The unification ministry urged North Korea on Tuesday to restore inter-Korean communication lines immediately as this week marks one year since the cross-border communication lines were suspended. On June 16 last year, the North vowed to cut off all communication lines with the South and even blew up an inter-Korean liaison office in its border city of Kaesong in anger over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets coming in from the South. "The inter-Korean communication channel must be immedia

North Korea June 15, 2021

South Korea's exports of strawberries rose nearly 25 percent on-year in the first five months of this year on the back of robust output and rising demand amid the pandemic, data showed Tuesday. The country's exports of strawberries reached $49 million in the January-May period, up 24.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The gain was mainly attributable to an increase in strawberry output and the use of chartered flights for outbound s

Economy June 15, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday released a new multi-chip package (MCP) memory product for use in 5G smartphones as the South Korean tech giant tries to better target the fast-growing handset market. The world's largest memory chip producer said it has begun mass-producing low-power double data rate 5 (LPDDR5) universal flash storage (UFS) MCP that integrates high-performance DRAM and NAND flash memory chips in a single compact package. The latest MCP comes with Samsung's LPDDR5 mobile DR

Technology June 15, 2021

Seven soldiers from the same Army base in the central city of Nonsan tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. They were confirmed to have been infected while being in isolation after coming into contact with a colleague who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry. "All of them tested negative in a test carried out upon their enlistment and have been quarantined at the same space. But one of them tested positive in a second test last week, and

Defense June 15, 2021

South Korea on Tuesday extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the continued spread of the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The measure, which calls for citizens to cancel or postpone trips abroad, will remain in effect until July 15. The current advisory was set to expire Tuesday. The extension came as many countries around the world continue to restrict the entry of people arriving from overseas amid the continued spread of COVID-19, the minist

Foreign Affairs June 15, 2021

South Korea plans to expand investment in research and development (R&D) of key future technologies, such as system semiconductors, as part of the country's key digital policy projects, a senior government official said Tuesday. Without elaborating on the amount of the investment, First Vice Finance Minister Lee Eog-weon said the country will focus on sharpening its competitive edge in new industries, including artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors and super high speed computers. Sou

Economy June 15, 2021

LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean mobile carrier, said Tuesday it has joined hands with IT affiliate LG CNS Co. to develop call center services that use artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The service incorporates AI technology, such as speech recognition and synthesis as well as natural language processing, to respond to user questions and requests and can replace simple, repetitive tasks handled by call center agents. LG Uplus said it has accumulated the technology through its automa

Technology June 15, 2021

LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday one of its senior researchers will head a working group in a North American mobile technology alliance for 6G technology development. Lee Ki-dong, a principal researcher at LG, was elected the chair of the Applications working group in the Next G Alliance earlier this month, the company said. He has been given a two-year term to lead the working group that will address 6G-related application needs. The Next G Alliance was launched by the US-based Alliance for

Industry June 15, 2021

South Korea and the United States have staged a weeklong naval exercise focusing on combined diving and salvage operations, the Navy said Tuesday. The Salvage Exercise (SALVEX) Korea 2021 kicked off Wednesday last week in waters off Jinhae on the south coast and was to end Tuesday, bringing together 16 Korean sailors and 17 members of the US Mobile Diving & Salvage Unit, according to the Navy.  The exercise involves a range of underwater and ground missions such as search and recove

Defense June 15, 2021

Hybe Co., the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, has seen its market capitalization exceed the 10 trillion-won ($8.95 billion) mark amid the boy band's global popularity, data showed Tuesday. Shares in Hybe closed at 282,000 won on Monday, up 2.36 percent from the prior session and marking a three-day winning streak. Monday's tally was well above the 258,000 won ($252) closing price recorded on Oct. 15 last year, or the day of its debut on South Korea's main stock market. The current price is nearl

Market June 15, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. is likely to unveil its new foldable smartphone in August, industry insiders said Tuesday, amid its push to popularize the foldable category. The South Korean tech giant is expected to hold its Galaxy Unpacked online event in early August to introduce the Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Galaxy Z Flip3 before officially launching those products later that month, according to the sources. Foreign tech reviewers have predicted that the event may take place on Aug. 3, but the sour

Technology June 15, 2021

SEJONG -- The number of "short-time workers" in South Korea reached an all-time high in May amid increasing labor costs, a report showed Tuesday. A total of 1.56 million employees in Asia's fourth-largest economy worked fewer than 15 hours per week, according to the report released by Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the main opposition People Power Party. It was the largest monthly tally since the government began tracking related data in January 2000. The number of short-timer employees, or

Social Affairs June 15, 2021

South Korea was to stage an annual military exercise around its easternmost islets of Dokdo on Tuesday after Japan protested the planned drill and called off an agreed-upon summit between the two countries. The drill, named the East Sea Territory Protection Exercise, will involve the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard, and be staged in a way that minimizes in-person contact given the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Navy. "As a regular joint exercise, the upcoming drill is aimed a

Defense June 15, 2021

WASHINGTON -- The United States has no immediate plan to directly provide COVID-19 vaccine to North Korea but supports international efforts to assist the impoverished country cope with the pandemic, the State Department said Monday. "While we have no plans to provide vaccines to the DPRK, we continue to support international efforts aimed at the provision of critical humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable North Koreans," a department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency, asking not

Foreign Affairs June 15, 2021

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases remained under 400 for the second day Tuesday on fewer tests over the weekend as the country's vaccination drive picks up steam with one in four South Koreans receiving at least one jab. The country reported 374 more virus cases, including 347 local infections, raising the total caseload to 148,647, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is down from 399 cases on Monday and 452 on Sunday, and marks the lowest since M

Social Affairs June 15, 2021