A new Imax theater opened at CGV Apgujeong on Tuesday, marking the first Imax theater in the Gangnam area of Seoul, according to CJ CGV, the country’s largest multiplex cinema chain. The company said its new Imax theater has 170 seats and five private boxes with two seats each, the first ever private boxes in an Imax theater. To mark the opening of the latest Imax theater, “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Nope” and “Bullet Train” will screen there Saturday. Imax

South Korean shares advanced for a third straight session Tuesday amid investors' speculation that central banks in major economies may tone down their monetary tightening after weak economic data from China. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 5.58 points, or 0.22 percent, to close at 2,533.52 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 389 million shares worth some 7.9 trillion won ($6 billion), with losers outnumbering

Seoul has sustained the heaviest damage from the heavy downpour that has hit Korea over the past week, government officials said Tuesday. The torrential rain that hit the greater Seoul region last week moved to the southern coastal areas of Korea on Tuesday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the southern coastal regions will receive up to 150 millimeters of rain through Wednesday. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the week of rain has flo

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that it has officially embarked on developing the city‘s new slogan, which will replace the eight-year-old “I·SEOUL·U,” created under the mayorship of Park Won-soon. The city government said it has decided to change the slogan after the existing one has been widely criticized for lacking clarity. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also previously criticized his predecessor’s slogan for being incomprehensible and fo

The South Korean government on Tuesday said that the total number of critically ill COVID-19 patients will peak between 800 and 900 in early September. The government added the number of deaths from COVID-19 could also reach between 100 and 140 during the same period. The government, however, did not change its projection for the number of daily infections, which it previously anticipated to peak at around 200,000 cases in late-August. “The COVID-19 spread is expected to peak by the e

Yoon’s first housing policy aims to tackle supplies in metropolitan area

Skepticism grows over pricey battery swapping amid falling battery prices

South Korean retail investors have been bagging up overseas exchange traded-funds in recent weeks as the global stock market has been struggling under bear market signals, data showed Tuesday. Retail investors interested in overseas investments have added more high-return, high-risk ETFs to their portfolios, seeking to profit from the volatile global market. Of the top 10 overseas investments from local investors from July 13 to Friday, seven were ETFs, latest data compiled by the Korea Secur

Samsung is envisioning a change in governance structure as a presidential pardon has virtually normalized de facto leader Lee Jae-yong’s control over the nation’s largest conglomerate. Effective Monday, Vice Chairman Lee has been cleared of restrictions to be hired by the group’s affiliate, and to be promoted to Chairman. Lee has been holding the “Vice Chairman” title for a decade. All eyes are on how the family-owned conglomerate would manage to complete a famil

Police are reviewing strengthening support measures for stalking cases, including increasing the supply of smartwatches and directing greater manpower. According to the National Police Agency on Tuesday, 14,271 cases of stalking incidents were reported to the police from January through June this year. The figure is about 4.1 times higher than the 3,494 reports received during the same period last year. Illegal filming reports also increased to 3,240, a spike of over 50 percent from 2,140 case

S. Korea, US, Japan conduct ballistic missile defense exercise off Hawaii

South Korean prosecutors searched the houses of Park Jie-won, Suh Hoon and Suh Wook in an investigation into allegations surrounding the death of a South Korean civil servant. Park served as the head of the National Intelligence Service, Suh Wook was the defense minister, and Suh Hoon was the head of the presidential National Security Council at the time of the civil servant’s death in 2020. The civil servant, 47-year old Lee Dae-jun, was killed by North Korean soldiers on Sept. 22, 2020

Bill Gates on Tuesday called for South Korea to assume a larger role in tackling global health threats such as the pandemic in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which he co-chairs. In the afternoon, Gates was scheduled to meet President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to the presidential office, over which the two will discuss “steps for achieving health justice.” The contents of the meeting were not available at the time of writing. Over his stay the Microsoft co-

The Indonesia Festival 2022 was held Friday, showcasing exclusive collections of Indonesian fashion designer Iwan Tirta and Korean fashion designer Kim Seo-ryong. The festival was organized as an initiative to promote Indonesia-Korea creative economy collaborations between the Indonesian batik industry and the South Korean fashion industry. Applauding the initiative, Indonesian Ambassador Gandi Sulistiyanto recalled Indonesian President Joko Widodo‘s declaration of the 21st century as a

Returning after four years, the American pop star’s 2nd concert in Korea draws 20,000 local fans