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☆ North Korean hackers exploited Seoul Halloween tragedy to distribute malware, Google says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - North Korean government-backed hackers referenced the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul to distribute malware to users in South Korea, Google's (GOOGL.O) Threat Analysis group said in a report. Google attributed the activity to a North Korean hacking group known as APT37 which it said targets South Korean users, North Korean defectors, policy makers, journalists and human rights activists. It reported the problem to Microsoft on Oct. 31 after multiple reports from South Korean users on the same day. North Korea does not respond to media inquiries, but has previously released statements denying allegations of hacking. On Thursday, South Korean officials warned businesses against inadvertently hiring IT staff from North Korea.

☆ South Koreans set to become younger as traditional way of counting age scrapped
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pedestrians wearing masks walk with umbrellas as it rains amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in central Seoul, South Korea, November 19, 2020. REUTERS/Heo RanSEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - South Korea on Thursday passed laws to scrap its traditional method of counting ages and adopt the international standard - a shift which will make its citizens either 1 or 2 years younger on official documents. Koreans are deemed to be a year old when born and a year is added every Jan. 1. A separate system also exists for conscription purposes or calculating the legal age to drink alcohol and smoke, in which a person's age is calculated from zero at birth and a year is added on Jan. 1. Since the early 1960s, however, South Korea has for medical and legal documents also used the international norm of calculating from zero at birth and adding a year on every birthday.

Yonhap via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - South Korea ordered striking truckers in the steel and petrochemical industries to return to work on Thursday, widening a back-to-work decree beyond the cement industry amid a prolonged nationwide strike that has disrupted supply chains. During opening remarks at a televised meeting of the country's cabinet, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told the members to issue the "start work" order. Tens of thousands striking truckers are demanding a minimum wage programme be permanent and broader. Last week, the government issued a "start work" order to force 2,500 striking drivers in the cement industry back on the road. The "start work" order last month was the first time the government had forced striking workers back on the job.

☆ How Cho Gue-sung became the breakout thirst trap of the World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Soo Youn | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Cho, 24, was a local celebrity as a player for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC before the World Cup, when he had 20,000 Instagram followers. Cho first generated buzz in his World Cup debut during Korea’s match against Uruguay, which ended in a scoreless tie. South Korea's Cho Gue-sung, center, during the FIFA World Cup match against Ghana in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Nov. 28. One can point to 2002’s World Cup heartthrob, Ahn Jung Hwan, whose beauty was only celebrated locally in South Korea. “He’s hot, he knows it, and he scored two goals for Korea in the World Cup.

☆ South Korea to order more truckers back to work on Thursday - media report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The South Korean government is expected to order truckers serving the petrochemical and steel sectors to return to work this week as a national strike by truckers entered its 14th day on Wednesday, media reported on Wednesday. Late last month the government told truckers serving the cement industry, who made up around 10% of the 25,000 truckers involved in the strike, to return to work. The strike has disrupted supply chains, and cost South Korea 3.5 trillion won ($2.65 billion) in lost shipments over the first 12 days, the industry ministry said on Tuesday. Shipments of cement have bounced back to 93% of normal levels from 10% earlier in the strike, thanks to the government telling truckers serving the industry to get back to work, according to lobby group Korea Cement Association. Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Soo-Man Lee on why he founded SM Entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSoo-Man Lee on why he founded SM EntertainmentFounder Soo-Man Lee tells CNBC's Chery Kang about his vision for SM Entertainment.

☆ Soo-Man Lee on NCT plans, SuperM's comeback
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSoo-Man Lee on NCT plans, SuperM's comebackSoo-Man Lee, founder of SM Entertainment, spoke to CNBC's Chery Kang on future company plans for new NCT groups, and SuperM's pending comeback.

☆ 'We need to make Saudi pop music': Soo-Man Lee
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'We need to make Saudi pop music': Soo-Man LeeSoo-Man Lee, founder of SM Entertainment, talks to CNBC's Chery Kang about his partnership with Saudi Arabia to create Saudi pop music.

☆ The metaverse is the future of K-pop: Soo-Man Lee
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe metaverse is the future of K-pop: Soo-Man LeeSoo-Man Lee, founder of SM Entertainment, shares with CNBC's Chery Kang about why he believes the future of K-pop lies in the metaverse. He also talks about SM's first metaverse girl band, Aespa.

SEOUL, Dec 5 (Reuters) - North Korea said it fired more than 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on Monday after detecting military drills across the border in the South. The South Korean military sent several warning communications to the North over the firing, the ministry of defence said in a statement. South Korea and the United States were conducting a joint land-based firing drill near the border in Cheorwon County in the middle of the peninsula on Monday. North Korea has criticised the joint drills as evidence of a hostile policy by Washington and Seoul. South Korea has accused the North of repeatedly violating the agreement with artillery drills this year, including one day in mid-October when more than 500 rounds were fired into the sea.

☆ 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.

☆ ‘Squid Game’ actor indicted on indecent assault charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, South Korea — Award-winning “Squid Game” actor Oh Young-soo will stand trial on charges of indecent assault after a woman accused him of inappropriately touching her in 2017, a South Korean court said. The district court in Seongnam city said Thursday that prosecutors indicted the 78-year-old Emmy nominee last week over the allegations and that his trial will begin in February. South Korean cable channel JTBC said Oh denied wrongdoing when reached by a reporter, saying that he had only held the woman’s hands to “show her the way” as they walked around a lake. Oh became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe in January after he was named the top supporting actor for his role in “Squid Game,” a brutal Netflix drama about a desperate group of adults competing in deadly children’s games for a chance to escape severe debt. Oh was also nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Oh Il-nam, a mysterious elderly contestant who joined the games after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

☆ South Korea's SM Entertainment plans to set up its Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Kimberley Kao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SM Entertainment declined to say how much the company is investing into its Southeast Asian expansion, but said it's "in the midst of hiring more local talents, which will hopefully increase the full-time staff count." South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment will be setting up its Southeast Asian headquarters in Singapore as part of its expansion plans in the region. The Singapore headquarters will also be "managing joint ventures in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as communicating with [its South Korea office] for other related ventures and plans." The company is also "looking at hiring local undergraduates or fresh graduates for internships." On top of that, the company plans to launch retail businesses in Singapore, including cafes, merchandise stores and pop-up exhibitions.

☆ Kim Jong Un's daughter makes her second public appearance
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter made a public appearance again, this time with missile scientists and more honorific titles as her father’s “most beloved” or “precious” child. Others showed Kim’s daughter clapping her hands, exchanging handshakes with a soldier or talking to her father as people cheered in the background. “Kim Ju Ae is expected to appear occasionally at Kim Jong Un’s public events and take a succession training.”Revealing the young Ju Ae came as a huge surprise to foreign experts, as Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il were both first mentioned in state media dispatches after they became adults. Cheong, however, said Kim Jong Il had Kim Jong Un in mind as his heir when his son was 8 years old. Cheong cited his conversations with Kim Jong Un’s aunt and her husband, who defected to the United States.

Land Minister Won Hee-ryong said that the government would consider deploying military trucks to areas needed for urgent transport. The Korea Oil Station Association is asking gas station owners to secure enough inventory ahead of the strike, an association official said on Wednesday. "We learned some lessons from the last strike," said the official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. The transport ministry had said some 7,000 people participated in the June strike, while the union said more than 22,000 took part. The Korea International Trade Association, a shippers' body, said on Wednesday that it has created a task force to handle any disruptions and minimise trade damage.

Musk had made the remark in a video call with President Yoon Suk-yeol, adding that the company planned to step up cooperation with South Korea on supply chains, Yoon's office said. As Yoon was aware of Tesla's plans to build a factory in Asia in the future, his office said, Yoon asked Musk to build the factory in South Korea. In response, Musk said he considered South Korea to be one of the top candidates and would make the decision after reviewing investment conditions in other countries, including labour quality, technology level and production infrastructure. "We expect to buy components worth more than $10 billion from South Korean firms in 2023 as we significantly expand supply chain cooperation with South Korean companies," Yoon's office quoted Musk as saying. Yoon said in the discussion he would reform unreasonable regulations that hindered investment by global tech companies, according to Yoon's office.

☆ North Korea cautions sanctions and pressure will fuel more hostility
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Nov 24 (Reuters) - North Korea on Thursday denounced Seoul's push to impose additional sanctions on Pyongyang following its repeated missile launches, saying such measures will add to the North's "hostility and anger," state media KCNA reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, made the remarks in a statement carried by KCNA, calling South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol "and other idiots" a "faithful dog" of the United States. It said sanctions on the cyber sector were among those considered in case the North pushes ahead with a nuclear test. North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of ballistic missile launches this year. For months Washington has said North Korea could conduct a nuclear bomb test, the first since 2017, at any time.

☆ China resumes streaming South Korean content after six-year suspension
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Printed Chinese and South Korean flags are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationSEOUL, Nov 22 (Reuters) - A Chinese streaming platform has resumed distributing South Korean content after suspending it for nearly six years, South Korean officials said on Tuesday, in what Seoul called a sign of Beijing's readiness to improve ties. A South Korean presidential official linked the timing of the gesture to a recent summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Relations between South Korea and China have been frayed in recent years following the installation in South Korea of the THAAD system in 2017 to better counter North Korea's evolving missile threats. China had argued that THAAD's powerful radar could peer into its airspace, and reactd by sharply cutting trade and cultural imports with South Korea, in a major blow to bilateral ties.

☆ Tencent: China resumes streaming South Korean content after six-year suspension
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

A Chinese streaming platform has resumed distributing South Korean content after suspending it for nearly six years, South Korean officials said on Tuesday, in what Seoul called a sign of Beijing’s readiness to improve ties. A South Korean presidential official linked the timing of the gesture to a recent summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Bali, Indonesia, November 15, 2022. Relations between South Korea and China have been frayed in recent years following the installation in South Korea of the THAAD system in 2017 to better counter North Korea’s evolving missile threats. China had argued that THAAD’s powerful radar could peer into its airspace, and reacted by sharply cutting trade and cultural imports with South Korea, in a major blow to bilateral ties.

☆ South Korea's Yoon suspends media briefing amid row over banning broadcaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday suspended his near-daily media briefings amid a spat over banning a major TV broadcaster's reporters from boarding the presidential plane for what he called "malicious" and "fake" news. Yoon's office barred a crew from MBC from riding in the plane with him during a Southeast Asia visit earlier this month, alleging biased coverage of recent controversies. The end of the free-wheeling briefings came three days after an MBC reporter shouted a question to Yoon asking what was "malicious" about their reporting, to which Yoon walked off without an answer. In its statement on Monday, Yoon's office said it decided the informal briefing could not continue without measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Media initially reported Yoon's crude comments were targeting the U.S. Congress but Yoon's office said he was referring to South Korea's parliament.

☆ South Korea seeks cooperation from China, Russia as U.N. meets on North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - South Korea on Monday asked for the "active cooperation" of China and Russia to prevent North Korea from conducting further missile tests, hours ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting on the North's test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Security Council meeting was scheduled at the request of the United States after North Korea last week launched a missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. "Kim asked for active cooperation from China and Russia, permanent members of the Security Council, and for them to play constructive roles to restrain North Korea from further provocations and to make it return to dialogue," the ministry said. U.S. President Joe Biden met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last week and said Beijing has an obligation to try to talk North Korea out of resuming nuclear testing. A senior U.S. administration official said earlier this month that Washington believed China and Russia have leverage to persuade North Korea not to resume nuclear bomb testing.

Separately, police fired rubber bullets to disperse anti-government protesters in Bangkok as the host of the Asia-Paciﬁc Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, opened the conference. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called an emergency gathering of leaders from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand on the sidelines of the summit after North Korea carried out the missile test. "This conduct by North Korea most recently is a brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," she said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in Bangkok for the APEC meeting, told reporters North Korea had "repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency". First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov is representing him at APEC.

[1/4] A passerby looks at a television screen showing a news report about North Korea firing a ballistic missile in Tokyo, Japan November 18, 2022. South Korea's military projected that the missile reached an altitude of 6,100 km and flew 1,000 km at a maximum speed of Mach 22. Friday's launch is the eighth ICBM test this year by North Korea, based on a tally from the U.S. State Department. Concern has also mounted over the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test for the first time since 2017. North Korea on March 24 launched its biggest ICBM ever, which flew 67.5 minutes and reached an altitude of 6,248.5 km (3,905 miles), according to state media.

☆ Factbox: What is APEC and which leaders are attending Bangkok summit?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A general view outside of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center venue during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, at Asoke Junction, in Bangkok, Thailand November 17, 2022. The United States will be the APEC host in 2023. CHINA PRESIDENT XI JINPINGXi met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Bangkok on Thursday for talks. RUSSIA FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ANDREI BELOUSOVBelousov will represent President Valadmir Putin at APEC. PAPUA NEW GUINEA PRIME MINISTER JAMES MARAPEMarape will hold meetings with U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken.

SEOUL/TOKYO, Nov 18 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday that landed just 200 kilometres (130 miles) off Japan and had sufficient range to reach the mainland of the United States, Japanese officials told reporters. Friday's launch would be the eighth ICBM test this year by North Korea, based on a tally from the U.S. State Department. A South Korean official said the Nov. 3 test may have failed at high altitude. South Korean and U.S. officials have reported that a number of North Korean ICBM tests appeared to have failed this year. The North has also fired hundreds of artillery shells into the sea recently as South Korea and the United States staged exercises, some of which involved Japan.

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