Nearly half of international patients who sought medical treatment in South Korea last year were influenced by the appeal of Korean culture, a survey from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute revealed Sunday. Of 1,200 foreign patients surveyed, 49.7 percent affirmed the influence of Korean culture on their decision to come to Korea for medical travel. Respondents from Southeast Asia, Japan, China and Russia constituted the bulk of the surveyed patients. The statistic represents an inc

Posco International said Monday it has signed a contract with Faru Graphite Corporation, a Tanzanian subsidiary of Australian mining company Black Rock Mining, to be supplied with natural graphite, a key material for rechargeable batteries. This comes as part of the trading and energy company’s full-fledged efforts to secure a global value chain for battery materials for electric vehicles. Under the contract, Posco International will invest $10 million to receive a supply of 750,000 tons o

Seoul-based content distribution company RNR Inc.’s “Monoplex” is a type of theater where one can watch movies in a designated, personally-optimized space in places such as apartments, hotels, office buildings and more. Monoplex offers a bespoke theater experience which screens movie premieres at the same time as more widely known multiplexes in city centers. Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, public interest in Monoplexes has surged, according to the company, as

Throughout Korean history, there has been a deeply ingrained cultural belief that pursuing a career as a public servant is a prestigious endeavor. This cultural ethos can be traced back to the establishment of the "gwageo" system, or public service examinations. Gwageo was first introduced during the reign of Goryeo's King Gwangjong (925-975) and persisted until 1894 of the late Joseon era. Despite the retirement of gwageo, which was held every three years, the country still adm

The 29th Dream Concert enlightened Busan, the marine city of South Korea, on Saturday, starring major players of K-pop. The event was held at the Asiad Main Stadium with more than 31,000 K-pop fans in attendance. Nineteen acts, including Nmixx, Itzy, Oh My Girl and BTOB adorned the stage. Dream Concert, whose history dates to 1995, marked the finale of the 2023 World Climate Industry Expo. According to the event’s hosts, the Korea Entertainment Producers Association and Korea Tourism Organ

Unmanned Exploration Laboratory works on crafting space-level roving vehicles

An overwhelming majority of those who fall victim to "romance scams," in which a scammer manipulates the victim by abusing his or her affection and trust, in South Korea are women or under 40, a recent study by scholars at Seoul-based Korea University showed. An analysis of crime reports filed to the National Police Agency between January and June of last year showed that 71.4 percent of victims in a total 280 crimes categorized as romance scams were female, according to the “Cur

SHINee celebrated its 15th anniversary with its fans during the weekend in Seoul. The K-pop legends held a fan meeting “Piece of SHINE” at Jamsil Indoor Stadium for the first time as a full unit in four years and eight months. With all seats to the fan meeting sold out, SM Entertainment live-streamed the event via Beyond LIVE for the group’s global fans in 102 different regions including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia, Singapor

K-pop boy band Seventeen is set to continue its odyssey in Japan with its first best-of album and a new concert tour. The 13-piece band announced the plans during its "Love" fan meeting at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. Sunday's event marked the last of the group's four-day fan meetings taking place at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka on May 17-18 and at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday. In a statement released Monday, the band's agency Pledis Entertainment said 180,00

An appeals court on Monday upheld an eight-year prison term for a smuggler who attempted to bring chocolate-covered methamphetamine pills into South Korea. The Gwangju High Court dismissed the appeal filed by the smuggler, a Thai national whose identity has been withheld, convicting for breaching the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The gender of the convicted was not known. The customs office at Incheon International Airport discovered the 10,123 pills of yaba -- a mix of me

As South Korea’s fertility rates are waning, the number of women giving birth in their 40s has starkly increased over the last decade, data showed Monday. According to data received by Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the total number of birth cases declined from 424,717 in 2013 to 244,580 in 2022, down 180,137 births in 10 years. In the same period, however, the country saw a rise in the number of women giving birth in their 40

South Korea's household debt-to-gross domestic product ratio stood at the highest level among 34 major economies in the first quarter, global financial data showed Monday. The ratio stood at 102.2 percent in the January-March period, followed by Hong Kong with a ratio of 95.1 percent, Thailand with 85.7 percent, Britain with 81.6 percent, the United States with 73 percent, Malaysia with 66.1 percent, Japan with 65.2 percent and China with 63.6 percent, according to the Institute of Internat

Foreign purchases of South Korean tech and auto stocks have reached over 16 trillion won ($12 billion) so far this year, according to the Korea Exchange on Monday. Foreigners bought 16.45 trillion won worth of Samsung Electronics Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and other related stocks this year through May 26, according to the main bourse. In the first five months, foreigners bought 9.78 trillion won worth of Samsung Electronics stocks, followed by 1.26 trillion won worth of Hyundai Motor shares, 1.1 tr

All six National Election Commission officials embroiled in suspicions of hiring favors for their children did not declare their relations with the hired children in violation of an ethics code, according to a ruling party lawmaker. The NEC has come under hiring favor suspicions following revelations that children of senior officials joined the agency by applying for experienced positions. The NEC's secretary-general and his deputy resigned last week, though they claimed their children were

A Japanese warship arrived in South Korea on Monday to participate in a multinational naval drill this week aimed at preventing the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, according to officials.   Japan's JS Hamagiri destroyer arrived in the southeastern port city of Busan to participate in the Eastern Endeavor 23 exercise Wednesday in the international waters southeast of South Korea's Jeju Island.   South Korea, the US, Australia, Japan, Canada and Singapore will join the exerci