South Korea

  • Economy NewsThai stocks plummet nearly 4% in Monday SET trading

    Thai stocks plummet nearly 4% in Monday SET trading

    The Stock Exchange of Thailand finished yesterday at 1,435.56 points, a decrease of 59.5 points, or nearly 4% – that’s compared to Friday’s close on the SET. The daily trade volume for Monday was 76.431 billion baht, with an index high of 1,474.12 and a low of 1,435.56. Asian bourses were hammered as confidence was inhibited by rising cases of the…

  • Covid-19 NewsCoronavirus UPDATE: World cases exceed 80,000, Italy tries to contain outbreak

    Coronavirus UPDATE: World cases exceed 80,000, Italy tries to contain outbreak

    The number of reported cases from the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has risen to 80,150 across the world, resulting in 2,701 deaths. 27,595 people have recovered from the virus, the death rate is still hovering below 2%. The rate of new cases in China is starting to flatten while there are some new global hotspots outside of China, principally central South…

  • Covid-19 NewsCoronavirus UPDATE: Spark in cases in Italy and South Korea, Air Asia cancels flights

    Coronavirus UPDATE: Spark in cases in Italy and South Korea, Air Asia cancels flights

    Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases have now reached 79,561 around the world, with 77,345 of the cases confined to China. The rise in cases has been principally in China with 409 new cases and South Korea with 161 new cases. 2,619 people have died from the infection. The major outbreaks, outside China, have been in South Korea, aboard the Diamond Princess (still…

  • Covid-19 NewsKorean virus cases skyrocket; Japanese passenger turns positive

    Korean virus cases skyrocket; Japanese passenger turns positive

    The number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Korea has increased tenfold in just four days to 556, and a passenger on the virus-stricken Diamond Princess tested positive after arriving home in Japan, despite a negative result during the ship’s 14-day quarantine. Yesterday, China’s Hubei province, where the outbreak began, saw 96 deaths, another decrease, in line with the toll reported…

  • Covid-19 NewsKorea reports 15 more coronavirus cases, total now 46

    Korea reports 15 more coronavirus cases, total now 46

    South Korea today confirmed 15 more cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus bringing its total number of infections to 46, amid growing concerns that the illness is spreading despite tighter quarantine measures. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 13 new patients were found in Daegu, 300 kilometres southeast of Seoul. It’s presumed they contracted the illness…

  • Covid-19 NewsThai Airways starts to trim back schedules due to loss of demand

    Thai Airways starts to trim back schedules due to loss of demand

    Thai Airways is cutting back services to South Korea and Singapore out of Bangkok due to “a dramatic fall in demand” and cancellations caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The vice president of sales at Thai Airways, Nond Kalinta, says the national carrier had adjusted flight schedules to match commercial demand. He confirmed the following changes. • Flights reduce on the…

  • World NewsFortress Wuhan. Chinese authorities lock down the source of the coronavirus.

    Fortress Wuhan. Chinese authorities lock down the source of the coronavirus.

    Wuhan, a city of more than 10 million in the central Chinese province of Hubei, is effectively in lock down following a decisive attempt to isolate the source of the Novel Coronavirus. Wuhan has ‘temporarily’ closed its airport, rail station and main roads out of the city. All city public transport services are all suspended too, as authorities scramble to…

  • World NewsVietnam extends 15 day visa-free travel for some countries

    Vietnam extends 15 day visa-free travel for some countries

    Vietnam’s tourism operators are welcoming the Vietnam government’s decision to extend the visa-free stays for citizens from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark and Belarus for another three years. The eight countries have already enjoyed visa exemption (for a stay up to 15 days) since 2015, but it was due to expire at the end of this year.…

  • Technology NewsSamsung Electronics flags 56% fall in third quarter profits

    Samsung Electronics flags 56% fall in third quarter profits

    “Samsung took advantage of the US trade ban against Chinese rival Huawei.” PHOTO: CNBC Samsung Electronics says it expects operating profits to drop more than 50% in Q3 amid a continued slump in the global chip market. Operating profits for July to September was expected to reach 7.7 trillion won (US$6.4 billion), down 56.2% from a year earlier – this from…

  • EntertainmentBTS will have to break up, whether they like it or not, and fans are not happy

    BTS will have to break up, whether they like it or not, and fans are not happy

    Even though they’ve been making music since their debut back in 2013, it’s the last two years BTS, aka Bangtan Boys (or Bangtan Sonyeondan for Korean pronunciation), have gone from zero to hero in the pop music world. Now they’re riding their success on the crest of a wave that has defied conventional pop marketing and ‘western’ white-washed music standards.…

  • Technology NewsSamsung launches foldable smartphone tomorrow

    Samsung launches foldable smartphone tomorrow

    Take two. Samsung says it will launch its hotly anticipated foldable smartphone tomorrow, months after faulty screens forced an embarrassing delay. It’s the first major ‘redesign’ of the smartphone form in over a decade. The world’s largest smartphone manufacturer spent nearly eight years developing the Galaxy Fold, a smartphone that folds in half.. Samsung had to delay the April launch…

  • World NewsThe Thai charm-offensive on the South Korean President

    The Thai charm-offensive on the South Korean President

    Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is inviting South Korean investors to increase their investment and trade with Thailand. The PM says Cabinet will consider offering incentives for South Korean businesses to invest in the country. South Korean President Moon Jae-in capped off an official two day visit to the Kingdom yesterday. The Thailand-Korea Business Forum was held yesterday in Bangkok with…

  • EntertainmentBTS are breaking up…

    BTS are breaking up…

    …temporarily. The announcement about BTS was made on Twitter by their South Korean management company and label Big Hit Entertainment. Don’t stress AMRY, they’ll be back together in a couple of months! Big Hit says the kings of pop need time to regroup and recharge their batteries. The announcement followed another dazzling display of their finely-tuned pop skills at the Lotte…

  • Thailand NewsThai workers killed in van crash in South Korea

    Thai workers killed in van crash in South Korea

    PHOTO: Thaikuknews Two Thai citizens have been killed in South Korea after their passenger van carrying 16 people skidded off a mountain road heading to a farm. The Korean Times reports that the two Thais, the van driver and another passenger were seriously injured after the van crashed through a guard rail. Nine other people, of mixed nationalities, were in the…

  • World NewsJust one of the tourists – South Korean President visits Angkor Wat

    Just one of the tourists – South Korean President visits Angkor Wat

    PHOTO: Yonhap News South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in put on his tourist clothes yesterday and roaming around with thousands of other tourists at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. The ruins attract millions of visitors each year, making the ruins in Siem Reap province Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination. The world heritage site contains the remains of different capitals of the…

  • World NewsDie! Die! Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress assaults husband in video

    Die! Die! Korean Air ‘nut rage’ heiress assaults husband in video

    by The Korea Herald – Asia News Network A video clip showing a woman who appears to be Cho Hyun-ah, formerly Korean Air vice-president, shouting at her husband, and photos showing his injuries has been revealed. In the video, the woman shouts “Die! Die!” at her husband, surnamed Park, who filed for divorce last year citing physical and verbal abuse against…

  • HealthWill the West embrace the South Korean male beauty product industry?

    Will the West embrace the South Korean male beauty product industry?

    PHOTO: ‘V’ or Kim Tae Hyung from Korean band BTS Over the past decade South Korean men have become the world’s biggest male spenders on skincare and beauty products. The market has grown by 44% in the country in the six years before 2017, according to Euromonitor. This figure is even higher for Gen Z respondents (the ones born after…

  • World NewsJobless rate rises – December figures in South Korea *Thaiger Bite

    Jobless rate rises – December figures in South Korea *Thaiger Bite

    PHOTO: Yonhap South Korea’s jobless rate rose slightly in December from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, as the finance minister vowed to create 150,000 jobs this year. The unemployment rate stood at 3.4 percent last month, up 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number of employed people reached…