South Korea’s top financial regulator said Thursday that he is seeking consultation with related state offices to monitor big tech companies’ data monopoly scrutiny while promoting financial companies’ investment in financial technology.　 The remark came amid growing concerns that Naver Financial and Kakao Pay -- the fintech services of the country’s largest internal portal and messenger app operator, respectively -- dominate the market. “Consumers are increa

After a winter with closed ski slopes, social distancing guidelines and mask mandates, Gangwon Province, South Korea’s winter wonderland, has started to come back to life with the arrival of a chill in the air. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with concerns about the omicron variant rising each day, winter sports fans are flocking to popular ski resorts. The Vivaldi Park resort, about 60 kilometers east of Seoul in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, was among the many ski resorts that open

The change in vaccine advice not reviewed by national immunization advisory committee

Local cable channel JTBC’s 2019 hit series “Be Melodramatic” will be adapted into a webtoon, media content company BY4M Webtoon Studio said Thursday, unveiling drawings of characters from the TV drama. Romantic comedy “Be Melodramatic” centers around the trio of girlfriends -- a scriptwriter, a film director and a marketing manager -- in the entertainment industry. The story revolves around three characters in their 30s facing challenges and struggles with their

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned to Seoul on Thursday, ending a three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates involving a “small meeting.” “I had a small meeting in Abu Dhabi,” Lee told reporters as he arrived in Seoul, referring to a capital of the UAE. “It was a good opportunity, because experts from around the world in various fields got together to learn how each country or each industry stands ready for the future.” The de facto le

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will make a state visit to South Korea on Dec. 16 for three days, at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in, officials said Thursday. The two leaders will hold a summit on Dec. 17. “President Mirziyoyev’s visit to Korea is a return to President Moon’s state visit to Uzbekistan in 2019,” said Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. “The two leaders will discuss ways to promote future-oriented and reciprocal cooperation

Suga of BTS made a guest appearance on a track from Juice WRLD’s upcoming posthumous album, “Fighting Demons.” 　 The rapper/producer is the featured artist on “Girl of My Dreams,” confirming a rumor that has been circulating for a while. 　 Suga, along with RM, collaborated with the American rapper, who died two years ago, on “All Night” from the original soundtrack for the mobile game “BTS World.” 　 In addition to his solo works under the

The state-run trade promotion agency Kotra and foreign chambers of commerce in Korea on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in providing economy-related educational programs for expatriates working in South Korea. The program, called “Business+ Forum,” will begin in March next year, and expatriates at the management and executive level working in foreign companies, international organizations and embassies in Korea will be able to apply for the course, accordi

A self-driving race car of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology finishes fourth at the Indy Autonomous Challenge held in Indianapolis on Oct. 23.  KAIST said Thursday that it will participate in the Autonomous Challenge, a one-on-one autonomous racing tournament scheduled to take place at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January.

Tech giant now has almost 100 CEO candidates, including those in their 40s

South Korean stocks advanced for a seventh consecutive session Thursday amid eased concerns about the omicron variant of the new coronavirus. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 27.77 points, or 0.93 percent, to close at 3,029.57 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 496 million shares worth some 12 trillion won ($10.2 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 656 to 187. Institutions bought a net 620 billion won, wh

LG Innotek said its chief executive Jeong Cheol-dong will receive an award from the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers on Friday for helping raise the global competitiveness of the local materials and parts industry. Jeong, known for his insight on the materials and parts market with 37 years of experience in business-to-business deals, will receive the Haedong Technology Award from the academic organization, the electronic components maker said. Having joined LG Semiconductor

Jungheung sets foothold for overseas expansion through Daewoo E&C, while Daewoo E&C secures financial stability

Business leaders in the cosmetics and beauty industry shared their thoughts on the growth potential of K-beauty on Thursday, at Trade Week 2021, a four-day global conference organized by the Seoul Business Agency, to offer support for small and medium-sized enterprises in Seoul. L’Oreal’s Chief Digital Officer Lee Seon-young kicked off the seminar, explaining how digitalization is changing the company’s business strategy. “We do not think the rise in online business i

Korea’s No. 1 milk producer by market share, Seoul Dairy Cooperative is under fire for objectifying women and portraying voyeurism in its latest video advertisement for its organic milk products. The 52-second video shows people, most of whom are presumably women, dressed in white drinking water from a stream and relaxing in a green pasture somewhere in Gangwon Province.  In the next scene, a man quietly approaches with a video camera from the cover of trees. He steps on a branch a