President Moon Jae-in's security adviser said Tuesday it is difficult to predict whether another summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can take place, citing "many uncertainties." Suh Hoon, director of the National Security Office at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, made the remarks during a parliamentary audit, amid speculation Moon is pushing for another inter-Korean summit to help salvage his drive for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. "We have ju

Kai of EXO is preparing a new solo album that will be released at the end of November, according to local media reports Tuesday. 　 Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news and asked fans to keep their eyes peeled. 　 The veteran idol put out his first solo music in November last year. The eponymous EP consisted of six songs including main track “Mmmh,” and topped iTunes top albums chart in 50 regions. 　 Now in his 10th year as a musician, also as a member of EXO and SuperM, he has

The members of the International Association of Prosecutors decided to launch a regional office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in St. Petersburg, Russia, organizers said Tuesday. The decision was reached during the IAP’s 52nd Executive Committee Meeting and 26th General Meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, from Oct. 20-22. At the opening event on Oct. 20, IAP President Hwang Cheol-kyu, who is the chief prosecutor of the International Center for Criminal Justice in Korea, and Deputy Pr

A 93-year-old former “comfort woman” pleaded with the South Korean government on Tuesday to take the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery to the UN Committee Against Torture.  Speaking at a virtual press conference, Lee Yong-soo urged President Moon Jae-in to refer the case to the UN body, which monitors adherence to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment -- which both South Korea and Japan have ratified. 

Kakao Pay, which is expected to go public on Nov. 3, attracted more than 5 trillion won ($4.2 billion) during the two-day public subscription for its initial public offering, according to its IPO managers on Tuesday. Based on the subscription number of 1.82 million, each subscriber is expected to obtain at least one stock and up to three depending on the brokerage firm they used. The new stocks available for retail investors number 4.25 million, or 25 percent of the 17 million new shares.

South Korean telecommunications provider KT apologized for Monday’s massive network outage, and for mistakenly citing a cyberattack as its cause. “We sincerely apologize for the massive internet disruptions on Monday. While we initially assumed it was from an outside DDoS attack, it appears to have been caused by a network routing error that occurred during our recent equipment update process,” said KT CEO Koo Hyeon-mo in a statement released Tuesday. Pledging to actively

The news of former President Roh Tae-woo’s death on Tuesday was met with mixed reactions. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea expressed condolences, but also pointed to his part in military regimes. Saying that the party wishes for Roh to rest in peace, Democratic Party spokesperson Rep. Lee Yong-bin said the late ex-president extended military rule despite being elected democratically, and that he was a “criminal in history” for his part in crushing the 1980 Gwangju Democ

The fifth International Conference on Learning Cities, held by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, kicks off in Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu on Wednesday to promote lifelong education for sustainable and healthy urban lives. Upholding learning cities’ green goal, the conference is set to be “paperless,” fully utilizing electronic documents. It is the district office’s effort to keep in step with UNESCO’s values and to meet its sustainable development goals, ac

As Gen.G Esports triumphed over Cloud9 of the US, the last remaining hope for the West, in a clean 3-0 sweep Monday, three of four slots in the semifinals are now occupied by Korean teams: Damwon Kia, T1 and Gen.G Esports. The first game of the semifinals for the League of Legend World Championship will feature a clash of LoL giants Damwon and T1. The two teams, considered the two strongest teams in this year’s tournament, seek to cement their respective legacies by hoisting the Summone

K-pop boy band BTS’ Jin and Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation are some of the well-known singers who will be featured in the soundtrack of “Jirisan,” tvN’s latest Saturday-Sunday drama series. The final star-studded lineup for the soundtrack announced by the drama production firms, Astory and Most Contents, also includes Yi Sung-yol, Kim Jong-wan of Nell, Gaho, Paul Kim, Jukjae, Kim Feel, Rothy and 03ohn. The artists are widely recognized for their megahit songs from

The government will slash fuel taxes by 20 percent and cut tariffs on liquid natural gas to near zero in November for six months to fend off inflationary pressure further building up with rising energy prices. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, taxes on gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas will be cut by 20 percent starting Nov. 12, marking the highest tax cut in history. The temporary cut will end in April, the ministry said after a meeting with the ruling party. Autho

Roh a key player in brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters; first elected president

Samsung Electronics Co. will quickly decide on a foundry investment in the United States, a senior executive said Tuesday, as the South Korean tech giant seeks to become the world's No. 1 player in the logic chip and foundry sectors. Samsung Electronics, the world's No. 2 foundry firm behind Taiwan's TSMC, announced in May that it will build a $17 billion fab in the US Samsung's de facto leader Lee Jae-yong is widely speculated to visit the US, possibly next month, to finalize the site, with t

Loan guarantees among affiliates of South Korea's conglomerates soared this year from a year earlier due to the addition of more large business groups to the corporate watch list, the antitrust regulator said Tuesday. Of 40 conglomerate affiliates on the list, the total corporate debt payment guarantees by eight units reached 1.16 trillion won ($993 million) as of May 1, up 1,242 percent from 86.4 billion won the previous year, according to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). The jump was

Despite a complicated assessment of his political career, the late former President Roh Tae-woo is widely credited for opening a new chapter in South Korea's diplomatic ties with communist nations under his signature Nordpolitik and laying the groundwork for promoting inter-Korean relations. Roh, who died at the age of 88 Tuesday, was the country's first president to establish diplomatic relations with the traditional allies of North Korea in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the Sovie