South Korea and the United Arab Emirates discussed strategic cooperation in the energy sector, including joint oil reserves and nuclear power plants, the industry ministry said Tuesday. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with Musabbeh Al Kaabi, chief executive officer of upstream at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, to discuss the stable supply of crude oil, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. During the meeting, South Korea was briefed that imports of the 24 million barre

Police have launched an investigation into possible medical negligence at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, where a newborn who suffered respiratory distress shortly after birth died nearly two months later. According to the Gunpo Police Station Tuesday, the infant was born at the clinic on April 15 and was transferred to a university hospital after developing breathing difficulties of unknown cause. The baby was later diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Pianist Lim Yunchan closed a five-concert, all-Mozart tour of Japan and Korea at Lotte Concert Hall on Monday, alongside Camerata Salzburg under Masato Suzuki. The collaboration was Lim's own idea. The 22-year-old, who in 2022 became the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, proposed the series to Camerata Salzburg, the ensemble long resident at the Salzburg Festival and Mozart Week, on a single condition: that the music be all Mozart. The program paired two concert

South Korean firm Upstage said Tuesday it will pull its model, its workplace AI tools and a web portal into a single operation. The bet is that a home-grown AI system built end-to-end can compete without leaning on American or Chinese technology, a pitch the company is making as it prepares to go public. The ambition is not Upstage's alone. It is one of five firms the government picked last year to develop Korea's own AI models rather than rely on foreign ones, a push officials call "sovereign A

Riize released its second EP, “II,” featuring the lead single “Do Your Dance,” on Monday. The album highlights the group’s free-spirited energy and confidence in six songs that include “Soar,” “D-D-Done,” “Overdrive,” “Like a Bomb” and “In a Loop.” According to SM Entertainment, “II” sold more than 910,000 copies within a day of its release, debuting at No. 1 on Hanteo Chart’s daily album chart. It also topped the digital album sales chart on China’s QQ Music and earned a Triple Gold certificati

Hong Kong-based Affinity Equity Partners has launched a sale process for BKR, the Korean operator of Burger King and Tim Hortons, reviving a divestment plan that was shelved four years ago, industry sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, the private equity firm has hired Deutsche Bank to explore a sale of its entire stake in BKR, which operates about 550 Burger King stores and 25 Tim Hortons locations in Korea. "The firm is considering a sale and evaluating various options, but no decis

President Lee Jae Myung began the final leg of his trip to Europe on Tuesday, arriving in Evian-les-Bains, France for the Group of Seven Summit held just as the anticipation grows for an end to the war in the Middle East. Lee's trip there from Tuesday to Wednesday comes as South Korea seeks to expand its role on the international stage and amid rising speculation about US President Donald Trump's intentions regarding North Korea. Lee will kick off his official activities at the G7 meeting upon h

South Korean labor and business groups clashed Tuesday as the state wage-setting panel opened talks on industry-specific pay floors, a contentious proposal backed by employers and fiercely opposed by unions. The talks came a day after labor groups proposed raising the 2027 minimum wage by 16.3 percent to 12,000 won ($7.93) an hour. The sixth plenary meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission in Sejong focused on differentiated rates, one of the most divisive issues in this year's negotiations. Labor

Ha Myung-mi's "Hallan," a mother-daughter survival tale set during one of the darkest chapters of modern Korean history, will screen at the 25th New York Asian Film Festival, local distributor Whenever Studio confirmed Tuesday. Director Ha and lead actor Kim Hyang-gi will both attend the festival for talks with the audience, the studio said. The invitation comes paired with an off-screen tie-in: in partnership with the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation, the festival will host an exhibition in New York s

At the National Human Rights Commission of Korea headquarters in Seoul, a former detainee at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center recalled the day he was taken into custody. “Immigration officers stormed into my company cafeteria, stopped our meal, threw away our food, handcuffed all the undocumented workers and took us by bus to the detention center,” he said during a press conference Tuesday. The testimony added to rights groups’ broader criticism that Korea’s immigration detention system rem

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin took part in the group's "CEO AI Academy" earlier this month, building AI-powered services and developing an AI agent himself as the conglomerate accelerates its artificial intelligence transformation. The two-day program, held June 5-6, brought together the CEOs of 50 Lotte affiliates to review the group's AI transformation strategy and discuss future business applications of AI. During the training, Shin created AI services using vibe coding and developed an

Artificial intelligence may be lowering barriers to game development, but Nexon Korea co-CEO Kang Dae-hyun believes the industry's most valuable asset remains difficult to automate: context. In a keynote speech at the 2026 Nexon Developers Conference on Tuesday, Kang identified "context" and "compound interest" as the two critical factors that will determine success in the AI era. "Now, games must compete through the depth of context, not based on how well they're made," he said. Kang presented

The first half of 2026 marked a distinct shift in scale for Park Ji-hoon. Coming off his performance as the tragic young king Danjong in the historical epic "The King’s Warden" — which broke box-office records to become the second-highest-grossing Korean film of all time — the actor has found himself at the center of Korea's entertainment landscape. But rather than cash in on that momentum with another heavy dramatic vehicle, Park made a creative pivot with his follow-up project. In the comedy s

Six in 10 inhabited islands in South Korea have no medical facilities, leaving residents in many areas dependent on medical service vessels, government data showed Tuesday. Only 192 of the 480 islands with permanent populations had either public or private facilities providing medical care in 2024, according to a report compiled by the National Assembly Research Service based on data from the Korea Island Development Institute. Medical facilities as defined by the report do not include pharmacie

ATLANTA (AP) -- Tiny Cape Verde, making its debut at the World Cup, pulled off a stunner, holding heavily favored Spain scoreless in a 0-0 draw on Monday. "This means everything for our country," Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito said. "We have always said that we wanted everybody to see our country, our team and we have shown organization and braveness and this is proof of what our country is about -- resilience and to try to overcome hardships." European champion Spain is one of the favorite

From sizzling street food and Thai tea to T-Pop, K-Pop and traditional massage, Thailand will bring the Sawasdee Thai Festival back to Seoul's Cheonggyecheon this weekend. Thai Ambassador Tanee Sangrat said the festival would give visitors the chance to experience Thailand without boarding a plane, and feel its "creative life and heartbeat." Marking its 11th anniversary this year, the festival runs Saturday and Sunday and is open to the public free of charge. Sangrat told The Korea Herald that t

Benjamin Netanyahu bet that his joint war alongside Donald Trump would topple Iran's clerical rulers and bolster himself ahead of elections at home, as the architect of a US-Israeli alliance ‌that would reshape the Middle East. Instead, Israel's longest-serving prime minister is on a collision course with Trump as the US president seeks to extricate himself from the war, with both men's goals unmet and Israeli military operations tied down in Lebanon. For now, Israeli officials have been cautiou

Joshua of Seventeen is set to make a speech at a youth event hosted by UNESCO on June 25, according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. He will address the audience on behalf of the group at the event held at the organization’s headquarters in Paris to promote global youth support program “Going Together -- For Youth Creativity & Well-being,” a joint initiative from Seventeen and UNESCO. The 13-member act was appointed to be youth goodwill ambassadors for the organization in 2024 and dona

A human leg found at a recycling facility in Incheon last week is likely to have belonged to an adult, not a child as previously speculated, South Korea's state forensic agency said, prompting police to shift their focus to identifying adult missing persons. The National Forensic Service notified police Tuesday that the body part appears to have belonged to an adult who was between 161 and 165 centimeters tall, according to the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station. The left leg was found June 10 at the

An appellate court on Tuesday upheld acquittals of a former senior presidential official and a former Coast Guard chief over an alleged cover-up of the 2020 murder of a South Korean fisheries official by North Korea. The Seoul High Court found former National Security Adviser Suh Hoon and former Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Hong-hee not guilty on charges of drafting false public documents in connection with the alleged cover-up. In September 2020, the fisheries official, Lee Dae-jun, was

A high school student on Jeju Island is being investigated for allegedly entering an elementary school teacher's classroom on multiple occasions and leaving behind semen and urine, police said Tuesday. According to Seogwipo Police Station and the Jeju Teachers' Union, the student allegedly sneaked into an elementary school near his high school in April and left semen in a teacher's personal tumbler kept in a classroom. On June 4, the student came back to the same classroom, where he urinated on

Architect Byoung Cho, known in Korea as Cho Byoung-soo, has long been celebrated for his earthbound architecture, earning him the nickname “the architect of the earth.” “My parents always told me that I should know where I came from,” Cho said Wednesday during an interview at BB&M Gallery in Seoul. “Every school vacation, they would send me to our family’s rural hometown in Sangju. Although I grew up in Seoul, there was a period when I preferred the countryside.” "I especially loved the smells a

South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service is examining Mirae Asset Securities and several asset managers, including Korea Investment Management, over SpaceX-related investment products after they failed to secure IPO allocations despite marketing them as vehicles for gaining exposure to the highly anticipated listing. According to industry sources Tuesday, the FSS initially launched an on-site inspection of Mirae Asset Securities before escalating it into a formal examination. The probe also c

South Korea’s National Assembly is set to launch a parliamentary probe into ballot shortages reported during the June 3 local elections, after the rival parties agreed to pass an investigation plan at a plenary session set for Thursday. Rep. Cheon Jun-ho of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Kim Seung-su of the main opposition People Power Party, the senior deputy floor leaders in charge of parliamentary operations, reached the agreement Tuesday. The bipartisan move comes amid growing

Two doctors have been referred to prosecutors over allegations that they refused to treat an emergency patient without proper justification, leading to the patient’s death in Daegu three years ago, police said. Police sent the case to prosecutors in April after a three-year investigation into the March 2023 incident, in which several hospitals allegedly refused to accept the patient or provide first aid. The patient, a 15-year-old girl, had fallen from a four-story building in Daegu and suffered

For years, South Korean soccer fans were used to pulling all-nighters to watch World Cup games after work. But this year is different. With all three of Korea’s Group A matches kicking off at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. on weekdays, people are finding themselves juggling work or school, while trying to follow the sport’s biggest spectacle. As the Taegeuk Warriors are set to face co-host Mexico, the favorite to top Group A, at 10 a.m. Friday, fans are once again trying to find ways to squeeze the "Brunch

Seoul stocks shot up by more than 2 percent Tuesday, extending their winning streak to a fourth day on optimism over a US-Iran deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The local currency weakened against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 180.62 points, or 2.11 percent, to close at 8,726.6. Overnight, US stocks rallied after US President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the conflict with Iran had already been signed and the Strai

Public attention is turning to Rep. Jung Chung-rae’s future ahead of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's national convention set for August, as competition for power within the party intensifies. The four-term lawmaker is facing mounting pressure to resign from his post. Jung has chaired the party since August last year, filling in for Lee Jae Myung, who stepped down after winning the presidential election in June 2025. Calls for his resignation intensified since June 10, when, in response to

South Korea's department store operators have become some of the market's standout performers, as luxury shoppers and foreign tourists return in force, turning the once-stagnant sector into an investor favorite. Over the past six months, shares of Shinsegae, Lotte Shopping and Hyundai Department Store have surged 166.5 percent, 146.1 percent and 97.2 percent, respectively, as of Monday's close. Shinsegae stands apart, up more than 300 percent over the past year, far outpacing its peers. Industry

South Korean asset managers are rushing to increase exposure to SpaceX through exchange-traded funds, as investor demand for the newly listed aerospace company remains strong. Leading the pack is Ace US Space Tech Active ETF, managed by Korea Investment Management, with SpaceX accounting for 26.41 percent of its portfolio as of Tuesday. The fund had initially sought to secure initial public offering allocations through Mirae Asset Securities but pivoted quickly to open-market purchases after the

North Korea on Tuesday slammed the recent large-scale live-fire drill carried out by Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, claiming the drill was part of plans to complete what it called Japan’s capability for reinvasion. Nodong Sinmun, the North’s main Rodong Workers’ Party newspaper, said in an article published Tuesday that Japan’s "counterstrike" capability is “in essence, a preemptive attack capability.” The paper took issue with the drills conducted by Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force on Jun

A group of travelers traverses an endless range of mountains with bundles slung over their backs. They sweep across the floor on their knees, shifting from side to side, and stooping under invisible burdens as they labor forward one step at a time. Then, as if momentarily released from gravity itself, they burst into free, weightless runs. At times, they move hand in hand. Moments later, they scatter across the stage, each tracing a different path. As bodies overlap and intertwine, they merge wi

More than one billion children face at least three overlapping climate hazards, UNICEF warned Monday, while highlighting the disproportionate impact in some regions of the world. For the report, the UN agency cross-referenced data showing where the roughly 2.4 billion children on the planet live with the geographic distribution of the eight most common climate impacts. They are coastal flooding, river flooding, drought, tropical storms, heat waves -- at least three days above a high temperature

Indian actor and social media personality Anushka Sen has wrapped production on "Jeju Olle" (working English title), a Jeju Island-set romance set for release across India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Producers Lucifer Productions and Storyworks said Monday that filming is nearly complete, with the 30th and final day of shooting slated for Tuesday. Sen has reportedly been based on the island since mid-April. "Jeju Olle" follows Alisha, a singer who comes to the island grieving the loss o

Roadblocks choking entry into Bolivia's main cities eased Monday but shortages of fuel, food and other basics remained after more than a month of protests against center-right President Rodrigo Paz. The protesters are calling for an end to US-backed Paz's economic reforms, designed to sweep away 20 years of socialist government, and are demanding his resignation. Over the past two weeks roadblocks denying delivery of essentials to cities like La Paz have fallen from more than 100 to 50 on Monday

Some of Cuba’s sickest people are feeling the effects of the US energy blockade, with surgeries delayed, kidney dialysis treatments disrupted and children with cancer facing a higher risk of death, according to a report published Monday by Cuban state-run media. The survival rate for children with cancer has fallen to 65 percent from 85 percent before the energy restrictions began in January, according to the report released by Cubadebate. It also said 100,000 children younger than 7 are no long

A 10-year-old child born in Korea who was stateless for two years after losing their citizenship due to parental circumstances will be granted a visa to stay in the country, the Ulsan Immigration Office said Tuesday. The child was a Korean citizen at birth but lost their citizenship when the family registry was legally closed after becoming estranged from their mother, a Vietnamese national. The Ulsan Immigration Office decided to grant the child an F-1 visa, saying the move would provide instit

Tencent Cloud is stepping up its push in South Korea, betting on the country's strengths in gaming, media and enterprise technology as local companies increasingly use artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure to expand overseas. "Korea is one of the benchmark markets for Tencent Cloud in Asia-Pacific," Nucky Fang, general manager of Tencent Cloud International, told The Korea Herald in Seoul on Monday. "I see it less as one side serving a role for the other and more as a partnership wher

Kim Garam, formerly of Le Sserafim, has found a new agency and hopes to debut as an actor, Management Koo said Tuesday. The agency said that it has been keeping an eye on her YouTube activities and was impressed with her potential and her devotion to improve herself to realize her dreams. Kim debuted as a member of the girl group in 2022 when she was accused of bullying classmates while in middle school. Mired in the controversy, Kim suspended her activities before ultimately leaving the group a

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency have launched a new initiative aimed at helping K-pop agencies expand into overseas markets, the organizations announced Tuesday. The support program for small and mid-sized agencies to globally launch their artists is being introduced for the first time this year as part of efforts to promote the sustainable growth of the K-pop industry. Ten groups were selected as the inaugural beneficiaries of the program: Resce

A recent controversy involving IVE's Jang Won-young during an airport identity verification check has prompted Korea Airports Corporation to strengthen guidance on passenger screening procedures. Korea Airports Corporation said Monday it will step up efforts to inform travelers about identity verification procedures, including by posting related information on its website. The K-pop star drew criticism online after a video showed her lowering her mask only briefly while undergoing an identity ch

A Dutch hiker was rescued by helicopter from Seoraksan on Monday after an ankle injury left her stranded in the mountain. Local fire authorities said the 24-year-old hiker called emergency authorities at 7:14 a.m. after injuring her ankle near the Heeungak Shelter on Seoraksan in Inje, Gangwon Province. Unable to access the area by vehicle or land a helicopter, the Gangwon 119 Special Rescue Team carried out an aerial rescue, lowering rescuers from a firefighting helicopter to reach the hiker. S

Hanwha Group affiliates have raised the group's stake in Korea Aerospace Industries to 9.04 percent, becoming the second-largest shareholder after the state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea and further solidifying Hanwha’s ambitions in the aerospace and defense sectors. Hanwha Aerospace, the group’s key defense unit, said Tuesday it acquired 3.02 million shares of KAI for 499.9 billion won ($332 million), bringing its total holdings to 6.33 million shares, or a 6.5 percent stake. Another affiliat

South Korean labor and business groups clashed Tuesday as the state wage-setting panel opened talks on a variable minimum wage, a proposal backed by employers and fiercely opposed by unions. The talks came a day after labor groups proposed raising the 2027 minimum wage by 16.3 percent to 12,000 won ($7.93) an hour. The sixth plenary meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission in Sejong focused on proposals to have different minimum wages depending on industry, one of the most divisive issues in this

A Libyan national who led an illegal cryptocurrency transfer scheme worth 94 billion won ($62 million) faces removal from Korea after a court upheld an order requiring him to leave the country. According to legal sources Tuesday, the Daejeon District Court recently ruled against the man, who had filed an administrative lawsuit against immigration authorities over the order issued last year in connection with crypto-related financial crimes. The court rejected his claim that he should be allowed

A travel program set in Jeju Island and featuring actor Yutaka Matsushige is set to air in Japan today as the island steps up efforts to draw more Japanese tourists. The hour-long program features Matsushige, who plays the lead in the popular Japanese food drama "Solitary Gourmet" and is widely recognized in Japan, alongside Hiroe Igeta, who appeared in "If You Like What You Hear," a Japanese TV series about chain-restaurant fare. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the Jeju Tourism Organizati

South Korea’s labor authorities have ruled that Hyundai Motor and Hanwha Ocean are legally responsible as employers for some subcontracted workers for collective bargaining purposes, a move that could significantly expand labor-management negotiations across the country’s manufacturing sector. The Ulsan Regional Labor Relations Commission ruled Monday in favor of 10 subcontractor labor unions seeking direct collective bargaining with Hyundai Motor, recognizing the automaker's “employer status” i

BTS played two sold-out concerts at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Friday and Saturday, drawing approximately 220,000 fans over two days as part of its ongoing “Arirang” world tour. While the concerts concluded without major safety incidents, they brought long-standing issues surrounding major K-pop concerts into the fore, including crowd management, accommodation pricing and illegal ticket resales. The most immediate controversy emerged on opening night, when the concert began approximately 75 min

Across Korea’s southwest, politicians have spent the last week hinting that the country’s two chip giants may be preparing investments there. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix say they know nothing about it. The promise was put most plainly on June 6, when Min Hyung-bae, the incoming leader of the new unified Gwangju region, told a forum that the prime minister had leaned in and told him, quietly, that "something is coming." That something, he indicated, was a share of the semiconductor boom that

In the fan voting for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, two Korean players -- Kim Hye-seong, who is currently playing in the minors, and Kim Ha-seong, who has been struggling badly at the plate -- have ranked surprisingly high. According to the interim results of the American League and National League All-Star fan voting released by MLB headquarters on Monday, Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers has received 345,924 votes, placing fourth among National League second basemen. Kim Ha-

The Korea Tourism Organization staged the 2026 France B2B Travel Mart in Paris and Lyon over two days from June 10, courting about 130 French travel industry figures as Korea and France mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The opening day in Paris unfolded at the Guimet Museum, where the agency tied its sales pitch to two Korean exhibitions on view there, "K-Beauty. Korean Beauty, Story of a Phenomenon" and "Silla : Gold and the Sacred. Royal Treasures of Korea." Juliette Morillot

South Korea's hit massively multiplayer online role-playing game MapleStory is making the leap to the big screen with the release of its first animated film. "Dear My Hero" follows Aidan, a new recruit in the Cygnus Knights who joins the order out of admiration for the legendary Adversary. The story traces Aidan's journey as he confronts his limitations and forges his own path. The 32-minute film is rated PG-12. Tickets are available through Lotte Cinema's website and mobile app, and priced at 5

South Korean lenders are tightening access to unsecured borrowing as concern grows over surging household debt, with internet-only banks joining a pullback that started with major commercial lenders. K Bank went furthest among online lenders, suspending all new overdraft accounts through July 31, the company said Tuesday. It has also capped daily credit loan applications and plans to lower limits for high-income borrowers. Kakao Bank, the country's largest internet-only bank, said it will cut th

NH NongHyup Bank CEO Kang Tae-young met with Lady Mayor of the City of London Susan Langley and British Ambassador to South Korea Colin Crooks on Monday to discuss financial cooperation, digital assets and the bank's expansion in Europe. The meeting, held at NH NongHyup Bank's headquarters in Seoul, focused on ways to strengthen ties between Korean and British financial institutions, explore joint investment opportunities with the City of London and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as t

An Ecuadorean candidate for the United Nations secretary-general said on Monday that the world body remains essential but must be shrunk responsibly. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, a former foreign affairs minister and defense minister of Ecuador, is among ‌six candidates to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN chief after his term expires at the end of the year. Guterres' successor will face an enormous task of revitalizing an organization in crisis with declining stature. "I am under no illusion about the

Iran's theocratic rulers have seen off a US military campaign but their real problems may be about to begin: managing the competing demands of hardliners buoyed by surviving the onslaught and those of ‌an impoverished, angry people. Iran's powerful hardliners are energized by a three-month confrontation they feel Iran has won. They want the leadership to take a tough stance in coming talks with the US and prioritise rearming, confident they can halt any internal dissent with force. Ordinary Iran

Seoul National University Hospital Group plans to pursue technology-driven businesses and artificial intelligence-powered management innovation to bolster the sustainability of its public health mission. As the only public institution among Korea's largest hospital networks, the group says new revenue streams will help sustain essential medical services regardless of region or socioeconomic status. The strategy comes as Korea's healthcare system faces growing strain from mounting hospital defici

An alumni association of the Army's military academy on Tuesday criticized the government for "hastily" pushing to integrate the academies of the three military branches and called on it to reconsider the move from scratch. The Korea Military Academy Alumni Association expressed "deep" concerns about the Lee Jae Myung administration's push to establish an integrated military school comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force, citing the potential weakening of national security. The alumni group said

Paris Baguette said Tuesday it is launching an "Annyeong" campaign across Southeast Asia, rolling out Korean-inspired bakery products and promotional events as it seeks to strengthen its K-bakery identity in overseas markets. The campaign will run at all 88 Paris Baguette stores across six Southeast Asian markets — Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Named for the Korean greeting meaning "hello," the campaign is designed to introduce local consumers to Korean c

Singer Lim Young-woong donated 200 million won ($132,200) to Korea University Medicine on his birthday Tuesday to help low-income patients, the hospital said. Lim and his agency, Mulgogi Music, each contributed 100 million won and made the donation in the name of his fanbase, known as "Hero Generation." The singer has marked his birthday each year with donations to support the vulnerable, disaster relief efforts and programs for children and adolescents. The hospital said the money will be used