SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed Wednesday to designate Jan. 27 as a temporary holiday this year to boost private consumption and domestic tourism ahead of the Lunar New Year. This year’s Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 29. If confirmed, the holiday will be [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and the United States have begun an analysis of the crashed Jeju Air plane’s flight data recorder (FDR), and their joint investigation team is speeding up a probe of key components of the wreckage, including engines and main wings, at the crash site, a top government official [...]
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — SK Telecom Co. said Tuesday it will begin a beta service of its artificial intelligence agent “aster” in March, targeting North American customers. The company opened beta registration for aster during CES 2025, which kicked off Tuesday for a four-day run in Las Vegas. SK Telecom said the [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Chung Yong-jin, chairman of South Korean retail conglomerate Shinsegae Group, and a group of other South Korean business leaders will attend U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony later this month, officials said Wednesday. Chung has been invited to the inauguration ceremony slated for Jan. 20 (U.S. time) in Washington, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it has begun to sell its vehicles on Amazon.com, one year after the South Korean carmaker signed a strategic partnership with the U.S. retail giant. Starting Jan. 7 (local time), U.S. consumers can browse, order and finance any new Hyundai vehicle through a participating [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) – Police said Wednesday they are tracking President Yoon Suk Yeol’s location amid rumors he may have fled from his residence while facing the threat of arrest over his short-lived imposition of martial law. “We cannot specifically disclose President Yoon’s location,” a police official told Yonhap News Agency. “We continue [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Kim Hye-seong, the new South Korean infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, says familiarity with the team and their recent World Series title lured him to Chavez Ravine over other places during contract talks. Kim, formerly an All-Star second baseman with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Health Insurance (NHI) system achieved a surplus for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, with its reserve fund reaching a record 29.7 trillion won, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) announced on January 7. In 2024, NHI revenue totaled 99 trillion won, while expenditures amounted to [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — A new study has revealed significant regional disparities in access to diabetic care across South Korea, with some Seoul districts having nearly six times better accessibility than rural areas, as the number of people with diabetes continues to rise amid an aging population. According to research published in the recent [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s department store industry showed stagnant growth of less than 1% last year, with the disparity between high-performing and struggling stores becoming increasingly pronounced. According to industry data released on January 7, the five major department store chains – Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai, Galleria, and AK – recorded combined sales [...]