[INTERVIEW] K-pop hot in Brazil, but Korean music labels are ignorant of the country

SAO PAULO - Brazil has been dubbed a hub of Korean culture or hallyu in South America, thanks to a growing number of local supporters. The total number of hallyu fans in Brazil is estimated to be 300,000, according to Kwon Young-sang, chief of the Korean Cultural Center in Sao Paulo.

Fed rate cut gives BOK more room to maneuver

The 25 basis point key rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve, Wednesday (local time), will allow Bank of Korea (BOK) to have more discretion in its monetary policy, the central bank head said Thursday.

Job data distort economic reality

The latest employment data showed an improvement in the job market here but experts said that such data are not mirroring economic reality as job creation still remains sluggish in the manufacturing sector, particularly for those in their 30s and 40s.

Separated families age, diminish fast

The number of remaining members of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War is dwindling at an alarming level, as nearly 60 percent of those previously registered with the government are dead, according to the latest data.

Digitization forces brokerages to shut down branches

Domestic securities firms are downsizing the number of their branches since an increasing number of customers now prefer non-face-to-face stock trading via smartphones, but some brokerages are rather opening more branches to strengthen their wealth management (WM) businesses.

Gwanghwamun Square expansion plan likely to be delayed

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon hinted Thursday that he will postpone his plan to revamp Gwanghwamun Square by 2021 amid increasing criticism of the project.

Fall picnic to Mount Paektu in North Korea [PHOTOS]

In a photo taken on Sept. 11, 2019, North Korean students pose for photos in Chonji lake, or "heaven lake," as they visit the crater of Mount Paektu, near Samjiyon. Mount Paektu has long been considered the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation and is a place of pilgrimage for tens of thousands of North Koreans every year.

Professors rally against Cho's appointment

More than 3,000 professors across the country have called on Justice Minister Cho Kuk to step down, saying his appointment amid various corruption allegations challenges social justice and ethical morality.

Busan companies in quandary over foreign workers' ever-increasing paychecks

The average per-capita monthly income of foreign workers in Busan was 2.46 million won ($2,059), data showed on Wednesday.

Rain, Kim Tae-hee welcome second child

Top singer Rain and his actress wife Kim Tae-hee have had a second child. Kim gave birth to her second daughter Tuesday morning at a hospital in Seoul, according to her agency, Story J Company. The actress and her baby are “in good health,” it said.

Korea still has many unknown tourist spots

Despite a growing number of Koreans traveling to local attractions, there are still unfrequented places in Korea, a recent survey has found. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the average number of domestic trips per person increased from 5.5 a year in 2016 to 6.9 in 2018.

'Korea's advanced customs service will help Turkey'

Aliye Ozturk, a deputy regional director at Turkey's trade ministry said Thursday she was excited to return home to help her country implement Korea's artificial intelligence-based customs services.

'A dumb thing to do': Trudeau apologizes for brownface

Canadian leader Justin Trudeau's campaign was hit Wednesday by the publication of a yearbook photo showing him in brownface makeup at a 2001 costume party. The prime minister apologized and said ``it was a dumb thing to do.'' Time magazine posted the photo, which it says was published in the yearbook from the West Point Grey Academy, a private school in British Columbia where Trudeau worked as a teacher before entering politics. It depicts the then 29-year-old Trudeau wearing a turban and robe, with dark makeup on his hands, face and neck.

US is actively engaged to help resolve Korea-Japan row: official

The United States is actively engaged in efforts to resolve the current trade and historical row between South Korea and Japan, and will continue to encourage both sides to find "positive solutions," a top U.S. official said Wednesday. David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the remark at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, saying that he has spent a "considerable" amount of time on the issue in his two and a half months in office.

Symphonic poem on Sejong heads to New York in November

Korea's new administrative capital Sejong City is named after King Sejong, the fourth king of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom who invented the Korean alphabet, Hangeul. The city's cultural foundation sheds light on the musical achievements of Sejong by composing a symphony dedicated to the great king. "Last year was the 600th anniversary of the enthronement of King Sejong. We embarked on a project last October looking into Sejong as a music expert and cultural producer," Lin Byung-taik, CEO of the Sejong Cultural Foundation, said at a press conference, Wednesday. "Sejong City needs cultural content worthy of its name, so we commissioned Lee Shin-uh to compose orchestral music inspired by King Sejong."

Trump names hostage envoy O'Brien national security adviser

President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Robert O'Brien, his chief hostage negotiator and an established figure in Republican policy circles, as his new national security adviser. O'Brien, the fourth person in two years to hold the job, becomes the administration's point person on national security amid rising tensions with Iran following the weekend attack on Saudi oil installations and fresh uncertainty in Afghanistan after the halt in peace talks with the Taliban.

Convicted rapper MC Mong to stage October concerts

Rapper MC Mong, who has been mired in a draft-dodging scandal since 2010, will hold solo concerts Oct. 25-26 at YES24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.