Childbirths down 3.1% in Oct.

The number of babies born in South Korea fell 3.1 percent in October from a year earlier, data showed Thursday, in the latest evidence underscoring the low birthrate that has plagued Korea's economy for more than a decade.The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 25,648 infants were born in October, compared with 26,474 tallied in the same month of 2018.It marks the lowest number of newborns for any October since 1981, when the statistics agency started compiling monthly data on newborns

Social AffairsDec. 26, 2019

Population mobility falls 8% in Nov.

The number of South Koreans who changed residences to a different region fell in November, as tightened regulations aimed at reining in housing prices sapped the country's population mobility, data showed Thursday. The number of people who changed their residences declined 8 percent last month from a year earlier to 566,000, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The population mobility rate -- the number of those changing residences for every 100 people -- fell 1.2 percentage point

EconomyDec. 26, 2019

Banks' loan delinquency rate inches up in October

The delinquency rate for South Korean banks' won-denominated loans edged up in October from a month earlier due to a slight hike in bad loans extended to firms and households, data showed Thursday.The rate for bank loans more than 30-days overdue stood at 0.46 percent at the end of October, up 0.02 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service.But compared with a year ago, the rate was down 0.12 percentage point, it said.The delinquency rate

MarketDec. 26, 2019

Prosecution publicly opposes prosecutorial reform bill

The prosecution has publicly come out against a push by the ruling Democratic Party and four minor liberal parties to pass a prosecutorial reform bill calling for the creation of a new powerful investigative organization to check the power of the prosecution in probes of suspected corruption by all top-ranking government officials.The Supreme Prosecutors Office issued a statement on Thursday, voicing objection to the bill on the establishment of the so-called High-Ranking Officials' Corruption I

PoliticsDec. 26, 2019

US flies spy planes again over Korean Peninsula amid concerns over NK provocations

The United States has flown spy planes around the Korean Peninsula again, an aviation tracker said Thursday, at a time of speculation that North Korea could carry out a major provocation amid stalled denuclearization talks.According to Aircraft Spots, a RC-135S Cobra Ball plane was presumed to have carried out a surveillance mission over South Korea's East Sea after taking off from the Japanese territory of Okinawa. Another RC-135S aircraft was spotted flying in the same route later.  On th

DefenseDec. 26, 2019

Ex-justice minister denies power abuse allegations

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk denied allegations on Thursday that he had abused his power to suspend a presidential inquiry into a former Busan vice mayor, as he attended an arrest warrant hearing in connection with the case.     　After the hearing, Cho said through his lawyer that he had neither abused his power nor stopped the internal inquiry into Yoo Jae-soo, who was suspected of taking bribes. Cho also denied attempting to destroy evidence. 　At the hearing, which laste

Social AffairsDec. 26, 2019

Korean firm successfully relocates historical structures in Turkey

CJ Logistics Corp., a major South Korean logistics firm, said Thursday it completed the relocation of historical structures in Turkey to prevent them from potentially being submerged by a dam project.The Hasankeyf project, launched in 2017, involved transporting 23 units of ancient structures aged well beyond 500 years from Hasankeyf in southern Turkey without disassembling them to a safer place where they aren't at risk of being submerged, according to CJ Logistics. The town is well known for i

IndustryDec. 26, 2019

Public sector's debt growth accelerates in 2018

South Korea's public sector debt growth accelerated in 2018, but its share of the country's gross domestic product remained flat, the finance ministry said Thursday.The country's public sector debt, known as D3, which includes the debt of the central government and state-funded firms, reached 1,078 trillion won ($926 billion) as of end-2018, up 34 trillion won from a year ago, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.It accounted for 56.9 percent of the country's GDP las

EconomyDec. 26, 2019

Police, protesters clash as Hong Kong celebrates Christmas

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong's Christmas celebrations were marred by sporadic clashes between police and pro-democracy activists on Wednesday as the city's pro-Beijing leader said the festive season was being "ruined" by demonstrators.Police used pepper spray and tear gas as activists held small flashmob protests in malls and multiple districts across the city.In Mong Kok, an area that has seen frequent clashes over the last six months, police fired multiple rounds of tear gas to dispe

World NewsDec. 26, 2019

NK propaganda outlet denounces US surveillance operations

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Thursday denounced stepped-up surveillance by the United States and South Korea of military targets in the communist nation, saying the country is closely watching such "provocative" moves.The US and South Korea have been on high alert in recent days amid growing concerns that the North could conduct a major provocation, such as launching an intercontinental ballistic missile, in protest over stalled nuclear talks.Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the U

North KoreaDec. 26, 2019

Pope's Christmas message appeals for peace in global flashpoints

VATICAN CITY (AFP) -- Christmas was celebrated all around the world on Wednesday, with Pope Francis appealing for peace in many of the world's hotspots while festivities were muted for Filipinos battered by a typhoon, as well as in strike-bound France."May Christ bring his light to the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the Middle East and in various countries of the world," Francis said in his traditional Christmas message at the Vatican, singling out the crises in Vene

World NewsDec. 26, 2019

US says it stands ready amid threat of NK 'Christmas gift'

WASHINGTON -- The United States and its allies stand ready to defend themselves even on Christmas day, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday, as officials remained on alert for a threatened "Christmas gift" from North Korea.The "gift" was widely expected to be an intercontinental ballistic missile launch after Pyongyang twice conducted apparent rocket engine tests at its western satellite launch site earlier this month.The US flew four surveillance planes over the Korean Penins

North KoreaDec. 26, 2019

Opposition's filibuster ends, electoral reform bill to be put to vote at parliament

The main opposition party's filibuster, designed to block a ruling party-led bill on electoral reform, ended at the stroke of midnight Wednesday night, as the extra parliamentary session came to a conclusion.The contentious bill will be put to a vote during the new extra session at the National Assembly, which will convene at 2 p.m. Thursday and end on Sunday.Joo Ho-young, a four-term lawmaker of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, began to filibuster at 9:49 p.m. on Monday, soon after Spea

PoliticsDec. 26, 2019

Red Velvet member injured during rehearsal for TV show

A member of the girl group Red Velvet sustained serious injuries in a fall during a rehearsal for an awards show on Wednesday, her agency announced.SM Entertainment said Wendy was diagnosed with broken pelvis and right wrist after falling from the stage at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, while preparing for the K-pop show to be hosted and aired by broadcaster SBS later Wednesday.SM said Wendy, who also suffered a facial injury, received emergency treatment and will undergo further tests at a nearby h

PerformanceDec. 26, 2019

[Graphic News] South Korea is world’s 4th-largest customer of US arms: data

　South Korea is the fourth-largest buyer of US weapons over the past 10 years, government data showed.　According to the global defense market yearbook published by South Korea’s Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, the United States exported weapons worth $93.1 billion between 2009 and 2018 to the outside world. 　Of the total, South Korea bought $6.28 billion, standing at the fourth spot.　Saudi Arabia was the No. 1 customer by purchasing US arms worth $13.47 billion, followed by Aust

World NewsDec. 25, 2019

Indebted CJ Group moves to generate cash through divestment

Korean food-to-entertainment conglomerate CJ Group is moving to generate cash through divestment efforts by its affiliates this month, making potential room to tackle the group’s snowballing liabilities.The group’s debt -- which stood at 16.6 trillion won ($14.3 billion) as of end-June according to Korea Ratings -- has cast a shadow on Chairman Lee Jae-hyun’s “Great CJ 2020” initiative to secure 100 trillion won in annual group revenue, pushing the conglomerate to t

MarketDec. 25, 2019

N. Korea to skip women's Olympic football qualifying tournament in S. Korea: source

North Korea will not compete in an Olympic women's football qualifying tournament scheduled for next February in South Korea, a source told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.According to the source, North Korea recently informed the Asian Football Confederation that they will not enter the third round of the Asian qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.That competition will run from Feb. 3-9, 2020, on the South Korean island of Jeju."North Korea didn't give reasons for their withdrawal, and t

SoccerDec. 25, 2019

Facing US trade uncertainty, China seeks closer ties with neighbours

CHENGDU (AFP) -- China made overtures on trade to Japan and South Korea and offered support for an infrastructure initiative as it hosted the leaders of its two neighbours this week amid strained ties with the US.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Beijing was willing to strengthen economic cooperation with Japan in third-country markets.At the meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral summit in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Li a

Foreign AffairsDec. 25, 2019

Xi 'almost certain' to visit S. Korea in first half of next year: official

Chinese President Xi Jinping is "almost certain" to visit South Korea in the first half of next year, a presidential official said Wednesday.President Moon Jae-in invited Xi to visit the South in the near future when they held summit talks in Beijing on Monday. Xi said in response that he will positively consider a visit, according to officials. "You can take it as almost certain that Xi will visit South Korea in the first half of next year, though final coordination is necessary

Foreign AffairsDec. 25, 2019

[Lionel Laurent] Macron battles against boomers, pensions

Emmanuel Macron is the first French president in a decade who isn’t a baby boomer, and it shows.The 41-year-old’s battle to reform France’s high-tax, high-spend economy is often fought in the name of generational equality -- largely by tilting the balance away from the elderly in favor of the young. Last year, as a gesture to help young people coming to the job market, the Macron administration hiked social welfare taxes on retirees, an unpopular move that was later reversed in

ViewpointsDec. 25, 2019