Popular South Korean over-the-top streaming services Tving and Wavve are reportedly seeking a merger, according to the media reports on Wednesday. Currently, entertainment giant CJ ENM owns Tving, while conglomerate SK Square runs Wavve. The two OTT brands are seeking a merger to increase their share of the local OTT market, aiming to clinch the deal in December, according to a local media outlet, citing industry sources. According to the report, CJ ENM will become the largest shareholder of t

TelevisionNov. 29, 2023

GS Group, the South Korean energy, retail and construction conglomerate, on Wednesday said it promoted 50 executives across its affiliates, the most the group has carried out in its annual reshuffle since its establishment in 2005. The promotions include Kim Seong-min, new CEO at GS Caltex, Yoo Jae-young, CEO of GS Power, and Cheong Yong-han, CEO of GS Entec. Kim, along with Hur Sae-hong, the incumbent CEO of GS Caltex, will serve as independent heads of the oil refiner. GS Group last month appo

IndustryNov. 29, 2023

A waste disposal center in Yesan-gun, South Chungcheong Province has come under fire for refusing to hire a woman, local media reported Wednesday. During a meeting of Yesan-gun's Resident Support Council, a 69-year-old female member and resident of the district asked what the qualifications for the post of resident monitor were. But a high-ranking member of the group answered that they cannot hire women. Resident support councils are groups formed by regional governments to aid functions re

Social AffairsNov. 29, 2023

The National Orchestra of Korea, a traditional Korean music orchestra affiliated with the National Theater of Korea, is set to present "Winter Concert" at the Haneul Round Theater in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, on Dec. 16-17. This year-end performance has been a sold-out event for the National Orchestra of Korea every year since 2018. This year's program offers a diverse range of music that suits the end-of-year ambiance, including traditional Korean instrumental classics, movie soundt

PerformanceNov. 29, 2023

Despite Busan’s disappointing loss in its bid to host the 2030 World Expo, Korea's economic circle viewed its rallying efforts in the past year and a half as having "expanded the horizon" for companies with new opportunities in the global market. Saudi Arabia's Riyadh was chosen to host the World Expo in 2030 on Tuesday, garnering 119 votes out of 165 in a secret ballot held during the Bureau International des Expositions general assembly in Paris. Busan and Rome were k

IndustryNov. 29, 2023

SK Bioscience announced Wednesday that the company would supply Novavax's updated COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea, as part of the government’s winter vaccine program running early next year. SK Bioscience's announcement was made after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of South Korea gave emergency use authorization for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine earlier in the day. The Korean government’s approval marks the third of its kind for Novavax’s protein-based updated CO

IndustryNov. 29, 2023

RM, Jimin, Jungkook and V of the K-pop sensation BTS are to join the Army next month to fulfill their mandatory military duty. This makes all seven members of the group serve their national defense obligation as Jin, the eldest of the group, began his service in December last year followed by J-Hope in April and Suga in September this year. Jin and J-Hope are currently serving as assistant instructors at a military recruit training center as part of their national service. Suga is fulfilling his

K-popNov. 29, 2023

The website of the National Health Insurance Service warned of a "dangerous" level of risk of heat-related illnesses Tuesday, just as the country is going through a cold snap, adding fuel to public anger over a series of breakdowns in online government services in recent weeks here. The warning, which appeared on the NHIS homepage and alarm service page, came on the heels of four major breakdowns that hit South Korea's administrative service networks over the course of a week star

Social AffairsNov. 29, 2023

    Jungkook of BTS will add Usher to his ever-growing star-studded list of collaborators. Big Hit Music announced Wednesday that the new remix for “Standing Next You,” which fronted Jungkook’s first solo album “Golden,” will feature the R＆B legend. The remix will be released Dec. 1. The original song remains on Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 73 this week, down 23 rungs from last week. It debuted on the main singles chart at No. 5 two weeks before.

K-popNov. 29, 2023

A dog shot and severely injured by an arrow has made full recovery and will head for his new home in New York at 8:35 p.m. tonight, a Jeju Island-based animal protection group said Wednesday. According to Hondidorang, the dog, who received the name Cheonji, has been adopted by an American woman in her 30s, who took in another stray dog in the past. The decision was made Nov. 22 after a monthlong deliberation, the group said. Cheonji, formerly a stray, made headlines in August 2022 when he was

Social AffairsNov. 29, 2023

A Buddhist monk has been arrested for driving into eight parked cars and causing damage, police said Wednesday. The monk was reported to have been acting out of frustration over a land compensation dispute between him and real estate developers. The unidentified monk in his 70s, from a temple located in Songha-dong, Gwangju, got into an argument with officials from the developer around 8:20 a.m., Tuesday. The development project involves land on which his temple is located. The monk got in his c

Social AffairsNov. 29, 2023

Korean divas of the ’80s and ’90s have embarked on a new journey as a girl group, with a new single to be dropped Friday. "Golden Girls" on KBS2 follows four divas -- Insooni, Park Mi-kyung, Shin Hyo-beom and Lee Eun-mi -- who debuted as solo vocalists more than 30 to 40 years ago as they "re-debut" as a K-pop girl group named Golden Girls. Park Jin-young, also known as J.Y. Park, leads JYP Entertainment, one of the country's top three entertainment agencies.

PerformanceNov. 29, 2023

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced Tuesday that the agency will expand its support for buried cultural heritages next year with the aim of protecting South Korea’s historical sites, artifacts and monuments while relieving financial burdens for those whose projects involve small-sized buried heritages. The CHA emphasized that the assistance for buried cultural heritages will include not only small-scale excavations, but also examination of buried sites prior to the uncovering pr

CultureNov. 29, 2023

BlockSquare Seoul, under the wing of its holding company Youth Meta, provides virtual currency trading assistant services based on algorithms powered by artificial intelligence technology. Founded in 2016, the firm’s robo advisor, Goyabot, offers market prediction for some 180 cryptocurrencies, speculating future price movements by using data generated from real-time market monitoring. Goyabot predicts crypto price fluctuations by analyzing buy and sell orders entered on exchanges, trans

CompaniesNov. 29, 2023

The answers are all out there in the charts for Iron Won, who leads Youth Meta, the holding company of crypto trading service operator BlockSquare Seoul. After a prolonged period of uncertainty in the cryptocurrency market, the crypto winter seems to have come to an end. As market sentiment lightens up, Won has one piece of advice for investors -- to predict market trends by tracking asset movements. “It is nearly impossible for an average person to approach the crypto market, as it is exp

CompaniesNov. 29, 2023

On the morning of May 23, 2009, the South Korean public received shocking news that altered the country’s political course for years to come: Former President Roh Moo-hyun died after throwing himself off a cliff near his retirement home in Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. The deceased leader, then 62 years of age, had been under investigation concerning corruption allegations of his family members and those around him. While there was no conclusive evidence suggesting

Hashtag KoreaNov. 29, 2023