2 South Koreans captured by Houthi rebels freed

Two South Koreans captured by Yemen's Houthi rebels were released, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Wednesday.

Korea aims to be leader in global procurement market

Korea is seeking to become a leader in the global procurement market by ramping up efforts to create an ecosystem whereby public programs foster sustainable, innovative growth, the head of the state-run procurement service agency said Friday.

'Heavy-handed' government stirs debate

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo unveiled a plan Wednesday to set up a cross-ministry “control tower” to promote hallyu, or the Korean wave. Under the scheme, the culture ministry will team up with other ministries to draw up a set of measures to enhance the popularity of hallyu overseas. "Our talks with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to move the idea forward are in the final stages,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the UNESCO Forum of Ministers of Culture in Paris. “We are planning to launch a taskforce as soon as possible, within this year.”

Rail workers go on indefinite strike

Unionized rail workers began an indefinite strike Wednesday, calling on the state-run railway operator to raise wages and hire more staff.

[3 THINGS SERIES] 3 things to do in Seochon & Bukchon [VIDEO]

There are a lot of tourist attractions in Korea recommended for foreigners to visit, and in the first episode of our series, we introduce you 3 THINGS you can enjoy including activities and foods at one of the hottest places in Seoul, “Seochon” and “Bukchon.”

BTS first K-pop act to win Variety's 'Group of the Year' award

K-pop phenomenon BTS has become the first K-pop act to win the “Group of the Year” award from American entertainment magazine Variety, the band's agency Big Hit Entertainment said Wednesday.

Crime drama 'Black Money' hits local box office and storms to top

The white-collar crime movie “Black Money,” left, has topped the local box office for seven consecutive days since its premiere on Nov. 13. Action film “The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful” took the second spot for this week's chart. Courtesy of Acemaker Movie Works and CJ Entertainment By Lee Gyu-leeWhite-collar crime film “Black Money” conquered the local box office on the day it premiered on Nov. 13 and has since been going strong for a week. The film saw about 1.28 million ticket sales in a week with 10.9 billion won ($9 million) grossing, as of Tuesday.Directed by Chung Ji-young, who is known for films based on true stories, this film revolves around Prosecutor Yang Min-hyeok (Cho Jin-woong) who gets falsely accused of sexually harassing a key witness in a financial case. As he works to clear his name, he discovers the truth behind the case and the involvement of prominent political figures. The film is based on the financial scandal that occurred back in the early 2000s, triggered by U.S.-based private equity firm Lone Star Funds' acquisition of the Korean Exchange Bank (KEB). Some government officials were accused of being involved in the scandal, allowing Korea's fifth-largest bank to be sold to the private firm.After topping the box office for six consecutive days since its release on Nov. 7, gambling action film “The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful” fell to second place in this week's chart. Drawing over a million ticket sales on its opening week, the film has sold 1.93 million tickets as of Tuesday, bringing 16.6 billion won ($14 million) grossing. The crime action film, directed by Lee Khan, is a sequel to 2014's “The Divine Move” about high-stake games of Go. Gwi-soo (Kwon Sang-woo) is a serious Go player who lost everything on a bet. To seek revenge on people who have wronged him in the past, he throws himself into “life or death" games with the guidance from his coaches Heo Il-do (Kim Sung-kyun) and Ddong (Kim Hee-won). Feminist film “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982" is still going strong in the charts, taking third place. The film has accumulated 3.54 million ticket sales and grossed 29 billion won ($24.9 million) in just under a month. It hit local theaters on Oct. 23. Directed by Kim Do-yeong, the adaptation of the 2016 best-selling novel of the same name tells the story of ordinary housewife Ji-young (Jung Yu-mi) struggling to find her identity as she is largely defined by her roles as a daughter, wife, and mother. The local box office is expected to face as shakedown with a sequel of 2013's mega-hit Disney animation “Frozen 2” which premieres today. Despite concerns on the latest series falling short of the first one's success, the film has sold 880,213 tickets in advance sales, taking up over 89 percent of the total number of movie seat reservations, as of Wednesday. The sequel picks up from the end of the previous film with Elsa (Idina Menzel) starting to hear mysterious voices in her ear. To find the origin of the voices, she goes on a journey once again with her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell), iceman Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and talking snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) to find her true identity.

NCSOFT unveils PC-mobile interworking game platform

NCSOFT will begin a beta service for its new PC-mobile interconnected game platform, PURPLE, Nov. 27, which will enable users to play its long-awaited “Lineage 2M” both on mobile phones and PCs, the game company said Wednesday.

Japan must face history to promote peace in Northeast Asia

It may be necessary to conduct a reexamination of the Japan-Korea Claims Agreement, which failed to mention a complete settlement of the issues concerning Japan's colonial rule, and the “completion of resolution” claimed by the Japanese Government proves unconvincing.

Real estate regulations make rich get richer

Tough real estate regulations will keep aggravating regional polarization between Seoul and other parts of the country, experts said Wednesday. President Moon Jae-in and his administration have in recent years introduced a series of tight regulatory measures, in a move to stabilize soaring housing prices mostly in the capital and its southern satellite cities.

Korea, ASEAN to cooperate on smart city development

The government will host the Korea-ASEAN Smart City Fair 2019 in Busan next week, with an aim of building cooperation in developing sustainable smart cities, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday.

'5G boosts demand for edge computing'

Akamai's edge computing business will get a huge boost in the fifth-generation (5G) network era from growing demand to transmit large amounts of data faster and more securely, Tom Leighton, CEO of the U.S.-based company, said, Wednesday.

Mirae Asset under antitrust probe

Mirae Asset Financial Group has been under antitrust investigation over an allegation that it offered unfair profits to the chairman's family, according to industry officials, Tuesday.

Hankook Tire grapples with 'owner risk'

Hankook Tire & Technology is facing a possible leadership vacuum as prosecutors are seeking to arrest company CEO Cho Hyun-bum on charges of breach of trust and embezzlement, according to analysts, Wednesday.

Firefighters to gain national public official status next year

All firefighters will become national public servants directly hired by the central government starting next April in a bid to improve their working conditions and wages, following the National Assembly's passage of the relevant bill, Tuesday.

Lotte Shopping fined W41.1 billion for abusing suppliers

Lotte Shopping was slapped with a 41.1 billion won ($35 million) fine for abusive practices towards its pork suppliers, the antitrust agency said Wednesday.

Kang Daniel to release single

Popular K-pop artist Kang Daniel will release his first digital single “TOUCHIN” on Nov. 25. The rapper/singer and former member of now-disbanded boy band Wanna One released two photos of himself wearing a fedora and bow tie Wednesday, offering a slight glimpse of the stylistic direction he may take with the new single. Wanna One, a project band formed through a now controversial audition program, dropped chart-topping hits during its stint including “Energetic” (2017), and Kang and his fellow members landed commercial deals in the country.

Will Korean celebs fly to moon?

Star TV producer Na Young-seok revealed Tuesday that he has been seeking ways to send singer Eun Ji-won and comedian Lee Soo-geun to Earth's natural satellite, the Moon.He made a promise to do so in September on YouTube, saying: “The pair will head for the moon if our YouTube channel hits more than a million subscribers.”

Chungha song streamed over 100 million times

K-pop singer Chungha's song “Gotta go,” released on Jan. 2, has set a milestone for being streamed over 100 million times.

Goo Ha-ra makes successful comeback in Japan

K-pop singer Goo Ha-ra, a former member of girl group “Kara,” has successfully made a comeback in Japan. On Nov. 13, Goo released the solo album “Midnight Queen,” which is a dance song with a powerful performance.

Football star Yoo Sang-chul suffering stage 4 pancreatic cancer

“I've been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” he wrote in the statement posted on the club's website. “I had jaundiced eyes and abnormalities in the body in late October. Shortly afterward I underwent a thorough health checkup and got diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.”

The logic of Indo-Pacific (Part 1)

The Indo-Pacific Region (IPR) spans “the shores of Africa to that of the Americas,” noted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, outlining India's vision at the Shangri La Dialogue on June 1, 2018. He emphasized that India did not see the region as a “strategy” or a club of limited members, but as a “natural region” where all member-states are committed to a “rule-based, free, open, democratic and inclusive region in pursuit of peace, progress and prosperity”.

Cracks in news industry's glass ceiling?

Lee So-jung, 43, will lead KBS News 9 starting Nov. 25, along with male co-host Choi Dong-suk, 41. “It's unprecedented for KBS to have a woman as the main face of KBS News 9,” an official said.

China 'will retaliate' if Trump signs Hong Kong Human Rights Democracy Act

Beijing warned it would retaliate if United States President Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law, after the US Senate passed the act, which could pave the way for diplomatic action and economic sanctions against the city's government. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that any attempt by the US to interfere in China's internal affairs would be in vain, following the passage of the act through an expedited process.