Read what today holds in store for you under the 12 signs of the zodiac, each represented by an animal. Our astrologer Cho Ku-moon explores saju (the four pillars of destiny) and geomancy for your prospects on wealth, health and love while offering advice on the direction of your luck and fortune. Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 (Oct. 21 on the lunar calendar) Rat Wealth: average Health: good Love: encountering Lucky direction: south 1936: May spend money pleasantly. 1948: A welcome meeting may...

This article is by Sarah Kim and read by an artificial voice. Ukraine fired six U.S.-supplied long-range missiles at Russia's southwestern Bryansk region, Moscow's Defense Ministry said Tuesday. This marks the first reported use of the American-made Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, within Russia, and comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier Tuesday formally lowered Moscow's threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement that...

This article is by Michael Lee and read by an artificial voice. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told the country's lawmakers on Wednesday that some North Korean troops have been assigned to a Russian airborne brigade and naval infantry unit and begun participating in combat against Ukrainian forces. In a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, officials from the NIS said they believe approximately 11,000 North Korean soldiers were transferred...

This article is by Kim Ju-yeon and read by an artificial voice. [NEWS IN FOCUS] A recent surge in Korean tourists booking flights or travel packages to China on the back of a surprise visa exemption by Beijing could face a stall amid reports of denied entry and strict itinerary requirements. While reservations for travel to the neighboring country have spiked in Korea since the exemption announcement early this month, the reports of complications threaten to dampen the uptick in demand. The...

This article is by Lee Jae-lim and read by an artificial voice. IBM's circuit-based commercial quantum computer, which became operational on Wednesday at Yonsei University's campus in Songdo, Incheon, aims to leverage qubits to make medical treatments cheaper. Yonsei's researchers hope that the Quantum System One, powered by a 127-qubit processor, will cut the cost of life-saving drugs by orders of magnitude. "R&D [research and development] that goes into biotech can be painfully...

This article is by Cho Jung-woo, Kim Seo-won and read by an artificial voice. Labor unionists and farmers' groups held a large-scale rally in downtown Seoul on Wednesday, criticizing the Yoon Suk Yeol government and demanding the president's resignation. The demonstration - organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the National Farmer's Federation - took place in front of Sungnyemun in Jung District, central Seoul. Protesters condemned the government's inaction amid...

This article is by Shin Ha-nee and read by an artificial voice. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is now projecting the Korean economy to grow 2.2 percent this year and 2 percent next year, lowering both of its previous forecasts. Warning of downside risks amid persisting uncertainties, it urged structural reform for Korea to address slowing growth potential and a shrinking population. "Growth is expected to reach 2.2 percent in 2024, supported by strong semiconductor exports while...

Lotte Department Store's "Christmas Market" opens in the square behind Lotte World Mall and Lotte Tower on Wednesday. The event, running under the theme "Wonderful Showtime" through Jan. 5 of next year, features 41 booths and shops from such brands as Wooderful Life, which offers products made from sustainable wood, and housewares store Room Copenhagen along with various food options. The market also features a Christmas tree and carousel that is free to ride for anyone with a ticket, which...

This article is by Cho Yong-jun and read by an artificial voice. Coupang Logistics Service (CLS), the logistics subsidiary of Coupang, will invest 20 billion won ($14 million) in a new logistics center in Jincheon County, North Chungcheong, with an aim of starting operations by January 2025. The 195,700 square-foot sub-hub, which connects the e-commerce operator's larger warehouses to its smaller delivery centers, will help expand Coupang's Rocket Delivery service in the region. "Coupang...

This article is by Huh Jin, Lim Jeong-won and read by an artificial voice. President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up the APEC and G20 summits on Tuesday, holding bilateral summits with the leaders of Britain and South Africa on the margins of the G20 summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Yoon met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the two noted how South Korea and Britain have strongly condemned the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia with one voice, Seoul's...

This article is by Cho Jung-woo and read by an artificial voice. The top court on Wednesday upheld a 10-year prison sentence for a driver who fatally struck a passerby while under the influence of psychotropic drugs before fleeing the scene near Apgujeong Station in southern Seoul. The 28-year-old driver, identified by his surname Shin, hit a woman on a sidewalk near Apgujeong Station in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 2 last year while driving his Rolls-Royce under the influence...

This article is by Cho Yong-jun and read by an artificial voice. Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group and CJ ENM, Korea's entertainment giant best known for its distribution of "Parasite" (2019), have signed a deal to remake each other's films in English and Korean. The agreement, revealed Wednesday, will allow the two companies to jointly develop, invest and distribute remakes from each others' libraries. CJ ENM will act as the lead studio for remakes of Warner Bros.' films in Korean, while...

This article is by Park Eun-jee, Cho Yong-jun and read by an artificial voice. The accounts of Korean Instagram users whose accounts contain photos of children have been forcibly turned private or locked in recent days, sparking a flood of online complaints, just two months after Meta introduced measures aimed at curbing children's use of its platforms. The incident reflects the challenges facing social media giants in their efforts to protect children, as their AI systems often have limited...

This is an editorial from the Korea JoongAng Daily. The belated top court's ruling finalizing a jail term for former lawmaker Youn Mee-hyang exemplified the maxim that justice delayed is justice denied. The Supreme Court last Thursday upheld a lower court's ruling of a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence suspended for three years for Youn, more than four years after her indictment for embezzling donations and funds to help victims of the imperial Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery. It...

This is an editorial from the Korea JoongAng Daily. Korean markets are rattled by the Korean won and stocks tumbling nearly 9 percent this year. A currency value mirrors the strength of economic fundamentals. Currencies around the world have been weakening against a strong U.S. dollar buttressed by a robust economy. Excluding the Japanese yen, the Korean won is the worst performer among currencies of major economies. Korea's stock market is even worse. It is the second weakest performing...

This article is by Jim Bulley and read by an artificial voice. Korea drew 1-1 with Palestine on Tuesday, snapping a four-game winning streak in an unspiring outing at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan. Hong Myung-bo's team looked flat and uninspired in their last game of the year, the lineup including European stars Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae lacking the intensity of their Palestinian counterparts. With the draw, Palestine, statistically the worst team in Group B...

This is an editorial from the Korea JoongAng Daily. In a remarkable turn, President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday said, "For South Korea, the United States and China are not countries for us to choose between," stressing the importance of close cooperation with the two countries. The comment came during his interview with a local media outlet on his visit to Brazil to attend the G20 summit there. Yoon's rhetoric suggests a dramatic shift in his perception of diplomatic and security interests. The...

Read what today holds in store for you under the 12 signs of the zodiac, each represented by an animal. Our astrologer Cho Ku-moon explores saju (the four pillars of destiny) and geomancy for your prospects on wealth, health and love while offering advice on the direction of your luck and fortune. Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 (Oct. 20 on the lunar calendar) Rat Wealth: fair Health: good Love: joyful Lucky direction: south 1936: You may receive filial respect or be well-treated. 1948: You could...

This article is by Cho Jung-woo and read by an artificial voice. Seoul's unlimited transit pass, the Climate Card, will soon have a postpaid option available. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that the new version of the Climate Card will eliminate the need for users to top up their cards in advance, which is currently the only method for using the transit pass. In collaboration with nine card companies - Shinhan, KB Kookmin, NH Nonghyup, Lotte, BC, Samsung, Woori, Hyundai and...

This article is by Seo Ji-eun and read by an artificial voice. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a rare meeting with Alexandr Kozlov, Russia's minister of natural resources and ecology, in Pyongyang on Monday, with the senior Russian official arriving in the capital city to lead and participate in the 11th annual bilateral talks on economy, science and technology. This marks the first time the country's supreme leader directly engaged with the head of a Russian delegation attending the...

This article is by Cho Jung-woo and read by an artificial voice. The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday recommended that people and organizations call the river that divides Seoul the "Hangang River" rather than the "Han River," a move confusing the English-speaking community because of its perceived redundancy. The city government argues that media outlets and online platforms' inconsistent use of the river's English name confuses the general public and foreign tourists. A city...

This article is by Shin Ha-nee and read by an artificial voice. Korea's outstanding household credit in the third quarter set a record once again as it soared above the 1.9 quadrillion won ($1.37 trillion) threshold for the first time, central bank data showed Tuesday. The pace of the increase also accelerated, yet the rapid surge is expected to gradually slow in the fourth quarter with the implementation of government-led loan-tightening measures. According to preliminary data from the Bank...

This article is by Shin Min-hee and read by an artificial voice. On a chilly yet brisk Monday morning, the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul was filled with visitors like any other day with a noticeable number of foreign tourists or clusters of students who came on field trips. As usual, the atmosphere was generally composed with hints of small chatter and the shutter sounds of phone cameras. That is, except for the Children's Museum, which instead erupted with laughter and song. It...

Across cabinet tables, boardrooms and diplomatic missions this week, one topic of discussion has overshadowed all others. The sweeping victory of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in America's elections will give huge powers to an impulsive president with unorthodox economic beliefs and a belligerent approach to negotiation. Bigwigs in government and business all over are scrambling to analyze the consequences - for America and for the rest of the world. America, the world's largest...