Southern port city to open 'K-pop high school' to nurture young artists

SEOUL -- The southern port city of Busan will embark on a preparation process to open a high school that will focus on the incubation of young K-pop artists including singers, performers, writers, and composers. The high school scheduled to open in 2028 will attract students from South Korea and abroad who wish to become the next-generation BTS and BLACK PINK. K-pop, which started as a sub-culture that was only popular among South Korean music lovers and a small number of foreign peopl

June 30, 2023

SK Telecom expands partnership with flying taxi firm Joby through $100 mln investment

SEOUL -- South Korea's major mobile carrier SK Telecom has expanded its partnership with Joby Aviation, an American all-electric commercial passenger aircraft company, through an equity investment of $100 million. The two companies will work together to develop technology and infrastructure for urban air mobility services, also known as flying taxi services. Joby Aviation is a United States venture-backed aviation company that specializes in urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles. The

June 30, 2023

​S. Korea succeeds in test flight of every homemade fighter jet KF-21 prototypes

SEOUL -- South Korea successfully carried out a test flight for the last prototype model of South Korea's homemade fighter jet KF-21 about eleven months after the first prototype model made its 33-minute test flight in July 2022. South Korea has tested a total of six prototypes in a bid to replace the country's aging fleet of U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 fighters. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the sixth prototype took off from the airbase at 3

June 29, 2023

S. Koreans choose short affordable trip plans amid high inflation: survey

SEOUL -- In a bid to solve money problems in the era of high inflation, South Koreans chose to go on short, affordable trips rather than to go on luxurious trips that last for days, data released by Consumer Insight, a market research company, showed. According to a weekly survey of 500 consumers, conducted by Consumer Insight, a person who went on a trip in May 2023 spent an average of 230,000 won ($174) during an average trip duration of 2.96 days. The average amount of money spe

June 29, 2023

Seoul to allow passengers to tag out and reboard subway trains within 10 minutes

SEOUL -- Starting in July, Seoulites will be allowed to tag out and reboard subway trains within 10 minutes without paying an extra fare. Currently, passengers must pay for a new trip if they have to move through a toll gate to get to the other side of the platform or go to a toilet. These situations occur occasionally, especially when a person forgets to get off his or her destination station. According to Seoul, there were many complaints regarding the need to pay

June 29, 2023

EU decides to extend deadline for review of Korean Air's merger with Asiana

SEOUL -- Korean Air, South Korea's flag carrier, has requested the European Union's antitrust regulators to extend the deadline for the review of the company's merger with Asiana Airlines, the domestic rival of Korean Air, according to the flag carrier. In late 2020, Korean Air began a step-by-step procedure to take over Asiana which was reeling from snowballing debt and credit crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The deal triggered concern about the financial struct

June 29, 2023

Action-comedy film 'The Roundup: No Way Out' attracts almost 10 mln viewers

SEOUL -- In less than a month of the film's debut on the silver screen, "The Roundup: No Way Out," directed by Lee Sang-yong, continues to attract crowds of moviegoers at the South Korean box office by reaching an accumulated number of viewers of about 9.8 million. The action film, stars Ma Dong-seok, an actor known by the English name of Don Lee, who plays a tough detective handling a drug crime involving yakuza, a crime group that originated in Japan. According to

June 29, 2023

GS Caltex partners with Korean Air to demonstrate bio aviation fuel

SEOUL -- South Korea's major oil refiner GS Caltex has partnered with Korean Air, the country's flag carrier, to create infrastructure for the demonstration and commercialization of bio aviation fuel targeting the global market projected to reach $696.2 billion by 2030. Biofuel is created using plant-based or animal-based oil such as used cooking oil from fast food restaurants or palm oil. The most well-known type of biofuel is biodiesel which can be produced by recycling u

June 29, 2023

Shinsegae's liquor distributor wing picks virtual show host YT to promote Japanese-style cocktail

SEOUL -- Virtual social media influencer Young Twenty was selected by the liquor distribution wing of South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae to promote highball. Through the virtual human with some 454,000 Instagram followers, the South Korean company aims to also sell side dishes for the alcoholic drink created using a popular whisky "Evan Williams Black." Young Twenty, also known by her nickname YT, created by Shinsegae and Pulse9, a domestic AI graphics company, is

June 28, 2023

[OPINION] India's Modi Visit in Context

KENOSHA -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States has received mixed reviews. This is not surprising given the nationalist direction of his government

June 28, 2023