PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – The governor of Gangwon Province, where PyeongChang is located, said Saturday he is considering a bid to co-host the 2021 Asian Winter Games (AWG) with North Korea. “We will start the process (for a feasibility review) soon after the PyeongChang Winter Games,” Gov. Choi Moon-soon said at a press conference in Gangneung, a sub-host city of the PyeongChang Winter [...]
SEJONG, Feb. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – South Koreans’ direct purchases of electronic goods and home appliances from overseas online sellers jumped more than 40 percent last year, government data showed Saturday. They bought 277.3 billion won (US$256.9 million) worth of home appliances, electronics and communications devices via foreign Internet shopping malls in 2017, according to the Statistics Korea’s online shopping report. It [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean washers have received top-notch grades from a major U.S. product evaluator, even after Washington slapped steep tariffs on some of their products, industry watchers said Saturday. Among the top 15 large-capacity washing machines selected by U.S.-based industry tracker Consumer Reports, eight models were made by two South Korean tech giants — Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. Three LG washers were selected in the category of [...]
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb. 15 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s surprise bronze medalist Kim Min-seok said Wednesday that his medal in men’s 1,500 meter speed skating at the PyeongChang Olympics shows it is possible for Asians to win in that distance, which had been dominated by European skaters. “I couldn’t believe I won the medal until this morning. But now I can feel it as I receive this medal here,” [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Korea Bizwire) – Latvia is investigating a local bank suspected of illegal trading related to North Korea’s weapons system, the Latvian top diplomat said Wednesday. The investigation comes as the United States has reportedly imposed sanctions on the Latvian bank ABLV for its financial transactions with North Korean entities blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council. The Latvian bank’s financial transactions contributed to North Korea’s illicit procuring for or [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Kim Sung-kyu, a member of the idol group INFINITE, will release his first individual studio album this month. Woolim Entertainment said the album will be out on Feb. 26 but didn’t give further details. Debuting in 2010 as an INFINITE member, Kim has put out two individual EPs — “Another Me” in 2012 and “27″ in 2015. He has appeared in stage musicals such as [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean bio firm Greencross Medical Science Corp. (GCMS) said Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to export its blood pack manufacturing technology to Indonesia-based PT. Mitra Global Hanindo. Under the contract worth 40 billion won (US$37 million), GCMS will supply 6.1 billion won of complete blood bag products and 30.7 billion won in partly made packs. Also, the South Korean firm will receive 3.2 [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Blockchain technology-based money transfer services were found to be too slow and hard to restore where there is a glitch, according to tests conducted by the Bank of Korea. According to the BOK, speed and restoration issues were discovered in blockchain money transfers between banks, the central bank of South [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Nearly 4,000 South Koreans suffer from hypochondria every year, according to new government data. According to data released by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) on Tuesday, 3,817 individuals were diagnosed with the condition in 2016 alone. South Koreans in their 60s accounted for 21 percent of the [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Despite being bigger and taller, young South Koreans are less muscular and less strong than the older generations, a new study has revealed. The study released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday showed that South Korean men in their early 20s have grown 4.4 centimeters in [...]