Japan-bound trips dip in Aug., demand for other regions shoots up

An increased demand on non-Japanese routes helped offset lower demand on Japanese routes in August amid trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo, the transport ministry said Sunday.  The number of South Koreans who traveled to Japan in August plunged more than 20 percent as outbound travelers shunned Japan for alternative destinations in Europe, China and other Asian nations amid a trade row between the two Asian neighbor, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and T

TravelOct. 6, 2019

Hyundai Heavy faces protracted wage dispute

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's top shipbuilder, is likely to have a lengthy standoff with its labor union over this year's wage deal, industry watchers said Sunday, adding a burden to its already struggling business.    Hyundai Heavy has held 16 rounds of wage negotiations with the union since May 2, but the sides have yet to find common ground.    "There is a possibility that this year's wage agreement cannot be reached by end of this year," an officia

IndustryOct. 6, 2019

S. Korea reports 2 suspected cases of swine fever

South Korea reported two suspected cases of African swine fever on Sunday despite massive preventive measures across the country.The first new suspected case was reported from a farm in Pocheon, just north of Seoul, according to the agriculture ministry. The second suspected ASF case came from Boryeong, some 160 kilometers southwest of Seoul, the ministry said. South Korea has been implementing seamless disinfection efforts to stem the outbreak of ASF, including extending a lockdown on northern

Social AffairsOct. 6, 2019

US-NK nuclear talks end in conflicting assessments

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Yonhap) -- The United States and North Korea ended working-level denuclearization negotiations in Sweden on Saturday, with the North declaring a breakdown of talks and the US characterizing the discussions as "good."Negotiators from the two sides met in Stockholm to resume denuclearization talks that had stalled since the collapse of February's second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Kim Myong-gil, the North's chief negotiat

North KoreaOct. 6, 2019

US, NK resume nuclear talks in Sweden after months-long hiatus

The United States and North Korea resumed working-level nuclear talks in Sweden on Saturday after a monthslong hiatus, amid cautious optimism and lingering skepticism over the prospects of a compromise.The talks marked their first formal negotiation since February's summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi collapsed due to gaps over the scope of Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's compensation.US Special Representative for North Korea Stephe

North KoreaOct. 5, 2019

[From the scene] ‘We are Cho Kuk’: Protesters condemn ‘political’ prosecution

Tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets of southern Seoul on Saturday to condemn prosecutors for what they called their politically motivated investigation of scandal-ridden Justice Minister Cho Kuk and to demand prosecution reform. 　Row upon row of seated participants, most of whom were not affiliated with a political party or campaign organization, filled Seocho-daero and Banpo-daero -- the boulevards stretching from intersection of the Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office toward

Social AffairsOct. 5, 2019

Supporters of justice minister to hold rally, demanding reform of prosecution

Activists and citizens plan to hold a rally in southern Seoul on Saturday to support Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his drive to reform the prosecution amid a probe into corruption allegations surrounding his family.A candlelight vigil is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at an intersection by Seocho Station where the prosecution's office is located for the third such weekly rally.Participants are expected to condemn the prosecution's widening probe into Cho's family as an attempt to deter the minister

Social AffairsOct. 5, 2019

Seniors main income earners for poorest households: data

Seniors are the chief breadwinners for South Korea's poorest households, with such family units generally having less than one member holding a steady job, data showed Saturday.According to the data from Statistics Korea, the average age of the chief breadwinners for households making up the bottom 20 percent of the income tier stood at 63.8 years between 2003 and 2019.  Asia's fourth-largest economy became an aged society -- one in which 14 percent of the population is over 65 -- in 2017,

EconomyOct. 5, 2019

Moon asks Koreans abroad to support 2032 peace Olympics bid

President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Saturday that Koreans residing in foreign countries continue to support Seoul's peace efforts, especially its bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games together with Pyongyang.Addressing the 13th World Korean Day event at a Seoul hotel, he recalled their contributions to the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics early last year."I request compatriots once again to work together for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," Moon said. &

PoliticsOct. 5, 2019

Ferry disaster, politics and cinema intermingle at BIFF

BUSAN -- A new film about the Sewol ferry sinking, a disaster that killed more than 300 people -- most of them children, will premiere at Asia's biggest film festival, five years after director Lee Sang-ho caused controversy with his first documentary on the topic."Diving Bell", which screened at the 2014 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), criticised then leader Park Geun-hye's administration on its handling of the sinking.In response, angry officials cut BIFF's $1.3 million fun

FilmOct. 5, 2019

U.S., N. Korea to resume working-level nuclear talks in Sweden

Korea were set to resume working-level nuclear talks in Sweden on Saturday, after their preliminary meeting the previous day.  The talks will mark their first formal negotiation since February's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi ended without a deal due to differences over the scope of Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's compensation.  The countries' deputy delegation chiefs -- Mark Lambert of the U.S. and Kwon J

North KoreaOct. 5, 2019

S. Korea paying close attention to US-NK nuke talks: ambassador

WASHINGTON -- South Korea is paying close attention to the outcome of this weekend's denuclearization negotiations between the United States and North Korea, while maintaining communication with Washington, Seoul's top envoy here said Friday.Ambassador Cho Yoon-je made the remark at an annual parliamentary audit of the South Korean Embassy in Washington, noting that the U.S. and North Korea are scheduled to resume working-level denuclearization talks in Sweden Saturday."(We are) paying clos

North KoreaOct. 5, 2019

Prosecution grills justice minister's wife again over alleged family corruption

Prosecutors on Saturday questioned Justice Minister Cho Kuk's wife for the second time this week as part of a sprawling investigation into corruption allegations surrounding his family.Cho's wife, a university professor surnamed Chung, is suspected of inappropriately helping her daughter gain admission to medical school, as well as being involved in a dubious private equity fund investment.Chung appears to have used the basement parking area to enter the Seoul Central District Prosecutors'

PoliticsOct. 5, 2019

Body of landslide victim found in Busan

The body of a man buried in a landslide in the southern city of Busan was found Friday after 33 hours of rescue work, police said. He is the last of the four victims of the landslide that crashed a house and a restaurant early Thursday after heavy rain brought by Typhoon Mitag. The man, surnamed Kwon, and his parents were at his home at the time of the incident. The bodies of his father and the owner of the restaurant were pulled from the rubble late Thursday. His mother was found dead on Friday

Social AffairsOct. 4, 2019

To ban or not to ban? Masked protesters in other countries

Hong Kong's government, faced with months of pro-democracy protests that have spiraled into violence, on Friday invoke emergency powers to ban masks from street demonstrations. A look at how some other countries have dealt with masked protesters:FRANCEIn March, following months of often violent yellow vest protests, the French Parliament passed a bill backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government to further prevent violence during protests and to help authorities maintain order. The so-called

World NewsOct. 4, 2019

Hong Kong leader bans masks in hardening stance on protests

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam banned protesters from wearing masks Friday in a hardening of the government's stance on the territory's most disruptive crisis since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.Lam announced the ban at an afternoon news conference where she decried a recent escalation of violence after four months of anti-government demonstrations.The mask ban, imposed under a colonial-era Emergency Ordinance, takes effect Saturday. It applies to unauthorized public gatherings and police-app

World NewsOct. 4, 2019

Hwaseong serial killer's confession in doubt

Criminal Lee Chun-jae was belatedly found to have made a dubious confession, raising doubts about the credibility of statements in which he identified himself as the killer in South Korea's worst serial murder case.On Wednesday, police announced that the 56-year-old admitted to committing nine of the 10 murders in the Hwaseong serial murder case in addition to around 30 rapes and attempted rapes.He also confessed his involvement in five separate murders, the police said, without elaborating on t

Social AffairsOct. 4, 2019

NPS raises stakes in Hyundai, Samsung and SK

South Korea’s state pension fund, which holds stakes in more than 250 local listed firms, announced changes to its investment portfolio on Friday that are having a considerable impact on the local markets.Among the major conglomerate subsidiaries in which it has invested, the National Pension Service increased its stake in the nation’s No. 1 auto manufacturer, Hyundai Motor, by 1 percent to 10.05 percent by acquiring additional shares Sept. 9. The NPS’ stake in Hyundai Motor st

MarketOct. 4, 2019

About 2,200 shipwrecks abandoned in S. Korean waters: lawmaker

About 2,200 shipwrecks remain abandoned in South Korean waters, posing a potential environmental threat, a ruling party lawmaker insisted Friday.Rep. Seo Sam-seok of the Democratic Party, citing data released by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries for a parliamentary inspection, said the number of abandoned shipwrecks nationwide now reaches 2,199 but that the government's on-site inspections of them are progressing slowly. The lawmaker said the maritime affairs ministry has conducted on-site in

Social AffairsOct. 4, 2019

LG Display sheds one-quarter of executives

LG Display, the world’s largest organic light-emitting diode panel provider, said Friday the company has shed nearly one quarter of its executives as part of an organizational restructuring to normalize financial capabilities. The panel manufacturer has cut the number of executives above the team leader level by 25 percent by incorporating overlapping departments and simplifying the organizational structure, it said. In order to speed up its change in portfolio from an LCD-focused lineup t

TechnologyOct. 4, 2019