More than 2 million more South Korean students returned to school Wednesday as the country saw a resurgence of confirmed novel coronavirus cases. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a total of 40 new cases, highest in 49 days, in the morning. Among them, 36 cases were reported in densely-populated Seoul and its surrounding areas. The rise in the number of cases is largely attributed to local transmissions from a club cluster infection that started in the nightlife d

The Korea Communication Standards Commission’s Broadcast Advertising Sub-Commission on Tuesday decided to recommend issuing a warning to CJ Olive Networks and tvN’s show “The Ramyeonator” for exposing a specific brand of Korean ramen on the show. “The Ramyeonator” featured popular television show host, Kang Ho-dong, eating ramen with different ingredients, trying to find the tastiest ramen combination. Kang added everything from oyster, duck, clams and crabs

South Korea should make sure that the inter-Korean exchange proceeds in parallel with North Korea’s denuclearization, the United States State Department said Tuesday, reiterating its earlier stance made public several times. The department, asked by the Voice of America on Seoul’s latest easing of restrictions on engaging Pyongyang, said Washington supports inter-Korean cooperation, but it should be in “lockstep with progress on denuclearization,” referring to the North

LS Group said Wednesday it is strengthening its digital capabilities by increasing research and development in automation, big data and artificial intelligence technologies in response to digital transformation amid the pandemic. “It will be difficult for the time being as uncertainties in achieving this year’s management goals have increased due to the pandemic, but I hope you will take an extraordinary step forward,” LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-yeol said in a recent message to

South Korean listed companies' dividend payouts slipped nearly 2 percent in 2019 from a year earlier amid a business slump, data showed Wednesday. Cash dividends paid out by 1,094 firms listed on the country's main and secondary stock markets totaled 22.6 trillion won ($18.3 billion) last year, down 1.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository. The number of dividend-paying corporations was down 12 from the previous year. The tally covers compan

A shake-up of President Moon Jae-in's secretary lineup seems to be in the offing. He plans to replace several secretaries soon, including some key players in the protocol and public communication teams at Cheong Wa Dae, according to multiple sources. Moon plans to name Tak Hyun-min, a former Cheong Wa Dae staffer, as new protocol secretary, according to multiple sources. Tak has experience and expertise in organizing events. The president will also tap Han Jung-woo, director of the Chunchu

Auto parts manufacturer to pursue 2,000 R&D projects

Kia Motors’ European subsidiary said Wednesday it plans to launch a micro-size electric vehicle that can replace public transportation amid increased preference for use of private vehicles following the COVID-19 pandemic. “People want to feel safe today. We saw that very clearly from a survey that was done after the coronavirus outbreak in China. People started shifting from public transport to private vehicles. They safer in their own car compared to public transport,” KIA M

Hanwha Techwin announced Wednesday the launch of the world’s first 8K closed-circuit TVs, featuring the highest resolution. The South Korean surveillance solution provider said it will roll out the CCTVs with 8K network camera featuring 33 million pixels. The 8K CCTVs provide images that are four times clearer than those of current 4K CCTVs, the company said. It enables recognition of a person sitting about 150 meters away in a baseball stadium, the firm explained. It is possible to

South Korea on Wednesday started requiring all air travelers to wear face masks to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Following a mandate from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of Wednesday the government is requiring all travelers on domestic and international routes to wear masks. Those without masks will be denied boarding. The measure came as increasing numbers of people were ignoring the government’s recommendations on masks amid warmer sprin

South Korea shared its experience and quarantine process in tackling the novel coronavirus pandemic with Latin American countries through an online seminar Wednesday. The Special Webinar on COVID-19 for Policy and Technology event, hosted by the International Quarantine Cooperation task force, comes as many countries in Central and South America have reported a large number of COVID-19 cases and related deaths. These countries have expressed interest in South Korea's handling of the virus outb

The Unification Ministry on Wednesday said it will provide North Korea with $4.9 million in aid through a UN agency, to support enhancing the country’s statistics program.  The decision to fund the project by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific was made during a civilian-government committee on inter-Korean exchanges. The project will last six years, and Seoul has set aside $720,000 for this year. It will pay the amount each year in installment

Lending rates on fresh loans extended by banks in South Korea dropped sharply from a month earlier in April, central bank data showed Wednesday, apparently due to stimulus measures that supplied massive funds to businesses hit by the new coronavirus outbreak. The average interest rate on fresh bank loans came to 2.8 percent in the month, down 11 basis points from 2.91 percent the previous month, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK slashed the base interest rate

The prosecution arrested Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho’s former election campaign manager over suspicions that he accepted illegal campaign funds from a local used car dealer in 2018. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that the presidential office helped Song, a longtime friend of President Moon Jae-in, win the 2018 mayoral race by pressuring police to investigate his rival to sway public opinion. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office is questioning the former aide to

South Korean pharmaceutical companies have joined the global race to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, but none of them have received approval for clinical trials for a vaccine or treatment candidates from the country's drug safety agency. Celltrion Inc., a major pharmaceutical giant, has announced that it plans to develop a "super antibody" candidate that can help prepare for potential future pandemics. Celltrion was earlier selected as a preferred developer for a monoc