Latest News
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14.3 mln copies of K-pop albums sold in July 2023: market data
SEOUL -- The global popularity of K-pop reached the highest-ever point in South Korea's cultural history in July 2027. According to Circle Chart, a state-operated songs and albums chart formerly known as Gaon Chart, a total of some 14.3 million copies of K-pop albums were sold in July, up 32.1 percent compared to the same period last year. Data released by Circle Chart on August 22 showed that 14,305,353 physical K-pop albums were sold globally in July, marking the highest-ever m
22 August 2023
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Chinese group tourists to visit Busan City via cruise ship in 2024
SEOUL -- A cruise ship owned by an operator based in Shanghai will carry Chinese tourists to the southern port city of Busan in 2024. The ship with a maximum capacity of 1,200 people will visit up to 25 times next year. Busan with a population of some 3.5 million is a popular travel destination for both South Korean people and foreign visitors who seek unique and vibrant cultural experiences. The city is well-known for its beautiful seaside views as well as tasty food menus that incl
22 August 2023
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Pulmuone builds miniature smart farm at vegan restaurant in Seoul
SEOUL -- Pulmuone Food & Culture, the cafeteria service management wing of Seoul-based food company Pulmuone, has established a miniature smart farm infrastructure at its vegan restaurant in central Seoul. Using LG's smart gardening device, the restaurant operator will use plants and herbs as ingredients for vegan food menus. A smart farm is an indoor agricultural system that combines information and communication technology (ICT) with agricultural elements. Without having to w
22 August 2023
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North Korea to fire spy satellite rocket within one week: Japan Coast Guard
SEOUL -- North Korea has notified the Japan Coast Guard that Pyongyang will fire another rocket carrying a spy satellite between midnight August 24 and midnight August 31, the Japanese government said. This is North Korea's second attempt to shoot a military spy satellite into orbit after its failed attempt in May. According to Japanese news agency Kyodo News and public broadcaster NHK on August 22, North Korea notified the Japan Coast Guard that Pyongyang's rocket would fly o
22 August 2023
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K-pop festival KCON attracts 140,000 global fans in Los Angeles
SEOUL -- CJ ENM, a leading creator and distributor of the Korean cultural wave, has attracted some 140,000 global fans through KCON, an annual Korean culture convention. A total of 21 performance teams including boy band Stray Kids and girl band IVE showcased their talents at the three-day event in Los Angeles. This year, the K-pop concert festival attracted about 50,000 more people than the previous festival held in 2022 with about 90,000 global audience. CJ ENM said this year's K
22 August 2023
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K-pop super rookie NewJeans performs at Japan's music festival 'Summer Sonic'
SEOUL -- K-pop girl band NewJeans has performed in front of some 30,000 fans at Summer Sonic, a major music event held in Japan. The five-member band, debuted in July 2022, showcased 11 songs including Attention and Hype Boy for about 40 minutes. NewJeans was invited to the operator of Summer Sonic 2023 only after about a year of its debut, the band's agency said. This year's summer music festival took place at "Zozo Marine Stadium," a baseball stadium in Chiba on A
21 August 2023
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Police continues manhunt for bank robber in central city
SEOUL -- Police are continuing their manhunt for a bank robber who raided a Credit Union bank branch in the central city of Daejeon. It has been four days since the robber successfully pulled out a bank heist and ran away with some 39 million won ($29,039). South Korea had a detection rate for criminal actions of 81.2 percent in 2020. The detection rate for heavy offenses such as sexual assault, robbery, and homicide is more than 97 percent. Law enforcers are able to maintain high crime
21 August 2023
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Naver to unveil large language model AI application as counterpunch against global rivals
SEOUL -- Later this week, South Korea's largest web portal operator Naver will unveil the company's latest hyperscale AI solution in a bid to check global tech giants that develop large language model artificial intelligence-based solutions including Google and Microsoft. A large language model (LLM) is basically a smart computer program that understands and generates human-like conversations in text. Through machine learning, an LLM is smart enough to engage in conversations
21 August 2023
