The anti-corruption unit of the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office said prosecutors and police investigators from the unit were searching the SK Group headquarters in Seoul to secure evidence for an investigation into the slush fund allegation. Up to 67 indie bands will perform in the week-long online festival from March 8 to 14. South Korea started its first inoculation program against the new coronavirus Friday over one... Posted February 26, 2021 S. Korea ratifies key U.N. labor conventions Politics 18:43 February 26, … 1817-First Evangelical church building dedicated, New Berlin PA 1819-U.S. passed its first immigration law 1903-Martha Washington Hotel, catering to women only, opens in New York NY One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history triggered tsunami warnings across the ocean and forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate coastal areas Friday. After spending a phenomenal year with megahits "Dynamite" and "Life Goes On" in 2020, BTS has been crowned Global Recording Artist of the Year by an organization representing the worldwide recording industry. 2 in the 2018 Global Artist Chart compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and No. South Korea time now. Yoon has yet to make any comment about a bid for the presidency, but has emerged as a clear fr... Seoul encourages foreign residents to take COVID-19 tests. North Korea is the world's least free country in terms of economic freedom for its people and businesses, an annual report from a U.S. think tank showed Thursday. BGF Retail entered the market there in 2018 and expanded its presence quickly by opening more than 100 stores. A performer, dressed in a monkey costume with a chain around his neck, pushes a cart piled high with coconuts in front of the Royal Thai Embassy in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday afternoon. Last weekend, global K-pop fans on Spotify faced a blackout of hundreds of songs by popular artists, including Zico, Mamamoo and IU, after the Swedish audio giant's licensing agreement with South Korea's top music distributor Kakao M Corp. came to an end. ': Woman ignores virus rules on train, yells at complainer, Migrant workers fear being excluded from COVID-19 vaccination program, [ANALYSIS] Why Japan is closely watching how Samsung fares against Chinese rivals, 279 caught for spreading disinformation on COVID-19 vaccines, 'Will Biden make 'unhealthy America' great again? Current local time in South Korea – Seoul. Many recording artists struggle to cope with the trappings of fame. Israel Adesanya's hype has been compared to that of Conor McGregor and, with his 20-0 winning streak, he is considered to be one of the best MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters in the world. 398. : The latest breaking news on Korea, and Korean society and North Korea. The by-elections in the nation's two largest cities are being held to choose the successors of two former disgraced mayors ― Park Won-soon of Seoul and Oh Keo-don of Busan ― who both belonged to the DPK. NASA's Perseverance rover is landing on Mars, Top prosecutor's resignation rattles opposition bloc. South Korea time zone and map with current time in the largest cities. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to encourage foreign residents to get tested for COVID-19, as part of the city's efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the capital area. As of Friday, seven people with pre-existing health conditions had died after receiving a first shot of the vaccine, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The government will charter a special flight, Saturday, to bring home Korean citizens from Myanmar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. Korea Times Weekly : 02-724-2869. The new name is the result of a strategic realignment conducted over the past several years under Merck's so-called “Bright Future” transformation program that began in 2018. Again, North Korea is banned under UN Security Council resolutions from testing ballistic missiles. If made, it will be the first visit to South Korea by senior officials of the Biden administration. Explore Seoul's sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset. In recent months, Harvard Law School Professor John Mark Ramseyer's paper “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War” has created an uproar in political and academic circles by challenging the dominant discourse of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. The largest-ever indie online music festival will be held next week to promote concert venues and indie music, which have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has submitted a 15 trillion won (US$13.2 billion) supplementary budget plan to finance the fourth round of COVID-19 relief for small businesses and vulnerable groups. The government will charter a special flight, Saturday, to bring home Korean citizens from Myanmar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. The SK Wyverns are no more in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), as the team's new corporate owner, Shinsegae Group's E-Mart, announced Friday they will now be called the SSG Landers. Oil prices rose early on Friday, adding to big gains overnight after OPEC and its allies agreed to not increase supply in April as they await a more solid recovery in demand from the coronavirus pandemic. The European Union is planning to extend its export authorisation scheme for COVID-19 vaccines to the end of June, two EU sources told Reuters on Thursday, as a shipment of AstraZeneca shots from the EU to Australia was blocked. Fire engulfs old Buddhist temple in southwestern region, Spring concert brings seasonal change to pandemic-weary music lovers, [INTERVIEW] Buddhist artist adds modern twist to traditional paintings, 'Will Biden make 'unhealthy America' great again? The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) will pay 220.8 billion won ($196 million) in dividends to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the state lender's largest shareholder with a 59.2 percent stake. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is failing to capitalize on its advantage over the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections taking place on April 7. The magnitude 8.1 quake in the Kermadec Islands region about 1,000 kilometers from New Zealand was the largest in a series of tremors, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3. Local retail giant BGF Retail is seeking to build its CU convenience store chain into a global brand starting in Asia. At the announcement of this year's winners streamed online, the director's 25th feature film was awarded the Silver Bear prize for best screenplay at the 71st edition of the Berlin fest, which kicked off Monday for its five-day run in an online edition due to the pandemic. This will be the first chartered flight con... Fire engulfs old Buddhist temple in southwestern region, Ruling party chairman egged by woman protesting new theme park project in Chuncheon, 20 university students appointed as Korea Times brand ambassadors, Prosecutors raid SK Group in connection with alleged slush fund case at SK Networks, Medical experts warn against excessive fears of the COVID-19 vaccine, 17-year jail term upheld for man who killed son, mother, South Korea approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister urges swift passage of $13.2 billion extra budget plan, Friday's new virus cases hovering around 400, potential upticks worrisome amid pandemic fatigue, US foreign, defense chiefs may visit Seoul this month: sources, South Korean negotiator vows to conclude defense cost talks with US soon, Main opposition fails to capitalize on by-election advantage, 'Do you know who my father is? The resignation of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Thursday, has rattled the opposition bloc by raising the possibility of him turning to politics and a possible run in the 2022 presidential election. The resignation of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Thursday, has rattled the opposition bloc by raising the possibility of him turning to politics and a possible run in the 2022 presidential election. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to visit South Korea this month, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday, amid growing hope for a long-delayed defense cost-sharing deal. It had been published by the Hankook Ilbo Media Group but following an embezzlement scandal in 2013-2014 it was sold to Dongwha Group, which also owns Hankook Ilbo. www.koreatimes.co.kr delivers the latest information on all events and stories taking place in Korea. The newspaper's "Thoughts of The Times" opinion column and "Readers Forum" offer readers a chance to share their … The confidence comes from the success of its convenience store business in Mongolia. Well, the next morning in the US, he took to Twitter to lash out at the real issue: US–South Korea military exercises, which he's long complained are too expensive. The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent. Korea's largest online job listing site, JobKorea, is set to be sold to Hong Kong-based private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners, as the firm has been selected as the preferred bidder for the portal's acquisition. The new military rulers of Myanmar ordered mobile operators and internet service providers to block access to Twitter and Instagram in the country until further notice, Norwegian telecom Telenor said … Yoon has yet to make any comment about a bid for the presidency, but has emerged as a clear frontrunner for the opposition in presidential election surveys after confronting President Moon Jae-in over his prosecutorial reform efforts. Copyright@KoreaTimes.co.kr All rights reserved. Home Delivery in Korea : 20,000 won per month, Newsstand: 1,000 won per copy. Shinhan Financial Group will appoint two outside directors recommended by foreign investors, in a move to better reflect concerns voiced by large shareholders who are seeking greater representation in the lender's decision-making. The win on Wednesday (U.S. local time) marks a first for an act that performs primarily in a non-English language. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun urged the National Assembly on Friday to swiftly pass the latest extra budget proposal, calling it "medicine" and a "vaccine" amid the coronavirus pandemic. CU is currently the No.1 convenience store brand in Mongolia. A new team has landed in South Korean baseball. Prosecutors on Friday raided SK Group's headquarters to see if the group is involved in the alleged creation of an illicit fund by the chairman of the SK Networks Co., a global trading unit of the group. This will be the first chartered flight connecting the two countries as a brutal crackdown intensifies on protests against the military coup there. Merck, a leading science and technology company, is changing the name of its Performance Materials division to Electronics. Twitter is better without Trump, and if it wants to keep kicking off more politicians, I’m not going to lose much sleep over it. South Korean director Hong Sang-soo on Friday won best screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival for his latest film, "Introduction." LG Energy Solution and General Motors (GM) are eyeing the construction of a new battery-manufacturing plant in the U.S. state of Tennessee to meet growing demand for battery cells for electric vehicles (EVs). The Korea Times has something for everyone, covering a well-balanced mix of a wide range of topics, from the economy and politics to culture and sports. South Korea started its first inoculation program against the new... February 26, 2021 S. Korea ratifies key U.N. labor conventions Politics 18:43 February 26, 2021 Get Seoul's weather and area codes, time zone and DST. Gov't to run chartered flight Saturday to bring home Koreans in Myanmar. Overseas subscription rates available on request. 7 in the 2019 rankings. Now the world seen by Mapplethorpe some 40 years ago will get a chance to resonate with audiences half a world away. South Korea will extend its current social distancing measures for another two weeks, the... Posted February 26, 2021 S. Korea begins vaccinations amid hopes for herd immunity by Nov. What did the president have to say afterward? In a 96-page document made public Thursday (local time), the USITC agreed with LGES's assertion that stated “it is clear that SKI, without the stolen LG Chem Trade Secrets, would not have been able to develop the information in the stolen trade secrets in anything less than ten years.”. 113. : The latest breaking news on Korea, and Korean society and North Korea. The ministry did not specify the airline, time or other details. South Korea started its first inoculation program against the new... February 26, 2021 S. Korea ratifies key U.N. labor conventions Politics 18:43 February 26, 2021 Robert Mapplethorpe's controversial photos arrive in Korea "Art is an accurate statement of the time in which it is made," said American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-89). This is an increase of about 55 billion from 166.2 billion paid out to the ministry in 2019. For the first time on record, the number of newborns in South Korea last year fell below the number of deaths, underscoring a long-term crisis in one of the world’s most important economies. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Nak-yon's visit to a traditional marketplace in Chuncheon, Friday, turned ugly after a woman egged his face in protest of a new land development project in the city. SK hynix accounted for 29.5 percent of global DRAM sales to rank second. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to encourage foreign residents to get tested for COVID-19, as part of the city's efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the capital area. Samsung Electronics secured its lead in the global DRAM (dynamic random-access ram) market by accounting for 42.1 percent of total sales in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to data from market tracker Trendforce. BTS had ranked No. Now the Nigerian-born fighter is moving to the light heavyweight division for a title fight against Jan Blachowicz in UFC 259 on March 6. Crazy Dennis Rodman is saying I wanted to go to North Korea with him. ': Mick Mulvaney [VIDEO], US defense chief shortlists North Korea as 'nation-state threat', State auditor finds no fault in process leading to gov't's nuclear-free policy, State-run organizations to strengthen ESG values, Korean baseball authority approves Shinsegae Group's entry following takeover of SK Wyverns, SpaceX Starship lands upright, then explodes in latest test, NASA's Perseverance rover is landing on Mars, Mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign starts: Part 2, Tens of thousands rally in Myanmar protesting military coup, South Korea approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, 279 caught for spreading disinformation on COVID-19 vaccines, Friday's new virus cases hovering around 400, potential upticks worrisome amid pandemic fatigue, South Korean negotiator vows to conclude defense cost talks with US soon, Ex-Seoul mayoral candidates return for another bid. The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea.It is a sister paper of the Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacturer. The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has reiterated that SK Innovation (SKI) has sold and imported electric vehicle (EV) batteries in the U.S. that were manufactured using industrial secrets misappropriated from LG Energy Solution (LGES). But one year later, Trump lashed out at Rodman on Twitter, this time insulting North Korea as well. The Korea Times appointed 20 university students as the newspaper's first brand ambassadors, to raise brand awareness and better promote various events and forums it hosts. There was the time last June when North Korean state television aired a video of their Musudan missiles that were supposedly meant to target Guam, featuring patriotic music.. Then in August, North Korean state news agency KCNA said that Guam and US military bases in the Pacific would "face ruin in the face of an all-out and substantial attack.". S. Korea ratifies key U.N. labor conventions Politics 18:43 February 26, 2021. The Biden administration stepped up its condemnation of the coup in Myanmar on Thursday, demanding that military authorities stop their brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and release demonstrators and journalists who have been detained. ': Mick Mulvaney [VIDEO], 'Spirit of the Constitution and the system of rule of law are falling apart', Hyundai, LG agree on ratio for Kona EV recall cost, Public fury rising over LH workers' speculation, Controversy rises over app for tracking kids' phone activity. Exact time now, time zone, time difference, sunrise/sunset time and key facts for South Korea. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 17 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $64.00 at 0128 GMT, holding below a 13-month high hit on Thursday. The Supreme Court upheld Friday a 17-year prison term for a man who killed his son and mother, and then attempted to commit suicide with his wife. After taking several steps forward, he suddenly empties the cart, leaving dozens of coconuts precariously tumbling down the road, before picking up a sign. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle headed to California in search of a sunny and glamorous new life, they probably didn't expect so much of their first year would be spent stuck at home. The couple arrived in Los Angeles just before last March's pandemic travel restrictions, and quickly set about plans to forge a uniquely royal Hollywood power brand, courted by multiple major studios before inking a lucrative deal with Netflix. Medical experts have warned against excessive fears about the COVID-19 vaccine among patients with underlying health conditions, following several reported deaths after the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as it may lead to vaccine hesitancy. The North ranked 178th or last in terms of economic freedom, according to the report, the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation. 7,634 Followers, 0 Following, 719 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from The Korea Times (@thekoreatimes_official) Small tsunami waves were seen but little damage was apparent hours later.