US says China 'can't hide' Uighur plight after Arsenal retaliation

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday denounced China for its heavy-handed actions against Arsenal over footballer Mesut Ozil's support for incarcerated Uighurs, saying Beijing could not hide reality.Arsenal distanced itself from Ozil but Beijing dropped state television broadcasts of the English Premier League club's Sunday match -- a move that could have major commercial ramifications in the lucrative Chinese market. "China's Communist Party propaganda outlets c

World NewsDec. 18, 2019

BTS to perform at most-watched American New Year's Eve concert

K-pop boy band BTS will ring in the new year performing at the United States' most-watched New Year's Eve concert, the special program's organizer has said."Making 2020 right by ringing in the new year with BTS! Join us live from Times Square on New Year's Eve," the organizer of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020" said on its Facebook page on Tuesday.  The special New Year's Eve program this year will air concerts from Times Square in New York a

PerformanceDec. 18, 2019

Se-dol over HanDol: S. Korean Go master Lee beats AI player

In the first match of his retirement series, South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol defeated home-developed artificial intelligence program HanDol on Wednesday.Lee secured the victory after 92 stones thanks to an early blunder by HanDol, a program developed by South Korea's NHN Entertainment Corp.Lee announced his retirement from Go, or baduk in Korean, last month, saying he felt he could no longer beat AI programs. Lee famously defeated AlphaGo of Google's DeepMind in 2016 in one match of a five-mat

CultureDec. 18, 2019

PM nominee stresses need to revitalize economy

Prime minister nominee Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday raised the need to revitalize economic momentum as the top priority in boosting the sagging economy.His remarks came as the South Korean economy is slowing down on faltering exports and sluggish domestic demand amid heightened external uncertainties."I think it is most important to set the stage to help economic agents do economic activities vibrantly," Chung told reporters when asked about the top priority for the economy. "Makin

PoliticsDec. 18, 2019

S. Korea, US to hold last day of defense cost talks

South Korea and the United States began the last day of defense cost-sharing talks on Wednesday, but chances of a deal appear to be low as the two sides remain far apart over how much more Seoul should pay.Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's chief negotiator, and his US counterpart, James DeHart, met in Seoul to continue the two-day talks on renewing the Special Measures Agreement, the cost-sharing deal.This week's negotiations will likely be the last round of talks before the current SMA expires on Dec

Foreign AffairsDec. 18, 2019

KT affiliate joins hands with Hytera to tap Asia-Pacific two-way radio market

KT powertel Co., an affiliate of South Korean telecommunications giant KT Corp, said Wednesday it has joined hands with China-based walkie-talkie producer Hytera Communications Corp. to tap deeper into the Asia-Pacific LTE-based two-way radio market. KT powertel and Hytera will cooperate to explore business opportunities in the member states of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the trading bloc that involves 10 South East Asian nations and six other partner countries, including So

IndustryDec. 18, 2019

Korea's inflation to rise 1% in 2020: BOK

South Korea's consumer prices are projected to rise 1 percent next year before further recovering to a 1.3-percent on-year increase the following year, the Bank of Korea said Wednesday.The central bank said it will maintain its monetary easing policy, noting the estimates still fall short of its long-term inflation target of 2 percent."In the January-November period of this year, consumer prices rose 0.4 percent from the same period last year, far below the inflation target," it said i

EconomyDec. 18, 2019

Korea faces no immediate danger of deflation: BOK chief

South Korea is not facing any immediate danger of deflation, with the country's inflation rate expected to accelerate from next year, albeit at a mild pace, the head of the central bank has said."It is true that there now exist concerns of deflation as the country's consumer price increase has greatly slowed while its inflationary expectation also dropped," Bank of Korea Gov.Lee Ju-yeol said in a meeting with reporters late Tuesday."I fully understand the concerns about continued

EconomyDec. 18, 2019

Impeachment vote set for Wednesday as Trump rages

WASHINGTON  (AFP) -- An enraged US President Donald Trump said he was being subjected to an "attempted coup" and a witch trial as Democrats set a historic impeachment vote for Wednesday.In an extraordinarily angry six-page letter, Trump on Tuesday told Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the Democratic-led House of Representatives, that "history will judge you harshly."Referring to a famous miscarriage of justice and religious extremism in the 17th-century United States, resulting

World NewsDec. 18, 2019

US Senate passes defense bill with provision against troop drawdown in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States Senate on Tuesday passed a defense bill containing a provision restricting the drawdown of American troops in South Korea.The Senate voted 86-8 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which authorizes $738 billion in funding for the Department of Defense.The bill will be sent to US President Donald Trump to be signed into law, which Trump said last week he will do "immediately." The new legislation prohibits the use of fu

Foreign AffairsDec. 18, 2019

Trump aide says US not easing sanctions on N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States will not ease sanctions on North Korea short of the regime's complete and verifiable denuclearization, a senior aide to US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, following reports that China and Russia proposed the United Nations lift some sanctions on the North.Kellyanne Conway, senior counselor to Trump, did not comment directly on the draft UN resolution proposed by China and Russia on Monday.Instead, she told reporters the US position regarding sanctions has not

North KoreaDec. 18, 2019

S. Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun signs with St. Louis Cardinals

South Korean left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, fulfilling his dream of pitching in the majors in his second crack.The Cardinals announced on Tuesday (local time) their signing of the 31-year-old pitcher and introduced him right away at a press conference at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The deal is reportedly worth $8 million for two years.In 2019, his 12th season with the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, Kim went 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA and 180 strikeo

BaseballDec. 18, 2019

Biegun to visit China to discuss N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will visit Beijing later this week to discuss the need to maintain international unity on North Korea, the State Department said Tuesday.Biegun will be in the Chinese capital on Thursday and Friday following visits to Seoul and Tokyo, the department said in a brief statement.He will "meet with (Chinese) officials to discuss the need to maintain international unity on North Korea," it said, indicating the US official

North KoreaDec. 18, 2019

S. Korea finish second to Japan at E. Asian women's football tournament

Hosts South Korea finished in second place at a women's East Asian football tournament on Tuesday following a 1-0 loss to Japan.Yuka Momiki converted an 88th-minute penalty, awarded after defender Shim Seo-yeon's handball violation in the box, and the Nadeshiko Japan held on to win the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship for the third time.The two sides fired blanks at one another for most of the tight, defensive affair at Busan Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southe

SoccerDec. 17, 2019

Rival parties seek breakthrough over electoral reform bill on fast track

Rival political parties resumed negotiations Tuesday to produce an agreement over a contentious electoral reform bill currently in a parliamentary fast-track process.The floor leaders and ranking officials from the ruling Democratic Party (DP), three minor parties and one fringe group met for talks at 9 p.m. to seek a breakthrough.The so-called four plus one consultative body has been in talks to fine-tune the fast-track legislation. But negotiations hit a snag over the details of an electoral r

PoliticsDec. 17, 2019

Temperature expected to drop by 10 degrees Wednesday morning

South Korea's temperature is expected to sharply fall Wednesday morning due to cold air moving in from the northwest, the state weather agency said Tuesday.The morning's temperature is expected to fall to between minus 6 C and 6 C nationwide, around 10 degrees lower than Tuesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).The weather agency said freezing winds are causing the mercury to fall overnight.But daytime temperatures are expected to reach 2-13 C. Vehicle drivers are advi

Social AffairsDec. 17, 2019

PM Lee expected to resume political career as successor named

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon is widely expected to resume his political career for next year's general elections after President Moon Jae-in announced his pick for his successor Tuesday, political analysts said.Earlier in the day, Moon named Chung Sye-kyun, a six-term ruling party lawmaker and former National Assembly speaker as the new prime minister. Lee, who has become the longest-serving prime minister in South Korea, is expected to play a role in helping the ruling Democratic Party (DP) win t

PoliticsDec. 17, 2019

Police probe investigators in Hwaseong killings

Police said Tuesday that they have pressed power abuse charges against a prosecutor and police officers who interrogated a 53-year-old surnamed Yun who was sentenced to life in prison for the eighth murder of the Hwaseong serial killings that took place here in the 1980s and ’90s. “We have booked a total of eight law enforcement officials on charges that include abuse of power,” the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Policy Agency said at a press briefing. The accused include a lead

Social AffairsDec. 17, 2019

[Graphic News] North Korea’s crop harvest up 2% on improved weather conditions

　North Korea’s crop production this year is estimated to have slightly increased from a year earlier on the back of relatively improved weather conditions, data showed.　The combined crop output of the communist nation is estimated to reach 4.64 million tons this year, compared to 4.55 million tons a year earlier, according to the Rural Development Administration.　The production of rice, a key staple food for Koreans, is estimated to have risen 1.8 percent over the period to reach 2.24 mill

North KoreaDec. 17, 2019

K-pop, K-culture driving themes of 2020 Korea Grand Sale

Music, aesthetics and other aspects of Korean culture will be the main features of the 10th Korea Grand Sale, its organizers said Tuesday. The Visit Korea Committee announced the details of the annual event, which runs Jan. 16 through Feb. 29 and offers benefits and cultural opportunities to foreign visitors.The focal point of next year’s event will be the special five-point promotion of “K-pop, K-beauty, K-food, K-heritage and K-winter.”Organizers are holding a lucky draw for

CultureDec. 17, 2019