South Korean stocks opened higher Monday on eased political uncertainties following the ouster of President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 10.88 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,108.23 as of 9:15 a.m. An image depicting the stock market (123RF)South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld the ouster of Park on Friday, acknowledging she abused her power to help her confidante Choi Soon-sil pursue personal gains."The decision removed political

March 13, 2017

South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party, long mentioned as a conservative bloc presidential hopeful, is set to announce his presidential ambitions later this week, his aides said Monday."Hong has already made up his mind on his candidacy," one of his close aides told Yonhap News Agency. Along with Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party, Hong has been cited as a strong presidential contender to represent the conservative

Politics March 13, 2017

South Korea's stock market posted the lowest level of price swings in the first two months of the year, data showed Monday.It indicates that the stock trade here was relatively lackluster with the benchmark index KOSPI stuck in a tight range. An image of South Korea's financial and industrial markets (Yonhap)The number is also indicative of the stability and resilience of the country's stock market despite a series of financial and business troubles at home and abroad.According to the Korea Exch

March 13, 2017

Top South Korean and US military officials on Sunday visited an aircraft carrier taking part in the ongoing joint military exercises, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. JCS Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin and Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of US forces in South Korea, visited the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during the annual drill. "The aircraft carrier group's participation in the Foal Eagle exercise shows that US strategic assets could be deployed at any time to the K

Defense March 13, 2017

King Kong conquered Wolverine in its first weekend in South Korean theaters. The Hollywood action blockbuster "Kong: Skull Island" drew in 823,222 viewers, or 49.1 percent of ticket sales, over the March 10-12 weekend, the official box office figures from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) showed on Monday. (Yonhap)The King Kong movie surpassed the 1 million mark in the aggregated number of views on Sunday, the fifth day of its run.It pushed aside the previous lead "Logan," a Hollywood superhero mo

Film March 13, 2017

South Korea's information technology industry depends overwhelmingly on hardware, failing to keep pace with the global trend of focusing on software, a report said Monday.According to the report by the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion, software companies accounted for 15 percent of the total market capitalization of local IT firms in 2016, compared to 9 percent a decade ago. (Yonhap)Notably, the share of the IT hardware business, which includes South Korea's top-ca

Technology March 13, 2017

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will visit PyeongChang this week to check on preparations for the 2018 Winter Games in the South Korean alpine town.Bach will arrive in South Korea on Tuesday to take a tour of the Olympic venues in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, and to preside over the IOC's Executive Board meeting for two days starting Thursday. He will hold a press conference Friday. In this file photo taken on Aug. 4, 2016, the Internati

Olympic Games March 13, 2017

South Korean short track speed skater Seo Yi-ra has won his first world overall championship, earning an automatic Olympic berth in the process.Seo was crowned the overall champion at the International Skating Union World Short Track Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Sunday (local time). Seo won the men's 1,000 meters, adding to his bronze medals from the 500m and 1,500m. Seo then finished second in the 3,000m super final and ended with 81 ranking points, eight ahead of Sjinkie Kne

Olympic Games March 13, 2017

Moon Jae-in, former head of the Democratic Party, emerged as the most favored presidential contender in most South Korean regions, including the traditionally conservative North Gyeongsang Province, a poll showed Monday.According to the poll conducted on Saturday and Sunday by the Korea Research Center, commissioned by Yonhap News Agency and KBS, Moon garnered 29.9 percent, followed by South Chungcheong Gov. An Hee-jung with 17 percent.Moon Jae-in, former head of the Democratic Party (Yonhap)Not

Politics March 13, 2017

North Korea is 62 percent likely to conduct a nuclear test or a missile launch in the next 30 days, a US think tank has predicted based on analysis of big data on the communist nation.The study, conducted jointly by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and big data firm Predata, analyzed how often the North is discussed on the Internet to predict future possibilities, with a higher frequency meaning stronger "signals."Signals on the North's weapons of mass destruction showed a "not

North Korea March 13, 2017

South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon has capped off a strong season with yet another international title.Lee won the mass start gold medal at the International Skating Union World Cup Speed Skating Final in Stavanger, Norway, on Sunday (local time), with the time of 8:07.74. He beat Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands by 0.09 second. South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon (Yonhap)This was Lee's second World Cup victory of the season. He collected 150 points from the win and ended the World C

More Sports March 13, 2017

South Korea is likely to see the emergence of a "left-of-center" government that is more accommodating to North Korea and less willing to follow the US lead, former US Ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill said.South Korea is scheduled to elect a new president in May after former President Park Geun-hye was forced out of office in the wake of a massive corruption scandal involving a longtime friend accused of using her ties to Park to amass wealth and other personal gains.(Yonhap)"The betti

Diplomatic Circuit March 13, 2017

South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises should make efforts to reduce their dependence on China for exports and diversify overseas markets to cushion the impact of Beijing's possible economic sanctions, sources said Monday.China has taken a series of retaliatory measures against South Korea over its push to deploy an advanced US missile defense system on its soil, which Beijing insists could be used to spy on its military.A cosmetics shop in downtown Seoul is quiet on March 6, 2017, in t

Industry March 13, 2017

South Korean parties on Sunday accelerated preparations to pick their candidates for an early presidential election triggered by the Constitutional Court’s dismissal two days prior of President Park Geun-hye. The parties plan to finalize their candidates between late March and early April before a one-month campaign period begins for the election which will most likely to be held on May 9. (Yonhap)The ex-president’s Liberty Korea Party on Sunday decided to pick its flag-bearer on March 31.The pa

Politics March 12, 2017

South Korean girl group AOA has successfully finished its first standalone concert since its debut five years ago, its agency said Sunday.The group performed 27 songs for 150 minutes during the "Ace of Angles" concert at Seoul's Olympic Park on Saturday that followed the release of its first full-length album "Angel's Knock" in January, the FNC Entertainment said. (FNC Entertainment)The 27 songs included the album's title piece "Excuse Me," "Like a Cat," "Miniskirt," "Good Luck" and "Heart Attac

Performance March 12, 2017