The military will try to raise the average daily meal cost for service members to 10,500 won ($9) next year, the defense ministry said Friday, after coming under criticism that soldiers are poorly fed. Defense Minister Suh Wook discussed the raise and other measures during a meeting with military commanders, according to the ministry. The current cost per meal for troops is 2,930 won, lower than the average for high school students at 3,625 won, it said. The military came under fire after a s

Five Navy sailors tested positive for the new coronavirus while on the same naval ship, bringing the total caseload from the vessel to 38, the defense ministry said Friday. Last month, the Navy reported 33 COVID-19 cases among members of the Gojunbong landing ship in the first mass infection on a military vessel. Of 84 sailors aboard the ship, 51 tested negative and have been in isolation, but five of them were found to have contracted the virus in a test required to exit quarantine, the min

The top diplomats of South Korea and Britain have agreed to reinforce cooperation on equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, climate change and the expansion of bilateral exchanges during their talks near London, the foreign ministry said Friday. The agreement came during a strategic dialogue between Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, in the London suburb of Kent on Thursday, the day after a Group of Seven ministerial session ended. "The two minister

WASHINGTON -- The award winning immigrant film "Minari" will be screened online for some moviegoers in the United States next week, the Korean Cultural Center in Washington said Thursday. The film will be made available online free of charge to 600 viewers on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the culture center. "The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. is pleased to present a special screening of Minari in celebration of the broad critical acclaim for this Ameri

South Korea and the United States on Friday discussed ways to jointly respond to remnants of a Chinese rocket expected to crash into Earth this weekend, the Air Force said. The Long March 5B rocket was launched last week carrying a module of China's first permanent space station into orbit. But a large piece of debris is expected to plunge back in an uncontrolled reentry on around Saturday (US time), according to the U.S. Space Command. To explore ways to jointly deal with the case, South Kore

South Korea's current account surplus slightly narrowed in March as higher oil prices increased the country's import bill, the central bank said Friday. The current account surplus reached $7.82 billion in March, narrowing from a surplus of $7.94 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade. Since the country logged a deficit of $3.33 billion in April last year, the largest in almost a decade, on faltering

South Korea's daily new virus cases remained in the 500s for the second day Friday as the country remained guarded against a potential upsurge in variant cases. The country reported 525 more COVID-19 cases, including 509 local infections, raising the total caseload to 126,044, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload reached 488 on Monday on fewer tests over the weekend but rose to the mid-500s on Tuesday and to over 600 on Wednesday. The country added n

　The number of North Korean defectors coming into South Korea dropped 77 percent to 31 in the first quarter this year as the North’s anti-coronavirus border closures remained in place, a Unification Ministry official said. 　During the same period last year, 135 North Korean defectors entered the South. 　The ministry official cited the North’s border closure as one of the reasons for the sharp decline. (Yonhap)

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, tracking the Wall Street rally that stemmed from improved US unemployment data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 6 points, or 0.19 percent, to reach 3,184.74 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Dow Industrial Average gained 0.93 percent to close at a record high for the second session in a row, with the US unemployment data dropping to a pandemic-era low. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics retreate

Ananti Hilton Busan opens Infinity Pool 　 Ananti Hilton Busan‘s Infinity Pool with a panoramic view of the ocean is now open with a special promotion. Diners at the hotel’s weekday lunch buffet at regular price can use the Infinity Pool. Next to the outdoor pool are a kids pool, open-air bath and indoor pool. The promotion which will be offered through June 30 and limits the number of those dining in groups to four persons. Reservations can be made by phone or Naver. For more i

Rosy spring at Everland Amusement park Everland will open its Rose Garden on May 14 for about a month, featuring some 3 million roses of 720 varieties. The flower garden will momentarily transport visitors to France, with decorations like the Saint-Germain-des-Pres district in Paris and an installation of a structure inspired by the gate at the Palace of Versailles. The amusement park will host various events at the garden, including a painting competition, gardening activities and more.&nb

The Courier (US) Opened April 28 Thriller Directed by Dominic Cooke In 1960, Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), an agent of the Soviet Union possesses a letter that contains important information which can prevent a nuclear war and hopes to send it to the CIA. To receive this letter, the CIA and M16 cooperate and send British salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) as their spy to the Soviet Union. 　 　 Rain and Your Story (Korea) Opened April 28 Romance Directed by Jo Jin-mo  In 20

At the end of April, Seoul’s new mayor Oh Se-hoon announced that remodeling work on Gwanghamun Plaza would continue, but with several modifications. The plaza took its present form in 2009 toward the end of Oh’s first term as mayor. Plans to remodel the plaza again moved forward in the late 2010s under former Mayor Park Won-soon and construction began in the fall of 2020. Oh’s victory in the April 7 by-election raised speculation that he might stop the remodeling, as some cit

The wife of Belgian Ambassador to South Korea Peter Lescouhier was questioned by police on Thursday over assault allegations, officials said, amid public criticism over "insincerity" in the embassy's handling of the matter.    The wife appeared at the Yongsan Police Station in central Seoul in the afternoon to undergo questioning and she has returned, an official at the precinct said, without providing more details.    Police have been looking into allegations t