DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ After a rough run, North Korea could at last find itself 'sitting pretty' in the new year with both Russia and China courting it, Korea watcher says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The result could be a very fortunate 2024 for North Korea, one in which Russia and China are both chasing after its attention. In that case, North Korea could be "sitting pretty," a top Korea watcher said last week. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un observes artillery fire competition in North Korea. North Korean military cadets hold a North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's flag during a perform of the Arirang festival which is a part of commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of the Workers' Party of North Korea on October 6, 2005, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea, on the other hand, has criticized, sometimes openly, China's disapproval of its testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Victor Cha, Cha, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, North, Kim Jong, SAUL LOEB, Chung Sung, there's, Xi Jinping, Xi, Donald Trump's, Trump, Putin, MIKHAIL METZEL Organizations: Service, Business, Democratic People's, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, The Capital, North, Trump, Asian Affairs, White, National Security Council, REUTERS, Metropole, Getty, White House, Putin, Korean, Workers ' Party of North, Vostochny Locations: Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, China, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, COVID, Asia, Hanoi, North, Korean, Workers ' Party of North Korea, Pyongyang, Beijing, Amur

[1/3] South Korean students wait to take the annual College Scholastic Ability Test at a school on November 16, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Half a million South Koreans sat for the annual nationwide college entrance exam on Thursday, the first time in four years that the exam, often considered life-defining in the highly competitive society, has taken place free of pandemic rules. The annual exam is widely considered one of the most important tests in the country. South Korean financial markets opened an hour later than usual at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) to ease traffic. South Koreans spent a record 26 trillion won ($19.97 billion) on private education last year, despite a declining student population, a government report showed.

Persons: Chung Sung, Kim Mi, Yoon Suk Yeol, Daewung Kim, Jimin Jung, Soo, hyang Choi, Gerry Doyle Organizations: College Scholastic, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Korean

Seoul, South Korea CNN —When fighting broke out in Kang Hyeon-joo’s elementary school classroom, her heart would beat so fast she could not breathe and her vision would blur. Tens of thousands of teachers have been protesting in recent months, calling for more protection from students and parents. But we couldn’t do anything, if we teach them, we could be accused,” said Ahn Ji-hye, an elementary school teacher who helped organize previous protests. Mourners lay flowers in front of a memorial altar for an elementary school teacher who died in an apparent suicide in July at an elementary school in Seoul on September 4, 2023. South Korea’s education minister Lee Ju-ho initially warned teachers that a mass strike would be an illegal act.

Persons: Kang Hyeon, ”, Kang, ” Kang, Charles Miller, Sung Youl, kwan, “, Ahn Ji, Ahn, Jung Yeon, Lee Ju, Sung, Chung Sung, –, ” Sung Organizations: Lifeline, South Korea CNN, CNN, Police, Kyung Hee University, “, Getty, National Assembly, Child Welfare, ”, Federation of Teachers ’ Labor Union Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korean

☆ South Korea: Itaewon crush haunts survivors one year after Halloween crowd disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Hye Minyi can still vividly recall what happened in Itaewon, South Korea, on the night of October 29, 2022. Whether the disaster in Itaewon last year will put a dent in this growing popularity is yet to be seen. “We are extremely concerned that there could be a repeat of the Itaewon tragedy,” said Shibuya mayor Ken Hasebe. The Itaewon crowd crush was South Korea’s worst peacetime disaster since the sinking of a ferry in 2014 killed 304 people – among them 250 students and teachers from the Danwon State High School. Lee is certain of one thing, however – that she is “never going back to the area again.”“For me, Halloween and the Itaewon tragedy are (inextricably) linked,” she said.

Persons: CNN — Hye, Amy, Hye, ” Hye, ”, “, Anthony Wallace, expats, Ken Hasebe, Hasebe, ” Hasebe, overtourism, Yuya Shino, Critics, Jung Yeon, Yoon Suk, Kim Kun, Chung Sung, Lee, Kim Ho, Lee Sang Organizations: CNN, Getty, “, Reuters, Danwon State High School, South Korean, Seoul Metropolitan Government, South, City, Facebook, Interior, Safety Locations: Itaewon, South Korea, Seoul, AFP, Asia, Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Japan, Shibuya, “, Tokyo's Shibuya, Guangzhou, China, South, Danwon, Yongsan

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea showcased an arsenal of advanced weaponry in a military parade on Tuesday, rolling tanks and missiles down the streets of its rain-soaked capital during the first event of its kind in a decade. South Korean troops marched during the military parade in Seoul, South Korea, on September 26, 2023. Soldiers in vehicles waved to the crowd as they passed by; several carriers had the South Korean flag affixed to the exterior. Yoon has previously stated his goal to make South Korea one of the world’s top four arms exporters, after the US, Russia and France. South Korean weaponry and vehicles were on display during a parade in Seoul on September 26, 2023.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Hong, ” Yoon, –, Peter Layton, Kim Keon Hee, ”, Yoon, it’s, Layton, Chung Sung, Joe Biden, Biden, Fumio Kishida, David Organizations: South Korea CNN, 75th Armed Forces, Seoul Air Base, Reuters, South, Ministry of National Defense, Korean, Griffith Asia, Griffith University, Export, Import Bank of Korea, Japanese Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, United States, Japan, Pyongyang, North Korea, Washington, China, Russia, France, Maryland

Government data shows 100 public school teachers in South Korea – mostly elementary school teachers – killed themselves from January 2018 to June 2023. Under the law, anybody who suspects a case of child abuse can report it to the authorities without needing to provide evidence. South Korean teachers holding signs that call for "truth," to commemorate the death of a teacher, in Seoul on September 4. Call for changeBut protesters and teachers say they won’t be satisfied until the child abuse law is amended. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among OECD nations, with that rate increasing among teenagers and young adults in their 20s, according to the country’s health ministry.

Persons: Chung Sung, Cho Hee, Cho, Jung Yeon, ”, –, Yoonjung Seo, Lee Joo, “, ” Lee, Yoon Suk Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Federation of Teachers ’, country’s Education Ministry, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Seoul Seoi Elementary School, Getty, Authorities, Teachers, South, Korean Teachers and Education Workers ’ Union, CNN, CNN Education, Reuters, OECD, Ministry of Education, Korean Federation of Teachers ’ Associations Locations: Seoul, South Korea, “, South

☆ China is furious with Japan's plan to release treated Fukushima water into the ocean
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is situated on Japan's east coast, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of the capital Tokyo. Japan's government has repeatedly said the discharge of the treated water is safe and the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has endorsed the move. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (C) speaks during a meeting with representatives of the Inter-Ministerial Council for Contaminated Water, Treated Water and Decommissioning Issues and the Inter-Ministerial Council Concerning the Continuous Implementation of the Basic Policy on Handling of ALPS Treated Water, at Prime Minister's Office, on August 22, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, meanwhile, "strongly opposes" the discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima power plant. Hundreds of activists in South Korea had gathered in the capital of Seoul earlier this month to rally against Japan's plan to dispose of the treated water into the ocean.

Persons: Philip Fong, Fumio Kishida, Rodrigo Reyes Marin, Wang Wenbin, Wang, John Lee, Chung Sung Organizations: Afp, Getty, Japan, International Atomic Energy Agency, Inter, Ministerial Council, Minister's, Zuma, Anadolu Agency, Foreign Ministry, Japan's Embassy, CNBC, Hong, Japanese Locations: Shinchi, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Japan's, Tokyo, Japanese, China, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Fukushima

☆ Fukushima wastewater: South Korean shoppers hoard salt, seafood ahead of Japan's release of treated radioactive water
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Jessie Yeung Yoonjung Seo Paula Hancocks | Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The government has said the wastewater release will begin this summer, though it has not specified a date. The shortages were so acute that the government was forced to release sea salt from its official reserves to stabilize salt prices, which have soared more than 40% since April, according to the country’s salt manufacturing association. After a thorough safety review, it concluded in a report last week that the wastewater release would have “negligible” impact on people or the environment. The South Korean government said last week it would respect the IAEA’s findings. Photos show protesters holding banners that lambasted the IAEA and the Japanese government and condemned the wastewater release.

Persons: There’s, Chung Sung, Jung Yeon, ”, Lee Gi, I’m, ” Lee, Rafael Grossi, “, Lee, I’ve, … I’ve Organizations: Seoul CNN —, United Nations, CNN, Shoppers, Ministry of, Fisheries, Reuters, National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, Gallup, Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale, Getty, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, South Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Fukushima, Japan, United States, China, Gallup Korea

☆ See Margot Robbie’s best outfits from the ‘Barbie’ press tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jacquelyn Palumbo | Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —She may be a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, but the boundaries between Barbieland and real life are blurring as Margot Robbie undertakes her whirlwind international press tour for the Greta Gerwig-directed movie, out later this month. Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty ImagesIn Sydney, Robbie wore a shimmering Versace mini dress. Richard Milnes/ShutterstockRyan Gosling and Robbie at a press event in Los Angeles, where Robbie wore Valentino. Jon Kopaloff/Getty ImagesRobbie's polkadot Valentino dress was a nod to the 'Pink and Fabulous' Barbie doll from 2015. Mattel; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images NorthRobbie in Versace at a "Barbie" fan event on July 1.

Persons: Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Robbie, Andrew Mukamal, Mukamal, Herve Leger, ’ Barbie, Versace, Chung Sung, Zendaya, ” Jenna, ”, Jeremy Scott, Barbie, Han Myung, Richard Milnes, Shutterstock Ryan Gosling, Valentino, Jon Kopaloff, polkadot Valentino, James Gourley Organizations: CNN, Mattel, ”, Halle Bailey’s, Warner Bros . Pictures, Warner Bros . Locations: Seoul, Moschino, Sydney, Los Angeles

☆ North Korea says it will launch its first-ever military spy satellite to monitor U.S. drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 09: People watch a television show North Korea's 75th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces day military parade released by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-jun | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesNorth Korea announced its plans to launch its first-ever military spy satellite – giving a lift for some South Korean and Japanese defense stocks. North Korean military official Ri Pyong Chol said in a Monday statement that Pyongyang plans to launch a satellite with the aim to track "dangerous" actions by the U.S., pointing to its recent joint military drills taking with South Korea. North Korea claimed the event "fully proves how the enemy is making preparations for the military act of aggression on the DPRK," referring to its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Defense stocks riseShares of South Korean defense companies Firstec and Victek rose 3.8% and 3.3% respectively Tuesday afternoon, returning from a market holiday Monday.

☆ 55 years after sending a hit squad on a deadly raid in Seoul, North Korea has found new ways to threaten South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In January 1968, North Korean commandos slipped across the border into South Korea. Infiltrations into South Korea, both across the DMZ and by sea, by North Korean agents and commandos were also increasing. After cooperating with South Korean authorities, Kim Shin-jo was released in 1970 and received South Korean citizenship, which led North Korean officials to execute his parents and siblings. In December, a North Korean drone flew into a no-fly zone around South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's office in Seoul. It was one of five North Korean drones that flew into South Korea, the first to do so in five years.

☆ Asia-Pacific markets inch lower as region kicks off 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The public watch the first sunrise of the year during New Year's celebrations at a park on January 1, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. Markets in Japan and New Zealand are closed for public holidays Tuesday. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.48% in its first session of the year on Monday, with the Kosdaq also falling 0.61%. Markets in Asia are set for a lower open as most of the region kicks off their first trading sessions for the year. The S&P 500 lost 19.4% for the year, the Nasdaq lost 33.1% and the Dow closed 8.8%.

☆ Man behind the Korean wave talks about the future of K-pop and what aspiring artistes can do
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Kimberley Kao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Gabriel Olsen | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images"But when foreign bands come to [South Korea to] perform, they completely took over the stage and fans went wild. Future of K-popAs for the future of K-pop, "I think the metaverse that everyone is talking about these days is the future," Lee says. SM Entertainment established a metaverse world called SM Culture Universe, and launched its first metaverse girl band, Aespa in 2020. SM Entertainment established a metaverse world called SM Culture Universe, and launched its first metaverse girl band, Aespa in 2020. Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images"SM Entertainment is building 'Play-2-Create'… people can discover their creative side and create in the metaverse.

☆ South Korea spent $200 billion, but it can’t pay people enough to have a baby
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Paula Hancocks | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —The season of baby fairs is here once again in South Korea. Nurses at a nearly empty infant unit of a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, in February 2017. According to President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea has spent more than $200 billion in the past 16 years trying to solve its population problem. While having a baby is very much expected of married couples in South Korea, society still frowns on single parents. In South Korea, the job does not end when the office closes for the day.

☆ Tragedy struck around the globe. Mass casualty events in South Korea, India, and Somalia left nearly 400 dead this past weekend.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In Seoul, South Korea, more than 150 people were killed in a crowd crush during Halloween festivities on Saturday. A woman pays tribute for the victims of the Halloween celebration stampede, on the street near the scene on October 31, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. The tragedy marks one of the worst to happen in South Korea since the Sewol ferry sank off the country's southwestern coast in 2014, taking the lives of 250 South Korean students. South Korean officials said state authorities had no safety plans in place to deal with the mass crowds that gathered during Halloween weekend. "There have been no safety management guidelines or manuals for events without an organizer," said Kim Seong-ho, head of the disaster and safety management headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, local newspaper The Hankyoreh reported.

☆ Atthaya Thitikul: Thai teen becomes second youngest women's world No. 1 golfer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In doing so Thitikul becomes the second youngest golfer to reach the summit of the women’s game. Already a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Thitikul is also only the second player – after Park Sung-hyun – to have reached the world No.1 slot in their rookie season. Henderson has since racked up eight wins on the LPGA Tour, her most recent coming at the LA Open in April 2021. She won her first LPGA Tour event in March 2022 at the JTBC Classic in Southern California (pictured), and in May, rose to No. 1 ranking in 2015, and today boasts 17 victories on the LPGA Tour.

SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean government will conduct a thorough investigation into the Halloween crowd crush that killed more than 150 people in the capital over the weekend, officials said Monday, as the country mourned its worst disaster in years. Tens of thousands of people had gathered on Saturday in Itaewon, a nightlife district of Seoul that is popular with foreigners, when a crowd surge began in a sloped and narrow alleyway, setting off a deadly panic. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pays tribute in front of City Hall in Seoul on Monday. The crowd surge is the country’s deadliest peacetime accident since the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry. Stella Kim and Thomas Maresca reported from Seoul, and Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong.

☆ Photos and witness accounts detail the crowd surge that killed at least 151 people during Halloween festivities in South Korea: 'It was completely out of control'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Isabella Zavarise | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At least 151 people died after a crowd surge in South Korea on Saturday, as per the BBC. Bloodied and broken costumesThe belongings of victims are seen at the scene of a deadly stampede during a Halloween festival on October 30, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. Officials told the news outlet that most of the victims were teenagers and adults in their 20's. 'It was completely out of control'Policemen at the scene of a deadly stampede during a Halloween festival on October 30, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. Following the incident, officials have been advised to conduct an emergency review of all Halloween celebrations and other festivities, per the BBC.

☆ South Korea's Yoon to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral, U.N. General Assembly
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-12 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol holds first official news conference, after taking office in May, to mark 100 days in office, in Seoul, South Korea August 17, 2022. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS - RC21YV9WUCRJSEOUL, Sept 12 (Reuters) - South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit London, New York and Canada next week in his first trip to those countries, primarily to attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth and visit the U.N. General Assembly, Yoon's office said on Monday. The decision to attend the funeral on Sept. 19 reflected the historical importance of South Korea's bilateral ties with Britain, the achievements of Queen Elizabeth, and the affection the monarch had shown South Korea since her visit in 1999, Kim said. Yoon will then travel to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, where he is expected to give a keynote speech on Sept. 20, Kim said. Yoon's U.N. speech would be aimed at presenting South Korea's role as "a global leader country that contributes to resolving international issues and establishing a global order based on universal values," he said.

Search resuls for: "Chung Sung"

19 mentions found