South Korea's homegrown lunar monitoring payload, which will carry out science experiments as part of the U.S. moon exploration Artemis program, is ready to join the unmanned space mission next year, the science ministry said Monday. The lunar space environment monitor, developed by the state-run Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, has been completed and will be headed to the headquarters of Intuitive Machines Inc. in Houston, Texas, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. LU

Technology Sept. 4, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell slightly to 35.4 percent, a poll showed Monday, amid debates about the government's decision to relocate the bust of a revered independence fighter. In a poll of 2,505 eligible voters commissioned by Media Tribune and conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, Yoon's approval rating fell 2.2 percentage points from a week earlier, while negative assessment rose by 1.7 percentage points to 61.1 percent, the poll showed. A d

Politics Sept. 4, 2023

South Korea's shipbuilding-to-energy conglomerate HD Hyundai Group said Monday it will showcase eco-friendly vessels, and seek cooperation with global ship registers and shippers in an upcoming world gas exhibition. HD Hyundai said it will display models of a liquefied natural gas carrier, a liquefied petroleum gas ship, a duel fuel engine as well as other green technologies at Gastech 2023. The world's largest gas, LNG, hydrogen and energy fair, slated for Tuesday to Friday in Singapo

Mobility Sept. 4, 2023

UN special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights is set to visit South Korea this week to meet Seoul officials and defectors from the reclusive regime. Elizabeth Salmon is expected to arrive in Seoul on Monday for a nine-day stay to meet foreign, unification and justice officials, as well as North Korean defectors and rights groups, according to the foreign ministry. She is also scheduled to hold a press conference in Seoul on Sept. 12. The rapporteur will submit a report on North Korea

Foreign Affairs Sept. 4, 2023

French designer brand ami has opened its first duty-free shop in South Korea as part of its efforts to reach out to more global consumers, its distributor said Monday. Ami opened a 33.3-square-meter store at Lotte Duty Free's Myeongdong branch in central Seoul on Friday, according to Samsung C&T Corp. Various kinds of apparel with ami's signature heart logo, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and cardigans, as well as the brand's 2023 F/W season collection will be availa

Industry Sept. 4, 2023

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday on growing expectations the US Federal Reserve will not raise the interest rate in its next policy meeting after key unemployment data reflected a cooling economy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 7.31 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,571.02 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The US unemployment rate jumped to 3.8 percent in August, the Labor Department said Friday, and wage growth slowed. The fresh readings came as a reminder th

Market Sept. 4, 2023

The South Korean economy is on the verge of recovery despite some monthly volatility, the finance minister said Monday, with exports showing continued signs of improvement. "South Korea's economy has recently witnessed some monthly fluctuations, but in general, it is building ground at an entryway of recovery," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said during a meeting with economy-related ministers. While South Korea's industrial output lost ground on-month in July, Choo attribute

Economy Sept. 4, 2023

Eastar Jet Co., a South Korean low-cost carrier, said Sunday it has resumed services on international routes after a 3 1/2-year hiatus induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eastar Jet began providing three flights a week on the route from Gimpo to Songsan in Taiwan starting Saturday, the company said in a statement. The budget carrier also plans to offer flights on the routes from Incheon to Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok and Da Nang from Sept. 20 and to Fukuoka and Nha Trang from Oct. 29, it said. In March,

Industry Sept. 3, 2023

At a pharmacy or a clinic, pill counting is a common routine that pharmacists or pharmacy technicians have to undergo to ensure that an accurate amount of medication is distributed and a patient gets an accurate dosage. And it is also part of inventory management that druggists have to do at the end of each day or month. It is simple, repetitive work but very important for a pharmacy. If a patient does not receive the correct number of pills, the consequences can be life threatening and clinic e

Industry Sept. 3, 2023

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has completed his fourth career hat trick in the Premier League, earning his first goals of the new season in style. Son netted three goals in a 5-2 rout of Burnley at Turf Moor in Burnley, England, on Saturday. This was Spurs' fourth match of the 2023-2024 season, and Son, who was named captain before the start of this campaign, had been held goalless in three previous contests before this trifecta. Son's previous hat trick came almost exactly a year

Soccer Sept. 3, 2023

Samsung Electronics Co. will continue to develop Micro LED technology to maintain its leading position in the premium TV market, a TV executive has said at the IFA tech trade show in Berlin. "We see Micro LED as our strategic display panel of the future," Chung Kang-il, vice president and head of Samsung visual display division's future planning group, said at a media briefing Friday. "We believe Mirco LED is a (ultimate) display solution that can overcome the shortfalls and

Industry Sept. 3, 2023

South Korean girl group Blackpink has secured six nominations at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, alongside other K-pop bands that have also received nominations, according to the US TV station. According to a list of nominees announced by MTV on Friday US time, Blackpink was nominated for Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Choreography, Best K-pop, Group of the Year, and Show of the Summer. During last year's awards, the quartet made its debut performance as a K-pop girl band

K-pop Sept. 2, 2023

Having been unable to find his footing with the Premier League side Nottingham Forest, South Korean international Hwang Ui-jo will get a fresh start with the second-tier club Norwich City. Norwich City announced on their website on Saturday that they have acquired Hwang on loan from Nottingham Forest for the rest of this season. Hwang first signed with Forest in August 2022 but was immediately loaned to Olympiacos FC in Greece, with both teams owned by the Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marina

Soccer Sept. 2, 2023

Toronto Blue Jays starter Ryu Hyun-jin has settled for a no-decision after pitching five solid innings in a notorious hitters' park, with the bullpen costing the South Korean pitcher his fourth consecutive win. Ryu held the Colorado Rockies to two runs on four hits in five innings at Coors Field in Denver on Friday local time, as the Jays won 13-9. Ryu struck out three and walked two while remaining at 3-1 for the season. His ERA rose slightly from 2.25 to 2.48. All the damage against Ryu c

Baseball Sept. 2, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has extended an invitation to a group of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima during the upcoming Chuseok holiday, a presidential official said Saturday. "President Yoon has invited Korean atomic bomb victims to South Korea for the Chuseok holiday," the official told Yonhap News Agency. This year's Chuseok fall harvest holiday will take place from Sep. 28 to Oct. 1. During his visit to Hiroshima for a Group of Seven summit in May, Yoon met

Social Affairs Sept. 2, 2023