City Seoul Financial News

K-pop supergroup BTS will begin their 18-month military service in South Korea this week, joining three others already serving, with fans pledging to wait until 2025 for them to perform as a group again. A group of fans braved rainy weather on Monday to bid a temporary farewell to the seven-member band's leader, RM, and vocalist V in front of their boot camp in the central city of Nonsan.

Asian shares are mostly higher after Wall Street reached a 20-month high ahead of a week that includes essential U.S. inflation data and a final rate decision of the year by the Federal Reserve

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol told AFP that Seoul plans to ramp up semiconductor cooperation with Western countries, as the key industry is buffeted by geopolitical turbulence from US-China competition. South Korea plans «to significantly boost semiconductor cooperation with such major countries as the Netherlands, the United States and Japan going forward», Yoon told AFP in an exclusive written interview ahead of his state visit to the Netherlands Monday.

World shares are mostly higher ahead of a U.S. jobs report after Wall Street rose Thursday to snap its first three-day losing streak since Halloween

North Koreans have 'vanished' after China repatriated them to North Korea. Seoul-based rights group Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) has expressed apprehension that these people are likely to face imprisonment and abuse at the hands of authorities. No communication has been established with the North Koreans since they were forcefully returned by China in October last year. Their identities are also unknown, though about 70% of them are women.

Emart, South Korea’s largest retailer and supermarket chain, says its new next-generation ATMs could soon feature crypto and security token offering (STO) trading functions.

World shares have advanced after most stocks slipped on Wall Street following a mixed set of reports on the U.S. economy

Netflix has officially greenlit the production of the second season for the zombie-based reality competition game show, Zombieverse. The announcement surfaced on Netflix's K-content account through a social media post: “ZOMBIEVERSE is renewed for season 2! The world is a zombieverse, and we’re all just living in it, right? Expect upgraded quests, enhanced zombies, a new cast, and an expanded universe.” The debut season, which premiered on August 8, 2023, unfolded in Seoul and showcased participants testing their survival skills amid a simulated zombie outbreak. Contestants engaged in challenging quests to prove their mettle in the face of adversity. The show had a notable presence in global and South Korean Netflix rankings. During its launch week, it secured a position in the global top 10, accumulating 14.3 million hours watched and claiming the fifth spot in the Non-English series category. FlixPatrol data indicates that Zombieverse maintained its popularity in South Korea, residing in the country's top 10 for an impressive 17 days. This success aligns with a trend of South Korean reality series achieving significant viewership, evident in the renewals of The Devil’s Plan and Physical: 100 for their second seasons. Single’s Inferno is also slated to return for a third season in the near future. With the confirmed renewal, fans can anticipate an array of enhancements in Zombieverse season 2, including upgraded quests, more formidable zombies, a fresh cast, and an expanded universe.

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) -The United States on Thursday targeted North Korea with fresh sanctions after its launch of a spy satellite last week, designating foreign-based agents it accused of facilitating sanctions evasion to gather revenue and technology for its weapons of mass destruction program.

Stardew Valley, the popular game, is hitting the road with its first-ever concert tour, "Festival of Seasons," organized by ConcernedApe. With an initial 14 shows in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Southeast Asia, the tour expanded to 36 cities across 12 countries. The concert promises an intimate experience with fresh arrangements of the game's beloved soundtrack. Fans eagerly anticipating the tour can now find details on dates, cities, and ticket sales.

Lee Jeong-hoon, the former chairman of Bithumb, one of South Korea's primary cryptocurrency exchanges, faces a potential 8-year prison sentence. The Seoul High Court is expected to deliver its verdict in the appeal case on January 18, 2024.

Dozens of South Korean and U.S. combat engineers build a pontoon bridge to ferry tanks and armored vehicles across the water, all within easy range of North Korean artillery. For seven decades, the allies have staged annual drills like this recent one to deter aggression from North Korea, whose 1950 surprise invasion of South Korea started a war that has technically yet to end. The alliance with the United States has allowed South Korea to build a powerful democracy, its citizens confident that Washington would protect them if Pyongyang ever acted on its dream of unifying the Korean Peninsula under its own rule. Until now.

Shares are mixed in Asia after Wall Street benchmarks edged lower as investors looked ahead to updates on inflation and how American consumers are feeling about the economy

Shares are mixed in Asia after Wall Street benchmarks edged lower as investors looked ahead to updates on inflation and how American consumers are feeling about the economy

By Hyonhee Shin

Blue Dragon Film Awards, recently took place at the KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on November 24. Hosted by actress Kim Hye Soo and actor Yoo Yeon Seok, this 44th edition brought together A-list celebrities to acknowledge the contributions of films and actors who impressed the audience with their talent.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected photos taken by the country’s new spy satellite of “major target regions”, including the South Korean capital of Seoul and cities that host U.S. military bases, state media said on Saturday. Nuclear-armed North Korea launched the satellite on Tuesday, but South Korean defence officials and analysts said its capabilities have not been independently verified. Kim examined photos of Seoul and other cities of Mokpo, Kunsan, Pyeongtaek and Osan, where U.S. and South Korean military bases are located. The photos were taken as the satellite passed over the peninsula on Friday morning, state news agency KCNA said.

Kim Jong Un inspected photos taken by the country's new spy satellite of «major target regions», including the South Korean capital of Seoul and cities that host U.S. military bases, state media reported on Saturday. Nuclear-armed North Korea launched the satellite on Tuesday, but South Korean defence officials and analysts said its capabilities have not been independently verified. Kim examined the photos, as well as imagery taken of some areas within North Korea, during a visit to the control centre of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) in Pyongyang on Friday, state news agency KCNA said. The photos were taken as the satellite passed over the peninsula on Friday morning, KCNA said, and included images of Seoul, and Mokpo, Kunsan, Pyeongtaek and Osan, where U.S.

By Greg Torode

The Bank of Korea (BOK) — South Korea’s central bank — has said it will invite 100,000 Korean citizens to purchase goods with deposit tokens as part of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot. The testing will start “around September to October” of 2024 and last for three months. 

North Korea said Wednesday it had succeeded in putting a military spy satellite in orbit after two previous failures, as the United States led its allies in condemning the launch as a «brazen violation» of UN sanctions. A rocket carrying the satellite blasted off Tuesday night from North Phyongan province and «accurately put the reconnaissance satellite 'Malligyong-1' on its orbit», state-run news agency KCNA reported. Images in state media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiling and waving, surrounded by white-uniformed scientists and engineers who cheered and clapped after watching the successful blastoff. The United States led condemnation of the launch, saying it was a «brazen violation» of UN sanctions, while South Korea responded by partially suspending a 2018 military deal with the North, saying it would resume surveillance operations along their border. Japan said that Pyongyang's claims of success could not immediately be independently verified. Tokyo is still analysing the launch and «at this point is not confirming whether the satellite had entered into an orbit around the Earth», chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said. North Korea's previous efforts to put a spy satellite into orbit in May and August both failed.