South Korea qualified for the final of the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay swimming at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, the country's first-ever appearance in a relay medal race. The quartet of Lee Ho-joon, Lee Yoo-yeon, Kim Yeong-hyeon and Kim Woo-min finished seventh overall in the heats with a time of 7:07.96 at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris, to punch their ticket to the final scheduled for Tuesday night. The top eight teams from the heats qualified for the final

More Sports July 30, 2024

The driver in the fatal car crash near Seoul City Hall was arrested Tuesday, about a month after the accident that left nine people dead. The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for the driver, known only by his last name, Cha, citing a flight risk. The court held a hearing earlier in the day to determine whether to issue a writ for the 68-year-old. Ahead of the hearing, Cha, who appeared in public for the first time, repeatedly said he was sorry to the victims and their famili

Social Affairs July 30, 2024

South Korea condemns the deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children and calls on all parties to avoid escalating tensions, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. "We condemn the attack on the Druze community village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights and extend heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the family members of the 12 children who lost their lives in the attack," the ministry spokesperson said in a commentary. "We urge all parties

Diplomatic Circuit July 30, 2024

A military court has issued a warrant to arrest an official at the military's intelligence command for allegedly leaking information of South Korean espionage agents operating overseas, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The civilian official at the Korea Defense Intelligence Command, whose identity is withheld, is suspected of handing over personal information of so-called black agents to a Chinese national of Korean descent. Black agents refer to intelligence officials conducting undercov

Defense July 30, 2024

South Korea has decided to provide $1 million in humanitarian aid to support relief efforts following a devastating landslide in southern Ethiopia, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. "Our government hopes this aid will assist in the recovery of the affected areas and help the local residents return to their daily lives as quickly as possible," the ministry said in a release. According to recent reports, the death toll from the landslide in the mountainous village of Gopa in southern

Diplomatic Circuit July 30, 2024

South Korea and Australia agreed Tuesday to launch an "economic security dialogue" aimed at enhancing communication and cooperation in the economic security field between the two countries, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The agreement was reached during bilateral talks in Seoul between Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yu and his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, the ministry said in a release. The chief secretary for economic security from the presidential office and the deputy secretar

Diplomatic Circuit July 30, 2024

The South Korean foreign ministry said Tuesday it will check if there is a need to make changes to the exhibits on Japan's wartime forced labor of Koreans at a museum near an old Japanese mine complex newly registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Seoul government has come under criticism for what critics call a lack of efforts to ensure Japan reflects the coercive nature of its forced mobilization of Koreans to the Sado gold and silver mines during World War II, before the mine co

Diplomatic Circuit July 30, 2024

Seoul shares closed almost 1 percent lower Tuesday as investors became more cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve's rate decision and earnings releases from global big techs this week. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 27.34 points, or 0.99 percent, to close at 2,738.19. Trade volume was slim at 376.4 million shares worth 9.9 trillion won ($7.1 billion), with losers far outnumbering winners 664 to 225. Insti

Market July 30, 2024

The National Assembly confirmed the appointment of Cho Ji-ho as the country's new police chief Tuesday. The parliamentary committee on public administration and security adopted a confirmation hearing report on Cho's nomination as the commissioner-general of the Korean National Police Agency after holding a hearing the previous day. Adoption of the report is seen as parliamentary consent to the appointment, though the National Assembly has no power to reject the nomination and the pres

Politics July 30, 2024

The amount of container cargo processed at South Korean seaports increased 6.4 percent in the second quarter, data showed Tuesday, driven by stronger shipments to the United States and China. The container cargo handled at the country's ports nationwide amounted to 8.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the April-June period, up from 7.61 million TEUs recorded a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The volume of container cargo handled for exports and

Social Affairs July 30, 2024

Seoul shares opened lower Tuesday, following a mixed close on Wall Street, as investors await the Federal Reserve's rate decision and earnings from major tech firms. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 19.99 points, or 0.72 percent, to 2,745.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1 percent to 40,539.93 points, but the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.07 percent to 17,370.20. This week, all eyes are on the Fed's policy

Market July 30, 2024

North Korea's recent campaign of launching trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea has disrupted operations of Incheon International Airport, the South's main gateway, on 12 occasions, a lawmaker said Tuesday, citing government data. According to data from the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party, runways at the airport have been shut down for a total of 265 minutes across 12 occasions due to the balloons sent f

North Korea July 30, 2024

Huh Mimi grabbed the silver medal in the women's -57-kilogram judo competition at the Paris Olympics on Monday, giving South Korea its first medal in her sport in the French capital. Huh lost to Christa Deguchi of Canada in the final at Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris. The two needed an extra period to determine the winner on a sudden-death, golden score. Huh and Deguchi each had two "shidos," or warnings, with a third shido ending the match in favor of the opponent. Huh was the more

More Sports July 30, 2024

PARIS (Yonhap) -- South Korea claimed its third straight gold medal in the men's archery team event in Paris on Monday, after defeating the home team France in the final. The trio of Kim Woo-jin, Kim Je-deok and Lee Woo-seok secured a 5-1 victory in the set score at Invalides in the French capital. This is the third straight team gold medal for Kim Woo-jin, second straight for Kim Je-deok, and first for Lee. As the third day of competition winds down at these Olympic Games, South Korea ha

More Sports July 30, 2024

CHATEAUROUX, France, July 29 (Yonhap) - While dabbling at different sports growing up, Ban Hyo-jin switched from taekwondo to shooting three years ago, at age 13. It only took her a couple of weeks to realize she could be good at this new sport. And on Monday at the Paris Olympics, the rest of the world found out just how good Ban could really be. Ban, 16, captured the gold medal in the women's 10-meter air rifle event at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris. She

More Sports July 29, 2024