World No. 1 Ko Jin-young headlines field at lone LPGA stop in S. Korea

Ko Jin-young, the world No. 1 in women's golf from South Korea, will headline an 80-player field at an upcoming LPGA Tour event in her native country.Organizers of the inaugural BMW Ladies Championship on Monday announced the list of players to compete at the LPGA International Busan in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, from Oct. 24-27.Ko, who also leads the LPGA Tour in money, scoring average and the Player of the Year points in 2019, will be one of 50 LPGA members in the field, to be j

GolfOct. 14, 2019

Support rating gap of rival parties narrows: poll

A poll showed the major conservative party outperforming the ruling party in the approval rating for the first time since President Moon Jae-in’s inauguration.On Friday, a Realmeter poll showed the opposition Liberal Korea Party recording 34.7 percent approval rating while the ruling Democratic Party received 33.3 percent approval rating. The gap in approval ratings has dropped to under-one percentage point, reaching an all-time low since the start of President Moon’s administra

PoliticsOct. 14, 2019

Seoul raises concerns over Fukushima's contaminated water in London

South Korea's fishery ministry said Monday it raised concerns over Japan's plan to release contaminated water from its disabled Fukushima power plant into the sea at an international maritime gathering held in London last week.During a London Convention and Protocol meeting held last week at the headquarters of the Britain-based International Maritime Organization, South Korea urged Japan to make efforts to win consensus from neighboring countries on handling the water, according to the Ministry

Foreign AffairsOct. 14, 2019

World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang not to be broadcast live

South Korea's most-anticipated World Cup qualifier of the current campaign, set to kick off in Pyongyang, will not be broadcast live to a South Korean audience, broadcasters here said Monday.On Tuesday, North Korea hosts the South-North match for the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at 5:30 p.m. at Kim Il-sung Stadium in the North Korean capital. It is a rare sports exchange between the two sides at a time of heightened tensions on the divided peninsula followi

North KoreaOct. 14, 2019

[Newsmaker] K-pop superband SuperM tops Billboard 200

Brand new K-pop act SuperM topped a main Billboard chart upon its debut in the United States, according the chart result re-released on Monday.The supergroup's first release, "SuperM: The 1st Mini Album," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the week of Oct. 19, making the septet the first K-pop band to do so following global phenomenon BTS, Billboard said.The achievement was made only two weeks after the group's official release on Oct. 4."The set ... launches w

PerformanceOct. 14, 2019

With no additional ASF case for 5th day, S. Korea in battle to stem possible spread via wild boars

South Korea's quarantine authorities on Monday vowed to prevent the potential spread of African swine fever via wild boars, as some of them were discovered dead with traces of the virus north of Seoul over the weekend.A total of five wild boars have been found dead north of Seoul this month amid rising speculation that the virus may have traveled from North Korea, which reported its own outbreak a few months earlier.   South Korea has reported 14 confirmed cases of ASF at local pig far

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2019

NK propaganda outlet denounces meeting of military chiefs of S. Korea, US, Japan

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Monday slammed a recent trilateral meeting between the chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, the United States and Japan, claiming that their talks were aimed at heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.South Korea's JCS Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and his US and Japanese counterparts, Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki, met in Washington earlier this month, as Park and Yamazaki were in the US capital to attend the change of command cere

North KoreaOct. 14, 2019

Current, former world No. 1s in men's golf to compete in S. Korea this week

How often do you get to see the likes of Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Gary Woodland, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the same field in South Korea?How about once a year?The PGA Tour will make its lone annual stop this week on the resort island of Jeju, where the Club at Nine Bridges will host the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges from Thursday to Sunday. The no-cut event will be the sixth tournament of the 2019-2020 season.Koepka is the biggest name in the field of 78 at the $9.75 millio

GolfOct. 14, 2019

Koreas set to clash in Pyongyang in much-anticipated World Cup qualifier

In one of the most anticipated football matches of the year in Asia, South Korea and North Korea will square off in Pyongyang in a crucial World Cup qualifying match this week.The kickoff for the Group H match in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kim Il-sung Stadium in the North Korean capital. It will be the first trip to the North by a South Korea men's national football team since a friendly in October 1990, and this week's ma

SoccerOct. 14, 2019

Biz sentiment worsens for Q4

South Korean manufacturers' business sentiment for the fourth quarter of the year worsened due to external uncertainties, a survey showed Monday.The business sentiment index, compiled by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stood at 72 for the October-December period, slightly down from 73 the previous quarter, KCCI said in a statement. The BSI figure has stayed below the break-even threshold of 100 for the past 14 consecutive quarters. The last time the BSI was above 100 was in the third

EconomyOct. 14, 2019

Pentagon says up to 1,000 US troops to withdraw from northern Syria

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The Pentagon said Sunday President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria -- almost the entire ground force in the war-torn country -- amid an intensifying Turkish assault on Kurdish forces.Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the move came after the US learned that Turkey was pressing further into Syria than had been expected.The Kurds -- with whom the US partnered to combat the Islamic State group -- later announced they had reached a

World NewsOct. 14, 2019

At least 26 dead after Typhoon Hagibis slams Japan

TOKYO (AFP) -- At least 26 people were killed by powerful Typhoon Hagibis, local media reported Sunday, a day after the ferocious storm slammed into Japan, unleashing unprecedented rain and catastrophic flooding.More than 100,000 rescuers, including 31,000 troops, were working into the night to reach people trapped after torrential rain caused landslides and filled rivers until they burst their banks.The destruction forced the Rugby World Cup to cancel a third tournament match, though a key

World NewsOct. 13, 2019

Russia will work with Saudi to stabilise oil market: Putin

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russia will work with Saudi Arabia against any "attempt to destabilise" the oil market, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday, on the eve of a visit to Riyadh.Tensions in the region are high following attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia, which sent prices surging, and the seizure of tankers in the Gulf. "If anyone believes that acts such as the seizing of tankers or strikes against oil infrastructure could in any way affect the coo

World NewsOct. 13, 2019

S. Korean men's football team embarks on journey to N. Korea for World Cup qualifier

The South Korean men's national football team on Sunday began its journey to North Korea for a key World Cup qualifying match, a contest expected to take place under unusual circumstances.Coached by Paulo Bento, South Korea will first travel to Beijing on Sunday to pick up their North Korea visas and fly to Pyongyang on Monday. The much-anticipated Group H showdown between the Koreas is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kim Il-sung Stadium in the North Korean capital.It will be the S

SoccerOct. 13, 2019

Justice minister to unveil detailed prosecution reform scheme

Cheong Wa Dae, the government and ruling Democratic Party of Korea said on Sunday the Justice Ministry is to announce a plan that would reduce the prosecution’s special investigation units Monday.Top Cheong Wa Dae officials, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, Justice Minister Cho Kuk and ruling party lawmakers held a meeting at the National Assembly Sunday afternoon to address the next step in the reform of the prosecution, a chief Moon Jae-in administration agenda.Democr

PoliticsOct. 13, 2019

[Graphic News] Tether becomes most used cryptocurrency in world

　What’s the world’s most widely used cryptocurrency? If you think it’s Bitcoin, which accounts for about 70 percent of all the digital-asset world’s market value, you’re probably wrong.　While concrete figures on trading volumes are hard to come by in this often murky corner of finance, data from CoinMarketCap.com shows that the token with the highest daily and monthly trading volume is Tether, whose market capitalization is more than 30 times smaller. 　Tether’

World BusinessOct. 13, 2019

[Feature] Evergreen Unit remembered for peacemaking operations in East Timor 20 years ago

Two decades have passed since South Korean troops were dispatched to East Timor, officially known as Timor-Leste, on peacemaking operations in the newly independent country.While the Evergreen Unit of South Korea was stationed in East Timor from 1999 to 2003 to help it settle as an independent nation, traces of the troops’ legacy remain.When South Korea’s delegation from the Defense Ministry visited the country to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deployment of the Evergreen Un

DefenseOct. 13, 2019

‘Traces of Black Sand,’ choreography looks at life, memories

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will perform a new production that fuses contemporary dance with traditional Korean music at Seoul Arts Center CJ Towol Theater from Nov 1-3. “Traces of Black Sand” is a collaboration between composer Ra Ye-song and KNCDC Artistic Director Ahn Sung-soo. The two have worked together on contemporary dance and traditional sounds since the 2017 KNCDC production of “Music for Rites - The Afterimages of the Rose.”“‘Trace

Arts & DesignOct. 13, 2019

[Bennet Ramberg] Whither nuclear-arms control?

Is nuclear-arms control unraveling? The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has collapsed, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is teetering, and North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal. Worse, it is unclear whether the United States will stick with the New START Treaty when it expires in 2021. That agreement limits (at 3,000) the number of strategic weapons Russia and the US have pointed at each other.Fortunately, history offers some solace. During and afte

ViewpointsOct. 13, 2019

[Ramesh Ponnuru] Bad legal arguments against impeachment

Once again, Alan Dershowitz, a former Harvard Law School professor, is mounting a defense of US President Donald Trump against the threat of impeachment.In the past, Dershowitz has been willing to get creative in his legal arguments. After Trump said that he would appeal any impeachment attempt to the Supreme Court, Dershowitz claimed that it was “certainly possible” that the court would stop the Senate from holding a trial. Former Justice David Souter had, he explained, once written

ViewpointsOct. 13, 2019