Ex-Girls’ Generation member Jessica to write novels Jessica Jung, a former member of Korea’s K-pop group Girls’ Generation, will make her debut as a novelist with a contract to write two teen novels for a big U.S. publishing firm. Under the contract, her novel, “Shine,” will be published in 11 countries and made into a […]

World Athletics Championships

IU returns with a touch of the blues IU Friday posted a teaser photo of herself ahead of the release of her album, titled “Love Poems,” on her Instagram account. The photo shows the K-pop star with her hair dyed blue, leaving fans guessing what the album is about. The release date has not been […]

Korea, Japan discuss exit strategy on trade dispute at WTO Korea and Japan have embarked on a bilateral discussion to settle their months-long trade dispute at the headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Friday afternoon (KST), as part of their first debate settlement procedure. The director-level consultation came a month after Korea […]

Pie in the sky China’s eco-friendly car market is growing rapidly on the back of its proactive policy of going green in the automotive industry. The Middle Kingdom has already emerged as the world’s largest market for eco-friendly vehicles, including electric cars, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Rail union workers stage 72-hour strike The rail workers’ union began a 72-hour strike, Friday, after talks with management over a pay raise and better labor conditions fell through earlier this year. The 19,000-member Korean Railway Workers’ Union began the strike at 9 a.m. and it will run through 9 a.m. Monday.

Army to curtail troops for combat efficiency The Army plans to curtail the number of troops to around 365,000 by the end of 2022 to enhance combat efficiency and deal with the decreasing population, the land force said Friday in the National Assembly’s annual audit. This is a 10 percent cut from the current number […]

Hyundai, Kia offer lifetime warranties on cars with Theta 2GDi engine Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors will provide lifetime warranties to owners of vehicles equipped with Theta 2 gasoline direct injection (GDi) engines, the companies said Friday.

Samsung to take on Apple in Japan with Galaxy Fold Samsung Electronics plans to release the world’s first foldable smartphone Galaxy Fold in Japan later this month, hoping to narrow a market share gap with its bigger rival Apple in the Japanese smartphone market, industry officials said Friday.

Celebrating founder’s day McDonald’s Korea Managing Director Melanie Joh, right, poses with an employee who has delivered “feel-good moments” to serve customers at the McDonald’s Seoul Station store, Friday. Joh made a surprise visit to the restaurant to express her gratitude to the 31-year-old employee and celebrate the birthday of Ray Kroc, who turned McDonald’s […]