Typhoon Mitag may lose strength after hitting Taiwan, China: forecasters

Typhoon Mitag is expected to make landfall on South Korea's southwest coast on Thursday but its strength may be weaker than anticipated after passing through Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, the local meteorological agency said.Mitag, the season's 18th typhoon and the seventh to affect the Korean Peninsula this year, could bring powerful winds and heavy rain to the southern parts of the peninsula, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Monday, calling for thorough preparations to preven

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea, Japan jointly take part in multinational maritime exercise

South Korea and Japan jointly participated in a multinational anti-piracy maritime exercise off the coast of Somalia, the Navy said Monday, amid strained relations between the two countries over history and trade rows.The navies from South Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain and Oman launched the joint exercise in the Gulf of Aden from Sept. 23-26 as part of the international coalition's regular joint maneuvers, according to the Navy. The exercise involved diverse maritime operations, such as the so-ca

DefenseSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea, Britain ink MOU on establishment of senior-level economic dialogue

South Korea and Britain signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to launch a vice-ministerial consultative body aimed at strengthening economic cooperation after London's expected departure from the European Union.Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho and Britain's Minister for Asia and the Pacific Heather Wheeler inked the MOU on the establishment of a Senior Economic Dialogue, Seoul's foreign ministry said.  "In order to create new opportunities for economic cooperation in a

Foreign AffairsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korean flag expected to be raised in Pyongyang during World Cup qualifier: ministry

South Korea's national flag is expected to be put up at a stadium in Pyongyang during next month's World Cup qualifier between the two sides, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday.North Korea is set to host the game on Oct. 15 as the two Koreas were placed in the same group for the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification in what would be a rare sports exchange between the two sides. "As the North has said that it will prepare the match in accordance with international pract

North KoreaSept. 30, 2019

Xi bows to Mao ahead of China's 70th anniversary

BEIJING (AFP) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping paid his respects to Chairman Mao Zedong's embalmed body Monday in a rare gesture ahead of China's celebration of 70 years of Communist rule.Xi and other top Chinese officials visited Mao's mausoleum -- located in the heart of Beijing in Tiananmen Square -- and bowed three times to the late leader's statue, reported official news agency Xinhua.He also paid respects to the remains of Mao, whose embalmed body is kept in a glass display at the memorial

World NewsSept. 30, 2019

Moon orders prosecution to draw up its own reform plan

President Moon Jae-in instructed South Korea's prosecution Monday to map out its own reform measures at an early date.He issued the order on receiving a report from Justice Minister Cho Kuk on ways to reform the prosecution, according to Cheong Wa Dae.Moon's move came after a massive street candlelight vigil on the weekend calling for prosecution reform, one of Moon's key campaign pledges.Moon stressed that state prosecutors should actively join the reform drive on their own, urging them to pres

PoliticsSept. 30, 2019

S. Korea to allow longer paternity leave next month

Male employees will be allowed to take up to 10 days off after their child's birth starting next month, the labor ministry said Monday, as South Korea seeks to help more people balance their work and family life.Currently, men can take three days of paid leave when their spouses give birth.The Ministry of Employment and Labor said a revised law designed to extend this to 10 days will take effect on Tuesday. To ease the financial burden on smaller firms, the government said it plans to provide mo

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

Ruling party proposes agency to probe education privilege for lawmakers' children

The ruling Democratic Party on Monday proposed setting up a special agency under parliament to probe into whether children of lawmakers received undue preferential treatment in gaining admission to colleges.DP floor leader Lee In-young said he wants bipartisan agreement to his party's proposal to establish a joint agency involving the private and public sectors to look into possible educational privileges for lawmakers' children.The DP proposed such a probe last week, and the main opposition Lib

PoliticsSept. 30, 2019

Apple to propose revised measures over alleged violation of competition law

The South Korean unit of US tech giant Apple Inc. has said it will submit revised voluntary corrective measures over its alleged violation of competition law, the anti-trust regulator said Monday.Apple Korea is suspected of having required South Korean mobile phone carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- to pay the cost of television advertisements for its iPhones and their warranty costs.Apple has said that advertisements benefit both the company and South Korean mobile carri

IndustrySept. 30, 2019

Seoul to discuss food aid to N. Korea with WFP amid Pyongyang's silence

South Korea said Monday it will discuss with the World Food Programme what to do with promised food aid to North Korea as the communist nation remains unresponsive to the offer. In June, South Korea announced the plan to provide 50,000 tons of rice to the North via the WFP to help the impoverished country address its worsening food shortages. Seoul's original plan was to complete the delivery by the end of this month.But as the North has reportedly been refusing to accept the aid, taking issue w

North KoreaSept. 30, 2019

Forever 21 fashion chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

NEW YORK (AP) -- Low-price fashion chain Forever 21, a one-time hot destination for teen shoppers that fell victim to its own rapid expansion and changing consumer tastes, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.The privately held company based in Los Angeles says it will close up to 178 stores. The company once had more than 800 stores in 57 countries. Forever 21 joins Barneys New York and Diesel USA in a growing list of retailers seeking bankruptcy protection as they battle online compe

World NewsSept. 30, 2019

Taiwan shrugs as communist China hails 70th anniversary

TAIPEI (AFP) -- Communist China's creation seven decades ago irrevocably changed Taiwan, but Beijing's huge celebrations this week will be met with a collective shrug on an island where people increasingly see themselves as distinct from the mainland.After the People's Republic of China was declared on 1 October 1949, its rival, the Republic of China, set up in Taiwan -- the island Chiang Kai-shek's defeated nationalists fled to and imposed their will upon.Taiwan remains a sore point to this day

World NewsSept. 30, 2019

With no new ASF confirmed for 3rd day, S. Korea revs up containment efforts

With no new ASF confirmed for 3rd day, S. Korea revs upcontainment South Korea has ratcheted up quarantine efforts to prevent additional outbreaks of African swine fever, though no new confirmed cases have been reported for three days, as a typhoon is on course to hit the southern part of the country this week.The country's quarantine authorities have been implementing disinfection operations at major roads and rivers near the inter-Korean border, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affa

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

Seoul City offers Korean name service to overseas Korean culture fans

The Seoul city government said Monday that it has launched a pilot program to give foreigners Korean names as part of efforts to promote the Korean alphabet, hangeul.  The program, titled "Korean Names for Non-Koreans," is available to foreigners who reside overseas and are interested in Korean culture, Park Jin-young, a city official in charge of communication, said. The application form can be downloaded from the city's foreign language website and e-mailed to the city at e

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2019

G-77 adopts statement urging lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang: NK media

The members of the Group of 77 developing countries have adopted a statement opposing "unilateral" economic sanctions on North Korea that hamper its development and prosperity, Pyongyang's state media said Monday.During the ministerial meeting of the G-77 held in New York on Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the member states adopted a statement calling for the immediate lifting of sanctions on North Korea, according to the North's radio network Korean Central Broadca

North KoreaSept. 30, 2019

Trump allies in disarray as Democrats push impeachment

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday that he expects the whistleblower at the heart of impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump to testify “very soon.”“All that needs to be done, at this point, is to make sure that the attorneys that represent the whistleblower get the clearances that they need to be able to accompany the whistleblower to testimony,” said Schiff, D-Calif., “and that we figure out the log

World NewsSept. 30, 2019

Industrial output up for 2nd consecutive month in August

South Korea's industrial output advanced for the second straight month last month on the back of a rise in the service sector, government data showed Monday.The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed the country's overall industrial output rose 0.5 percent in August from a month earlier.Production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries fell 1.4 percent last month from a month earlier due mainly to decreased output in cars. Meanwhile, the output of the service sector incre

EconomySept. 30, 2019

Hur Mi-jung captures 2nd LPGA win of season in Indiana

After going nearly five years without an LPGA victory, South Korean Hur Mi-jung has won twice in 2019.Hur's second title of the season came at the Indy Women in Tech Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday (local time). The 29-year-old enjoyed a wire-to-wire victory at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club, where she fired a four-round total of 21-under 267 to beat Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Norway by four strokes and take home $300,000. Hur won the Ladies Scottish Open in August to snap a title dr

GolfSept. 30, 2019

[Graphic News] No. of S. Koreans living abroad inches up in 2018: ministry

　The number of South Korean nationals living overseas rose slightly last year from two years earlier, largely led by increases in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, a biennial report by the Foreign Ministry showed.　The figure stood at 7.49 million at the end of 2018, up 0.85 percent, or 62,899, from the 7.43 million tallied at the end of 2016, according to the report on Koreans living in 180 countries. That compares with a 3.42 percent gain in 2016 and a 2.45 percent increase in 2014.　Of the to

Social AffairsSept. 29, 2019