CNBLUE's Jung Yong-hwa discharged from military

Jung Yong-hwa, a member of K-pop boy band CNBLUE, was discharged from the military Sunday after fulfilling nearly two years of mandatory service. He thanked his fans and expressed hope that he would return to his job as early as possible during a special fan event at a community service center in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. Some 1,000 Korean and foreign fans from various Asian countries like China, Japan and the Philippines gathered to greet the singer. "I feel both relieved and sad,"

PerformanceNov. 3, 2019

6 companies to recall over 120,000 vehicles

Hyundai Motor Co., Honda Motor Korea Co. and four other companies will recall more than 120,000 vehicles due to faulty components, the transport ministry said Sunday. This is the latest in a series of recall plans for local and overseas carmakers, and importers of foreign vehicles.  Hyundai Motor, Ford Motor Co., Porsche, BMW, Honda and Ducati are recalling 22 models amounting to 122,350 units, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The problems include a fa

MobilityNov. 3, 2019

'Comfort women' film back to Japan festival

TOKYO (AFP) -- A film festival in suburban Tokyo will show a documentary on the highly controversial issue of Japan's wartime military brothels, organisers said Sunday after coming under fire for dropping the movie.The film's screening was cancelled last week after concerns over the safety of volunteers and objections from local officials.But the decision was reversed after "lots of voices offering cooperation to address our safety concerns," a member of the organising committee told A

World NewsNov. 3, 2019

Airbnb bans 'party houses' after deadly US shooting

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Airbnb's boss announced Saturday that the online platform, which offers private homes for rent for short periods, is banning "party houses" after a deadly shooting at a Halloween event in California.Five people were killed and others wounded in a Thursday night shooting in Orinda, California, in a house that had been rented on Airbnb.More than 100 people were present at the event, which was announced on social media. "Starting today, we are banning 'party houses'

World NewsNov. 3, 2019

S. Korea's trade surplus with US on decline since revised FTA

South Korea's trade surplus against the United States has decreased nearly 7 percent since the two countries kicked off a revised free trade agreement earlier this year, data showed Sunday.Asia's No. 4 economy's trade surplus against the US reached $10 billion over the January-October period, down 6.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The revised FTA went into effect on Jan. 1 to reflect Washington's demands in the auto sect

IndustryNov. 3, 2019

ASEAN leaders hope for trade deal as economies sag on US-China spat

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Southeast Asian leaders meet for a second day in Thailand on Sunday, hoping for a breakthrough in talks over the world's largest trade deal to help throw off the torpor which has gripped the global economy since the US-China tariff war began.The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations opened its annual summit in Bangkok on Saturday hoping to secure a China-backed free trade pact at the three-day event, which knits together half the world's population and around 40 perce

World NewsNov. 3, 2019

IS claims responsibility for deadly Mali attacks on 50 soldiers

BAMAKO (AFP) -- The Islamic State on Saturday claimed responsibility for a devastating raid that killed 49 Malian troops as well as a blast that led to the death of a French soldier who became the latest casualty in the conflict-torn region.The strikes underscored the fragility of an area straddling several West African countries battling increasing jihadist violence that has claimed hundreds of lives.Friday's assault on a Malian military outpost at Indelimane in the eastern Menaka region near N

World NewsNov. 3, 2019

Moon heads to Bangkok for ASEAN-hosted forums

South Korean President Moon Jae-in left for Thailand on Sunday to join a series of annual forums involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.In particular, he plans to use his three-day trip to Bangkok as a chance to drum up support for the South Korea-ASEAN special summit to be held in Busan late this month.The president will begin his official activity there by attending a "gala dinner" hosted by Thailand, this year's rotating ASEAN chair.In the gathering, Moon will request

Foreign AffairsNov. 3, 2019

S. Korea, US to skip combined Vigilant Ace exercise: sources

South Korea and the United States are expected to skip a combined wintertime air exercise just as they did last year to support ongoing diplomacy for the denuclearization of North Korea, sources said Sunday. Military authorities of the two countries "shared the understanding" on the postponement of the Vigilant Ace air exercise that usually takes place around December, a source said, adding that a final decision will be made when the two countries hold annual defense ministers talks la

DefenseNov. 3, 2019

US welcomes passage of S. Korean bill aimed at fighting illegal fishing

The office of the US Trade Representative has welcomed the parliamentary passage of a South Korean bill designed to combat illegal fishing and lauded Seoul's efforts to deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.The National Assembly passed an amendment to the country's distant water fisheries development act Thursday after the United States made a preliminary decision in September to designate South Korea as an IUU fishing country.On Friday, the USTR issued a statement welcoming the pass

Social AffairsNov. 2, 2019

3 bodies found at crash scene of chopper near Dokdo islets

Rescue workers found three bodies believed to be among the seven missing people aboard a crashed chopper near the Dokdo islets in the East Sea on Saturday.A helicopter belonging to the fire agency crashed Thursday night, a few minutes after it took off from Dokdo, with seven people on board, including an injured person from a fishing boat.Rescue workers found three bodies and retrieved one of them as part of an underwater mission by a submarine rescue ship of South Korea's Navy.One of the bodies

Social AffairsNov. 2, 2019

Submarine rescue ship mobilized to find victims of crashed chopper

A submarine rescue ship of South Korea's Navy was on a mission Saturday to find victims of a rescue chopper that crashed near the Dokdo islets in the East Sea earlier this week.A helicopter belonging to the fire agency crashed Thursday night, a few minutes after it took off from Dokdo, with seven people reportedly on board, including an injured person from a fishing boat.Rescue workers located a part of the wrecked chopper Friday and found a body believed to be one of the seven missing people.&q

Social AffairsNov. 2, 2019

[Newsmaker] Farmers call for more efforts to normalize pork prices

South Korean farmers are urging local authorities to make efforts to normalize pork prices here in the face of the African swine fever outbreak, industry watchers said Saturday.The local wholesale price of pork reached 2,809 won ($2.4) per kilogram, plunging 28.2 percent from a year earlier as of end-October, the latest data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs showed.The price is far below the production cost estimated at 4,200 won, according to the Korea Pork Produce

Social AffairsNov. 2, 2019

S. Korea to resume war remains excavation next week after ASF-driven suspension

South Korea's military is expected to resume a project next week to excavate and identify war remains near the border with North Korea after it was suspended due to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), officials said Saturday.The excavation mission will be restarted on Arrowhead Ridge, Cheorwon, some 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, where about 300 soldiers from South Korea, the United States and France are believed to have been killed in bloody battles during the 1950-53 Korean War."

DefenseNov. 2, 2019

Xi voices willingness to maintain 'close communication' with N.Korean leader

Chinese President Xi Jinping has voiced his readiness to maintain "close communication" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and promote the two nations' ties in a message, the North's state media said Saturday.In his reply to a congratulatory message sent by Kim over the 70th founding anniversary of China, Xi "firmly" supported Kim's pursuit of a new strategic line of developing the economy and improving people's livelihoods, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.&q

Foreign AffairsNov. 2, 2019

Lawmakers from S. Korea, Japan call for summit talks to mend frayed ties

Lawmakers from South Korea and Japan expressed concerns on Friday over the frayed ties between the two countries and called for prompt summit talks to resolve the history and trade tensions.About 150 members of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union adopted a joint statement after the union's annual joint general assembly in Tokyo."The parliaments of the two countries have decided to make more active efforts to resolve the pending issues and call for prompt opening of the two countries' su

PoliticsNov. 1, 2019

Woori Financial Group extends W6.6tr loan support to SMEs, startups

Woori Financial Group said Friday that it has helped finance small and midsized companies and startups with 6.6 trillion won ($5.6 billion) in loans as of September. The announcement came a day after Woori held a meeting of its innovation finance committee to discuss both existing and future plans to support SMEs and startups. The committee, led by Woori Financial Group Chairman Sohn Tae-seung, was launched in May in an effort to improve access to financing for SMEs and startups.  The lates

MarketNov. 1, 2019

S. Korea's top nuclear envoy to visit Moscow next week

South Korea's top nuclear envoy is likely to visit Moscow next week to meet with his Russian counterpart and discuss North Korea's denuclearization and other peninsula issues, sources said Friday.Lee Do-hoon, representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will meet with Igor Morgulov next Friday, according to the sources, amid a stalemate in the nuclear negotiations between the US and North Korea since working-level talks in Stockholm last month.Lee is also expected to participa

North KoreaNov. 1, 2019

S. Korea, China hold talks on climate change

Government officials of South Korea and China held talks in China this week to discuss joint efforts for cooperation in tackling climate change, the foreign ministry said Friday.Yoo Yeon-chul, ambassador for climate change at the foreign ministry met with Li Gao, director-general for climate change at China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment in the port city of Haikou in the southern island province of Hainan from Wednesday to Thursday, the ministry said in a release.Officials from the enviro

Foreign AffairsNov. 1, 2019

Justice Ministry admits failing to consult media on ‘false story ban’

The Ministry of Justice admitted Friday that it had not properly consulted media and other relevant bodies before announcing its recent directive restricting media access and imposing sanctions on journalists for “false reporting.”On Wednesday, the Justice Ministry issued a set of press guidelines that would expel reporters from the prosecution press corps if they are found to have reported “false stories.” The ministry also said it would bar reporters from speaking direc

PoliticsNov. 1, 2019