In April 2024, when the won’s exchange rate broke through the 1,400 mark against the dollar, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea at the time warned that a serious crisis was becoming reality and called an emergency meeting to press the government to respond. The message was unmistakable. A weakening currency was not just a market fluctuation but a warning sign for the nation. Nearly two years on, that same political leader occupies the presidential office, only to witness the rate remain

A South Korean military transport aircraft carrying more than 200 evacuees from the Middle East landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday evening, completing a government operation to bring home Korean nationals who had been stranded, amid escalating regional conflict. The Air Force’s KC-330 Cygnus multirole aerial tanker touched down at 5:59 p.m. with 204 on board, along with five foreign family members and two Japanese nationals, according to the Foreign Ministry and Defe

A logistics center employee in South Korea received a suspended prison sentence for stealing parcels containing high-end electronics worth about 120 million won ($80,000) while working at a distribution facility, a court said Sunday. The Cheongju District Court sentenced the man in his 30s to one year and two months in prison, suspended for three years, and ordered him to complete 160 hours of community service, according to the ruling. Prosecutors said the employee stole packages 127 times betw

South Korea may face a shortage of about 110,000 elderly care workers by 2028, signaling the need to expand the role of foreign caregivers and guarantee them rights equal to local workers, according to a government-funded research institute. A report released Sunday by the Korea Immigration Service Foundation said foreign care workers should be integrated into the country’s long-term care system with equal labor protections and broader social acceptance, as the country grapples with rapid popula

LG Electronics CEO Lyu Jae-cheol visited Chinese humanoid robot maker AgiBot during a three-day trip to Shanghai earlier this week, signaling the Korean electronics giant's deepening commitment to robotics and AI as pillars of its future business. According to industry sources on Sunday, Lyu toured AgiBot's facilities starting Wednesday, meeting with the company's leadership to discuss trends in humanoid robotics and explore further collaboration. AgiBot ranks among the world's top humanoid robo

Sero, a 7-year-old male Grant’s zebra that became famous three years ago after escaping a zoo and roaming city streets, seems to be recovering psychologically from the loss of his companions thanks to some new friends, albeit only painted ones. Fine arts students from Sejong University painted zebras on the wall of Sero’s enclosure at Children’s Grand Park in April 2025 to help ease his loneliness. “Since the murals were painted, Sero has been seen sitting or rolling in the sand more often than

Visitors strolled among bright yellow cornelian cherry flowers in the village of Sansuyu, in Gurye, South jeolla Province, nestled in the foothills of Jirisan, as early spring unfolds across the countryside. The village has turned a vivid shade of yellow as sansuyu flowers bloom across the hillsides. Streams that remained frozen during the winter have thawed, signaling the arrival of warmer days. With lighter clothing and cameras in hand, visitors walked along scenic paths, taking in the seasona

The contentious debate over prosecution reform has intensified after a journalist alleged that allies of President Lee Jae Myung sought to persuade prosecutors to drop criminal charges against him. The allegation, denied by the ruling camp, has deepened opposition claims that the Lee administration’s push for prosecution reform cannot be separated from the president’s own legal jeopardy. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea took legal action against the journalist for defaming the president and

Education support systems for students with international backgrounds are failing to keep pace with their rapidly growing numbers, raising concerns about whether Korean schools are equipped to help them adapt to the national curriculum. According to Education Ministry data released Sunday, the number of schools where students with international backgrounds account for more than 30 percent of total enrollment reached 123 nationwide last year, up from 47 in 2020. The data was obtained by the offic

South Korea has held early talks with Anthropic, developer of the Claude AI model, as Seoul looks to broaden its engagement with major global artificial intelligence companies beyond OpenAI, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. A ministry official told The Korea Herald that Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon met Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei at an AI summit in India in February, where the two discussed AI technology, industry trends and the possib

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday apologized to the bereaved families of victims of the March 15 Democracy Movement and pledged greater efforts to identify and honor those who participated in South Korea’s pro-democracy struggle. Lee attended the government-hosted ceremony commemorating the March 15, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to do so since it was designated a national memorial day in 2010. The event also marked the first official government apology for the handling of Ma

With less than a week left before BTS’ comeback performance at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square, authorities plan to tighten security around 31 buildings surrounding the plaza, according to news reports Sunday. Police and the Seoul Metropolitan Government recently held talks with the operators of the buildings and reached an agreement for six of the buildings to close their front entrances and allow access only through rear entrances, while urging the remaining 25 buildings to restrict access to rooft

ROME (AFP) -- Protesters burned images of US President Donald Trump and Italy's premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome Saturday during a demonstration against the government's judicial reform and the Middle East war. A few thousand people joined a march in the Italian capital, initially organized against far-right Meloni's planned reforms of the judiciary, which will be put to a referendum next weekend. It also drew critics of the US-Israel war with Iran, with protesters decrying Meloni's closeness with

Motional, Hyundai Motor Group's autonomous driving joint venture with Uber, launched a robotaxi pilot service using the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in Las Vegas on Sunday. The pilot program will operate in designated areas along Las Vegas Boulevard, including pickup zones around Resorts World Las Vegas, downtown Las Vegas and the Town Square shopping district. The company said it planned to gradually expand the area of service. Customers requesting a ride through the Uber app whose routes fall within the se

South Korea is evacuating more than 200 of its nationals from parts of the Middle East amid escalating regional tensions, with a military transport aircraft carrying the group currently en route to Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday. A total of 204 South Korean citizens, along with five foreign family members and two Japanese citizens, departed Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday aboard a KC-330 military transport aircraft dispatched by the government. The aircraft is currently flying toward

The US is temporarily easing some sanctions on Russian oil shipments, reflecting global concerns over sharply higher crude prices due to supply shortages stemming from the Iran war. The move, intended to soothe jittery markets over the disruption of Middle Eastern oil and gas supplies, underlines how the war has boosted Moscow’s ability to profit from its energy exports, a pillar of the Kremlin’s budget as it presses its invasion of Ukraine. US sanctions will not apply for 30 days on deliveries

PARIS, France (AFP) -- Kharg Island, targeted in US air strikes on Saturday, is a scrubby stretch of land in the Gulf that handles almost all of Iran's crude exports. Announcing the strikes, US President Donald Trump described Kharg as a "crown jewel" for Iran and maintained that every military target on the island had been "totally obliterated". The island, located around 30 kilometers off the Iranian mainland, is a hub for roughly 90 percent of Iran's crude exports, according to a JPMorgan not

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that "hopefully" South Korea and other countries, affected by Iran's attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, will send ships to keep the crucial oil shipping route "open and safe," amid growing concerns over disruptions to shipping along the waterway. Trump made the remarks in a social media post as his administration has been ramping up pressure on the Islamic Republic to stop the move to block the strait, which is responsible for about a fifth of the worl

Three people sustained serious injuries in a fire that broke out at a seven-story building in central Seoul on Saturday, while seven others suffered minor injuries, mostly foreigners. The fire broke out at what was reported to be a capsule hotel on the third floor of the building in Seoul's central Jung district at 6:10 p.m., according to firefighting authorities. Three people were taken to hospitals with serious injuries, while seven others were treated at the scene for minor injuries, authorit

With its pitchers getting knocked around left and right, South Korea's run at the World Baseball Classic ended with a big loss in the quarterfinals Friday night in Miami. South Korea endured a 10-0 loss to the mighty Dominican Republic at loanDepot park, a game that was called after seven innings when Austin Wells' three-run shot provided the final margin of victory. Under WBC regulations, a game can be called early if a team is up by 15 runs after five innings or 10 runs after seven innings. Th

Rising tensions in the Middle East have once again shaken global oil markets, raising concerns about potential disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes. For Korea, which imports nearly all its energy, such uncertainty poses a serious economic risk. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for global energy. A large share of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through this narrow corridor. Even brief disruptions can trigger price

The Bank of Korea said a supplementary budget being discussed to cushion the economic fallout from the war in the Middle East is unlikely to significantly fan inflation, even as oil-driven cost pressures build. In data submitted to Rep. Cha Gyu-geun of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party and released Sunday, the central bank said the inflationary impact of an extra budget tied to the Middle East crisis would likely be limited. A supplementary budget can generally add upward pressure on prices by bo

Authorities in Seoul are preparing extensive security and traffic measures ahead of the BTS comeback concert set for March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square. Here’s what visitors should know. Entry Access to the viewing area will be limited to 31 designated gates around the square and nearby Sejong-daero. Security Metal detectors will be installed at all gates and bag checks will begin at 7 a.m. Authorities are asking visitors to bring minimal belongings. Police will also deploy CCTV monitoring teams and

What if a morning jog could also produce a batch of homemade butter? That playful idea is behind the “Butter run,” an unusual running challenge that has been spreading across TikTok and Instagram in recent weeks. Blending fitness with a kitchen experiment, the trend began in overseas running communities and is now catching the attention of runners in South Korea as well. The concept is simple. Participants pour heavy cream into a small bottle, zip-top bag or sealed container, tuck it into a runn

South Korea's three major mobile carriers are racing to fortify their networks ahead of what is shaping up to be one of the country's largest live events in recent memory: the long-awaited BTS comeback concert in the heart of Seoul. The show, titled "BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang," is scheduled for 8 p.m. on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square. Police estimate that upwards of 260,000 people will flood the area, with fans expected to begin gathering a full day in advance. The concert marks the group'

GS Retail said Sunday that fresh food preorders at its GS25 convenience chain are gaining momentum, with the company planning to broaden the category as younger consumers lead the charge. According to the company, the service, available through its mobile app, ran four promotional events between January and February, generating about 20,000 orders and pushing fresh-food sales through the app 540 percent higher than a year earlier. The model lets customers browse and pay for perishables online an

South Korea faces growing pressure to contribute naval forces to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump called on major oil-importing countries to help keep the vital energy corridor open, placing Seoul at the center of a widening geopolitical test. The request comes at a sensitive moment for South Korea, whose economy remains heavily dependent on Middle Eastern crude oil that passes through the strait, while its alliance with Washington is undergoing wha

More than half of workers in South Korea said they have experienced or witnessed abusive practices by principal contractors, a recent survey showed. According to a study released Sunday by Workplace Gapjil 119, a South Korean civic group advocating for workers’ rights, 55 percent of respondents said they had experienced such practices, including discrimination in wages, leave, work equipment and access to welfare facilities. The survey was conducted among 1,000 workers aged 19 and older between

In “1984,” George Orwell imagined Big Brother as the face of totalitarian surveillance: an omnipresent eye watching people from every corner. But what if the power watching us today looks less like a tyrant and more like a caretaker? Welcome to the age of “Big Mother.” Soft and ever attentive, this new form of big-data authority does not bark orders. Instead, it gathers data, manages algorithms, anticipates desires and gently nudges people toward certain ways of thinking — like an all-seeing mot

Samsung Electronics said Sunday it has retained its position as the world’s top soundbar brand for the 12th consecutive year. According to market research firm Futuresource Consulting, Samsung accounted for 21.5 percent of global soundbar revenue and 19.7 percent of shipments in 2025. The company has held the No. 1 position in the global soundbar market since 2014. Samsung’s soundbars are designed to work seamlessly with its TVs through the company’s Q-Symphony feature, which synchronizes TV spe

SK hynix posted its highest-ever research and development spending last year, approaching the 7 trillion won ($4.66 billion) mark as the company accelerates investment in next-generation artificial intelligence memory technologies. According to an audit report disclosed through the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure system on Sunday, SK hynix spent a total of 6.73 trillion won on R&D in 2025. The figure marks a sharp increase of 35.9 percent from the 4.95 trillion won spent a

Koreans in their 40s report that the highest levels of daily stress among adults, reflecting pressures from work and finances that intensify in midlife, government health data showed. About 25.9 percent of adults aged 19 or older said they frequently experience high levels of stress, according to 2024 national health statistics released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The figure means roughly one in four adults say they face significant stress in everyday life. The survey mea

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In New York City, two men who federal authorities say were inspired by the Islamic State brought powerful homemade bombs to a far-right protest outside the mayoral mansion. In Michigan, a naturalized citizen from Lebanon rammed his vehicle into a synagogue before being shot by security. In Virginia, a man previously imprisoned on a terrorism conviction was heard yelling "Allahu akbar" before opening fire in a university classroom in an attack that officials said ended when the

Hyundai Engineering & Construction is joining forces with Hyundai Steel to develop a proprietary floating offshore wind technology, combining their strengths in a bid to secure an early foothold in a fast-emerging energy market. According to Hyundai E&C on Sunday, the partners signed a joint research agreement Friday at Hyundai Steel's steelworks in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, committing to co-develop an offshore wind floater and seek international certification. Unlike fixed turbines,

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- The American flag was raised Saturday over the US Embassy in Venezuela for the first time since 2019, a move that highlighted the recent shift in relations between the two countries since then President Nicolás Maduro was captured by American troops in January. Though the flag is now waving, the building is undergoing renovations and it remains unclear when it will fully reopen. The move comes after several statements from US President Donald Trump in support of Maduro

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- ‌Meta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20 percent or more of the company, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Meta seeks to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers. No ‌date has been set for the cuts and the magnitude has not been finalized, the people said. Top executives have recently signaled the plans to other senior leaders at Meta and told them t

North Korea conducted a firepower strike drill involving 600-millimeter ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers, attended by leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported Sunday. "A long-range artillery sub-unit of the Korean People's Army in the western area conducted a firepower strike drill" the previous day, involving 12 "600 mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies," the Korean Central News Agency said. The previous day, South Korea's military detected a

Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo defeated South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol 4-1 in a five-game match in Seoul in 2016, marking a historic milestone in AI development. Developed by Google DeepMind, AlphaGo used deep neural networks and reinforcement learning, improving through self-play rather than relying solely on brute-force calculation. Given Go’s complexity and its demand for human intuition, experts had predicted such a breakthrough was still years away. The result stunned b

A fire at a guest house popular with foreign travelers in central Seoul on Saturday evening injured 10 people, Seoul fire officials said. The blaze broke out at about 6:10 p.m. on the third floor of a seven-story building in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, according to the Seoul Jungbu Fire Station. Firefighters raised their response to Level 1 -- an elevated status that activates an incident command and mobilizes additional fire engines, ambulances, rescue teams and interagency coordination -- and mounte

South Korea has won an international arbitration case brought by Swiss elevator manufacturer Schindler Holding AG, avoiding a potential payout of 320 billion won ($211.4 million) in damages, the justice ministry said Saturday. Speaking during a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague dismissed all of the Swiss company's claims in a ruling issued early Saturday, including the 320 billion-won damage

Kim Yun-ji, a 19-year-old para cross-country skier, claimed her fifth medal at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics on Sunday, setting a record for the most medals won by a South Korean athlete at a single Olympic or Paralympic Games. Kim finished the cross-country skiing women's 20-kilometer interval start sitting event in 58 minutes and 23.3 seconds at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Italy, beating Germany's Anja Wicker by 54 seconds and American four-time gold medalist Oksana Master

Civic groups in South Korea urged the government Sunday to reject any US request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, warning that involvement in rising tensions with Iran could expose the country to security risks and legal challenges. The criticism, led largely by progressive and liberal organizations, came after US President Donald Trump called on countries including South Korea to deploy naval forces to the strategic waterway, where Iran has mounted a blockade and attacked several civil

Heeseung of Enhypen will not be returning to the boy band, its agency Belift Lab reaffirmed Sunday, less than a week after Hybe’s sub-label announced the main vocalist’s solo path outside the group. “Heeseung will not be returning to Enhypen,” Belift Lab told The Korea Herald. “He has a clear artistic direction he wants to pursue, and we decided to respect that.” The confirmation comes as fans — particularly international supporters — continue to organize large-scale campaigns urging the agency

Tourists walked around the main palace Gyeongbokgung to watch the changing of the royal guards ceremony at the Woldae platform in Seoul. K-pop supergroup BTS is set to hold an outdoor concert at the same site on March 21 for its long-awaited comeback, corresponding with its first new album in nearly four years, “Arirang.” According to organizers, the group is expected to appear with Gyeongbokgung as a backdrop, proceed past the gate Gwanghwamun and the Woldae platform before taking to the stage

The main opposition People Power Party on Sunday extended its deadline yet again for candidate registration for June's Seoul mayoral race, in an apparent bid to woo incumbent conservative Mayor Oh Se-hoon. According to the People Power Party, it will prop open the door longer to the registration for its Seoul mayoral candidate nomination on Monday, accepting registrations on Tuesday before an interview of candidates Wednesday. The announcement is to mark a third time that the party is extending

Gmarket, the e-commerce arm of Shinsegae Group, said Sunday that brands participating in its strategic partnership program are seeing strong sales gains, prompting plans to extend the model into high-potential categories. The platform’s Joint Business Partnership, or JBP, program — through which it works with brands on promotional calendars, advertising plans and product strategies — now includes more than 1,300 brands. Among roughly 100 of the largest participants, transaction volumes have aver

South Korean authorities are on heightened alert and signaling possible verbal intervention, as a Middle East-driven oil shock keeps pressure on the won, pushing the dollar-won monthly average toward crisis-era levels. The tougher tone follows the currency’s brief breach of the 1,500-per-dollar mark in Friday overnight trading, renewing concern about volatility in the foreign-exchange market. “Major currencies such as the won, yen and euro are all weakening as the dollar strengthens,” Finance Mi

The 98th Academy Awards, to be held at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Sunday, could shape up to be a landmark night for Korean cinema and Korean-rooted filmmaking. Two films with direct ties to Korea are in the running: one an overwhelming awards-season favorite and the other a dark-horse entry that gives one of the most eccentric works in Korean cinema its due. The night's headline act for fans of Korean content will be Netflix's animated sensation "KPop Demon Hunters," which goes into Sunday's c

South Korean burger chain Mom’s Touch is once again up for sale, industry officials said Sunday, roughly four years after its private equity owner shelved an earlier attempt to sell the company. KL & Partners, which controls the franchise through a special-purpose vehicle, plans to appoint a financial adviser as early as April and aims to complete the sale by the end of the year, according to the sources. The firm is seeking a valuation above 1 trillion won (about $665 million). KL & Partners ac

As K-pop supergroup BTS prepares for its long-awaited comeback, Seoul is transforming into a sprawling stage for the group’s return. Across the capital, businesses are rolling out themed experiences tied to “BTS The City Arirang Seoul,” a citywide initiative developed with entertainment company Hybe that invites fans to experience the comeback beyond the concert venue. Public institutions and city landmarks are also joining the celebration, turning large parts of Seoul into a temporary cultural

While the South Korean government aims to end overseas adoption by 2029, a survey by a state research institute suggests the goal may remain difficult unless the country moves beyond its strong attachment to bloodline-based family concepts. The cultural emphasis on blood ties emerged as the leading reason behind Koreans’ reluctance to adopt, according to a survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs at the request of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The findings were

The United States is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information about senior Iranian military and intelligence officials, including its new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. The reward targets 10 officials associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the State Department website. The military force, created after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, is loyal to the supreme leader and tasked with protecting the Shi'ite clerical establishment. Mojtaba Kha

Hana Financial Group said Sunday it had signed a memorandum of understanding with British financial group Standard Chartered to expand cooperation in global business and digital assets. The partnership aims to strengthen the two financial groups’ global competitiveness by combining their overseas networks and financial capabilities amid rapidly changing global financial markets. The signing ceremony was held Friday at Hana Bank’s headquarters in central Seoul, attended by Hana Financial Chairman

US chip giant Nvidia may unveil a new artificial intelligence inference chip architecture built around on-chip static random access memory, or SRAM, at the Nvidia GTC 2026 conference in San Jose, California, on Monday, raising questions about whether the design could reshape the structure of the AI memory market. According to industry sources on Sunday, the proposed SRAM-based architecture is expected to take a different approach from the GPU designs currently used in AI data centers. Today’s GP

South Korea’s top universities slipped in the Nature Index, a global ranking that tracks research published in leading science journals, as Chinese institutions tightened their grip on the list. The latest index, compiled by academic publisher Springer Nature, placed Seoul National University 59th worldwide and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology 84th among research institutions. In the previous tables released in June last year, the two schools ranked 52nd and 82nd, respectively.

A Japanese tourist remained unconscious Sunday after a Saturday evening fire at a capsule hotel in central Seoul injured several foreign nationals. According to fire authorities, 10 foreign nationals were injured in the blaze Saturday at a capsule hotel in Sogong-dong, near the popular tourist district of Myeong-dong. Three people suffered serious injuries, including a Japanese woman in her 50s who has yet to regain consciousness, officials said. The other seven sustained minor injuries and were

A South Korean military transport aircraft is bringing home 204 nationals from Saudi Arabia, officials said Sunday, in the first airlift evacuation using a military plane since the conflict began in the Middle East late last month. A KC-330 Cygnus multirole aerial tanker carrying 204 South Koreans and seven others of foreign nationalities departed from Riyadh on Saturday and is expected to land at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of the capital, on Sunday afternoon. The operation, named "Desert

Coast Guard personnel were searching for two crewmembers Saturday after a fishing boat carrying them caught fire off the southern island of Jeju and sank, leaving them missing. A fire was reported on the 29-ton vessel about 90 kilometers southwest of Jeju's Chagwi Island at 9:58 a.m., with 10 crewmembers aboard, according to the Coast Guard. Eight of them were rescued by fishermen aboard nearby ships -- two South Koreans and six Indonesians -- but the two others -- both South Koreans -- remained

The South Korean and US militaries staged joint river-crossing drills in the border county of Yeoncheon on Saturday as part of their annual key springtime exercise aimed at enhancing interoperability between the allies. The field training coincided with North Korea firing around 10 ballistic missiles toward the East Sea earlier in the day. The North's missile launch came in an apparent muscle-flexing against the Seoul-Washington joint military exercise. The training took place on the Imjin River

President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday congratulated para cross-country skier Kim Yun-ji for her groundbreaking feat of clinching four medals in the ongoing Winter Paralympics in northern Italy. "I congratulate Kim on her fourth medal. It is an amazing accomplishment that makes it hard to believe it is her first Olympics participation," Lee wrote on Facebook, saying she "made history." Lee said he hopes the athlete will perform her best in the remaining cross-country skiing 20 kilometer interval st