Pompeo says US is hopeful N. Korea will refrain from nuclear, long-range missile tests

WASHINGTON -- The United States is hopeful North Korea will continue to refrain from nuclear tests and long-range missile tests, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday, after Pyongyang said it had conducted a "very important" test over the weekend.North Korea said the test occurred at its Dongchang-ri satellite launch site on Saturday, raising tensions ahead of a year-end deadline North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has imposed for the US to show flexibility in their negotiations o

North KoreaDec. 11, 2019

Trump urges Russia to help denuclearize N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday and urged Moscow to help ensure North Korea's denuclearization, the White House said.Trump and Lavrov met a day before the UN Security Council is set to convene to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches and the possibility of a provocation by the regime. The US president "urged Russia to support United States efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and ensure the denucle

North KoreaDec. 11, 2019

Jobless rate falls to 3.1% in November, 331,000 jobs created

South Korea's jobless rate fell to 3.1 percent in November, and job additions came to over 330,000, data showed Wednesday.The unemployment rate decreased 0.1 percentage point on-year, and the number of employed people reached 27.5 million in November, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.The unemployment rate for young adults -- those aged between 15 and 29 -- also fell to 7 percent last month from 7.9 percent tallied a year earlier.It marked the fourth straight month that the numb

EconomyDec. 11, 2019

National Assembly passes 512.3tr won budget bill

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed next year's budget bill, worth 512.3 trillion won ($ 429.9 billion), after fierce partisan strife.The government had proposed a 2020 budget worth 513.5 trillion won, but the ruling Democratic Party put forward the revision bill after consultations with four minor opposition parties. The national budget for 2020 would increase 9.1 percent from this year.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party presented its own revision bill worth 499.2 trillion won at

PoliticsDec. 10, 2019

S. Korea draw 0-0 with China in Bell's coaching debut at East Asian women's football tourney

South Korea played China to a scoreless draw to open an East Asian women's football tournament at home on Tuesday, unable to deliver a win in Englishman Colin Bell's coaching debut with the Taeguk Ladies.The two Asian sides had few serious chances to kick off with a win at the women's competition of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship at Busan Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.South Korea, world No. 20, now have four wins, six draws and 27 losses

SoccerDec. 10, 2019

S. Korean football champions to face Japanese, Australian league winners at AFC Champions League

Reigning South Korean professional football champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will face league winners from Japan and Australia at a continental club tournament next year.The draw for the 2020 Asian Football Confederation Champions League took place in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the 2019 K League 1 champions, were placed in Group H with Yokohama F. Marinos and Sydney FC. The one remaining spot in the group will be filled by a playoff winner.Yokohama won their fourth J1 L

SportsDec. 10, 2019

Samsung's foundry biz to grow 19% on-year in Q4: report

Samsung Electronics is expected to see 19 percent on-year growth in its foundry business in the fourth quarter of the year, a market report showed Tuesday, though the performance will not be enough to narrow the market share gap with industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.  Samsung's foundry business was projected to log $3.4 billion in revenue in the October-December period, up 19.3 percent from a year earlier, according to market tracker TrendForce. Foundry r

TechnologyDec. 10, 2019

[News Brief] Assault case involving S. Korean and Chinese students ends without prosecution

The South Korean and Chinese students booked for hitting each other were released without prosecution, the Seodaemun Police Station said Tuesday. Neither student sought punishment of the other.The police said they closed the assault case last month.On Nov. 19, the two Myeongji University students were reported to the police for getting into a physical fight over putting up posters concerning pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The Korean student had tried to stop the Chinese student from coveri

Social AffairsDec. 10, 2019

Ultrafine dust chokes Korea, cold spell expected late Wednesday

South Korea was blanketed by a high level of particulate pollution Tuesday, prompting emergency dust reduction measures for the first time this winter and an ultrafine dust advisory issued in the afternoon. The implementation of emergency measures was extended into Wednesday with the high level of PM 2.5 -- ultrafine particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter -- expected to continue across the country due to the stagnant air over the peninsula and the inflow of particles from abroad.Se

Social AffairsDec. 10, 2019

[Graphic News] 5G subscribers in S. Korea near 4 million in October

　Almost 4 million South Koreans are subscribed to 5G mobile network as of October, with the number expected to breach the 5 million mark by the end of this year, government data showed.　The number of 5G users in the nation reached 3.98 million as of the end of October, adding 516,000 from a month ago, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT. (Yonhap)

BusinessDec. 10, 2019

KRX vows to tighten regulations on algorithmic trading

South Korea’s bourse operator, the Korea Exchange, said Tuesday that it will establish a clear definition of algorithmic trading and adopt various risk management systems next year to prevent destabilization of the local stock market. “As our task for 2020, we will adopt a management system for algorithmic trading, which has become a regularized practice,” KRX Chairman Jung Ji-won said at an end-of-year press briefing. “By establishing a clear definition of algorithmic tr

MarketDec. 10, 2019

Mirae Asset Daewoo wins presidential award at 26th Corporate Innovation Awards

South Korean brokerage Mirae Asset Daewoo said Tuesday that it received a presidential award at the 26th Corporate Innovation Awards for its efforts to create new markets through innovation and change, while boosting venture capital investment.The Corporate Innovation Awards, co-hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recognize local firms in various sectors that have proven successful in areas related to corporate innovation.  Ac

MarketDec. 10, 2019

Moon to hold trilateral meeting with Chinese, Japanese leaders

President Moon Jae-in will make a two-day trip to China later this month for a Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. According to the presidential office, Seoul is also in talks with Beijing and Tokyo to arrange bilateral summits during the visit.  The trip is scheduled for Dec. 23 and 24, with the trilateral summit to be held on the second day in Chengdu, Sichuan province. “President Moon will discuss practical cooperation among the three countries, and pol

Foreign AffairsDec. 10, 2019

With Golden Globe nominations under its belt, ‘Parasite’ eyeing more

It was recently announced that Bong Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or-winning “Parasite” was nominated for the upcoming 77th Golden Globe Awards, vying for best motion picture screenplay, best foreign-language motion picture and best director of a motion picture. As this is the first time a South Korean film has been nominated for one of the most prestigious film awards in the US, local fans are wondering how deep a mark the satirical black comedy will make in cinematic history, and i

FilmDec. 10, 2019

North Korea to declare end of dialogue with US: expert

North Korea is expected to declare a suspension of its nuclear talks with the US as the regime has already decided to beef up its military capability and accelerate self-development of the economy next year, experts said on Tuesday.During a press conference hosted by Institute for Far Eastern Studies, experts offered a pessimistic outlook on North Korea’s relations with the US and South Korea due to the packed domestic politics in 2020 in each country, such as the presidential election in

North KoreaDec. 10, 2019

Police refer BTS' Jungkook to prosecutors for potential indictment

Police have referred BTS' youngest member Jungkook to prosecutors for a potential legal indictment over a car accident in October, police officials said Tuesday.Yongsan Police Station in charge of Jungkook's case said it has sent the case to the prosecution, advising it to lay formal charges of violating the Road Traffic Act and related laws against the K-pop star.A sedan driven by the 22-year-old rammed into a taxi in central Seoul in October, causing minor injuries to Jungkook and the taxi dri

PeopleDec. 10, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] Why does socialism persist in capitalist S. Korea?

Many foreigners wonder why socialism and Marxism persist and even remain popular in such an affluent capitalist country as South Korea. Perhaps the reason dates back to Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule in 1945. Historians argue that at the time, the resistance leaders in the Korean Provisional Government located in China needed a counterideology to fight Japanese right-wing military imperialism. Left-wing ideologies such as socialism and Marxism, which flourished in China at that time

ViewpointsDec. 10, 2019

Defense minister confirms North conducted rocket engine test

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo confirmed Tuesday that the “very important test” North Korea claimed to have conducted at its satellite launch site over the weekend was a rocket engine test, and urged the communist regime to stop raising military tension. Jeong made the remarks during a joint meeting with his Australian counterpart, Linda Reynolds, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her counterpart, Marise Payne.  North Korea said it performed a “very impor

DefenseDec. 10, 2019

Ex-Justice Minister Cho is Twitter’s person of the year

Prosecutorial reform was the hottest trending topic on Twitter in Korea this year, according to data released by the social media platform on Tuesday. It was the most mentioned social keyword on Twitter in Korea between Jan. 1 and Nov. 15. The “boycott Japan” movement followed in second place with over 1.3 million mentions in the cited period.Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who resigned after submitting his proposal for prosecutorial reform, was the most-mentioned person of the year

IndustryDec. 10, 2019

Exhibition reveals imperial life of Qing Dynasty

The National Palace Museum of Korea is holding the exhibition “Treasures from the Shenyang Palace Museum,” featuring national treasures and relics from the Chinese museum in Shenyang. The Shenyang Imperial Palace was the official residence of Nurhaci and Hong Taiji, the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty and Nurhaci’s son, who built the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911). After the capital was relocated from Shenyang to Beijing, the Shenyang Imperial Palace remained a secondary capital.

CultureDec. 10, 2019