The entrance to the U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in central Seoul Wednesday after the Pentagon accepted Seoul’s proposal to fund the labor costs for all Korean personnel working for the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) through this year. This agreement, as the two sides struggle to seal a new defense cost-sharing agreement, is expected to effectively end the furlough of some 4,000 Korean employees of the USFK. [YONHAP]

Pentagon agrees to end furloughs of Korean workers

The U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday it accepted Seoul’s proposal to fund the wages of all Korean personnel working for the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) through the end of this year as defense cost-sharing negotiations continue to drag on.

K-pop
Heize to drop sixth EP 'Lyricist' on June 10

Singer-songwriter Heize will drop her sixth EP "Lyricist" on June 10, containing autobiographical stories about herself and her experience as a musician. The singer's agency Studio Blue released a teaser image and video on Wednesday, announcing...

Heize's new EP "Lyricist" [STUDIO BLUE]
J-Style
Home decor brand Kitty Bunny Pony makes charm its priority

The home decor brand focuses on fabrics designed in-house
Old, two-story houses line an alley of a residential neighborhood near Hapjeong Station, located in Mapo District, western Seoul.
Strolling through the alley, a small store decked out ...

CEO Kim Jin-jin of Korea's home décor brand Kitty Bunny Pony. The brand's showroom is in Hapjeong-dong, western Seoul. [BYUN SUN-GOO]

Television

Doctor, singer, actor, husband — Cho Jung-seok tries his hand at all

Cho Jung-seok [JAM ENTERTAINMENT]

K-pop

Vietnamese K-pop boy band D1Verse begins search for new member

D1Verse [RBW VIETNAM]

Korean Heritage

Newly unearthed head of Buddha could be 'twin' of Blue House statue

The head of a Buddha statue found in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang. The statue dates back to the Unified Silla period (668-935). [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

Arts & Design

New center aims to display beauty and versatility of hanji

Hanji Culture and Industry Center opened its doors inBukchon, central Seoul. Operated by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation,the center aims to function as a cultural platform so that traditional Koreanpaper can increase its presence overseas. [KCDF]

Talk of the Town

JYP vows tighter plagiarism checks after Twice controversy

Twice's music video, left, features an installation that shows striking similarity with artist Davis McCarty's "Pulse Portal," right. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Industry

Amore Store offers cosmetics without the human interaction

Amore Store in Cheongyangni in eastern Seoul which opened Wednesday. Visitors can try out various products without actually putting makeup on using the augmented reality technology. [LOTTE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Industry

At risky distribution centers, day laborers still show up

People line up to enter Coupang's Dongtan distribution center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on Monday morning. [CHAE HYE-SEON]

Politics

Punished for bucking DP, ex-lawmaker cries foul

Keum Tae-sup attends a general assembly of lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party on Feb. 18. The party recently punished Keum, now a former lawmaker, for abstaining from voting on a bill to establish a new investigation agency for senior public servants instead of supporting it. [YONHAP]

Baseball

Return of the Stone Buddha could be exactly what the Lions need

After years of playing abroad, Oh Seung-hwan is expected to make his return to the KBO next week. [ILGAN SPORTS]

Today's Photo

Back in business

Visitors look at gardening tools at the Korea Landscape Garden Expo held at Coex Mall in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on Wednesday. This is the first large-scale event at Coex Mall after it was temporarily suspended from holding large scale events due to the coronavirus outbreak. The exhibition will feature indoor and outdoor landscaping and gardening tools until Friday. [YONHAP]

Opinion