News

Live from Seoul Central District Court, where Pres. Yoon's criminal trial sets to take place

2025/01/31 10:00

Now moving on to the domestic front, With President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial ongoing, he is also expected to participate in a criminal trial on charges of insurrection. Meanwhile, Yoon's team is making preparations to defend the president. For more we have our Park Kun-woo standing by live, near the Seoul Central District Court. Kun-woo, how are the trials proceeding? Good morning Min-jung. As mentioned, I'm now standing at the Central District Court in southern Seoul where Yoon's criminal trial on charges of insurrection, following his indictment by the prosecution, is set to take place, possibly in March. The panel of judges for the case is expected to be announced as early as Friday. Then, after pretrial preparations in February, the trial will begin. Usually, such preparations for a criminal trial take two to three months, but given that this is an unprecedented trial of a sitting president, who has been arrested, there are expectations that it will proceed faster than usual. Accordingly, Yoon's defense is facing two different trials -the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial and the criminal trial. This could result in the president undergoing at least three hearings a week, as those for the impeachment will resume their twice-weekly schedule from next week, which will last until February 13th. Yoon previously expressed his intention to attend all hearings. 2. Now, how has Yoon been preparing for these trials? President Yoon has continued meeting with his defense team even during the Lunar New Year holidays that ended Thursday, to discuss trial preparations, though details remain undisclosed. That came after the team submitted over a hundred pieces of evidence to the Constitutional Court on Jan. 26th, which some pundits believe may be a strategy to delay the impeachment trial. One possible scenario for Yoon and his defense team is to request bail to participate in the trials without detention. The court could deny the bail request due to concerns about evidence tampering, but could also accept the request with conditions such as prohibiting contact with related parties. Another possibility is requesting the suspension of the impeachment trial. That's based on a Constitutional Court Act that allows the suspension of such a trial when a criminal trial is also ongoing over the same matter. 3. And I hear regular visitation to the Detention Center where President Yoon is at, is allowed starting today. Can you tell us more? Yes, as you mentioned general visitation to the Seoul Detention Center where President Yoon is being held, will be available starting today. These visits are expected to take place once a day with only a few people allowed. High-ranking officials from the Presidential Office are expected to visit Yoon this morning. Members of the People Power Party are also planning to visit Yoon, while first lady Kim Keon-hee is reportedly not planning to visit at the moment. That's all I have for you now. Back to you, Min-jung. All right Kun-woo thank you for that coverage. That was our Park Kun-woo reporting live, from the Seoul Central District Court.

K-wave AI News

2025/01/31 14:00

Hello and welcome to your AI guide to the latest cultural updates from Korea. Here's our top story. The number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul exceeded 10 million last year, marking a strong recovery to pre-pandemic levels. According to the Seoul government, the city welcomed over 12 million international visitors from January to November last year, reaching 95% of the record-high figure from 2019. This new milestone reflects Seoul's growing appeal as a global destination, further reinforced by its recognition as the "Best MICE," or Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions city for the 10th consecutive year in the 2024 Global Traveler Reader Tested Survey Awards. The capital city plans to further develop distinctive tourism experiences that can be enjoyed year-round. The number of visitors exploring traditional Korean temples has surged recently. According to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, 63 temples across Korea housing state-designated cultural heritage have welcomed over 33 million visitors since May 2023, more than double the previous figures. This sharp increase is largely attributed to the government's introduction of admission fee subsidies for sites with designated cultural heritage in 2023. Venerable Jinwoo, the chief executive of the Jogye Order, reaffirmed the Buddhist community's commitment to providing a place of solace for those seeking peace of mind. The "Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival," the signature winter event of Korea's eastern Taebaek City, will kick off next Friday. Celebrating its 32nd year, the festival will offer a ten-day winter extravaganza across the Taebaeksan National Park, Hwangji Lake, and the Hwangjicheon Restoration Stream. Highlights include the "Starlight Festa," an International Snow Sculpture Competition, and the Catch Teenieping Sing-along Show. The Taebaek Cultural Foundation hopes visitors will get a chance to immerse themselves in Korea's unique winter ambiance and create lasting memories. That's all from me. Keep it tuned to the Kulture Wave.

[Short-form] Korea’s signature holiday dishes and how to burn off associated calories

2025/01/31 14:00

Korea’s signature holiday dishes and how to burn off associated calories It's the golden Lunar New Year season! Check out Korea’s festive flavors and healthy ways to burn off those extra calories.

Latest in K-Sports

2025/01/31 14:00

Baseball, football, golf, winter sports. We've got updates on all of these as it's time for the latest in the world of K-sports. For that, we're joined by our sportscaster Jason Lee in the studio. Jason hello! Q1-1) We are now less than two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training for Major League Baseball and perhaps that was enough for the Tampa Bay Rays to fill a need by signing Kim Ha-Seong Yes, The Tampa Bay Rays have signed Kim Ha-Seong to a 2 year contract worth 29 million dollars. Now Kim also has an opt out after this year where he'll earn 13 million dollars so you could see the deal as more of a 13 million dollar 1 year deal with a player option for next year at 16 million dollars Q1-2) How likely is it, do you think, that Kim will exercise his option to become a free agent again after this season? That's a good question, and it's worth noting that Kim is still recovering from shoulder surgery this offseason and probably won't make his season debut until at least May. So he'll essentially have 4 months if that, to show teams that he's back to his gold glove level of play with some pop in his bat as well. The 13 million for basically just 4 months this year and then 16 million for next year is I think a fair contract for his services. To be honest, I'm a little bit surprised that it was the Rays that completed this deal with him as they're really not known to be a team that digs deep into their pockets to sign free agents. In fact, just the 13 million that they're guaranteeing Kim this year is the most they've guaranteed any free agent since 1999. So they obviously like Kim A LOT to have gotten this deal done. As for Kim remaining next year, it all depends on those 4 months and how he plays. If he can hit say.250 with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases while being among the top defensive short stops in the league, it's possible he could opt out of his contract especially if he doesn't enjoy the East Coast as much as most Asian players tend to prefer living on the West coast being closer to home and typically having larger Asian populations. Q3) Some more goals for Son Heung-Min last week as he scored a pair in the Europa League against German side TSG Hoffenheim, and in their latest game, Spurs defeated Sweden's Elfsborg. No goal from Son, but he had a great game I heard? That's right Son Heung-Min scored the 2nd and 3rd goals in this game to power Tottenham over TSG Hoffenheim in Europa League play. Both goals were scored off his left foot, continuing to show his ambidextrous skills. While Tottenham have struggled in the Premier League, they continue to excel in the Europa League. (will talk about Elfsborg game and how they are in the standings here as well) Q4) Yang Min-Hyeok made Tottenham's substitute roster a few times, but had yet to get into a Premier League game. I understand that he has been loaned to a 2nd tier team to get some playing time Yeah, and it's a team that I think a lot of Koreans are going to be familiar with. He's been loaned to the Queens Park Rangers for the rest of the current season which will wrap up at the start of May. Now Koreans might remember the Queens Park Rangers from the 2012-2013 season when Park Ji-Sung starred for them. They're in the middle of the pack right now at 13th, but just 6 points out of 6th place for a chance to get promoted back into the Premier League. Now, I know a lot of Yang Min-Hyeok fans are going to be disappointed to see him loaned to a lower level team, but honestly I think this is going to be a good move for him. Although he did make the substitute list it didn't appear that they had any immediate plans to play him. He's still only 18 years old that's 6 years younger than the league average so the reality is that he's still very green, but also has a lot of time ahead of him. Now he'll get plenty of playing time and probably with competition that is more appropriate to his level. So from a developmental standpoint I think this is much better than had he just been riding the bench or even only playing 5 or 10 minutes every 2nd week or something like that. It's perhaps disappointing that he's not an absolute freak and able to start playing significant minutes in one of the world's top leagues at the age of 18, but from a realistic standpoint this should actually have been expected and we'll keep a watch on how he does with his new team and what Tottenham decides to do with him in the summer. Q5) Let's swing over to golf. The 75th LPGA season has kicked off with Kim A-lim taking the lead in the opening round. There are five Koreans in the field to watch out for. What do you expect from this event as well as the entire 2025 LPGA season? Yes, there are 5 Korean nationals there are also 2 2nd generation Koreans participating in the 32 player field. Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who is a former World Number 1 and MinJee Lee of Australia join the likes of: Ryu Hae-Ran, Ko Jin-Young, Kim A-Lim, Amy Yang, and Kim Hyo-Joo. This is the LPGA's season opener and it features anyone who has won a tournament over the past 2 seasons on the LPGA tour so the number of participants does actually fluctuate year to year. The fact that there are only 5 Koreans this year is a little bit disappointing as the top end performance of Koreans on the tour has been down a bit compared to years past. Ryu Hae-Ran, Kim A-Lim and Amy Yang won a tournament each last year for a total of just 3 Korean LPGA victories last year, which is the fewest total wins dating back to 2011. For this tournament as well as the 2025 season I would say watch for Ryu Hae-Ran in particular. She won Rookie of the Year in 2023 at the age of 21 and won an event that year and then won an event again last year as well and is now ranked 7th in the world at just 23 years of age. I could see her breaking out this year with multiple wins, now that she's more comfortable. One more golfer I want to mention is Yoon Ina she's a rookie on the LPGA tour this year, but she's probably no stranger to Korean golf fans as she dominated the KLPGA last year by winning player of the year honours while also being the money leader and scoring champion she's already ranked 30th going into this season so she'll be one to watch for in the Rookie of the Year watch for this year and she'll make her debut next week. (Q6) And the Asian Winter Games are now just a week away from opening in Harbin, China. We talked a little about Cha Jun Hwan before. Who else should we be looking for when the games kick off? Yes, Korea has sent 149 total athletes, but they can't all win gold medals as there are only 64 total gold medals up for grabs. Korea's obviously favoured to win multiple gold medals in short track speed skating and the most famous skaters remain Choi Min-Jeong who is a triple Olympic gold medalist. If you want a name you might not have heard of just yet, but could become a household name very soon, remember the name Lee Chae-Un. In 2022, he was the youngest snowboarder to compete at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. In 2023 at the age of just 16, he won the halfpipe World Championship becoming the youngest ever champion of the event. We're talking about the sport that often produces the rock stars of the Winter Olympics with names like Shaun White and Chloe Kim and Lee Chae-Un looks like he's going to be the next one. If he wins the gold medal in Harbin this could raise his profile that much more going into the 2026 Winter Games at the ripe old age of 19! Remember you heard it here first! We'll make sure to keep an eye on Lee Chae-Un . Can't wait to root for the South Korean athletes at the event. Thank you Jason for those updates, see you next time. Thank you Bella, it was a short week on the Kulture Wave, we'll see you next week.

[Features_reporter] How to make Tteokguk, one of S. Korea's traditional Lunar New Year dishes

2025/01/31 14:00

Seollal, Korea's Lunar New Year, wouldn't be complete without tteokguk, or rice cake soup. While many Koreans are still digesting a bowl or two they had over the extended Lunar New Year holiday our News Features reporter Ahn Sung-jin introduces us to this warm comforting dish, that's more than just a meal. "Korean lunar new year, also known as Seollal, is one of the country's major holidays. Traditionally Koreans would gather together, play folk games and perform ancestral rites and when Koreans think of Seollal, there's one thing that comes to mind." Then what is tteokguk that everyone is talking about? Tteokguk which literally combines the word tteok -rice cake-and guk -soup-is a typical traditional dish eaten during the Lunar New Year holiday. The owners of this rice cake mill have been making their own tteok for more than 50 years. It's especially during these holidays that orders for garaetteok, a long strip of rice cake dough, and the main ingredient in the tteokguk surges. First rice, which has been soaked, is ground twice to soften it before it is steamed. After that it's all mashed together to create long strips of garaetteok. The long strip represents people's desires to have good fortune. Once the rice cake hardens for a day or two, it is then cut into oval pieces that resemble the shape of coins once used in Korea, the yeopjeon. The exact origin of eating tteokguk on Lunar New Year's day is unclear, but it is believed to give good luck for the year. A traditional saying even goes that you haven't become a year older until you've had a bowl of tteokguk. Eating tteokguk during Seollal still remains a tradition, even if buying handmade tteok to make your own tteokguk is becoming less common. "For us it's mostly regular customers that have been coming for a long time. Not a whole lot of new customers because it's not common to eat this much tteok. People now normally just buy small packages." Tteokguk is not only a symbolic dish of Korea's Lunar New Year, but it also provides a glimpse into the hidden meanings behind the ingredients. Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.

[K-enter] "Squid Game" Season 3 to Premiere in June 2025

2025/01/31 14:00

So, starting off with K-Enter news, Bella, the date I was talking about has got to do with the third and final season of "Squid Game"? It seems like just yesterday that we got excited about "Squid Game" season 2. Well, get ready for another new season. The third and final season of "Squid Game" will premiere on June 27th. That's only six months after season 2, which was released in December last year. The reason for a relatively shorter term between the two seasons is because season 3 was filmed along with season 2. Netflix also revealed five still photos from the third season. The new season will take off from Gi-hun's failed confrontation with the Front Man and the despair that he faces after the participants' rebellion against the game's hosts. Meanwhile, the second season of "Squid Game" is currently the most watched Non-English Netflix series. Let's all mark our calendars and see how "Squid Game" ends. And for our next story we will talk about numerous records set by K-pop artists. Jung Kook set another new record on the U.S. Billboard chart. According to the latest chart released by Billboard on January 28th, Jung kook's solo single "Seven," released in July 2023, has been in the "Global" chart for a total of 80 weeks. This made Jung Kook the longest-running K-pop solo artist on the chart. "Seven" rose 14 spots to No.101 on the Billboard's "Global 200" chart. Another BTS member, Jimin, is also performing well on Billboard's main album and song chart. His second solo album "MUSE" ranked 77th on the main album chart "Billboard 200" and the title song "Who" ranked 25th on the main song chart "Hot 100." Although the album was introduced back in July last year, it's seen a rise in the chart compared to the previous weeks. And now, we have a female artist who also set not one, but two new records? Rosé achieved remarkable success with her hit single "APT." featuring Bruno Mars. It climbed to 3rd place on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the highest position ever reached by a female K-pop artist. Notably, "APT." has maintained a remarkable streak of 14 consecutive weeks on the chart. "APT." also reached 1 billion streams on Spotify. Rosé celebrated the milestone on her SNS accounts and Bruno Mars also joined in as he re-posted Rosé's stories. The single surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify on January 26th, which was 100 days after its release. This made it the fastest song by a K-pop act to hit a billion streams in Spotify's history, breaking the previous record held by BTS Jung Kook with his single "Seven." Thank you Bella for today's stories. Time now to go over to our AI anchor Ari for other culture-related news.

All 67 believed dead after collision between helicopter and American Airlines plane

2025/01/31 10:00

A collision between a military helicopter, and a passenger plane carrying 64 people in Washington, D.C., has killed all 67 people on board both aircraft. It was the deadliest aviation accident in the U.S. since 2001. Our Shin Ha-young starts us off. Rescue efforts went on through the night, but no survivors were found from the deadly collision of an American Airlines aircraft and the Army helicopter. U.S. authorities announced that 28 bodies had been recovered and believe all 67 people on board died. "Despite all these efforts, we are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident." A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training flight collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 on Wednesday night (local time) while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., sending the two aircraft plummeting into the Potomac River --the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001. The jet had departed from Wichita, Kansas with 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter had three military personnel on board. According to AP, less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. According to CBS News, figure skating athletes and their coaches were on board the plane, including teenagers Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, who are believed to be of Korean descent. They were returning home from the National Development Camp, which was held in connection with the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. U.S. President Donald Trump shared his condolences and paid tribute to the victims and families ahead of a press conference. But he then criticized the previous administration, indicating that its diversity, equity and inclusion program for air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration were partially to blame for the crash. "And then when I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. ( ) I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters there appeared to have been an elevation issue with the helicopter, and said Army investigators were on the ground looking into the matter. Meanwhile, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul expressed his deep sorrow over the plane crash. The Seoul government is working to obtain a passenger list, though it is still unclear if any Korean nationals were on board. Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.

[Weather] Snow and rain in central areas, rise in highs

2025/01/31 10:00

The long Seollal holiday has passed in a blink of an eye, but the snowy and freezing weather made the travel harsh in many parts of the country over the holiday. Snowy conditions continue in central parts of Korea. Between 1 and 5 centimeters of snow are in store throughout the day. Northern parts of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province will see a mix of rain and snow today. Holiday snow hasn't completely melted yet on the sidewalks, so please walk and drive with care. The cold snap has eased, afternoon highs will be 1 to 5 degrees higher today, getting up to 2 degrees Celsius in the capital and Chuncheon, Daegu and Busan top out at 10 degrees. Weekend weather looks promising with warmth but there could be more wintry precipitation across Korea. Then there will be a major cold snap next week, mornings will drop down to below minus 10 degrees Celsius in the capital despite Monday marking Ipchun, the onset of spring, on the seasonal calendar. Get ready for freezing morning commute next week.

NASA's returned asteroid samples hold the ingredients to life plus salts from an ancient water world

2025/01/31 10:00

In the U.S., scientists reported on Wednesday that NASA's OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft has returned approximately 122 grams of material from near-Earth asteroid Bennu, providing insights into the early solar system. Preliminary analysis revealed that the sample contains ammonia, suggesting that the material likely formed in a cold region of the solar system beyond Jupiter's orbit. Scientists have also identified 11 minerals that likely existed in a saltwater environment, suggesting the presence of liquid water in its history. The findings provide a better understanding of water in the early solar system and the origins of life on Earth.

Plane carrying 64 people crashes into military helicopter near Washington, D.C.

2025/01/30 18:00

A plane with 64 people on board collided on Wednesday night, with a military helicopter mid-air, as it approached Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. As of 2:50 AM on Thursday local time, at least 19 bodies have been recovered according to CBS News, with a large search and rescue operation underway in the Potomac River, where the aircraft are currently submerged. During a press briefing that followed shortly after the crash, officials pointed out the unfavorable conditions of the river, stating that the waters are "dark" and "murky". The jet – American Airlines Flight 5342 – had departed from Wichita, Kansas. It hit a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training flight with three people aboard. Reagan National Airport has been shut down until at least Thursday morning, with all takeoffs and landings on halt, until then. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a statement thanking the rescue team, and followed up on the news with a post on social media saying the crash "should have been prevented."

How to make Tteokguk, one of S. Korea's traditional Lunar New Year dishes

2025/01/30 18:00

Seollal, Korea’s Lunar New Year, wouldn’t be complete without tteokguk, or rice cake soup. A bowl of this warm, comforting dish is more than just a meal, it symbolizes good fortune and aging a year. Our Ahn Sung-jin takes us to where the heart of this tradition begins. “Korean lunar new year, also known as Seollal, is one of the country’s major holidays. Traditionally Koreans would gather together, play folk games and perform ancestral rites and when Koreans think of Seollal, there’s one thing that comes to mind.” Then what is tteokguk that everyone is talking about? Tteokguk which literally combines the word tteok -rice cake-and guk -soup-is a typical traditional dish eaten during the Lunar New Year holiday. The owners of this rice cake mill have been making their own tteok for more than 50 years. It's especially during these holidays that orders for garaetteok, a long strip of rice cake dough, and the main ingredient in the tteokguk surges. First rice, which has been soaked, is ground twice to soften it before it is steamed. After that it's all mashed together to create long strips of garaetteok. The long strip represents people's desires to have good fortune. Once the rice cake hardens for a day or two, it is then cut into oval pieces that resemble the shape of coins once used in Korea, the yeopjeon. The exact origin of eating tteokguk on Lunar New Year’s day is unclear, but it is believed to give good luck for the year. A traditional saying even goes that you haven’t become a year older until you’ve had a bowl of tteokguk. Eating tteokguk during Seollal still remains a tradition, even if buying handmade tteok to make your own tteokguk is becoming less common. “For us it’s mostly regular customers that have been coming for a long time. Not a whole lot of new customers because it’s not common to eat this much tteok. People now normally just buy small packages.” Tteokguk is not only a symbolic dish of Korea's Lunar New Year, but it also provides a glimpse into the hidden meanings behind the ingredients. Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.

Traffic jams to Seoul to ease by dawn Fri. as Lunar New Year holiday ends

2025/01/30 18:00

On the domestic front, the Lunar New Year holiday is coming to an end, and highways across the country are experiencing heavy congestion, with many travelers returning home. According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 4 PM, estimated travel times to Seoul were,. 5 hours 30 minutes from Busan,. and 4 hours 30 minutes from Daegu. Inbound traffic jams to Seoul are expected to gradually ease by dawn tomorrow, after hitting a peak between 5 PM and 6 PM today. Authorities have urged drivers to be extra cautious, with icy roads and black ice posing significant risks.

Fed holds rates steady for first policy meeting of 2025

2025/01/30 18:00

The U.S. Federal Reserve has decided to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged in its first monetary policy meeting of the year, and the first since President Donald Trump's inauguration. Following a two-day meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee announced on Wednesday, that it would maintain the rate at its current range of 4-point-2-5 percent to 4-point-5 percent. The decision marks a pause in the Fed's rate cutting cycle, which had seen three consecutive reductions in September, November and December last year. The Fed's cautious stance despite Trump's public calls for rate cuts,. suggests that it is waiting to assess the impact of the new administration's policies.

U.S. Commerce Department nominee vows to pressure allies into manufacturing in the U.S.

2025/01/30 18:00

Meanwhile, comments from U.S. President Donald Trump's pick for Commerce Secretary, is causing concern for U.S. allies and the global trade market. The nominee backed plans to impose levies on foreign goods, while possibly backing out of subsidies signed under the Biden administration. Our Moon Hye-ryeon has the details. President Trump's nominee to lead the Commerce Department, Howard Lutnick, backed Trump's plans to impose tariffs and stated that American allies – including South Korea – have exploited the United States in trade. During his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Lutnick claimed that Washington will need to work closely with allies such as Tokyo and Seoul in order to push foreign companies toward U.S.-based manufacturing. These remarks came in response to a question that asked about his plans to promote joint investments with allies to stimulate growth in the U.S. Lutnick made clear that tariffs would serve as a tool to encourage domestic manufacturing, and emphasized that while tariffs on China should be the highest, allies should not expect any exceptions. "We need to be treated better. We need to be treated with respect. And we can use tariffs to create reciprocity, fairness and respect." He also addressed Trump's recent announcement of a 25-percent tariff on Mexico and Canada scheduled to take effect at the start of next month, clarifying that these tariffs are separate from general trade tariffs. He explained that these specific tariffs aim to curb illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, and would not be implemented if both countries cooperate on these issues. As for general trade tariffs, he revealed his preference for across-the-board tariffs by country, suggesting that he favors tariffs applied across all goods rather than specific goods categories. Lutnick expressed skepticism about subsidies provided under the Biden administration through the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, raising concerns about how South Korean firms investing in the U.S. might be negatively affected. Tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have made significant investments in the U.S. based on these incentives, but Lutnick stated that even if contracts under the CHIPS Act were finalized under the Biden administration, they would need to be reviewed. He ALSO opposed the tax credit for leased electric vehicles – a provision under the IRA that has benefited South Korean auto companies such as Hyundai Motor. The hearing also addressed growing concerns over China's advances in artificial intelligence – including the recent breakthroughs by DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company. Lutnick advocated for stringent export controls and tariffs to curb China's technological rise, and accused DeepSeek of stealing intellectual property from the U.S. Moon Hye-ryeon, Arirang News.

U.S. Commerce Department nominee vows to pressure allies into manufacturing in the U.S.

2025/01/30 12:00

We begin with the comments from U.S. President Donald Trump's pick for Commerce Secretary, which is causing concern for U.S. allies and the global trade market. The nominee backed plans to impose levies on foreign goods, while possibly backing out of subsidies signed under the Biden administration. Our Moon Hye-ryeon has the details. President Trump's nominee to lead the Commerce Department, Howard Lutnick, backed Trump's plans to impose tariffs and stated that American allies – including South Korea – have exploited the United States in trade. During his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Lutnick claimed that Washington will need to work closely with allies such as Tokyo and Seoul in order to push foreign companies toward U.S.-based manufacturing. These remarks came in response to a question that asked about his plans to promote joint investments with allies to stimulate growth in the U.S. Lutnick made clear that tariffs would serve as a tool to encourage domestic manufacturing, and emphasized that while tariffs on China should be the highest, allies should not expect any exceptions. "We need to be treated better. We need to be treated with respect. And we can use tariffs to create reciprocity, fairness and respect." He also addressed Trump's recent announcement of a 25-percent tariff on Mexico and Canada scheduled to take effect at the start of next month, clarifying that these tariffs are separate from general trade tariffs. He explained that these specific tariffs aim to curb illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, and would not be implemented if both countries cooperate on these issues. As for general trade tariffs, he revealed his preference for across-the-board tariffs by country, suggesting that he favors tariffs applied across all goods rather than specific goods categories. Lutnick expressed skepticism about subsidies provided under the Biden administration through the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, raising concerns about how South Korean firms investing in the U.S. might be negatively affected. Tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have made significant investments in the U.S. based on these incentives, but Lutnick stated that even if contracts under the CHIPS Act were finalized under the Biden administration, they would need to be reviewed. He ALSO opposed the tax credit for leased electric vehicles – a provision under the IRA that has benefited South Korean auto companies such as Hyundai Motor. The hearing also addressed growing concerns over China's advances in artificial intelligence – including the recent breakthroughs by DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company. Lutnick advocated for stringent export controls and tariffs to curb China's technological rise, and accused DeepSeek of stealing intellectual property from the U.S. Moon Hye-ryeon, Arirang News.

How to make Tteokguk, one of S. Korea's traditional Lunar New Year dishes

2025/01/30 12:00

Seollal, Korea’s Lunar New Year, wouldn’t be complete without tteokguk, or rice cake soup. A bowl of this warm, comforting dish is more than just a meal, it symbolizes good fortune and aging a year. Our Ahn Sung-jin takes us to where the heart of this tradition begins. “Korean lunar new year, also known as Seollal, is one of the country’s major holidays. Traditionally Koreans would gather together, play folk games and perform ancestral rites and when Koreans think of Seollal, there’s one thing that comes to mind.” Then what is tteokguk that everyone is talking about? Tteokguk which literally combines the word tteok -rice cake-and guk -soup-is a typical traditional dish eaten during the Lunar New Year holiday. The owners of this rice cake mill have been making their own tteok for more than 50 years. It's especially during these holidays that orders for garaetteok, a long strip of rice cake dough, and the main ingredient in the tteokguk surges. First rice, which has been soaked, is ground twice to soften it before it is steamed. After that it's all mashed together to create long strips of garaetteok. The long strip represents people's desires to have good fortune. Once the rice cake hardens for a day or two, it is then cut into oval pieces that resemble the shape of coins once used in Korea, the yeopjeon. The exact origin of eating tteokguk on Lunar New Year’s day is unclear, but it is believed to give good luck for the year. A traditional saying even goes that you haven’t become a year older until you’ve had a bowl of tteokguk. Eating tteokguk during Seollal still remains a tradition, even if buying handmade tteok to make your own tteokguk is becoming less common. “For us it’s mostly regular customers that have been coming for a long time. Not a whole lot of new customers because it’s not common to eat this much tteok. People now normally just buy small packages.” Tteokguk is not only a symbolic dish of Korea's Lunar New Year, but it also provides a glimpse into the hidden meanings behind the ingredients. Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.

Three Israeli hostages, five Thai nationals to be released in Gaza on Thursday

2025/01/30 12:00

Israel has confirmed that three Israeli hostages will be released in Gaza on Thursday, along with five Thai nationals. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office revealed the list of names provided by Hamas to mediators, though the identities of the five Thai citizens have not been disclosed. On the same day, Israel is expected to release 1-hundred-10 Palestinian prisoners. The hostage and prisoner release comes under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. Hamas promised to release thirty-three Israeli hostages captured on October seventh, while Israel vowed to free nearly 2-thousand Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the deal.

Inbound traffic jams to Seoul to peak between 5-6 PM as Lunar New Year holiday ends

2025/01/30 12:00

As the Lunar New Year holiday comes to an end, highways across the country are experiencing heavy congestion, with many travelers returning home. According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 9 AM, estimated travel times to Seoul are,. 7 hours 40 minutes from Busan,. 6 hours 40 minutes from Daegu, and a little under 3 hours from Gangneung. Inbound traffic jams to Seoul are expected to peak between 5 and 6 PM, and gradually ease by dawn tomorrow. Authorities have urged drivers to be extra cautious, with icy roads and black ice posing significant risks.

Fed holds rates steady for first policy meeting of 2025

2025/01/30 12:00

The U.S. Federal Reserve has decided to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged in its first monetary policy meeting of the year, and the first since President Donald Trump's inauguration. Following a two-day meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee announced on Wednesday, that it would maintain the rate at its current range of 4-point-2-5 percent to 4-point-5 percent. The decision marks a pause in the Fed's rate cutting cycle, which had seen three consecutive reductions in September, November and December last year. The Fed's cautious stance despite Trump's public calls for rate cuts,. suggests that it is waiting to assess the impact of the new administration's policies.

Seollal holiday traffic gets smoother driving out of Seoul, but remains slow for return journeys

2025/01/29 18:00

Today, Seollal Day, is when the holiday travel rush reaches its peak, with millions hitting the roads to reunite with loved ones. We're seeing traffic conditions vary depending on the direction of travel, as those leaving Seoul are seeing smoother conditions, while congestion remains heavy for those returning to the capital. According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, departing from Seoul to the city of Busan in the southeast at 6 PM Wednesday will take approximately 5 hours and 10 minutes, two and a half hours quicker than this morning. Meanwhile, the trip from Busan to Seoul is expected to take 6 hours and 40 minutes. Traffic in both directions is forecast to ease late tonight.