N. Korea tells US not to ignore year-end deadline on Trump-Kim friendship: KCNA

North Korea said on Sunday there has been no progress in the North Korea-United States relations, and hostilities that could lead to an exchange of fire have continued, according to North Korea's state news agency KCNA.In a statement under the name of North Korea senior official Kim Yong-chol, KCNA said that it would be mistaken for the United States to ignore a year-end deadline on US President Donald Trump's and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's "close personal relations."Kim Jong-un

North KoreaOct. 27, 2019

Doosan Bears claw their way up to claim improbable Korean Series title

Back on Aug. 15, the Doosan Bears were nine games back in third place in the Korea Baseball Organization standings, far enough behind the league-leading SK Wyverns with 33 games remaining that the Bears weren't regarded as a serious threat to the Wyverns' bid for the regular season crown.But the Bears toppled the Wyverns for first place on the final day of the regular season on Oct. 1. And some three weeks later on Saturday, the Bears celebrated the 2019 Korean Series title, the franchise's sixt

BaseballOct. 27, 2019

More convenience stores to suspend sales of liquid e-cigarettes following govt. warning

More convenience stores in South Korea are suspending sales of liquid type e-cigarettes following a government warning for people not to use such vaping products due to serious health risks.Convenience store chains Emart24 and 7-Eleven announced Saturday they will halt sales of three flavored liquid e-cigarettes made by US maker Juul Labs and one from state-run tobacco maker KT&G.  The two retailers allowed their convenience stores to sell their remaining inventories of liquid type e-ci

IndustryOct. 26, 2019

Suspected pathogenic bird flu case reported in city of Gimcheon

A suspected virulent avian influenza case has been reported in the southern city of Gimcheon, authorities said Saturday, amid South Korea's efforts to contain the spread of African swine fever. A case of AI H5 virus was confirmed in wild bird feces that were sampled Wednesday, according to the officials in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, 230 kilometers south of Seoul.  The authorities said it will take about five days to confirm whether the virus is highly pathogenic. Officials sa

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2019

4th suspect arrested as UK truck deaths case probe deepens

LONDON (AP) — A fourth person was arrested in connection with the deaths of 39 people found in the back of a container truck in southeastern England, British police said Friday as the investigation into one of the country’s worst human smuggling cases geared up.Police said a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland was arrested Friday at England’s Stansted Airport on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. The arrest came after police arrested a man and a woman

World NewsOct. 26, 2019

Over a million protesters demand Chile president's resignation

SANTIAGO (AFP) -- More than one million people took to the streets in Chile Friday for the largest protests in a week of deadly demonstrations demanding economic reforms and the resignation of President Sebastian Pinera.The leader told the thronging masses that he had "heard the message" in a post on Twitter, characterizing the protests in a positive light and as a means towards change. Demonstrators carrying indigenous and national flags sang popular resistance songs from the 1973-90

World NewsOct. 26, 2019

Death toll rises to 8 as heavy rains hit typhoon-battered eastern Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) - The death toll from torrential rains that caused flooding and mudslides in eastern Japan rose to eight on Saturday, with a further four missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just two weeks after the region was hit hard by a powerful typhoon.Landslides ripped through waterlogged areas in Chiba and Fukushima prefectures, in eastern and northeastern Japan, which were inundated by their third rainstorms in six weeks. In some places, a month’s worth of rain unleashed by a

World NewsOct. 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] G-Dragon discharged from military

G-Dragon, the leader of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, was discharged from the military Saturday, bracing himself for a return to show business. Meeting with media and fans in front of the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, thanked his fans for their support. Some 3,000 fans came to the military base to greet the 31-year-old singer.   "I want to thank all the fans who have been waiting for me," said Kwon, using a megaphone

PerformanceOct. 26, 2019

About 130,000 iPhone 11s sold on 1st day in S. Korea: industry

Some 130,000 units of Apple Inc.'s new iPhone models are believed to have been set up on the first day of sales in South Korea, industry insiders said Saturday.Apple released its iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max in South Korea on Friday, targeting consumers looking for premium phones available in 4G LTE models.  The estimated figure is 30 percent more than the previous iPhone models -- the iPhone XS, Max and XR -- launched November 2018, according to industry sources. However,

TechnologyOct. 26, 2019

New S. Korean ambassador to US vows to beef up alliance

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's new ambassador to the United States, Lee Soo-hyuck, on Friday vowed to beef up the alliance between Seoul and Washington, saying their relationship must be future-oriented to achieve denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. "The South Korea-United States alliance is the basic axis of our foreign relations," Lee said in his inauguration ceremony at the South Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. "The alliance should satisfy today's mutual

Foreign AffairsOct. 26, 2019

S. Korea could hold talks with Japan next month on trade row

South Korea and Japan could sit down for a second round of talks next month in a move to work out their differences over Tokyo's export restrictions, a top official has said.Sung Yun-mo, minister of trade, industry and energy, made the comments in a recent brief comment to Yonhap News Agency on Thursday. Sung did not provide a specific time frame. The talks are part of a dispute settlement process under rules of the World Trade Organization.Earlier this month, the two neighbors failed to reach a

Foreign AffairsOct. 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] Court approves arrest warrant for ex-conglomerate chairman over sexual assault charges

A Seoul court on Saturday approved an arrest warrant for Kim Jun-ki, former chairman of DB Group, over alleged sexual assaults. The Seoul Central District Court approved the arrest warrant, saying among other things that the charges are significant and there is a possibility of Kim attempting to destroy evidence.Kim, 74, is suspected of sexually assaulting his personal secretary multiple times between February and July in 2017. She filed a complaint later that year. He was also accused in early

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2019

S. Korean wins gold at youth weightlifting competition in Pyongyang

South Korea's Yeom Da-hoon set an Asian record as he won a gold medal at a continental youth weightlifting competition in Pyongyang on Friday. Yeom was the top performer in the men's 89-kilogram division in the 2019 Asian Youth & Junior Weightlifting Championships after clearing a combined total of 358 kilograms. Yeom, a son of the 1990 Asian Games weightlifting gold medalist Yeom Dong-chul, was third in the snatch at 160kg, but became the overall leader after lifting 198kg in the clean

More SportsOct. 25, 2019

Moon says he ‘will not hurry’ in naming justice minister

President Moon Jae-in said Friday that he will not hurry to name a new justice minister, adding that a nomination could affect the prosecutorial reform process by introducing a new variable. The post of justice minister has been vacant since Cho Kuk stepped down amid criminal investigations into his wife, Chung Kyung-shim, and other members of his family. “Prosecutorial reform measures are being implemented and there is the question of whether bills on the fast-track process will be made i

PoliticsOct. 25, 2019

Moon says Kumgangsan tours cannot continue in past form

President Moon Jae-in said Friday that tours to North Korea’s Kumgangsan cannot be revived in the form they took before they were discontinued. The comment came hours after the Ministry of Unification revealed that the North had informed the concerned South Korean parties of its intentions to remove facilities from the mountain resort. “(The North Korea’s demands) could go against public sentiment, and such elements may damage inter-Korean relations,” Moon said at a

North KoreaOct. 25, 2019

NK leader’s idea of denuclearization matches that of US: Moon

President Moon Jae-in said Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s idea of denuclearization matches that of the US and Seoul.Speaking at a meeting with the Cheong Wa Dae press corps, Moon said Kim has made it clear that his idea of denuclearization is the same, but that this outcome can only be achieved if the North’s conditions are met.  “Between the two Koreas, the term complete denuclearization is used, and what complete denuclearization means is the same as the d

North KoreaOct. 25, 2019

Hotel Shilla acquires 44% stake in US duty-free retailer 3Sixty

South Korea's Hotel Shilla Co., which operates leading duty-free store Shilla Duty Free, said Friday it has acquired a 44 percent stake in US duty-free specialty retailer 3Sixty for $121 million. The acquisition is expected to help Shilla Duty Free make inroads into the American market. Under the deal with 3Sixty, Hotel Shilla could exercise its option to buy another 23 percent stake in the US firm in 2024. 3Sixty, one of the world's leading in-flight duty-free retailers, operates duty-free

IndustryOct. 25, 2019

Seoul promises ‘creative solution’ to Pyongyang’s Kumgangsan demands

North Korea on Friday sent official statements to the South demanding the removal of South Korean-built facilities from the Kumgangsan resort, the Ministry of Unification said.  According to the ministry, the statements were sent both to the ministry and to Hyundai Group early Friday. Hyundai Group is the South Korean company that led the development and operation of the resort at the North Korean mountain.In the statement, the North said a new “international tourism and culture zone&

North KoreaOct. 25, 2019

Kakao suspends online comments for entertainment articles after Sulli’s death

South Korea’s major internet company Kakao said Friday that it would prevent users from posting malicious comments on its online entertainment news articles, pledging also to overhaul its search engine functionalities to address cyberbullying.During a press conference at its headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Kakao’s co-chiefs Yeo Min-soo and Joh Su-yong said the company would suspend its online comment service for entertainment news next month. The measure came after mo

TechnologyOct. 25, 2019

USFK chief observes Korean army drill

US Forces Korea unveiled on Friday a photograph of its commander observing a firing drill by a South Korean artillery brigade in a frontline training ground in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of USFK and the Combined Forces of Command, visited the South Korean army’s 5th Artillery Brigade at Rodriquez Range along with Gen. Choi Byung-hyuk, deputy commander of CFC, for a live fire demonstration on Oct. 23, USFK said in a Facebook post with a photo of the two and Ge

DefenseOct. 25, 2019