S. Korea's Confucian academies inscribed on UNESCO list

The Nine Seowon, Confucian academies from the Joseon era, have officially been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration said late Saturday.　The CHA said it had been decided earlier in the day at the 43rd meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, that “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies” are to be included as a world heritage, bringing the number of South Korean items on the list to 14. 　Seowon were educa

CultureJuly 7, 2019

One missing in Hungary boat sinking after another body confirmed to be S. Korean

A body found in a river south of Budapest was confirmed to be a South Korean missing from the deadly sinking of a tour boat in May, a joint rescue team said Saturday. The latest victim, a woman in her 60s, was discovered 66 kilometers downstream from the sinking site on Friday (Budapest time), bringing the total number of Koreans confirmed dead in the May 29 sinking to 25, with one still missing, a joint South Korean and Hungarian team said.  Hungarian police confirmed her identity based on

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2019

N. Korea accuses expelled Australian student of spying: KCNA

An Australian student in Pyongyang was detained for spying last month and admitted his "anti-state" activities, the North Korean state media said Saturday, two days after his expulsion from the communist nation. Alek Sigley, a 29-year-old university student in Pyongyang, was reported missing in late June, but he was released on Thursday and left the North Korean capital the same day. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Australian had passed on data and photos on domestic sit

North KoreaJuly 7, 2019

Amid heat wave, beaches nationwide crowded with people

South Koreans rushed to major beaches and wooded valleys Saturday as a summer heat wave gripped the nation.A heat wave warning was issued in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and many other parts of the country, with the daytime high exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.Beaches along the east coast in Gangwon Province were crowded with those seeking to escape the scorching heat on the first weekend since they opened to the public for the summer season. An estimated 12,000 people visited Sokcho Beach before noon

Social AffairsJuly 6, 2019

7.1-magnitude quake hits southern California: USGS

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern California on Friday at 8:19 pm (0319 GMT Saturday), the United States Geological Survey said.The latest quake is part of what geologists are calling an "earthquake sequence" and follows a 6.4-magnitude quake that struck the same area the day before. The USGS said the previous day's tremor was a "foreshock" to Friday's quake, with CNN reporting that the latest tremor was 11 times stronger. Residents on the ground said they were feeling

World NewsJuly 6, 2019

Biden accuses Trump of giving legitimacy to 'thug' Kim

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of embracing "thugs" like North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and giving him the legitimacy he craves on the world stage.In an interview with CNN, the Democratic presidential candidate ripped into Trump for his dealings with Kim, saying the three summits they've had so far have not led the North to take any steps toward dismantling its nuclear weapons program. "He gave Kim everything that he wanted -- legitimacy,"

World NewsJuly 6, 2019

S. Korea checks more items vulnerable to Japan's export control

The South Korean government has stepped up preparations for the possibility of Japan expanding retaliatory export curbs, a related ministry official said Saturday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in January made a list of 100 industrial products that could be targeted by Japan's export restrictions, the official said.Three of them are already subject to stricter export controls: fluorinated polyimide, photoresist and high-purity hydrogen fluoride, which are used in semiconductor and sm

PoliticsJuly 6, 2019

Trump says US has 'very nice' relationship with N. Korea

US President Donald Trump insisted Friday that the United States has a "very nice" relationship with North Korea following his diplomatic engagement with the regime's leader, Kim Jong-un.Trump returned this week from a visit to South Korea, where he held an impromptu meeting with Kim on the inter-Korean border and agreed to restart negotiations on the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.The US president, who has now met three times with Kim, has often touted North Ko

North KoreaJuly 6, 2019

Far-right party again puts up protest tents in central Seoul

A far-right minor party set up tents near a square in central Seoul on Friday as it pushes to erect more tents at the plaza despite the city government's warning against what it called an illegal protest.The Our Republican Party pitched four protest tents in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts near Gwanghwamun Square to press for a special probe into the deaths of five conservative protesters in 2017. There were no clashes with the police or the city government in the process of s

PoliticsJuly 5, 2019

S. Korea plagued by back-to-back nationwide strikes by public sector workers

(Yonhap) -- South Korea is bracing for a possible unprecedented strike by postal workers next week, as non-regular public employees wound up their three-day nationwide walkout on Friday.The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a militant labor umbrella group, called the three-day strike Wednesday to call for wage hikes for non-regular workers in the public sector, abolition of discrimination against them and the switching of their status to that of regular workers.Contract workers at elementary

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2019

Boy band Pentagon kicks off world tour

Boy band Pentagon has kicked off a world concert tour, bringing it to 23 cities across the globe, its management agency said Friday.The world tour, named “Prism,” kicked off with its inaugural concert in Seoul in April and will take the band on a journey to perform in 23 cities in Asia, the United States, Europe and South America from August to December.  The list of destinations includes Santiago, Milan, Lisbon, Berlin, Paris, Moscow and Tokyo in addition to major U.S. cities,

PerformanceJuly 5, 2019

KRX to consider delisting original developer of disputed drug Invossa

South Korea’s main bourse operator Korea Exchange (KRX) has designated Kolon TissueGene, original developer of the recently invalidated joint inflammation treatment Invossa, as a potential delisting target, officials said Friday.“A screening committee will be held within 15 working days (by July 26) to decide whether to delist (the company) or to grant a grace period for improvement,” KRX said in a public statement.Kolon TissueGene, the US affiliate of Kolon Life Science, went

IndustryJuly 5, 2019

South Korean TV show may face Thai investigation

The producers of “Law of the Jungle,” a jungle survival entertainment program on SBS, could face police investigation in Thailand. According to news reports, Thai authorities are looking into possible violation of local environmental laws by the show’s cast in episodes filmed on Ko Mook Island in southern Thailand. The show consists of celebrities being sent to remote locations where they engage in survival activities including collecting and hunting food stuff.  A recentl

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2019

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ continues to echo throughout Korea

It seems like the “Bohemian Rhapsody” phenomenon may never die out, evidenced by the concerts, shows and even a Seoul art exhibition paying tribute to Queen and the band’s legendary frontman Freddie Mercury.Piling onto the onslaught of Queen-mania here, the exhibition “Bohemian Rhapsody: The Queen Exhibition” is to take place at Ara Art Center in Insa-dong, central Seoul, from Sunday to Oct. 6. The exhibition has been officially approved by Queen Productions. 

CultureJuly 5, 2019

SoftBank chief considers joint investments on AI with Korean tech leaders

Masayoshi Son, chairman of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, said Thursday he will make new investments in promising artificial intelligence businesses together with South Korean tech giants, hopefully this year. The IT business tycoon discussed plans to expand cooperation and investments on AI with the leaders of five top Korean tech companies, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, at Korea Furniture Museum in Seongbuk-dong, northern Seoul. In response to a question about the

TechnologyJuly 5, 2019

Moon vows more govt support for 'social economy'

President Moon Jae-in said Friday his liberal administration will redouble efforts to boost the "social economy" sector to create jobs and support the underprivileged.He was addressing the opening ceremony of the second Social Economy Fair. This year's event opened in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, for a three-day run.Since taking office in May 2017, Moon, a former human rights lawyer, has campaigned for the development of a social economy in South Korea, which struggles

PoliticsJuly 5, 2019

LG Electronics Q2 operating earnings down 15.4% on downbeat mobile biz

LG Electronics Inc. said Friday its second-quarter operating profits are expected to have dropped 15.4 percent from a year earlier, mainly due to its sluggish smartphone business.In an earnings guidance, the South Korean electronics maker said it expects to post 652.2 billion won ($557 million) in operating profits in the April-June period -- far below the average market expectation of around 774 billion won.Its sales are expected to be 15.6 trillion won in the second quarter, a 4.1 percent surg

IndustryJuly 5, 2019

Hyundai Motor Group’s US sales on rise for 11 months in row

Hyundai Motor Group has seen an increase in its US sales for 11 consecutive months, the South Korean automaker’s US office said Friday.According to Hyundai Motor America, the Korean carmaker sold 64,200 units in June, about 2 percent rise from a year earlier. Sport utility vehicles led the uptrend, the company said, recording a 10 percent sales increase on-year and accounting for 53 percent of the total monthly sales. By type, 50 percent of SUV sales in the US last month was led by su

MobilityJuly 5, 2019

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin wins final start of 1st half

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Ryu Hyun-jin has wrapped up a terrific first half of the season with a long-awaited victory.The South Korean left-hander shut down the San Diego Padres over six innings at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday (local time), holding them to three singles while striking out five. The Dodgers went on to win 5-1.He improved to 10-2 for the season to reach win No. 10 on his fifth try and lowered his major league-best ERA from 1.83 to 1.73. Now in his sixth season, with

BaseballJuly 5, 2019

[Newsmaker] Korean soldier sought to join IS terrorist group

A 23-year-old South Korean man is under investigation for allegedly seeking to join the Islamic State terrorist group, and preparing for a terrorist attack while he was serving in the army. It marks the country’s first case of a “lone wolf” terrorist act being planning.The man surnamed Park, 23, was found to have stolen an ignition device for explosives while being trained at an army engineer school after joining an infantry unit near Seoul in October 2017, broadcaster KBS repo

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2019