The United States will not stop the Seoul-Washington joint military drills as a concession for North Korea's suspension of missile and nuclear tests, Voice of America reported Friday.Katina Adams, a US State Department spokeswoman, told VOA's Korean Service that there is no equivalency between the US-South Korea alliance's lawful, longstanding and defense-oriented military exercises and North Korea's unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs.Adams was also quoted as saying, "Our military e

North Korea June 23, 2017

More than 60 percent of inpatients of smoking cessation clinics have successfully quit, double the figure for outpatients, a local report showed Friday.The ratio of inpatients who successfully quit smoking for four weeks was 73.9 percent, or 216 patients out of 292 patients who joined the anti-smoking program at Dankook University Hospital, the latest findings by the Korean Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco said.The people were admitted to the program between March and November of las

Social Affairs June 23, 2017

South Korea said Friday that it is closely monitoring North Korea's missile development in cooperation with the United States amid a news report that the North has conducted another rocket engine test.North Korea has conducted the test of a rocket engine that could be seen as part of the North's program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, Reuters reported, citing a US official.South Korea's unification ministry said that the South's military believes that North Korea is continuing

North Korea June 23, 2017

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell this week amid a political standoff over his disputed personnel choices, but he maintained high support, close to 80 percent, a survey showed Friday.In the survey conducted from Tuesday through Thursday by local pollster Gallup Korea, Moon's rating was tallied at 79 percent, down 4 percentage points from a week earlier.Those who disapproved of his job performance made up 14 percent, up 4 percentage points from the previous week, while 7 percent said t

Politics June 23, 2017

The founder of South Korea retail giant Lotte Group is expected to lose his seat in the boardroom of a crucial affiliate in the group's governance structure, industry sources said Friday.Lotte Holdings Co., the holding firm for the group's Japanese affiliates, is known to have decided to approve the resignation of Shin Kyuk-ho as a board member during its shareholders meeting at its headquarters in Tokyo on Saturday, according to the sources. The firm's board of directors did not propose an exte

Industry June 23, 2017

The foreign ministry plans to launch a special team to look into the controversial agreement signed with Japan on its wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, a ministry official said Friday.The move is in line with President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledge to review the agreement signed in December 2015 to end bilateral feuds over the imperial Japanese army's forced mobilization of Korean women at front-line military brothels during World War II.Under the deal designed to end the feud "irrever

Social Affairs June 23, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has showcased its premium QLED TVs in Brazil in line with its ongoing efforts to tap deeper into the Latin American market.The South Korean tech giant first introduced the QLED TV in Mexico earlier in April, with its presence being gradually expanded to other countries, such as Panama and Colombia. Brazil takes up around 40 percent of the region's TV market.Brazil saw its TV market grow 13 percent on-year over the January-April period, with the market for U

Industry June 23, 2017

South Korea's ice market has risen dramatically in recent years, industry sources said Friday, amid ever-rising temperatures during the summer months.The market size will likely surge to 40 billion won ($35 million) this year, up from 30 billion won last year, the sources said.GS25, the second-largest convenience store chain in the country, said sales of ice jumped 30 percent in recent weeks from a year earlier. Ice sales were four times higher than those for bottled water in June, a GS25 offici

Industry June 23, 2017

LG Uplus Corp. said Friday it plans to provide home Internet of Things solutions for families of soldiers that died in an inter-Korean naval clash in 2002.South Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier said the move is designed to pay respects to the fallen soldiers and to add convenience to the everyday lives of the victims' families.The exchange of fire between the two Koreas took place on June 29, 2002, near Yeonpyeong island, just 120 kilometers west of Seoul, killing six soldiers and wounding 19 others

Industry June 23, 2017

The government is considering further lowering the health insurance burden of those who quit jobs or get fired before retirement age by revising a related rule, the health ministry said Friday.Currently, those people are permitted to maintain the status of "workplace subscribers" to the national health insurance system for two years after early retirement or dismissal. During the period, they pay only half of the monthly insurance premium, with the remaining half shouldered by their former emplo

Social Affairs June 23, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's top tech firm, is accelerating its move to boost its virtual reality business in the United States by recruiting experts and joining ties with new partners, industry sources said Friday.According to the sources, Silicon Valley-based Samsung Research America recently hired five experts of VR technology in line with its new business strategy.Earlier this week, Samsung also clinched ties with U.S. Major League Baseball to provide fans with various VR content,

Industry June 23, 2017

A US senator has introduced a bill calling for more nonimmigrant visas to be issued for highly skilled South Korean workers, congressional records showed Thursday.Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) submitted the legislation (S.1399) Wednesday, together with co-sponsors Sen. Mazie Hirono(D-HI) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). The bill is titled, "A bill to provide high-skilled nonimmigrant visas for nationals of the Republic of Korea, and for other purposes."Isakson introduced a similar bill in 2015, but the m

Foreign Affairs June 23, 2017

Family members, friends and thousands of mourners bade farewell Thursday to Otto Warmbier, the American college student who died shortly after his release from North Korea in a coma.The funeral service was held at Warmbier's alma mater, Wyoming High School. The front of the funeral program included a quote from Warmbier's 2013 graduation speech: "This is our season finale. This is the end of one great show, but just the beginning to hundreds of new spinoffs."Local media said about 2,500 people w

North Korea June 23, 2017