Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn ordered troops Tuesday to be on guard against North Korea's possible provocations in the wake of President Park Geun-hye's ouster.Hwang made the remark during a visit to the wartime command post of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where South Korea-US military drills are under way. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)It marked his first on-site inspection since the Constitutional Court ruled to dismiss Park over a corruption scand

Defense March 14, 2017

Host South Korea has avoided powerhouses in the group stage for this year's FIFA U-20 World Cup.FIFA on Tuesday unveiled its four "pots" for the quadrennial event set to open on May 20 in South Korea, with six host cities staging matches for 24 nations.Countries in the same pot will not be drawn into the same group. The 24 countries will be paired into six groups, and the top two teams from each, plus the four best third-place nations, will reach the knockout stage.As the host, South Korea has b

Soccer March 14, 2017

Police said Tuesday they are investigating 16 people for their violent acts during rallies after the Constitutional Court's ouster of former leader Park Geun-hye.The National Police Agency said they are looking into 21 cases that took place during rallies Friday and Saturday, after the court's ruling was delivered. Supporters of ousted President Park Geun-hye march in Seoul on March 11, 2017, during a rally in protest of the Constitutional Court's decision to remove her from office the previous

Social Affairs March 14, 2017

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona showed off his skills and entertained delighted South Korean fans in a special football match here Tuesday.Maradona landed in South Korea on Monday with fellow Argentine football star Pablo Aimar to attend the drawing ceremony for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U-20 World Cup, featuring 24 teams, will be played from May 20 to June 11 in six South Korean cities: Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeju, Jeonju and Suwon. Argentine football legend Diego Maradona celeb

Soccer March 14, 2017

South Korea's home transactions grew from a year earlier last month, helped by a sharp increase in rural areas, the government said Tuesday.In February, a total of 63,484 homes here changed hands, up 7.1 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. From a month before, the February tally marks an 8.4-percent increase. It also marks a turnaround from a 6.1-percent on-year drop in January.The rise in February was largely attributed to a 12

March 14, 2017

South Korean tech firms successfully showcased their advanced technology at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this month, industry and government officials said Tuesday.About 170 local firms, including many small and midsized companies, took part in the annual technology event, marking the largest number of South Korean companies to do so, they said.  Participants at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, on March 1, 2017 (Yonhap)The remarks were made durin

Technology March 14, 2017

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., South Korea's top power equipment maker, said Thursday that it has bagged a 300 billion-won ($262 million) deal to upgrade an existing power plant in Indonesia.Under the deal with the state-run Indonesian PLN, Doosan Heavy and a state-run Indonesian construction firm will upgrade the gas-powered Muara Tawar power plant's capacity to 1,800 megawatts from the current 1,150 MW over the next 30 months.A map of Indonesia (Yonhap)The power plant is some 40 k

Industry March 14, 2017

KBS 2TV's late night office series "Good Manager" stood at No. 1 on a benchmark TV popularity chart, while "King of Mask Singer" and a number of variety shows also added strong momentum, data showed Tuesday."Good Manager" scored 247.1 points on the Content Power Index, staying as the No. 1 TV program during the Feb. 27-March 5 period. (KBS)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, on

Television March 14, 2017

South Korean pop singer Sunmi has signed up with a new management agency after leaving JYP Entertainment following the disbandment of Wonder Girls early this year, her new company announced on Tuesday. Make Us Entertainment said that it signed an exclusive contract with Sunmi last month. The company, which also represents artists Park Won and Urban Zakapa, said it "won't shy away from fully supporting Sunmi's music endeavors."Sunmi promised fans that she will deliver an unseen, fresh image throu

Performance March 14, 2017

The "Boy In Luv" music video by BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, becoming the South Korean idol group's fourth video to reach the milestone, its agency said Tuesday.The view count for the video, uploaded on February 2014 on YouTube, stood at 100,274,422 as of 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment, the team's agency. (Big Hit Entertainment)So far, BTS has four songs -- the three others being "Dope," "Fire" and "Blood Sweat & Tears" -- wi

Performance March 14, 2017

Prosecutors are looking into a suspicious money transaction between Samsung Group and those suspected to have recorded compromising videos of Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Kun-hee, prosecution sources said Tuesday.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is investigating allegations that a former employee of a CJ affiliate, surnamed Seon, and his conspirators received some hundreds of millions of won from Samsung in connection with the leaked videos, according to the sources. It is

Industry March 14, 2017

Potential presidential contenders from the two minor parties met Tuesday, possibly to seek an alliance ahead of the presidential election. Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party (Yonhap)Sohn Hak-kyu of the liberal People's Party and Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the conservative Bareun Party held closed-door talks amid speculation that they may join hands to compete with Moon Jae-in, the front-running presidential hopeful, from the Democratic Party. Sohn and Yoo are set to compete in their party primari

Politics March 14, 2017

A total of 323 imported trucks and other commercial vehicles were sold here last month, marking a sharp drop from a month earlier, data showed Tuesday.The February tally marked a 25.4-percent plunge from 433 units sold in January, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. (Yonhap)No comparable data was available from the previous year as KAIDA began compiling such data at the beginning of this year.By brand, Volvo Trucks topped the list with 133 vehi

Mobility March 14, 2017

Two politicians announced their intention on Tuesday to join the already crowded race to become the Liberty Korea Party's presidential nominee.   Rep. Kim Jin-tae, a key loyalist to former President Park Geun-hye, and North Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kwan-yong said they will run in the conservative party's primary.  The logo of the Liberty Korea Party (Yonhap)So far, nine figures from the former ruling party have publicly announced their ambitions. South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo also plans to decl

Politics March 14, 2017

North Korea is seeking to drive a wedge between South Koreans ahead of a presidential election following last week's dismissal of Park Geun-hye from presidency, a Seoul government official said Tuesday.The North's Rodong Sinmun, the main newspaper, strongly condemned Park's four-year rule, saying her miserable end was anticipated as the Constitutional Court decided Friday to uphold the impeachment of Park.Seoul's unification ministry said that North Korea appears to be shifting its media focus t

North Korea March 14, 2017