NewJeans' debut album garners explosive popularity on Spotify

SEOUL -- Girl band NewJeans' debut album has gained explosive popularity on Spotify, the world's most popular music streaming service. The album's total streams surpassed one billion times 422 days after its release on August 1, 2022. As of September 27, the album accumulated more than 1,000,760,129 streams on the streaming service. The album consists of four songs -- "Hype Boy," "Attention," "Cookie," and "Hurt." The band's agenc

September 29, 2023

US soldier returns to home country after intentionally crossing into N. Korea

SEOUL -- Travis T. King, a United States soldier who crossed the border from the South Korean side into North Korea, returned to his home country. The 23-year-old American soldier spent 71 days in North Korean custody. King, enlisted in January 2021, was an army private stationed in South Korea. Private King ran across the border on July 18 when he was visiting the truce village of Panmunjom on an orientation tour. Although his tour guides chased after the soldier, they were unable to

September 29, 2023

​Homecomers fill highways, airports, and train stations to meet families during autumn harvest festival

SEOUL -- Millions of South Koreans have traveled through highways, bus terminals, airports, and train stations to visit their hometowns and meet family members during a six-day "Chuseok," a traditional Korean autumn harvest festival holiday. Chuseok and Seollal, the Lunar New Year Day in Korean, are the two major traditional three-day festival holidays Koreans celebrate. When the holidays are positioned just before or after a weekend, then the holiday can be extended to m

September 28, 2023

Prices of autumn delicacy Songyi mushroom soar due to climate change

SEOUL -- Prices of Songyi mushrooms (pine matsutake) have soared to reach a record high of more than 1,550,000 won ($1,142) per kilogram (0.45 pounds) due to scarcity caused by climate change and abnormal weather conditions. Songyi mushroom is one of South Korea’s top autumn delicacies which is used for the preparation of menus served for "Charye," a traditional Confucian rite designed to offer food for deceased ancestors. The rare mushrooms are only found in pine fores

September 28, 2023

[OPINION] "The Complex French Connection"

KENOSHA -- On September 21, in a magnificent military ceremony, General Thierry Burkhard, Chief of the Defense Staff of France, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in W

September 27, 2023

S. Korean robot startup wins state approval to release AI-based recycling robots

Seoul -- South Korea's recycling robot maker EAPS won government approval to commercialize an artificial intelligence-based recycling robot that is capable of sorting waste materials and recycling them into waste plastic pyrolysis oil. The robot producer plans to install the new product at apartment complexes in Suwon some 34 kilometers (21 miles) south of Seoul. In South Korea, most recyclable materials are sorted by categories such as plastic, metal, and paper before being throw

September 27, 2023

S. Korea and Qatar discuss ways to strengthen LNG-based distribution network

SEOUL -- South Korea and Qatar discussed ways to strengthen their liquefied natural gas distribution network through a meeting of the two countries' energy ministers. South Korea and Qatar's trade volume reached $17.1 billion in 2022 and maintained a strong trade partnership based on LNG and LNG tankers despite the growing uncertainties in the global energy market. South Korea's Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Bang Moon-kyu met with Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar's Mi

September 27, 2023

Startups welcome justice ministry's decision to withdraw restrictions from mobile lawyer service

SEOUL -- Information technology-related ventures and startups welcomed the justice ministry's decision to cancel the disciplinary actions against lawyers who provided legal consulting services through LawTalk, an online legal consulting platform that provides matchmaking services for lawyers and clients. LawTalk, operated by Law & Company, was launched in 2014 to provide ordinary people with easy access to law-related services. While almost every legal service in South Korea is

September 27, 2023

[INTERVIEW] ​Brazilian ambassador hopes to upgrade science and technology cooperation with S. Korea

SEOUL -- Brazil is ready to strengthen science and technology cooperation with South Korea and achieve remarkable advancements in various sectors including green energy, engineering, and pharmaceuticals. During the 64 years of diplomatic relations, South Korea has mainly exported manufactured products such as car parts and imported Brazil's raw materials including oil, ethanol, and soybeans. Data released by Brazil's finance ministry showed that Brazil's trade volume

September 27, 2023

​More than 1.9 billion Spam products sold in S. Korea as of 2022

SEOUL -- Spam, a popular canned pork brand made by American food processing company Hormel Foods, is being widely consumed in South Korea. More than 1.9 billion 200-gram (0.4 pounds) Spam products were sold in the country as of 2022, data released by CJ Cheiljedang, a South Korean food company in charge of domestic Spam production, showed. Canned pork was first introduced during the Korean War (1950~1953) when the United States' armed forces fought alongside South Korea to repel No

September 26, 2023