​48 people dead or missing in lethal accidents caused by heavy rain in S. Korea

SEOUL -- A series of torrential rain that began its sweep across South Korea on July 9 has caused lethal disaster situations including collapsed river banks, landslides, and flooded underground tunnels, leaving 48 people dead or missing. South Korea normally goes through the "Jangma" (the rainy season in Korean) season in July and August. Unlike previous summers which had rain clouds pass through the Korean Peninsula, dense rain clouds traveled very slowly through the centr

July 17, 2023

​Series of torrential rain takes lives of 43 people in S. Korea over one week period

SEOUL -- A series of torrential rain took the lives of 43 people across South Korea where river banks have collapsed and landslides engulfed small villages due to heavy rain that soaked the country for more than one week, according to South Korea’s main disaster control tower. South Korea is normally soaked by dense rain clouds during “Jangma” (the rainy season in Korean) in July and August. According to data released by the Korea Meteorological Administration, the

July 16, 2023

Hanwha Ocean selected to lead construction of two 3600-ton class homemade frigates

SEOUL -- South Korea's arms procurement agency has selected, Hanwha Ocean, a major domestic shipbuilder, as the preferred bidder for the fifth and sixth ships of the 3600-ton class FFX Batch-III. An indoor manufacturing plant capable of simultaneously building two naval vessels would be used for the next-generation homemade naval ships. Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries had competed to win a bid for the fifth and sixth ships of FFX Batch-III. The construction of naval ve

July 14, 2023

Hyundai showcases high-performance EV 'IONIQ 5 N'

SEOUL -- Hyundai Motor has unveiled its very first high-performance electric vehicle model called "IONIQ 5 N," which is the beefed-up version of the IONIQ 5 released in 2021. The electric sport utility vehicle boasts a style of everyday sportscar while having the capability to race on professional motor tracks. Hyundai's N brand was first launched in 2015 to benchmark other high-performance brands such as AMG of Mercedes Benz, M of BMW and RS of Audi. Currently

July 14, 2023

Naver adopts AI-based malicious comment notification system for online news articles

SEOUL -- In an effort to root out cyberbullying, Naver, South Korea's largest web portal operator, has adopted an artificial intelligence-based malicious comment notification service that can monitor insulting remarks in the comment section of news articles. Using the solution called "Cleanbot Observer," media companies can remove comment sections after detecting articles with many offensive comments. Naver said in a statement that the company started the demonstratio

July 14, 2023

BTS' 'Beyond the Story' book dominates S. Korean book bestseller chart

SEOUL -- "Beyond the Story," a book by Kang Myeong-seok to celebrate K-pop wonder BTS' 10th anniversary, has dominated the book bestseller chart in South Korea's largest bookstore franchise. According to the weekly bestselling book ranking released by Kyobo Book Center, South Korea's largest offline and online bookstore franchise operator, on July 14, Beyond the Story topped the book bestseller list for the second week of July. The second-most popular book on

July 14, 2023

BTS' Jungkook to make solo debut with dance song 'Seven'

SEOUL -- Jungkook, the youngest artist of BTS, will release his single track "Seven." The 25-year-old has collaborated with American rapper Latto for the dance song with electronic dance and acoustic guitar features. Big Hit, the group's agency, said in a statement that Seven would be rolled out at 1 p.m. (0400 GMT) on July 14. Without disclosing details, the agency said the digital single is "an invigorating summer song." The summer song was featured by Latto w

July 14, 2023

[OPINION] NATO's New Unity – and Challenges

KENOSHA -- President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 11-12 is not just routine, given Russia

July 13, 2023

S. Korea's labor and management to try reaching agreement on minimum wage for 2024

SEOUL -- South Korea's Minimum Wage Council consisting of government, labor, and management representatives will engage in a plenary meeting to reach an agreement on the minimum wage for 2024. During the 12th plenary meeting on the 11th, labor and management presented the third and fourth revised proposals consecutively. The labor sector demanded 11,540 won ($9.05) through the third revised proposal, while the management sector demanded 9,720 won. Subsequently, they proposed 11,140

July 13, 2023

N. Korea confirms successful launch of long-range ballistic missile 'Hwaseong-18'

SEOUL -- North Korea has confirmed that the launch of its long-range ballistic missile called "Hwaseong-18" which took place at about 10:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) on July 12 was successful. Pyongyang's state-operated news agency said that the missile launch proves the reliability of the country's strategic nuclear attack capabilities. On July 10, Pyongyang suddenly released a statement through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and blamed the United States for deploying

July 13, 2023