South Korea's military reported three additional COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,081, the defense ministry said. A Navy officer stationed in Jinhae, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive before participating in an educational program. A civilian worker of a unit under the direct wing of the defense ministry based in Seongnam, south of Seoul, contracted the virus after a family member tested positive. A civilian employee of the Army, station

Defense Nov. 8, 2021

Two old rivals in South Korean baseball will reacquaint themselves with each other in the penultimate stage of the postseason starting Tuesday. The Samsung Lions will host the Doosan Bears in Game 1 of the best-of-three second round at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The second game will be at the Bears' home in Seoul, Jamsil Baseball Stadium, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. If the series goes the distance, Game 3 will be back in Daegu at

Baseball Nov. 8, 2021

The government is considering using the military reserve of urea water solution, a key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions, to help address supply shortages in the civilian sector, sources said Monday. The defense ministry and other relevant ministries are in talks over the idea of temporarily lending part of the military stockpile to the civilian sector, they said, amid fears that a protracted shortage of the fluid could cause serious disruptions in the country's logistical in

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2021

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest airline, said Monday it will increase the number of flights to Singapore starting this month as the two countries recently signed a travel bubble agreement. A travel bubble refers to a quarantine-free travel partnership between two or more cities or countries with similar levels of COVID-19 cases. Asiana has been operating three flights a week -- on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays -- on the Singapore route, and passengers are required to unde

Industry Nov. 8, 2021

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has said he is open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit but is not interested in doing it "for show." Yoon made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, saying a summit should be held when it is expected to lead to concrete results. "I will always leave it open, but I won't do it for show," Yoon said when asked about the possibility of

Politics Nov. 8, 2021

A total of 2,844 people were caught drunk driving in the first full week last week since the country eased virus curbs to gradually return to normalcy under its "living with COVID-19" scheme, police said Monday. Of them, 514 were caught Saturday, 427 on Friday and 417 on Sunday, and total of 2,091 people had blood alcohol content levels high enough to have their license revoked while the remaining 753 with levels warranting license suspension, according to the National Police Agency.

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2021

Marvel's "Eternals" easily topped the South Korean box office over the weekend, pushing director Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic "Dune" to a distant second, data showed Monday. "Eternals" drew an attendance of 1.138 million from Friday to Sunday, accounting for 82.4 percent of the period's total ticket sales at local theaters, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. The film had topped the 1 million mark in attendance, four days after its release Wednes

Film Nov. 8, 2021

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 for the first time in six days Monday as fewer people took virus tests over the weekend, but health authorities remain on alert as new infections could rise under eased social distancing rules. Last week, the government began its "living with COVID-19" scheme as part of a broader plan to gradually lift the virus restrictions by the end of February. The country reported 1,760 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 381,694

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2021

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday on losses in financial, bio and tech stocks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 23.41 points, or 0.79 percent, to 2,945.86 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a weak start amid foreign and institutional sell-offs. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged up 0.14 percent to 70,300 won, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix retreated 2.34 percent to 104,500 won. Hyundai Motor, the country's largest carmaker,

Market Nov. 8, 2021

South Korea's national debt ratio is expected to gain at the fastest clip among 35 advanced nations over the next five years despite its high financial soundness, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report said Monday. Seoul's ratio of national debt to its gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to reach 66.7 percent in 2026, up 15.4 percentage points from the end of this year, according to the IMF report. The expected growth pace is the highest among 35 nations that the Washington-based inter

Economy Nov. 8, 2021

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell to a near record low, while that of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) rose to a new high after the PPP nominated a former top prosecutor as its presidential candidate, a poll showed Monday. Moon's rating dropped to 34.2 percent, down 4.5 percentage points from a week ago, according to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,525 people over the age of 18 from Nov. 1-5. In the Realmeter surveys, Moon's lowest rating of 33 percentage points w

Politics Nov. 8, 2021

South Korea will expand high-level communication with the United States to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in ensuring stable semiconductor supply chains, the Seoul government said Sunday. 　 　Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs Hong Nam-ki led a meeting on economic security, a day before the deadline by which the U.S. government asked global semiconductor manufacturers to submit information to help address global chip shortages. 　 　“After the deadline for the submission of

Politics Nov. 7, 2021

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, said Sunday South Korea should consider sending a special delegation to China to tackle the supply shortage of urea water solution (UWS), a key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions. Calling the current crisis a "China risk," Lee also urged party officials to review other materials that similarly have limited import channels and look into imposing price control, when necessary, to prevent acts cor

Politics Nov. 7, 2021

The ruling Democratic Party's presidential nominee, Lee Jae-myung, on Sunday insisted again on giving additional universal COVID-19 relief grants, saying excess tax revenue is expected to amount to 40 trillion won ($34 billion). "Is it right for the people of a well-off nation to be poor?" Lee said in a Facebook posting, after his opposition rival, Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party, voiced opposition to offering universal relief grants. "The real gross domestic product (G

Politics Nov. 7, 2021

A senior official of General Motors will visit South Korea this week, sources said Sunday, raising expectations he could unveil new production plans for the Korean unit of the US carmaker. Steven Kiefer, president of General Motors' international operations, will arrive in South Korea on Monday for a five-day stay, according to the sources from the labor union of GM Korea. Kiefer is expected to visit GM Korea's plants, including those in Bupyeong and Changwon, and meet officials of the state-

Industry Nov. 7, 2021