Lee Kang-in selected for Asian Cup's all-tournament team

South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in was tapped by the Asian Football Confederation as one of the top 11 players of the Asian Cup 2023, after the top continental tournament in Qatar concluded Saturday with the home team defending its title. The 22-year-old scored three goals for the national team in his first Asian Cup outing, tying for the team lead in scoring with the captain Son Heung-min, while also adding an assist. His two goals in the opening match for South Korea against Bahrain in the qu

SoccerFeb. 13, 2024

[KH explains] Why ramyeon makers still stick with 'ramen' marketing

Amid soaring exports of Korean instant noodles in recent years, a renewed spotlight has been cast on a decadeslong dilemma among local food companies -- whether or not the word "ramen" should be ditched from their marketing strategy. Ramen, rooted in Japanese culinary tradition, has become a household name globally that refers to noodles in broth. The term "ramen" can also refer to instant noodle products. Amid a growing global presence, Korean businesses have long used the t

IndustryFeb. 12, 2024

S. Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min captures world title in men's 400m freestyle

South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min has grabbed the gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the ongoing world championships in Qatar, becoming the country's world swimming champion in 13 years. Kim won his monumental gold medal with a personal-best time of 3:42.71 at Aspire Dome in Doha on Sunday (local time) at the World Aquatics Championships. Kim held off the 2022 world champion, Elijah Winnington of Australia, by 0.15 second. Lukas Martens of Germany, the bronze medalist at the

More SportsFeb. 12, 2024

[Pressure points] Lingering after meals during peak hours. Courtesy needed?

At Korea's busy eateries, diners lingering after eating often get disapproving looks from restaurant owners or those still waiting for a table. While this tension between leisurely dining and the demand for tables exists elsewhere, it can be highly pronounced in South Korea, where meals typically don’t include a dessert course and the focus of diners is often more on the eating itself, rather than on conversation. In online discussion forum Nate Pann last December, an anonymous post

Hashtag KoreaFeb. 11, 2024

Donald Trump wins Nevada’s Republican caucuses after being the only major candidate to participate

LAS VEGAS -- Former President Donald Trump won Nevada’s Republican presidential caucuses Thursday after he was the only major candidate to compete. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley skipped the caucuses, which are the only contest in Nevada that counts toward the GOP nomination. Haley cited what she considered an unfair process favoring Trump and instead ran in Nevada’s symbolic state-run presidential primary on Tuesday, when she finished behind the “none of these candidates&rdq

World NewsFeb. 9, 2024

Doctors, government lock horns over medical school expansion

Medical circles continue to lock horns with the government following the announcement of an increase in medical school enrollment quotas by 2,000 from the current 3,058, as they mull joint action in protest of the decision. In response, the Health Ministry said Thursday afternoon it had issued orders to prohibit doctors from engaging in collective action and specialists from resigning en masse. The ministry raised the national health crisis level to alert -- the third highest in the four-tier

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2024

Foreign nanny plan put on hold as Philippines suspends worker deployment

A moratorium set by the Philippine government on sending their workers to South Korea has put the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan to bring in foreign domestic workers on hold, while also leaving some local farms with a shortage of workers as they will have fewer seasonal workers from the Philippines than in previous years. The Seoul city government said last year that it would bring in around 100 Filipina domestic helpers during the second half of 2023 in a pilot program to tackle the

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2024

King Charles diagnosed with cancer

King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment, Buckingham Palace said on Monday, sparking a flood of support from around the world. Charles, who became king upon the death of his 96-year-old mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Sept. 8, 2022, has generally enjoyed good health, barring injuries from polo and skiing. But the palace said that during his recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement "a separate issue of concern was noted." "Subsequent d

World NewsFeb. 6, 2024

Home prices drive Seoulites out of town

More than 5.47 million Seoulites have moved to a different metro area in the last 10 years, government data showed Monday, as home prices and uncertainties in the real estate market drive many to relocate to cities with more affordable housing. Of the total, some 1.74 million people said their main reason for leaving the city between 2014 and 2023 was housing, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service data on the number of people who relocated from Seoul to other cities and provinc

Social AffairsFeb. 5, 2024

[KH Explains] US Election: calm before the storm for Korean auto, battery makers

South Korean automakers and battery firms are closely monitoring this year's US presidential election and calmly bracing for negative impacts in the case of the Joe Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act possibly being repealed in a second Donald Trump term. The IRA, which is intended to boost American manufacturing and keep China in check, offers incentives to buyers of electric vehicles with certain battery parts and materials secured from US soil or via international partne

MobilityFeb. 4, 2024

[Weekender] Born to battle: Decoding Korea's hypercompetitive society

Han, a 30-year-old living in Seoul, was once a promising student. She entered Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul on a scholarship and secured a well-paying job at a large company upon graduation. However, the constant competition and long work hours eventually took a toll. Despite being promoted to assistant manager before her colleagues, Han started to experience burnout. "The cycle of competition just didn't end. I had to beat my colleagues to get promoted. I wasn't happy," H

weekenderFeb. 3, 2024

Women, old men in military? Korea debates solutions for looming conscript shortfall

Reforming military obligations for men in South Korea has always been a flashpoint for heated debate. But recently, fuel has been added to the fire with the emergence of two rather radical ideas. One idea came from professor Choi Young-jin of Chung-Ang University in Seoul, who proposed in an op-ed for a local daily the formation of a "senior army" composed of men aged 55 to 75 to address an anticipated shortfall in military personnel. In South Korea, which faces the nuclear-armed, bell

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2024

Will cheaper foldable phones become a reality?

Samsung Electronics, a pioneer in foldable smartphones, is ramping up efforts to expand the still-nascent and high-priced segment, fueling speculation that the tech giant could come out with cheaper versions with mass-market appeal as soon as this year. A recent news report said Samsung is expected to launch two models for the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold6 later this year, including a cheaper one without the pricey S-Pen stylus. Foldable displays are priced higher to support the scribble function on t

IndustryFeb. 1, 2024

Zuckerberg apologizes to child abuse victims

Sexual predators. Addictive features. Suicide and eating disorders. Unrealistic beauty standards. Bullying. These are just some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media — and children’s advocates and lawmakers say companies are not doing enough to protect them. On Wednesday, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies went before the US Senate Judiciary Committee to testify as lawmakers and parents grow increasingly concerned about the effects of s

World NewsFeb. 1, 2024

[KH Explains] What’s behind unusual popularity of imported milk in Korea?

Imported milk has been enjoying unexpected popularity in Korea recently, with the import volume more than tripling over the past three years alone. According to the Korea Customs Service, imports of pasteurized milk totaled 3.74 metric tons, worth 41.5 billion won ($31.1 million), last year, up 32 percent from a year prior and a threefold surge from 2020. Almost 90 percent of the imports came from Poland, followed by Australia (4.1 percent), Germany (3.9 percent) and France (2.2 percent). Despit

IndustryJan. 31, 2024

S. Korea’s echo chambers grow, study finds

South Koreans' tendency to search only the information matching their own political inclination has been rising while their general interest toward politics has been on a downward trajectory, a recent survey by a local research company indicated. Last year the online research company Embraine conducted a survey of 1,000 adults aged 19 to 59 to find how much they are affected by the filter bubble, which refers to when an internet user encounters information that conforms to and/or reinforces

Social AffairsJan. 30, 2024

'SNL Korea' lawsuit sheds light on streaming shows' working conditions

The legal disputes surrounding the popular Korean entertainment show "SNL Korea" is shedding light on the poor working conditions experienced by staff working at production companies that supply content to streaming services, according to experts, Monday. South Korean production company Astory, which produces content for various streaming services, said on Thursday the company has filed a lawsuit claiming 7 billion won ($5.2 million) in damages for restraint of trade against CP Enter

TelevisionJan. 29, 2024

[KH Explains] Will OpenAI, Korean chipmakers team up to take on Nvidia?

Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of OpenAI, visited Seoul last week to hold a series of meetings with top executives of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world’s top two memory chipmakers, fueling speculation that the “father of ChatGPT” is in search of allies to take on Nvidia, the unrivaled market leader in chips for artificial intelligence. For Samsung and SK, being part of a possible alliance would provide a chance for them to step up their game in the heated com

IndustryJan. 28, 2024

Concerns rise as workplace safety law extends to smaller firms

The business community and President Yoon Suk Yeol conveyed their profound disappointment following unsuccessful parliamentary negotiations on extending the grace period for the country's workplace safety law for small businesses by an additional two years. Labor groups, on the other hand, have embraced the latest developments, viewing them as positive steps in ensuring enhanced worker safety standards. The workplace safety law, known as the Serious Accident Punishment Act is, set to be exp

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2024

[Newsmaker] SK hynix posts surprise Q4 profit, signaling chip recovery

SK hynix will upgrade its legacy chip fab in China to produce high-value-added products to enhance profitability and meet the demand for recovery, the company said on Thursday. In its regulatory filing on the same day, the world's second-largest chipmaker reported an earnings surprise for the October-December period in 2023, marking a turnaround after struggling from losses for four straight quarters earlier. "Unlike in the past, we will focus our investment decisions to deliver value

IndustryJan. 25, 2024