S. Korean military vows to tighten sea border vigilance after NK boat incident

South Korea's military vowed Monday to beef up vigilance around the inter-Korean maritime boundary amid criticism that a North Korean boat drifted across it unchecked over the weekend.The fishing boat carrying four North Koreans was found adrift off the northeastern coastal city of Samcheok about 130 kilometers away from the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border, on Saturday.  Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that its overall coastal and maritime defense operations had proceeded &q

North KoreaJune 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] BTS fans complain of tight ID checks at Busan concerts

On the first day of K-pop sensation BTS' first-ever fan event and concert in Busan this weekend, a number of people were blocked from entering the venue although they had tickets in their hands.Officials from Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of BTS, demanded buyer information on the tickets match the ticket holder's identity documents at the event Saturday. Teenage fans who bought tickets using their parents' names were turned down, while students who brought copies of their stu

PerformanceJune 17, 2019

Foreign-currency deposits rise in May

Foreign currency deposits held by banks in South Korea increased in May, central bank data showed Monday, as both individuals and companies apparently sought to expand their foreign exchange holdings amid the weakening of the local currency.As of end-May, foreign currency savings here came to $65.61 billion, up $2.41 billion from the month before, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. "The amount increased as local companies delayed exchanging their currency holdings on hope of furt

MarketJune 17, 2019

Korean stocks up late Monday morning

South Korean stocks traded higher Monday morning as institutions turned net buyers ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting this week and the Group of 20 summit later this month.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 3.41 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,098.82 as of 11:15 a.m.  Institutions bought a net 29 billion won ($24 million) worth of stocks, allowing the main index to trade in positive territory.Foreigners and individuals sold a combined 27 billion won worth of stocks. Large-ca

MarketJune 17, 2019

S. Korea aims to re-eradicate malaria by 2021

South Korea aims to re-eradicate malaria by 2021 and win international confirmation as a country free from mosquito-borne infectious disease, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.Under the five-year plan, Seoul aims to bring down domestic malaria cases to zero by the target date and maintain this for three straight years, it said. "If no local cases of malaria are found through the whole of 2023, the country can win malaria-free accreditation from the World Healt

Social AffairsJune 17, 2019

Ruling, minor parties press main opposition to decide on parliamentary normalization

The ruling party and a minor party said Monday they will hold respective meetings to decide whether to submit a request to open an extra session for June to put an idle parliament back on track.The move is aimed at pressing the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to join a push to end a two-month parliamentary impasse as rival parties have so far failed to reach a deal to normalize the operation of the National Assembly.The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party said it will convene a meeting of its

PoliticsJune 17, 2019

US Forces Korea chief suspends curfew for 3 months

US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams on Monday began a three-month suspension of a curfew for his troops here, officials said, calling it an opportunity to show their ability to maintain good order and discipline.The curfew between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. was imposed in 2011, when public outcry surged over some USFK troops’ alleged sexual violence and other crimes. The temporary suspension of the curfew will continue until Sept. 17. “The suspension will serve as an evaluation perio

DefenseJune 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] Yoon Seok-youl tapped to head prosecution

Yoon Seok-youl, a well-known prosecutor who participated in major investigations linked to conservative administrations, was tapped for the post of prosecutor general Monday.If appointed, he will replace Moon Moo-il as the country’s top prosecutor. Yoon, currently serves as the head of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and came to public attention in 2012 when he headed the investigation into allegations that the National Intelligence Service interfered with the presidentia

PoliticsJune 17, 2019

4 out of 10 autos sold through May were SUVs

Four out of 10 vehicles sold in South Korea from January to May were sport utility vehicles, reflecting growing demand for recreational vehicles, industry sales data showed Monday. In the first five months, domestic and imported carmakers sold 612,043 vehicles, with SUVs accounting for 42 percent, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. "The ratio of SUVs in overall passenger car sales is expected

MobilityJune 17, 2019

McDonald’s Korea to recruit 120 admin managers nationwide

McDonald’s Korea said Monday that it is recruiting 120 administrative managers who will work at its some 420 restaurants nationwide.According to the fast-food chain, applicants will go through the document screening, interview and practical assessment in a restaurant environment. Successful candidates will take training course as trainees and will be dispatched to stores from August. The new managers will be given opportunities for promotion to general manager of the store or regional

IndustryJune 17, 2019

Samsung Display maintains formidable lead in smartphone display market in Q1

Samsung Display Co. maintained its dominant position in the global smartphone display market in the first quarter as more handset makers adopted OLED panels for their premium products, a market researcher said Monday. The display making unit of Samsung Electronics shipped $3.4 billion worth of smartphone displays in the January-March period, accounting for 40.2 percent of the total market share, according to the data by IHS Markit.  The Korean firm's market share shed 6.6 percentage points

TechnologyJune 17, 2019

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US hold phone talks over Trump's planned visit, peninsula situation

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States have held phone talks over US President Donald Trump's planned visit to Seoul and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.During her visit to Russia on Sunday night (Moscow time), Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ahead of Trump's trip to South Korea after the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28 and 29.  They shared an understanding that T

North KoreaJune 17, 2019

US taking all necessary steps to fully grasp N. Korea threats: Pompeo

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said his country is taking "all actions" that are necessary to make sure it's fully aware of any threats from North Korea. "American people should rest assured the United States is taking all actions that it needs to take to make sure we understand the risks and threats that are posed by North Korea," he said in an interview with Fox News.  The remark came in response to a question about US President Donald Trump'

North KoreaJune 17, 2019

Argentina, Uruguay restoring power after massive blackout

BUENOS AIRES -- Electricity services have been restored to more than 70 percent of Argentina and Uruguay following a massive blackout that left around 48 million people without power on Sunday, authorities said.At around 7:00 pm (2200 GMT), Argentina's Energy Ministry Gustavo Lopetegui said services had been restored to 77 percent of customers in the country. There are still outages in multiple provinces, while Tierra del Fuego, in the country's extreme south, was spared because it is not part o

World NewsJune 17, 2019

Meghan and Harry release Father’s Day photo of baby Archie

LONDON — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex have released a photograph of their 6-week-old son Archie for Father’s Day.The sepia-toned photo, posted Sunday on the royal couple’s Instagram feed, shows the baby cradled in Harry’s arms and clutching his father’s finger. The post is captioned: “Happy Father’s Day! And wishing a very special first Father’s Day to The Duke of Sussex.”The couple posted a picture of the baby’s feet

World NewsJune 17, 2019

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' wins Sydney Film Festival top prize

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" has grabbed the Sydney Film Prize, the main award of the 2019 Sydney Film Festival, according to the festival's homepage Monday. The awarding of the AUD60,000 ($41,288) cash prize, which took place during the festival's closing ceremony at the State Theatre in Sydney on Sunday (local time), follows the tragicomedy's winning of the prestigious Palme D'Or at Cannes in late May."'Parasite' has an outrageous disregard for genre conv

FilmJune 17, 2019

S. Korean players receive heroes' welcome

INCHEON -- South Korean players and coaches got a rousing welcome home Monday after their runner-up finish at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland over the weekend.Coached by Chung Jung-yong, the young Taeguk Warriors recorded the country's best finish at any FIFA men's tournament. No South Korean men's team had reached the final at any FIFA competition before last Saturday, when Chung's squad lost to Ukraine 3-1 in the championship match at Lodz Stadium in Lodz.Despite the crushing loss, the playe

SoccerJune 17, 2019

Brokerages' Q1 profit at record high on investment gains

South Korean securities firms saw their combined net profit jump to a record high in the first quarter, fueled by investment gains and higher commission fees from their wealth management businesses, data showed Monday.The combined net profit of 56 brokerages stood at 1.4 trillion won ($1.18 billion) in the January-March period, up 183.3 percent from three months earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. Brokerage commission fees rose 1 percent on-quarter to 891.3 bil

MarketJune 17, 2019

BTS captivates fans on 2nd day of Busan concerts

K-pop band BTS fascinated fans with dazzling performances for a second day during their fan meeting and concert event held in South Korea's southern port city of Busan on Sunday.Some 22,000 fans from at home and abroad, known as "ARMY," gathered at Busan Asiad Auxiliary Stadium for the second and final day of the septet's "5th Muster [Magic Shop]" tour performances in the country's second-largest city. The event marks BTS' first live solo performances in Busan, the hometown o

PerformanceJune 16, 2019

Moon visits former first lady's home soon after foreign trip

President Moon Jae-in met with the bereaved family of Lee Hee-ho, a former first lady, immediately after returning from a weeklong trip to Northern Europe on Sunday.Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook headed straight to the house in Donggyo-dong, located in western Seoul, from a military airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.They had a meeting with Lee's sons -- Kim Hong-eop, former lawmaker, and Kim Hong-geol, permanent president of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation -- along

PoliticsJune 16, 2019