sci-fi/Action Directed by Na Hong-jin A police chief and a band of hunters fight off mysterious creatures tearing their small town apart. "Minions & Monsters" (US) Opened July 15 Animation/Comedy Directed by Pierre Coffin Three Minions