The United States takes threats from what North Korea calls "suicide drones" seriously, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday, reiterating Washington's commitment to cooperating with South Korea and other allies to ensure regional security. North Korean state media reported Monday that leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a performance test of various drones on Saturday, calling for the development and production of more suicide drones to bolster the country's war preparedness. "We

North Korea Aug. 28, 2024

The government plans to supply a record amount of 170,000 tons of high-demand foodstuffs and provide a discount worth 70 billion won ($52.63 million) for the upcoming Chuseok holiday, the finance ministry said Wednesday. These measures are part of a broader effort to support the livelihoods of the people and curb inflation ahead of the major traditional holiday. The plan also includes providing financial support to small and midsized companies and micro-business owners. According to the plan, th

Economy Aug. 28, 2024

South Korean shares opened slightly higher Wednesday, led by gains in tech, autos, and other blue chips. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.38 points, or 0.05 percent, to 2,686.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Tech behemoth Samsung Electronics and chip rival SK hynix added 0.26 and 0.23 percent, respectively. Top automaker Hyundai Motor gained 1.21 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia also rose 1.18 percent. Battery shares were mixed, with industry leader LG Energy So

Market Aug. 28, 2024

The defense ministry's prosecutors' office on Tuesday indicted a military intelligence official for allegedly leaking information of South Korean espionage agents operating overseas. The official at the Korea Defense Intelligence Command, whose identity is withheld, was arrested earlier this month on allegations of handing over personal information of "black agents" to a Chinese national of Korean descent, who is possibly an informant for North Korea's intelligence agenc

Defense Aug. 27, 2024

The plan to integrate the southeastern city of Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province has failed, the mayor of Daegu, Hong Joon-pyo, declared Tuesday. Hong said in a social media posting that "it would be hard to expect consent from the provincial assembly of North Gyeongsang Province" for the proposed integration of the local governments. The Daegu mayor had set a Wednesday deadline for his latest proposal, which calls for the establishment of unified provincial government of

Politics Aug. 27, 2024

North Korea has sent more than 13,000 shipping containers suspected of carrying arms to Russia since mid-2022 amid deepening bilateral military ties, a lawmaker said Tuesday, citing a military intelligence report. The North delivered the shipments that could hold more than 6 million 152-millimeter artillery shells through its eastern port of Najin over the roughly two-year period, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency report submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the ruling People Power Party. T

North Korea Aug. 27, 2024

A Seoul court on Tuesday ordered presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk to pay a fine of 12 million won ($8,998) for defaming the honor of the late President Roh Moo-hyun through a social media post, while overturning the initial ruling of a six-month prison term. The charges against Chung stemmed from a Facebook post he made in September 2017, in which he claimed that Roh's wife, Kwon Yang-sook, and their son had received bribes from a businessperson closely associated with Roh. In the

Politics Aug. 27, 2024

South Korean shares closed lower Tuesday to extend their losing streak to a third day, taking a cue from overnight losses on Wall Street. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) shed 8.76 points, or 0.32 percent, to close at 2,689.25. Trade volume was light at 259.7 million shares worth 7.95 trillion won ($5.97 billion). Winners, however, outnumbered losers 434 to 423. Institutions bought a net 36.9 billion won worth of shares, while

Market Aug. 27, 2024

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday urged nurses and medical workers nationwide to call off a strike planned for this week, saying the government is doing everything it can to improve their working conditions. Han issued the appeal during a government meeting convened to address the strike planned for Thursday. The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union, which has some 30,000 nurses and medical workers at 61 hospitals as members, voted in favor of the strike Saturday, demanding an impr

Politics Aug. 27, 2024

South Korean shares opened lower Tuesday, tracking an overnight tech slide on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) lost 11.74 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,686.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes closed mixed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.16 percent, while the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 0.32 percent and 0.85 percent, respectively. Artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia slid 2.25 percent ahea

Market Aug. 27, 2024

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday called on member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to spend at least 3 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on their defense, calling the current 2 percent guideline "the steal of the century." The former president's remarks added to speculation that should he return to the White House, he could put pressure on South Korea to increase its financial contributions to the stationing of the 28,500-stro

Foreign Affairs Aug. 27, 2024

Numerous chat rooms on Telegram suspected of creating and distributing deepfake pornographic material with doctored photos of ordinary women have been discovered recently, stoking fear and outrage across the country. Many victims in these chat rooms -- one of which was found to have over 133,000 members -- were believed to be minors, including middle and high school students, as well as university students, teachers and even military personnel. Through reporting, Yonhap News Agency has learned o

Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2024

Ongoing government audits into the national governing bodies for football and badminton over recent controversy will conclude sometime in September, the sports minister said Monday. Yu In-chon, minister of culture, sports and tourism, made the remark during a plenary meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly. When asked about the ministry's audit into operations of the Korea Football Association (KFA), brought on by its controversial hiring of Hong Myung-

Politics Aug. 26, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with the head of the U.S. Senate's armed service committee Monday to discuss ways to bolster the combined defense posture against North Korean threats, his office said. During the talks with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) in Seoul, Yoon stressed the need to advance the bilateral alliance and trilateral cooperation involving Japan to effectively deter North Korean threats, the presidential office said. Yoon also asked for continued support from the U.S. Congress in st

Foreign Affairs Aug. 26, 2024

South Korean shares closed slightly lower for the second straight day on Monday as investors sought to cash in on recent gains after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted at a potential rate cut next month. The local currency rose to its highest level in over five months against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 3.68 points, or 0.14 percent, to close at 2,698.01. Trade volume was moderate at 329 million shares worth 8.97 trillion won ($6.77 billion), with l

Market Aug. 26, 2024