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US first lady Melania Trump is set to lead key cultural diplomacy events during the coming official state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, marking their first visit to the White House since 2015. According to an official itinerary released by the first lady’s office, the three-day visit, scheduled from September 23 to 25, will feature extensive ceremonial honours alongside dedicated cultural exchanges highlighting Sino-American relations. Melania will join US...

Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve’s Minneapolis branch, said Sunday that inflation is “still too high,” days after the central bank raised interest rates. “Even if we strip out energy, which is really volatile, and strip out food, they matter a lot, but in terms of where the economy is going, inflation is...

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said Sunday that the GOP needs to “do more” to lower costs for Americans with the midterms roughly six weeks away. During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Barrasso acknowledged that people “around the country are feeling the pain,” noting he has heard concerns from Wyoming ranchers and...

Beyond warm meetings between their leaders, the countries are engaging in tit-for-tat measures that call into question the stability of their arrangement.

The strengthening Korean won is emerging as a fresh earnings risk for chipmakers, display firms and other electronics companies that rely heavily on dollar-denominated transactions, prompting brokerages to cut earnings estimates for the third quarter. According to data from the Bank of Korea, Sunday, the Korean currency traded at 1,480 won against the dollar on July 16, before strengthening to 1,413 won on Aug. 17 and 1,382 won on Sept. 17. This represents a 6.6 percent narrowing in the dollar-won exchange rate over the two-month period. The change in the dollar-won exchange rate accelerated particularly from August, with the Korean currency gaining value to 1,336 won per dollar on Sept. 9. This prompted brokerages that had based their earnings forecasts at 1,450 won per dollar to begin cutting their estimates, causing the third-quarter earnings consensus for major companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to drop. According to market tracker FnGuide, brokerages’ consensus on Samsung Electronics’ third-quarter operating profit stood at 122.35 trillion won ($88.27 billion) o

The global popularity of Korean food has reached a point where convenience store meal boxes, known as “dosirak,” have become part of a new market trend where signature Korean flavors and traditional recipes have become a hit with international visitors and popular in new markets. Min Jung-hwan, who plans and oversees dosirak production for GS25 at GS Retail’s Merchandise Headquarters, is seeing the shift firsthand. Rather than creating separate products for foreign customers, the retailer is increasingly offering the same dosirak that appeal to Korean consumers, reflecting growing interest in authentic Korean flavors. “We don’t make dosirak that are specially for foreigners because many of them like what Koreans enjoy. Even at GS25 stores in Vietnam and Mongolia, visitors are interested in authentic Korean-style dosirak. We try to meet such expectations so that they can feel they are inside a Korean convenience store,” Min said in an interview with The Korea Times. “To serve the rising number of foreigners coming to Korea, we are boosting a pipeline for those with banchan

Jeonbuk National University has partnered with 15 defense companies and related organizations to offer a career-linked industry-academia cooperation program covering education, scholarships, field training and employment. The university said Friday that its Department of Advanced Defense Technology and Industry hosted a workshop titled “Customized Talent Development and Recruitment-Linked Cooperation Program for the Defense Industry” at Shilla Stay Jeonju on Thursday. The workshop was attended by university officials and representatives from defense companies and related organizations that signed a memorandum of understanding with the university in June. A university official noted that the workshop was organized to translate the memorandum of understanding on the cooperation program, signed June 26, into tangible outcomes in education and recruitment. Fifteen defense companies and related organizations are participating in the partnership. The participants included Hyundai Rotem, Korea Aerospace Industries, LIG Defense & Aerospace, HS Hyosung Advanced Materials, Danam Systems, DN Sol

Kim Sung-wan, a journalist-turned-political commentator, has been appointed as the new presidential spokesperson, the presidential office said Monday. Kim — a former reporter with Media Today and later a radio host and political analyst —officially assumed his duties as presidential spokesperson on Monday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. "I have often had my words passed along to others, but knowing that I am now speaking directly to the media makes me feel a heavy sense of responsibility … As President Lee Jae Myung has said, I will do my best to communicate more with the public with humility," Kim told reporters. The post has remained vacant since April, when former presidential spokesperson Rep. Jeon Eun-su stepped down to prepare for the June 3 local elections. Kim's appointment adds to the current two spokespersons — Kang Yu-jung and Ahn Gwi-ryeong.

The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) agreed Monday to take a lenient approach to minor violations identified in an ongoing national farmland survey while cracking down on clear acts of land speculation. The country launched the comprehensive nationwide survey earlier this year in an effort to determine actual ownership of farmland and prevent it from being used as a speculative asset. The move, however, has faced criticism from the main opposition People Power Party, which has argued the survey has caused anxiety among farmers and could infringe on their property rights. "If the purpose of speculation is clear, (we) will take corrective action under the law and principles," Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung said in a policy meeting with DPK officials. "For minor or routine violations identified in the field, (we) will provide guidance or take alternative measures, such as making improvements to the system." The minister said the government would focus on ways to restore the intended purpose of farmland rather than immediately taking action against violations. Rep.

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose for the first time in 10 weeks last week, helped by his clarification of key political issues during a press conference, a pollster said Monday. In a poll conducted on 2,507 adults nationwide from last Monday to Friday, positive assessments of Lee's job performance rose by 1 percentage point from the previous week to 34.8 percent, while negative assessments rose 0.1 percentage point to 63.4 percent, Realmeter said. It marked the first time in 10 weeks that Lee's approval rating rose following a 48.9 percent rating on July 13. There was a gradual increase throughout the week from 32.9 percent Tuesday and 32.1 percent Wednesday to 35.3 percent Thursday and 37.2 percent Friday, the day he held the press conference. "At the start of the week, his approval rating continued to decline due to controversy over personnel vetting and the repercussion of the confirmation hearings," the pollster said. Lee's approval rating was beset by controversy surrounding the qualifications of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality Minister nomin

Samsung Electronics held a groundbreaking ceremony for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) production line in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Monday. The company plans to invest approximately 240 billion won ($173 million) to build a 21,500-square-meter HVAC production line at its Gwangju operations site. The new production line, scheduled to begin operations in 2028, will manufacture HVAC products from FlaktGroup Holding GmbH, a Germany-based ventilation company that Samsung Electronics acquired last year. "The launch of the new FlaktGroup production line will serve as another milestone in advancing our HVAC business, a key growth driver for the company," Roh Tae-moon, co-chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics and head of its device experience (DX) division, said at the ceremony. Samsung said the new production line will strengthen its global production capabilities for advanced cooling equipment and centralized HVAC solutions as demand for cooling and HVAC solutions for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers continues to grow rapidly.

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Monday the government will make seamless preparations to realize the country's "Global AI Hub" initiative, including selecting the best location for the envisioned hub through fair and transparent procedures. In May, Korea unveiled its vision to launch the Global AI Hub in the country in an effort to bring together the artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of global organizations to address challenges, such as disease control and climate change. The envisioned hub seeks to promote cross-border cooperation in the AI sector with nine global organizations and five multilateral development banks and is expected to serve as a platform to provide AI-based solutions to pending issues under the vision of "AI for All, AI to Solve Global Challenges." "The time has come for us to take action beyond declaration," Han said during the first meeting of the preparation committee. "The government will make seamless preparations to launch the Global AI Hub by swiftly establishing a dedicated support system and selecting the optimal location through fair and transpar