President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating rebounded to nearly 40 percent for the first time in nearly three months thanks to positive reception toward his recent summit deal with US President Joe Biden, according to a new poll released Monday. In the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,512 people over the age of 18 from May 24-28, Moon's job approval rating was recorded at 39.3 percent, up 4.4 percentage points from the previous week. The result marked Moon's highest performance in public pol

Politics May 31, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. expanded its presence in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) smartphone market in the first quarter of the year, a report showed Monday The South Korean tech giant shipped 30.6 million smartphones in the EMEA market in the January-March period for a 32.8 percent market share, according to the latest report from industry researcher International Data Corp. (IDC). The figures were up from a year earlier when the company shipped 22.7 million smartphones for a 29.5 p

Industry May 31, 2021

For the second time this season, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals and Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers made a start on the same day. And for the second time, neither of them notched a victory. In fact, both South Korean left-handers suffered their third consecutive loss. Kim gave up four runs on nine hits in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sunday (local time). The Cardinals spotted him a 2-0 lead after two, but Kim couldn't keep his team

Baseball May 31, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 400s for the second consecutive day Monday partly due to fewer tests over the weekend, while health authorities are grappling with sporadic cluster infections across the nation. The country reported 430 more COVID-19 cases, including 411 local infections, raising the total caseload to 140,340, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload was down from 480 on Sunday, when the figure fell below 500 for t

Social Affairs May 31, 2021

Unable to make an early lead stand against the worst club in the National League, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals has now lost three consecutive starts. Kim was saddled with the loss as the Cardinals fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2 at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sunday (local time). Kim allowed four runs on a season-worst nine hits. He struck out one and walked one, as he dropped to 1-3 for the year and saw his ERA rise from 3.09 to 3.65. Kim's only victory of the year came on Apr

Baseball May 31, 2021

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday amid investor concerns of early post-pandemic inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 5.92 points, or 0.19 percent, to 3,182.81 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The KOSPI got off to a weak start as accelerating inflation may sap demand for risky assets. The US personal consumption expenditures index picked up 0.6 percent in April, marking the fastest on-year jump since 2008. In Seoul, top cap Samsung Electron

Market May 31, 2021

Another start, another short day on the mound for Yang Hyeon-jong. The Texas Rangers' South Korean starter lasted only three innings in a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Sunday (local time). The left-hander allowed three runs -- one unearned -- on five hits and a walk, as he dropped to 0-3 for the year. His ERA went up from 5.47 to 5.53. Yang struck out two and needed a whopping 70 pitches -- 49 strikes -- to retire nine batters, including 26 in the opening inni

Baseball May 31, 2021

South Korea's industrial output declined the most in 11 months in April as production in the chipmaking industry slumped due largely to a higher base effect, data showed Monday. But the country's service output and retail sales extended their gains last month as warm weather and eased social distancing rules spurred consumer spending. The industrial output decreased 1.1 percent in April from the previous month, a turnaround from a 0.9 percent on-month increase in March, according to the data c

Economy May 31, 2021

South Korea and Denmark agreed Sunday to elevate their ties to a "comprehensive green strategic partnership" as part of efforts to further deepen cooperation on the climate and environment. The accord was reached during virtual summit talks between President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held just before the 2021 P4G Seoul Summit opens. It marks South Korea's first bilateral green partnership with a foreign country. The two sides commemorate the 10th anniversary

Foreign Affairs May 30, 2021

A US Forces Korea service member is under investigation for allegedly assaulting three South Korean men while under the influence, police said Sunday. The 34-year-old staff sergeant, stationed with the Eighth Army in Pyeongtaek, was apprehended by police in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon late Saturday and transferred to the military police. The unnamed soldier is accused of first punching a 20-something man in the face on Itaewon's streets and then knocking a 40-something man from

Social Affairs May 30, 2021

South Korea will receive the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine for 1 million people from the United States this week following Washington's pledge to donate vaccines for Korean troops, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday. It is nearly double the volume that US President Joe Biden vowed to provide, during a meeting with President Moon Jae-in earlier this month, to fully inoculate all 550,000 South Korean service members. "Our military aircraft will bring the vaccine home

Foreign Affairs May 30, 2021

Around 2,000 foreigners, including US soldiers in South Korea, set off firecrackers and held parties without wearing masks on and around a local beach amid the coronavirus pandemic, police said Sunday. The foreigners danced, drank and set off firecrackers on and around Haeundae Beach in the southern city of Busan from Saturday afternoon through early Sunday, with many of them not wearing face masks and violating social distancing rules, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and wi

Social Affairs May 30, 2021

South Koreans' overseas card spending dropped 28.8 percent on-year in the first quarter, due to a sharp decline in the number of outbound travelers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, central bank data showed Sunday. The amount of money spent overseas by South Koreans with cards, including credit and debit cards, totaled $2.56 billion in the January-March period, compared with $3.59 billion for the same period last year, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Compared with three months ea

Economy May 30, 2021

The portion of single-member households in South Korea surpassed 30 percent of the total last year, a government survey showed Sunday, amid an increase in diverse forms of families. One-person families accounted for 30.4 percent of the total in 2020, according to a survey conducted on 11,000 households by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family every five years. The percentage was 21.3 percent in 2015 and 15.8 percent in 2010. At the same time, the proportion of households composed of pare

Social Affairs May 30, 2021

Members of North Korea's umbrella trade union held an oath-taking ceremony and vowed to stamp out anti-socialist practices, state media said Sunday. The meeting took place in Pyongyang on Saturday by participants in the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea's 8th plenary session held earlier in the North Korean capital, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It was the union's first plenary session in about five years. The participants "vowed to become resolu

North Korea May 30, 2021