Seoul reported 661 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, a daily high that coincided with a record-breaking number of new infections in the country, health authorities said. Seoul added 650 local infections and 11 cases from overseas arrivals, up 24 from the previous record high of 637 on July 13. The country as a whole posted 2,223 new cases, the highest number since the pandemic began, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Seoul and the surrounding area have been under the s

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2021

South Korean budget carrier Air Premia Co. has begun services on the Gimpo-Jeju route to meet travel demand amid the extended COVID-19 pandemic, the company said Wednesday. Last month, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport issued an air operator certificate to Air Premia to allow the carrier to use aircraft for commercial purposes. On Wednesday, Air Premia started daily flights connecting Gimpo to the country's southern resort island of Jeju with the 309-seat B787-9 passenger jet,

Economy Aug. 11, 2021

South Korea plans to spend 37.5 billion won ($32.6 million) next year to purchase domestic drones for the military as part of efforts to help the local industry have stable demand for growth, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The budget is more than sixfold the amount allocated for this year, which stood at 6.2 billion won, according to the ministry. The plan was unveiled at a committee meeting to discuss the development of the local defense industry in Seoul, jointly headed by Defense Mini

Defense Aug. 11, 2021

North Korea has allowed foreigners to visit 22 more facilities in Pyongyang, Russia's Embassy in Pyongyang said, in an apparent move to ease coronavirus-prompted restrictions for access to public areas. On its Facebook page, the embassy said it has received a notice from the Protocol Department of the North's foreign ministry, saying that 22 facilities were added to the list of 299 cultural, sports, entertainment facilities and retail outlets in Pyongyang that foreigners can visit. Among them

North Korea Aug. 11, 2021

North Korea did not answer South Korea's phone calls via liaison and military hotlines for the second consecutive day Wednesday, officials said, as Pyongyang is ramping up criticism against the South for going ahead with its summertime exercise with the United States. The calls via the inter-Korean liaison office and military communication channels in the eastern and western border regions went unanswered at 9 a.m., after the North began to shun their regular calls from Tuesday afternoon, accor

North Korea Aug. 11, 2021

South Korea's exports rose 46.4 percent on-year in the first 10 days of August on the back of robust demand for chips and petroleum products, customs data showed Wednesday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $12.7 billion in the Aug. 1-10 period, compared with $8.69 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports jumped 63.1 percent on-year to $17.4 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $4.69 billion during the cited period, the data showed. By

Economy Aug. 11, 2021

South Korea reported job additions for the fifth straight month in July, but the growth pace slowed as employment in face-to-face service segments was hit hard by the fourth wave of the pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people reached 27.65 million last month, 542,000 more than a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The July additions were lower than an on-year increase of 582,000 the previous month. Amid an economic recovery, the country has

Economy Aug. 11, 2021

North Korea on Wednesday slammed South Korea and the United States again for going ahead with its joint military exercise, warning it will make the allies feel a serious security crisis every minute. Kim Yong-chol, head of the North's United Front Department handling inter-Korean affairs, made the remarks in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, saying the South Korean authorities have defied the opportunity to make a turn in relations. The denouncement comes just a d

North Korea Aug. 11, 2021

WASHINGTON -- The United States holds no hostile intent toward North Korea, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday, in reaction to a statement by North Korea denouncing the US and South Korea over their joint military exercises. The spokesman, Ned Price, said he had no comment on the statement issued by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, but insisted that the joint military drills are purely defensive in nature. "First, let me reiterate that the joint military exerc

Foreign Affairs Aug. 11, 2021

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as a spike in new coronavirus cases weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 7.24 points, or 0.22 percent, to 3,235.95 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a weak start as South Korea reported a record number of daily coronavirus cases above 2,200, stoking concerns of a growing nationwide outbreak despite toughened restrictions. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics fell 0.87

Market Aug. 11, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases reached a new high of over 2,200 on Wednesday since the start of the pandemic in January last year in the face of monthlong toughened virus curbs and a slower than expected vaccination campaign. The country added 2,223 COVID-19 cases, including 2,145 local infections, raising the total caseload to 216,206, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was up 683 from 1,540 the previous day. The country added o

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2021

South Korea’s daily new coronavirus cases surpassed 2,000 for the first time Tuesday despite weeks of toughened social distancing restrictions, according to official data. As of 9 p.m., 2,021 new infections were confirmed nationwide, up 637 from the same time Monday, health authorities and local governments said. It is unprecedented that more than 2,000 additional cases have been reported in a day in the country since it saw its first COVID-19 infection on Jan. 20 last year. South Kore

Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2021

North Korea did not answer daily phone calls from South Korea via liaison and military hotlines on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the sister of the North’s leader Kim Jong-un blasted Seoul and Washington for going ahead with combined military exercises.  The inter-Korean communication lines -- the liaison hotline and the military channels in the eastern and western border regions -- were in normal operation until the morning but the afternoon calls went unanswered, officials said.&n

North Korea Aug. 10, 2021

South Korean stocks retreated for the fourth straight session Tuesday, as concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus turned investors risk-averse. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) slumped 17.23 points, or 0.53 percent, to close at 3,243.19 points. Trading volume was high at about 719 million shares worth some 21.4 trillion won ($18.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 647 to 214. Foreigners sold a net 638 billion w

Market Aug. 10, 2021

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a 10 million-won ($8,700) fine for actor Ha Jung-woo, who admitted to illegal use of propofol in 2019. The 43-year-old screen star has been indicted on charges of taking shots of the anesthesia-inducing medication for non-medical purposes between January and September in 2019. The prosecution requested the Seoul Central District Court impose a monetary penalty as the actor has no previous record of drug abuse and admitted to his crime. Earlier in the hearing, H

Television Aug. 10, 2021