In preparing for two remaining matches in the second round of the Asian qualifying for the next World Cup, South Korean defensive back Kim Min-jae said Monday he wanted to string together two more clean sheets. He may well have been speaking for the rest of his team, with South Korea set to face the heavy underdogs Sri Lanka on Wednesday. It will be the second of three qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be staged at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. The kickoff is 8 p.m

Soccer June 8, 2021

Three Korean battery makers are set to showcase their next-generation battery products and technologies at a major industry fair to get ahead in the toughening competition in the fast growing electric vehicle battery market, the companies said Tuesday. LG Energy Solution Ltd., Samsung SDI Co., and SK Innovation Co. will introduce their latest battery products and sustainable business models at InterBattery 2021, which runs from Wednesday to Friday at the Convention & Exhibition Center in so

Industry June 8, 2021

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his upcoming participation in the Group of Seven (G-7) summit would serve as an opportunity to upgrade South Korea's diplomacy. He is scheduled to attend the three-day session to open Friday in Britain, the first major in-person multilateral summit since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea is not a member of the club of the world's most industrialized nations, but Moon is joining the meeting as a guest, along with the leaders of Australia, Indi

Politics June 8, 2021

Unionized workers at SsangYong Motor Co. have voted to accept a proposal for unpaid leave and a wage cut as part of self-help the financially troubled company is struggling to stay afloat with self-help measures, the company said Tuesday. In a vote held on Monday and Tuesday, SsangYong workers agreed to the company's offers of a two-year unpaid leave to half of it 4,700 employees, an extension of lower wages and suspended welfare benefits until June 2023, the company said in a statement. Ssang

Industry June 8, 2021

South Korea's oceans ministry said Tuesday it has added three additional species to the list of protected marine organisms in line with efforts to join the international move to conserve the ecosystem. The newly included species are the olive ridley sea turtle, killer whale and false killer whale, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Under the South Korean marine ecosystem law, those who hunt protected organisms can face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of 30 million w

Social Affairs June 8, 2021

All-male K-pop act 2PM will release a new album this month, coming back from a near five-year hiatus after its members completed their military service, the group's management agency said Tuesday. The six-member group's seventh full album, titled "Must," will drop on June 28, JYP Entertainment announced on its official social media accounts. Its most recent album was its sixth studio album, "Gentlemen's Game," released in September 2016. With the exception of Thai-America

K-pop June 8, 2021

North Korea faces a serious humanitarian crisis due to food insecurity and limited health care, aggravated by global sanctions and the coronavirus, an international nongovernmental organization has said. According to the latest Inform Severity Index report compiled by the Geneva-based Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS), North Korea faces a "high" level of humanitarian crisis severity. This represented the second-highest level of a six-tier crisis evaluation scale. The report also

North Korea June 8, 2021

South Korea's top internet portal operator, Naver Corp., said Tuesday that it has invested 40 billion won ($36 million) in a total of 70 startups -- mostly early-stage tech firms under its accelerator scheme that started in 2015. The investment was made over the past six years since the tech giant created D2 Startup Factory, an accelerator for tech startups under its arm. Naver has supported promising entrepreneurs with advanced technological skills since 2015. Naver said the startups were ab

Industry June 8, 2021

Samsung Display Co., a major display panel maker in South Korea, is on track to produce its next-generation displays in the second half of the year, industry insiders said Tuesday. Samsung Display is set to release pilot products of the quantum-dot (QD) display for TVs and monitors this month and send them to its clients for further testing, according to the sources. The affiliate of Samsung Electronics Co. earlier revealed that it aims to launch its QD displays in the second half of the year

Industry June 8, 2021

South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. said Tuesday it has struck a deal to buy a 7.5 percent stake in an Australian chemical company for 12 billion won ($10.8 million) for a stable supply of critical metals used in electric vehicle batteries. LG Energy Solution, the wholly owned subsidiary of LG Chem Ltd., said it agreed to buy new shares issued by Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM), which produces nickel and cobalt, key materials for lithium-ion batteries. QPM is the 100 percent own

Industry June 8, 2021

South Korea's tax revenue rose 13.8 trillion won ($12.4 billion) in April from a year earlier due largely to an increase in the collection of capital gains taxes, the finance ministry said Tuesday. The country collected 44.9 trillion won in taxes in April, compared with 31.2 trillion won the previous year, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The rise in tax revenue was mainly attributable to an increase in capital gains tax income from housing transactions and fund investments.

Economy June 8, 2021

South Korea and Britain were to hold an annual meeting on defense industry cooperation Tuesday to discuss pending issues, including their acquisition plans and joint research development, the arms procurement agency said. The meeting was to be held in the southeastern city of Busan, convened by Seo Hyeung-jin, the vice chief of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Mark Goldsack, the director of Britain's Department for International Trade Defence and Security Organisation, on iss

Defense June 8, 2021

South Korea's daily new virus cases remained in the 400s for the second straight day Tuesday amid efforts to boost the country's vaccination campaign. The country reported 454 more COVID-19 cases, including 435 local infections, raising the total caseload to 145,091, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's figure was down from 485 cases Monday. But daily cases usually go up starting Wednesday as more people get tested. Daily caseloads have been going through so

Social Affairs June 8, 2021

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Tuesday on increased valuation pressure after the key stock index closed at an all-time high the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 3.08 points, or 0.09 percent, to reach 3,249.04 points as of 9:17 a.m. The Kospi got off to choppy start after it finished the previous session at a record high of 3,252.12 points. Stock prices fluctuated as investors take a wait-and-see mode, seeking more clues to fathom the ou

Market June 8, 2021

Tributes have been flooding in from around the football world for Yoo Sang-chul, a star of the semifinalist South Korean team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup who passed away Monday night at 49. Yoo succumbed to pancreatic cancer after a battle that began in November 2019. One of the most versatile players in South Korean football history, Yoo made the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2002 as a midfielder after helping the country to the final four on home soil. Yoo scored the insurance goal in South

Soccer June 8, 2021