Presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo pledged Tuesday to eradicate poverty among the growing number of senior citizens in the country if elected in the upcoming election.The nominee of the center-left People's Party made the pledge during a meeting with representatives of the senior citizens welfare industry in the central city of Daejeon. Ahn Cheol-soo (center), presidential nominee of the People's Party, unveils his election pledges for senior citizens in the central city of Daejeon on April 18

Politics April 18, 2017

South Korea's top court has ordered the government to disclose the results of a probe on pollution detected in ground water near a US Forces Korea garrison in Seoul, court records showed Tuesday.The US Army base in Yongsan, central Seoul, has been suspected as the source of oil that has contaminated the nearby water table and land for years. (Yonhap)The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been conducting a purification project since 2003, but petroleum-based contaminants above the standard level h

Social Affairs April 18, 2017

DoubleUGames Co., a South Korean game firm listed on the tech-heavy KOSDAQ market, said Tuesday it plans to purchase a US developer at a deal estimated at 942.5 billion ($830 million).DoubleUGames will purchase Double Down Interactive LLC, a developer of social casino games, marking the largest overseas acquisition ever conducted by a South Korean game firm. (Yonhap)Double Down Interactive, the world's top developer of social casino games, posted annual sales of $277 million in 2016. The figure

Industry April 18, 2017

South Korea has completed the development of new tactical ship-to-ground guided missiles which would enhance its ability to strike North Korea's key military equipment and facilities, the country's arms procurement agency said Tuesday.South Korea will start mass-producing the missiles with two types of launch systems -- inclined and vertical -- next year after a seven-year project led by the Agency for Defense Development, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.A ship-to-gro

Defense April 18, 2017

LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday it plans to expand the number of applications customized for the flagship G6 smartphone, allowing users to better utilize the 18:9 screen and other top-notch features.The country's No. 2 tech giant said it plans to provide 300 applications optimized for the G6 smartphone through its own app store by next month. There are currently around 200 apps available in the market.  (Yonhap)The company said the move aims to allow users to better enjoy digital content, such

Technology April 18, 2017

Sales of Hite Jinro's distilled liquor "soju" exceeded the 1 trillion won ($882 million) mark last year for the first time since its debut in 1998, the company said Tuesday.Chamisul soju sales hit 1.009 trillion won last year with a total of 1.7 billion bottles sold. (Yonhap)The company attributes the rise to people consuming more soju amid the protracted economic slump and the alleged corruption scandal involving then-President Park Geun-hye, senior government officials and owners of big busine

Industry April 18, 2017

INCHEON -- Hundreds of North Korea's propaganda leaflets have been found in this western port city, police said Tuesday, in the latest propaganda campaign carried out by the reclusive country amid escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula.Police said about 800 leaflets were found near an apartment complex in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Monday at around 11:10 p.m. This provided photo shows North Korea's propaganda leaflets found in Samcheok, 290 kilometers east of Seoul, on April 15, 2017, glori

Social Affairs April 18, 2017

South Koreans voiced criticism over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent remarks on dealing with possible refugees amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, comments on social media showed Tuesday.During a parliamentary session Monday, Abe said Japan is working on contingency plans for a possible influx of refugees from the peninsula in case of a crisis. He earlier said North Korea may have the ability to launch sarin-loaded missiles. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks duri

Social Affairs April 18, 2017

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has no "red line" in dealing with North Korea, but he is ready to take "decisive" action when it is deemed appropriate, the White House said Monday.In a regular press briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that China is playing an active role with respect to the North and will continue to apply pressure but noted that Washington will keep urging Beijing to do more. (Yonhap)"I think when we talked about the use of red lines in the

North Korea April 18, 2017

Actress Lee Young-ae has donated 150 million won (US$131,984) to a local hospital here to help new mothers of low-income families, the hospital said Tuesday. (Yonhap)Cheil General Hospital in central Seoul revealed that Lee has made donations on several occasions, asking that the money be used for those mothers.The actress gave birth to her twin babies in the hospital, one of the largest maternity clinics in the country, in February 2011.She has since paid attention to the work of helping new mo

April 18, 2017

The daily traffic volume on the nation's main roads increased 4.2 percent in 2016 from the year before, the transportation ministry said Tuesday, apparently from low oil prices coupled with more registered vehicles.Data by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport were collected by counting cars passing through select sections on highways and major roads throughout the country. Results showed an average 14,525 cars using key roads on a given day.(Yonhap)The traffic volume jumped 17.4 pe

Social Affairs April 18, 2017

The South Korean men's hockey team on Tuesday departed for Ukraine, the site of the upcoming world championship, with an eye on a promotion to the sport's highest division next year.Coached by former National Hockey League defenseman Jim Paek, South Korea will compete in the April 22-28 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Division I Group A, which is the second-highest level of men's international hockey.All games will be held in Kiev.In this file photo taken on March 19, 2017

More Sports April 18, 2017

WASHINGTON -- A US State Department official said Monday there is no hiccup in the ongoing deployment of a cutting-edge missile defense system in South Korea, dismissing concern about a political setback."There hasn't been any change, and there hasn't certainly been anything about the decision-making process that would indicate any change," Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters in a telephone conference. "So we're on track as far a

Diplomatic Circuit April 18, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un condemned the United States on Monday for its missile strike on Syria in a message sent to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, North Korean media reported.The message celebrating the 71st anniversary of Syria's independence from France, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, said Kim took the occasion to lambaste the US for its "reckless act of invasion" on Syria. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signs an order on the previous day to launch the "Kwangmy

North Korea April 17, 2017

Korea's e-book market has been growing while the wider book industry is shrinking, a recent report from a government agency showed Monday.The report by the Publication Industry Agency of Korea about the general condition of the country's publishing industry showed the industry's total sales amounted to 7.58 trillion won ($6.67 billion) in 2015, down by 3.8 percent from a year ago.  The file photo shows Kyobo Bookstore in downtown Seoul. (Yonhap)Sales of publishing companies and distributors came

Technology April 17, 2017