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Chaebol marriages shift: Young scions marry within business circles, not politics
Gone is the era of political marriages, when the ultra-rich forged ties with the powerful through matrimony. Recent data shows nearly half of the marriages of younger generations of South Korea’s conglomerate-controlling families are now with heirs of other chaebol families, a departure from the past trend of marrying into the political elite. Local corporate tracker CEO Score analyzed the marriages of 380 people from 81 chaebol families, and found that 46.5 percent of the fourth and fifth gener
Nov. 12, 2025 -
World Cup fever hits Pyongyang, two days late
In a rare display of unbridled excitement, residents of Pyongyang took to the streets Monday to celebrate North Korea's Under-17 women’s football team, which claimed the World Cup title by defeating the Netherlands. The final, held Saturday at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, saw the North Koreans score three goals in the first half to seal a dominant 3-0 victory. It marked the team’s second consecutive championship win. Despite the triumph, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central Televisio
Nov. 12, 2025 -
College entrance exam set for Thursday with number of applicants at 7-year high
The annual College Scholastic Ability Test, seen as one of the nation's most important academic events, will be held nationwide this week, with the number of applicants rising to a seven-year high of over 550,000. The education ministry said that this year's CSAT will be held at 1,310 test centers across the country from 8:40 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Thursday. A total of 554,174 people applied for this year's CSAT, marking an on-year increase of 31,504, or 6 percent, and the highest total number of app
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Sticker shock no more: FTC forces Korean wedding vendors to name their price
Couples in South Korea preparing to marry have long faced a stressful and costly guessing game: How much will their wedding venue really cost? Now the government is stepping in to stop it. Starting Wednesday, wedding service providers in South Korea are legally required to disclose complete pricing information before signing any contracts, according to the Fair Trade Commission. The new rule aims to eliminate hidden fees and vague terms in a notoriously opaque industry that bundles photography,
Nov. 12, 2025 -
S. Korea, Qatar discuss ways to boost cooperation in energy supply chains, plant, shipbuilding
Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with Qatar's energy minister Wednesday in Seoul to discuss bilateral cooperation in energy supply chains, plant construction and shipbuilding. In the meeting with Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, Qatar's minister of state for energy affairs, the two sides exchanged views on Qatar's plan to expand liquefied natural gas production and measures to strengthen supply chain cooperation, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Qatar is one of South Kore
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Top diplomats of S. Korea, Britain discuss FTA, renewable energy
The top diplomats of South Korea and Britain have discussed efforts to boost cooperation in the economy and other areas, including revising the bilateral free trade pact and strengthening the partnership in renewable energy, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met one-on-one for the first time with British Secretary of State Yvette Cooper on the margins of the Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting in Canada, where Cho is attending this week as the representati
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Obama thanks Korean, Vietnam War veterans on 'honor flight' to Washington
Former US President Barack Obama has expressed his appreciation to a group of Korean War and Vietnam War veterans aboard an "honor flight" ahead of Veterans Day, stressing that their sacrifices will be honored "today and every day." Obama made a surprise appearance in front of the veterans on the flight from Madison, Wisconsin, to Washington, according to a video clip that he posted on X on Tuesday. The trip was organized by the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization that gives such flig
Nov. 12, 2025 -
S. Korea adds 193,000 jobs in October; youth employment remains weak
South Korea added more than 190,000 jobs in October, continuing an upward trend in employment this year, but employment losses continued in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as among the younger population, government data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people stood at 29.04 million last month, up 193,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The increase underscores a continued upward trend in employment following
Nov. 12, 2025 -
5th body recovered at Ulsan power plant
A fifth body was recovered from under a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Wednesday, leaving two workers still trapped, firefighting authorities said. The body belonged to one of two workers who could not be located in the rubble of the 63-meter tower that collapsed last Thursday. The discovery came after authorities blew up two other boiler towers near the debris Tuesday to help speed up the search and rescue efforts. Towers 4 and 6, which flan
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Laos' FM visits N. Korea following summit talks in Oct.
The foreign minister of Laos has arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea's state media reported Wednesday, just about a month after the leaders of the two countries held summit talks in the North in October. A delegation, led by Thongsavanh Phomvihane, the foreign minister of the Southeast Asian country, arrived in Pyongyang the previous day upon invitation by the North's foreign ministry, the Korean Central News Agency said. The KCNA did not provide further details on the purpose or duration of the v
Nov. 12, 2025 -
S. Korea's top envoy to Russia vows to lay groundwork for restoring bilateral relations
South Korean Ambassador to Russia Lee Sok-bae said Tuesday he will work to lay the foundation for restoring relations between Seoul and Moscow, which have remained strained following Russia's war in Ukraine. Lee made the remarks during his inauguration ceremony, pledging to use his experience from his previous tenure as Seoul's top envoy to Russia from 2019 to 2022. "Based on the experience and lessons I gained during my first term as ambassador to Russia, I will do my utmost to manage bilateral
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Special counsel again seeks arrest warrant for ex-justice minister in martial law probe
A special counsel again applied for an arrest warrant for former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae on Tuesday over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. The application by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team came after a court rejected its previous request to detain Park last month, citing insufficient evidence to justify detention. The Seoul Central District Court will hold a hearing on Thursday to decide whether to issue a warrant, officials said. P
Nov. 11, 2025 -
FM Cho may meet with Rubio at G7 gathering amid standstill in joint fact sheet release
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun could meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the margins of this week's Group of Seven (G7) ministerial gathering in Canada, with eyes on whether the two sides will discuss the stalled release of a joint document on trade and defense. Cho departed for Niagara Falls on Tuesday to attend expanded sessions of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, where he is expected to hold brief talks with his counterparts from G7 member states as well as guest countries, includin
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Ex-President Yoon denies allegations of interfering in Marine death probe
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday denied allegations that he had interfered in a military investigation into the 2023 death of a young Marine, his lawyers said. The jailed former president was questioned for about seven hours by a special counsel team and did not reportedly invoke his right to remain silent and answered most of the investigators' questions. Yoon faces charges of abusing his power and aiding a criminal's flight in the case. Investigators suspect he ordered the presidentia
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Korean police officers say APEC summit left them 'sleeping like the homeless'
When world leaders gathered in South Korea for last month's APEC summit, thousands of the police officers protecting them were sleeping on cardboard and eating cold rice. Their union now says the government treated them “worse than the homeless.” The National Police Union on Tuesday held a protest in front of the National Police Agency headquarters in Seoul, displaying photographs taken by officers deployed to the global diplomatic event that took place in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, be
Nov. 11, 2025