Author: Jae young

July 24, 2025SEOUL – A recent analysis by NHN Payco of around 9 million mobile meal voucher transactions in early 2025 shows that the average lunch cost in Korea has climbed to 9,500 won ($6.90) per person — a 58 percent increase from 6,000 won in 2017. In Seoul’s major business hubs like Samseong-dong, Gangnam and Yeouido, costs are notably higher, with Samseong-dong reaching an average of 15,000 won.More employees are using meal vouchers outside of company cafeterias, opting instead for convenience stores like CU and GS25, delivery apps like Yogiyo, cafes like Starbucks and A Twosome Place, bakeries like…

July 24, 2025SEOUL – South Korea’s leading chipmaker SK hynix saw its stock rally come to an abrupt halt last week following a bearish forecast from global banking giant Goldman Sachs.The sudden turn underscored the outsized influence of foreign perspectives on the domestic stock market.On July 17, shares of Kospi-listed SK hynix plunged nearly 9 percent to 269,500 won ($195) as of closing after Goldman Sachs downgraded its investment rating on the memory chip giant to “neutral” from “buy,” citing expectations of a decline in high-bandwidth memory prices amid intensifying competition.“We believe HBM pricing could decline for the first time…

July 24, 2025SEOUL – Traditional Korean restaurants are quietly vanishing across South Korea, even as global fascination with Korean food surges.Government data shows the share of Korean restaurants in the country has declined for six consecutive years, falling to 41.8 percent of all eateries in 2024, down from 45.6 percent in 2018. While Korean cuisine still accounts for the largest portion of dining establishments, its dominance is slipping.Meanwhile, Japanese, Western and Chinese restaurants, along with pizza, burger and fried chicken chains, are steadily expanding, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.The sharpest drop has been among independent…

July 24, 2025SEOUL – Driven by rising marriages and supportive government policies, the number of newborns in South Korea increased for the 11th consecutive month in May, according to Statistics Korea on Wednesday.The growth rate for births in May was the highest for the month in 14 years, while the number of marriages was the largest in six years.A total of 106,048 babies were born during the first five months of this year, marking a 6.9 percent rise from the same period last year. In May, 20,309 babies were born, up 3.8 percent on-year, representing the largest May increase since…

July 23, 2025SEOUL – South Korea’s financial giants have been working to shed their long-standing reputation for rubber-stamp governance, as diversity and boardroom expertise have visibly improved. Yet, with CEOs and legacy ties still exerting implicit power in some high-level conference rooms, the extent to which boards can hold management accountable remains in question.All four of Korea’s top financial groups now have at least two female outside directors, with women holding an average of 32 percent of those seats. Shinhan leads with four of nine, followed by KB with three of seven, Hana with three of nine and Woori with…

July 23, 2025SEOUL – The famous English nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” is about an egg sitting on a wall that falls to the ground and is broken irreparably. There are a variety of Humpty Dumpty animation videos on YouTube for children to watch. The main lyrics go like this: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”An egg is protected by an eggshell, and yet it is fragile. It is unstable even on a flat surface and thus easily falls to the…

July 23, 2025SEOUL – South Korea’s military leadership — including the former defense minister and senior commanders — has emerged as a central focus in two of three special counsel investigations currently underway.The twin probes focus on alleged illegal drone operations over Pyongyang tied to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s suspected attempt to manufacture a justification for declaring martial law and the 2023 death of a young Marine, in which Yoon is accused of abusing his power to obstruct the initial investigation.The special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk is continuing its investigation into Yoon’s alleged martial law scheme, focusing…

July 23, 2025SEOUL – Three people, including an employee at a foreign airline, were referred to the prosecution for illegally obtaining and selling the flight information of celebrities, including BTS, industry sources said Tuesday.The foreign airline employee is suspected of illegally obtaining the flight information of BTS members and other major celebrities and handing it over to accomplices, who then sold it through direct messages or open chat rooms on social media platforms.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cyber investigation unit, which has been handling the case, reportedly secured evidence showing how the employee illegally accessed internal airline information and engaged…

July 23, 2025SEOUL – A deadly domestic shooting in Songdo, Incheon, has reignited alarm in South Korea over the lack of regulation on homemade firearms and the ease of access to online content that teaches users how to build them.On Sunday, a 63-year-old man was arrested on charges of murder after allegedly shooting his son with a homemade shotgun filled with metal pellets at their residence in Songdo, Incheon. The victim, a 33-year-old man, was rushed to the hospital but did not survive his injuries.Police officials at Incheon Yeonsu Police Station later told the press that, during questioning, the suspect…

HomeGEOPOLITICSEAST ASIASouth Korea reviewing various options to improve North Korea tiesSouth Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to improve strained relations with Pyongyang that have reached their worst level in years. Post navigation