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412 storiesBusan film festival opens 31st edition; Michelle Yeoh takes Asian Filmmaker award
The 31st Busan International Film Festival opened on the evening of October 6 with a red-carpet ceremony at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, and runs until October 15. Actress Kim Min-ha hosted the opening ceremony, and Michel…
South Korea says 157 ticket scalpers arrested under stricter anti-scalping law
Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young told a cabinet meeting that 157 ticket scalpers had been arrested since revised anti-scalping laws took effect on Aug. 28, Yonhap and Asia Economy reported. He said the public had filed 68,158 reports and tha…
South Korea's Lee orders CPTPP talks restarted from the beginning amid farm concerns
President Lee Jae-myung instructed at a cabinet meeting on Oct 6 that the government should not fix a conclusion on joining the CPTPP and should “restart dialogue from the beginning,” saying the pact's strategic value is cited alongside ver…
Actor Kim Min denies staging claims over old house on MBC’s ‘I Live Alone’
Actor Kim Min’s appearance on MBC’s ‘I Live Alone’, showing his daily life in a roughly 90-year-old house in Dongducheon, drew online allegations that the setting was staged after viewers compared July road-view images with the house as sho…
Eva Marie Saint, Oscar Winner for ‘On the Waterfront,’ Dies at 102
Eva Marie Saint, the Academy Award-winning actor who made her film debut opposite Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront” and starred with Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was …
Two Gyeongbuk public institutions win top grade in provincial evaluation
The Gyeongbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation and the Gyeongbuk Women's Policy Development Institute received the highest grade in Gyeongbuk province's evaluation of its public institutions, according to three local outlets. The reports gave no…
Jeonnam-Gwangju special city to mark 100 days with “Into the New World” concert
The Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City said on 5 October that it will hold a citizen concert, “Into the New World”, on 15 October at 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Theater of the Arts Center to mark 100 days since its integrated launch. A join…
China Railway warns travellers over third-party ticket-grabbing platforms
China Railway issued a reminder that 12306 is its only official online ticket sales channel and said it has never cooperated with any third-party platform, according to IT Home and China News Service. The railway described bloggers in railw…
Busan International Film Festival opens 31st edition with 247 invited films
The 31st Busan International Film Festival opened on the evening of Oct. 6 at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae district and runs through Oct. 15. Organisers invited 247 films from 59 countries, with 316 screenings in all including the co…
Trump signs order allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel on highways
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily allowing off-road red-dyed diesel to be used for highway driving and deferring the federal excise tax on that fuel through the end of 2026 without interest or penalties.…
Mezzo-soprano Kim Cheong-ja, first Korean to debut in European opera, dies at 82
Mezzo-soprano Kim Cheong-ja, a former professor at Korea National University of Arts who became the first Korean to debut on a European opera stage in 1970, died on Oct. 5 at age 82, her students said. She died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Yon…
President Lee vows to keep pledge to end “real estate speculation republic”
President Lee Jae-myung said on Oct. 5 in a post on X that his government will keep its promise to escape the “real estate speculation republic,” saying the country cannot be made to face a “lost 30 years” from real-estate bomb-passing even…
Seoul police chief vows strict action over threats to “Assassins” actors
Seoul police chief Go Beom-seok said on October 6 that harm or threats against actors of “Assassins” will be handled strictly under the law and that criminal allegations will be met with a strict response if confirmed; he said no request ha…
“Assassins” passes 2 million admissions amid history distortion row
The Korean film “Assassins”, about the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, passed 2 million cumulative admissions on Oct 3, the 11th day after its Sept 23 release, distributor Hive Media Corp said. The milestone came as the film rema…
Defense ministry to pursue cut, abolition of alternative service for arts, sports
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on Oct 6 that it plans to ultimately pursue a reduction and abolition of supplementary military service, including arts and sports personnel, and to reflect it in the defense reform basic plan. Spokespers…
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days Begin With Discounts on Apple Macs, AirPods and iPads
Amazon's fall Prime Big Deal Days sale is live, with early discounts on Apple products including AirPods Pro 3 at $179.00, down from $249.00, AirPods Max 2 at $429.00, and about $200 off most M5 MacBook Air models. Outlets also reported all…
T.O.P Fan Exhibition Cancelled After Dating News; Fan Site Cites Low Signups
A photo exhibition planned by T.O.P's fan site CHOIDOT for Oct 31 to Nov 1 has been cancelled. The fan site said applications reached only about 25% of its expected scale of 300 people over two days, fewer than 100 people. Chosun Ilbo repor…
Asian Games gold row widens as parties in South Korea seek exemption review
South Korea beat Japan 1-0 on October 3 to win a fourth consecutive Asian Games men's football gold, a result that exempts most of the squad from military service. A locker-room photo of Park Seung-su in a discharge hat, captain Lee Ki-hyuk…
Bucheon offers half-price admission at six attractions to local university students
Bucheon, in Gyeonggi Province, began offering a 50% discount on admission to six city attractions on Oct 6 for students at four local universities. Students must show a student ID or enrollment certificate; the night attraction Bucheon Lumi…
South Korea weighs ending military service exemptions for athletes and artists
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on October 6 that it is considering tightening or abolishing the military service exemption granted to athletes and artists, after some Asian Games gold medalists said exemption mattered more to them than…