The Korea Times

A Korean lawmaker said on Tuesday, while questioning the country's finance minister nominee, that U.S. President Donald Trump was due to announce details of Seoul's planned investment in the United States on Friday. Rep. Yoon Hu-duk, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), made the assertion during the hours-long questioning of Lee Hyoung-il, in which he also asked about details of projects being discussed under Seoul's proposed $350 billion U.S. investment commitment. "Trump is due to announce South Korea's investment in the U.S. on the 18th," said Yoon. Lee, nominee for the next finance minister, replied that the matter was still under consultation and that he would comment once discussions had concluded. Yoon also said during the hearing that projects already reported in the media included a gas project in Texas, the construction of eight nuclear reactors and an Alaskan liquefied natural gas scheme. A fourth project appeared to involve the U.S. seeking the reprocessing of roughly 4,000 tons of nuclear material, and a fifth concerned carbon capture, he said. Lee resp

The presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gathered in Seoul on Wednesday for the first Korea-Central Asia Summit, elevating their partnership that began with the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992 to the highest level. Held under the slogan "Walking Together Toward the Future: Partnership for Trust and Prosperity," the summit aims to chart a shared path forward in trade, supply chains, digital innovation and people-to-people exchanges, opening a new chapter built on three decades of cooperation. Kazakhstan Central Asia's largest economy and major energy producer Capital: Astana Population: 20.59 million (ethnic Korean population: 122,554) President: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Establishment of diplomatic relations with Korea: Jan. 28, 1992 Trade volume: $4.36 billion (2025) Exports to Kazakhstan: $3 billion Imports from Kazakhstan: $1.36 billion Kyrgyz Republic Mountainous terrain with significant water resources and gold production Capital: Bishkek Population: 7.37 million (ethnic Korean population: 18,434) President: Sadyr Japarov Establishment of diplomati

NEW YORK — Oil prices rose nearly $3 on Tuesday after a report said oil loadings at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu have been suspended, and Libya halted operations at three oil fields, heightening concerns that disruptions to key oil supply routes could persist for weeks. Brent crude futures were up $2.81, or 2.66 percent, at $108.49 a barrel at 1106 a.m. ET (1506 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up $3.29 at $104.68 a barrel. If prices hold, both contracts would be on track to close at their highest in nearly four months. Supply concerns have intensified after Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia on Monday, while Gulf Arab states postponed planned discussions with Iran. The latest strikes followed a Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline on Friday that forced the kingdom, the world's largest crude exporter, to shut the vital export route. Further underscoring supply risks, shipping industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday that oil loadings at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea export terminal in Yanbu had been suspended. Th

“We wanted so badly to make the top 100 when we were promoting this song. I never imagined it would climb the charts all these years later…” Former BESTie member Uji shared her excitement on social media after “Love Options” entered the charts on Melon, Korea’s largest music streaming platform, 13 years after its release. Released in 2013 as the group’s second single, “Love Options” is enjoying the attention that eluded it during BESTie’s active years. In a music scene flooded with new releases, such belated breakthroughs are rare. Their unpredictability is also part of the appeal: There is no telling when an old song will catch on or what will set it off. “Love Options” entered Melon’s daily chart on Aug. 27 and climbed to No. 175 as of Sept. 7. It has also appeared on Apple Music’s Top 100 chart for Korea and YouTube Music’s weekly chart, while reaching No. 1 on music recognition service Shazam’s charts in both Korea and Vietnam. The spark was a fan-made short video that paired a performance of Hearts2Hearts’ “Lemon Tang” with “Love Options.” T

"Baseball is a game of mistakes. What matters is how players cover for their teammates' mistakes." Coach Jin Nakatani of Chiben Wakayama High School, which won Japan's premier summer Koshien tournament this year, identified a surprisingly simple standard for what makes a great team. He said the ability to cover for a teammate's mistakes matters more than the number of elite players. Nakatani recently met with coach Lim Won-su of Gyeongju High School to discuss the coaching philosophies and player development methods of high school baseball in both countries. The two coaches quickly found common ground through their shared interest in baseball despite their different nationalities and languages. Gyeongju High School and Chiben Wakayama share many similarities. Both schools operate with small rosters of 12 to 13 players per grade and are located in baseball hotbeds — Korea's Gyeongsan region and Japan's Kansai region. However, Chiben Wakayama won the summer Koshien championship this year while Gyeongju High has not won a national championship in several years. Lim asked how a team with s