The founder and former chief producer of SM Entertainment, Lee Soo-man, is stepping up his environmental, social and governance activities with a tree-planting project in Los Angeles. Lee will participate in the tree-planting event at Seoul International Park on Thursday, according to music industry sources. He will plant street trees together with the Koreatown Youth & Community Center, a nonprofit organization composed of Korean residents in the local community, during the event to promote

Industry Sept. 25, 2023

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday on concerns about the Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary tightening for a longer-than-expected period. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 9.31 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2,498.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The US central bank last week signaled it could hike interest rates again this year while keeping the rates unchanged. On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.31 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite

Market Sept. 25, 2023

HANGZHOU, China (Yonhap) -- South Korean taekwondo practitioner Kang Wan-jin, who had the honor of winning the country's first gold of the 19th Asian Games in China on Sunday, drew his inspiration from an unlikely source. Kang, crowned the champion of the men's individual poomsae event in Hangzhou, watched in awe as Argentine football hero Lionel Messi carried his country to the FIFA World Cup title last December. It was the first career World Cup title for Messi in what could have bee

More Sports Sept. 24, 2023

South Korean companies have asked the United States to clarify from which foreign companies they are not required to import critical electric vehicle battery minerals under the US Inflation Reduction Act, industry sources said Sunday. Senior executives of South Korean battery and material companies made the request to US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves during a closed-door meeting in Seoul on Friday. The executives who attended the meeting were from South Korea's three leading car b

Economy Sept. 24, 2023

South Korean modern pentathlete Kim Sun-woo won silver for the country's first medal at the 19th Asian Games on Sunday. Kim scored 1,386 points in total to take home the silver medal in the final of the women's individual modern pentathlon at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou at the ongoing summer Asian Games. She finished 20 points behind Chinese Zhang Mingyu, while China's Bian Yufei took bronze with 1,374 points. Kim's silver was her third consecutive Asian Games medal, following her tea

More Sports Sept. 24, 2023

As the only high school pitcher on the South Korean Asian Games baseball team, teen prospect Jang Hyun-seok is trying to find his bearings among veterans, with the continental competition fast approaching. The 19-year-old from Masan Yongma High School is the only amateur for South Korea bound for Hangzhou, China. He may be short on experience, but he isn't short on talent, as attested by his recent signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And nearly touching 160 kph (99.4 mph) with a fastball

Baseball Sept. 24, 2023

South Korean fencer Gu Bon-gil will take aim at history when he takes the piste for the men's individual sabre event at the Asian Games in China on Monday. Gu is already the only fencer to have won three consecutive Asiad gold medals in an individual discipline. He can push his record further out of reach for others by winning another title at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou. For his past two gold medals, Gu took down his South Korean teammates: Kim Jung-hwan in 2014 and Oh

More Sports Sept. 24, 2023

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who has been on a hunger strike in protest against what he called a slew of the Yoon government's policy failures, ended his fasting after more than three weeks, a party official said Saturday. "Chairman Lee will end the hunger strike on its 24th day and begin treatment for recovery," Kang Sun-woo, a spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party, said in a briefing. "The medical team treating Lee strongly called for Lee to call off the

Politics Sept. 23, 2023

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the sporting event, his office said. During his two-day visit, Han is set to attend a luncheon hosted by Xi for the leaders of countries competing in the Asian Games and hold talks with Xi ahead of the opening ceremony later in the day. The meeting between Han and Xi will take place at 4:30 p.m., his of

Foreign Affairs Sept. 23, 2023

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo departed for the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the sporting event, his office said. During his two-day visit, Han is expected to attend a luncheon hosted by Xi for the leaders of countries competing in the Asian Games and hold talks with Xi ahead of the opening ceremony later in the day. The exact time, venue and agenda for their meeting are being

Foreign Affairs Sept. 23, 2023

The US Department of Commerce on Friday announced the final rule to restrict semiconductor subsidy recipients from expanding their manufacturing capacity in China, following Seoul's brisk diplomacy to minimize its potential impact on South Korean businesses. The national security "guardrails" of the CHIPS and Science Act prohibit the material expansion of semiconductor manufacturing capacity for advanced facilities in "foreign countries of concern" for 10 years from the

Foreign Affairs Sept. 23, 2023

The top diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to take stern measures against a potential arms deal between Russia and North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday. According to the ministry, Seoul's Foreign Minister Park Jin met with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, and Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, in New York on Friday to discuss Russia-North Korea arms dealings. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a summit with Russ

Foreign Affairs Sept. 23, 2023

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in said Friday he was "proud" of his South Korean teammates at the Asian Games in China, having belatedly joined the team after the young Taegeuk Warriors handily won their first two group stage matches. Lee arrived in the Asiad host city of Hangzhou on Thursday, hours before South Korea defeated Thailand 4-0 in their second Group E match. This came on the heels of a 9-0 rout of Kuwait to open the tournament Tuesday. Lee, who had missed the two e

Soccer Sept. 22, 2023

South Korea's foreign ministry on Friday called on Russia to "transparently explain" its recent dealings with North Korea amid growing speculation of an arms supply deal at last week's bilateral summit. "If it (Moscow) will not engage in such worrisome military cooperation with North Korea, Russia should transparently explain (its dealings with North Korea) so that the international community could find it acceptable," a ministry official said. The comments were m

North Korea Sept. 22, 2023

Hospitals will be required to install surveillance cameras in operating rooms and record surgery procedures at the request of patients starting next week, the health ministry said Friday. The revised Medical Service Act, set to take effect Monday, also calls for storing recorded videos for at least 30 days, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Under the revision, medical clinics must install cameras in all operating rooms that handle surgeries where patients are anesthetized or unc

Social Affairs Sept. 22, 2023