Seventeen American service members and two family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday, amid a massive spike in virus infections across South Korea. Nine service members and a dependent are from Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, while five soldiers and a family member are from K-17 Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul. They all tested positive after direct contact with infected people, according to USFK. In addition,

Defense July 7, 2021

An upcoming professional football match has been postponed after a player tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Korea Professional Football League announced Wednesday the K League 1 contest between Jeju United and FC Seoul, scheduled for July 20, will be played at a later date. The league has not yet determined when the match will be made up. One Jeju player tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. While the rest of the team all tested negative, many players were listed as close conta

Soccer July 7, 2021

More and more South Korean film producers and investors have been participating in multinational film projects in recent years, backed by the country's reputation as a rising powerhouse in the global cinema scene. The upcoming horror film "The Medium" is a collaboration of South Korea and Thailand, drawing attention for the teamwork of horror masters of the two countries -- Na Hong-jin of "The Wailing" (2016) and Banjong Pisanthanakun of "Shutter" (2004). Na, who

Film July 7, 2021

The volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung and teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo will carry the South Korean flag at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced the two athletes as the country's flag-bearers Wednesday. The opening ceremony for the 32nd Summer Olympics will take place in the Japanese capital on July 23. Kim, 33, is one of the most popular athletes in South Korea. Long considered one of the world's top female volleyb

Olympic Games July 7, 2021

South Korean stocks closed lower Wednesday after hitting an all-time high the previous session amid growing concerns over a surge in new COVID-19 cases. The Korean won sharply fell against the US dollar on risk-averse sentiment. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 19.87 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 3,285.34 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.1 billion shares worth some 14.3 trillion won ($12.7 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 663 to 202. F

Market July 7, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it plans to switch all of its company cars to environment friendly vehicles by 2030, joining South Korea's efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases largely responsible for global warming. The South Korean tech giant vowed to replace around 800 corporate fleet cars, including executive sedans and logistics vehicles, with eco-friendly ones by 2030 after signing a green mobility agreement with the country's environment ministry. Samsung's partner com

Industry July 7, 2021

The government is pushing to grant the long-term residency F-2 visa to high-skilled foreigners as a way to tackle the shrinking population and retain talented workers, the justice ministry said Wednesday. The Ministry of Justice announced the plan during a briefing on the result of a government meeting on the economy. The ministry came up with the idea, together with 12 other ministries, in order to retain foreign professionals with specialties in an array of industrial sectors, which, the min

Social Affairs July 7, 2021

The United Nations Command said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending tours to the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, or the Joint Security Area (JSA), after two of its members came into contact with a coronavirus patient. "Once we are certain that there is no additional risk to our force or the ROK population, we will resume JSA orientations," the US-led command said in a Facebook post. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. The suspension comes a

Defense July 7, 2021

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Wednesday the city will reduce bus and subway schedules and expand COVID-19 testing to fight the recent resurgence of the virus amid a record high number of cases. At a press briefing, Oh said bus schedules will be scaled back starting Thursday and subway schedules starting Friday. For both buses and the subway, schedules will be reduced by 20 percent after 10 p.m. Oh ordered the owners and employees of private cram schools, restaurants, cafes, karaoke establishment

Social Affairs July 7, 2021

A civil servant was fined heavily Wednesday for failing to disclose his visits to COVID-19 clusters before testing positive for the coronavirus. The 24-year-old official, whose identity was withheld, was sentenced to a fine of 20 million won ($17,600) by the Daejeon District Court in the central city of Daejeon for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Twenty million won is the maximum amount of fine stipulated by the infectious disease control law for obstructing epidem

Politics July 7, 2021

Special Counsel Park Young-soo, who has led an investigation into a corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, resigned Wednesday amid allegations he accepted a Porsche car from a fishery businessman. Park said in a statement to reporters that he submitted his letter of resignation in the belief that it became "difficult" for him to carry out his duties as special counsel. "I feel a strong moral responsibility for such things as introducing a controversial figu

Politics July 7, 2021

South Korea's main intelligence agency said Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to be handling state affairs "normally," rejecting rumors that he fell unconscious due to health problems. Earlier in the day, rumors spread that Kim remains unconscious after suffering cerebral hemorrhage and that a coup led by his uncle Kim Pyong-il has forced him from power. "We determine that the speculation about Kim's health is groundless," the National Intelligence

North Korea July 7, 2021

The value of stocks traded on South Korea's over-the-counter (OTC) market has exceeded 22 trillion won ($19.3 billion) on a recent market rally, data showed Wednesday. The capitalization of the K-OTC totaled 22.1 trillion won as of end-June, up about 30 percent from six months earlier, according to the data from the Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA). It marks the largest market value since Nov. 13, 2014, when Samsung SDS Co., an IT service unit of Samsung Group, traded on the K-O

Economy July 7, 2021

LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday it expected a solid performance in the second quarter as its home appliance business apparently continued to ride on robust demand of premium products amid the pandemic. In its earnings guidance, the South Korean tech giant projected its operating profit at 1.1 trillion won ($967 million) for the April-June period, up 65.5 percent from a year earlier. Its second-quarter operating income estimate, however, was lower than the market consensus of 1.2 trillion wo

Industry July 7, 2021

PAJU -- When the 24-year-old midfielder Kim Jin-gyu didn't make the South Korean men's Olympic football team at first last week, he had a mixed bag of emotions. He was disappointed that he wasn't selected as one of 18 players by head coach Kim Hak-bum last Wednesday, but he was also somewhat relieved that he wouldn't be going through the pressure cooker that is the Olympic tournament. But Kim's fate changed in less than 24 hours. FIFA decided to grant a special expansion of rosters for all men

Soccer July 7, 2021