E-Mart24 Inc., the convenience store arm of South Korean retail giant Shinsegae, said Thursday it will open its fourth store in Malaysia late this month as part of its overseas push. The new outlet, slated to open at the end of this month, will be located in a residential-commercial district in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. E-Mart24 opened its third outlet in the Malaysian state of Selangor on Thursday after launching its first store in an office district in Kuala Lumpur in June this

Industry Sept. 16, 2021

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell under 2,000 on Thursday, but health authorities are keeping their guard up against potential virus flare-ups after an upcoming major holiday as infections continue to spread in the capital area. The country added 1,943 COVID-19 cases, including 1,921 local infections, raising the total caseload to 279,930, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was down from 2,080 cases the previous day. Daily cases

Social Affairs Sept. 16, 2021

South Korean stocks opened flat Thursday amid easing concerns about a global economic recovery. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 1.84 points, or 0.06 percent, to trade at 3,151.56 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics declined 0.26 percent, with No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix losing 1.86 percent. Internet portal operator Naver added 1.5 percent, but giant pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics decreased 1.6 percent.

Market Sept. 16, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has signed a partnership with the Louvre, the renowned art museum in Paris, to expand its art subscription service on TV amid the pandemic-driven stay-at-home trend. Under the deal, those who own Samsung's Frame TV can now see some 40 famous art pieces at the Louvre, including Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," through its Art Store art subscription platform. The Art Store, currently available only on the Frame TV, offers more than 1,500 art p

Industry Sept. 16, 2021

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min will miss the club's continental match this week with a leg injury sustained on recent international duty. Tottenham will face the French club Stade Rennais FC in Rennes, France, on Thursday to open Group G action at the UEFA Europa Conference League. After arriving in France on Wednesday, Tottenham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo told reporters that Son didn't travel with the Premier League club. Son was one of three Tottenham players missing i

Soccer Sept. 16, 2021

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Thursday that state-backed funds will extend loan maturity and rollover interest payments again for smaller firms and merchants hit hard by the pandemic. State-run agencies and funds set up to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro business owners will extend the measures by another six months until March next year, Hong said. The move follows similar measures taken by local banks as part of efforts to support smaller companies and merchant

Economy Sept. 16, 2021

The United States opposed potential counter-coup moves within South Korea's military in early 1980 aimed at reversing then Army Gen. Chun Doo-hwan's seizing of power from an earlier coup, declassified documents showed Thursday. The documents, disclosed by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum at Seoul's request, contain diplomatic cables the US Embassy in Seoul sent to Washington reporting on the political instability in the South in the wake of Chun's military coup. Chun took power i

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 16, 2021

The United States on Wednesday announced the launch of a new trilateral security partnership in the Indo-Pacific that President Joe Biden said marks a "historic step" in deepening his country's cooperation with Australia and Britain. Biden said the countries will also work to equip Australia with "conventionally armed" nuclear submarines under the new trilateral partnership, named AUKUS. "The United States, Australia, (the) United Kingdom have long been faithful and capa

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 16, 2021

Volvo Cars Korea, Toyota Motor Korea Co. and three other companies will voluntarily recall some 300 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Thursday. This is the latest in a series of recalls by carmakers in South Korea and vehicle importers due to problems with vehicle components. The companies, which include Audi Volkswagen Korea and Ford Sales & Service Korea, are recalling a combined 302 units in eight kinds of models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tr

Industry Sept. 16, 2021

North Korea said Thursday that a railway-borne missile regiment held a firing drill a day earlier, confirming the launches, apparently from a train, of two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. "The railway-borne missile regiment took part in the drill with a mission to strike the target area 800 kilometers away from its location after moving to the central mountainous area at dawn on September 15," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The KCNA said the Nort

North Korea Sept. 16, 2021

Consumer financing firms in South Korea saw their combined net profit jump 50 percent on-year in the first half, supported by strong gains from stock rallies and a modest gain in interest income, data showed Thursday. The combined net profit of 114 credit-specialized financial firms stood at 1.99 trillion won ($1.69 billion) in the first half, compared with a profit of 1.33 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Their interest income ro

Economy Sept. 16, 2021

The United States condemns North Korea's ballistic missiles but continues to stand ready to engage with the North in dialogue, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday. North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday (Seoul time). Ned Price noted the missile launches violated a "multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions." "We do condemn the DPRK's missile launches. These missile launches are in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council

North Korea Sept. 16, 2021

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday accused South Korean President Moon Jae-in of being "foolish" and warned of "complete destruction" of inter-Korean relations for branding Pyongyang's weapons tests a "provocation."    The statement from Kim Yo-jong came shortly after Moon said that South Korea's upgrading of its missile capabilities can help deter North Korean provocation following the successful underwater test-launch of an indi

North Korea Sept. 15, 2021

The US State Department on Wednesday condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launches, calling the act a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that poses a threat to its neighbors and the international community.    A department official, however, said the US remains committed to dialogue with the North.    "The United States condemns the DPRK's missile launch," the department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency while speaking on condition of anonymity.

North Korea Sept. 15, 2021

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong spoke by phone with his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, on Wednesday and discussed joint efforts on climate change and other international issues, including Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said.    During the talks, the ministers welcomed that the two countries have been expanding cooperation into key global issues, like climate change and health security, and agreed to make efforts to boost the cooperation through high-level exchanges.  &n

Foreign Affairs Sept. 15, 2021