US President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order to sharply increase the number of refugees to be admitted into the United States this year, citing "grave humanitarian concerns." The executive order raises to 62,500 from 15,000 the number of refugees to be allowed into the US in fiscal year 2021. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30. "Given the ongoing unforeseen emergency refugee situation, I now determine, consistent with my Administration's prior consultation with the Cong

Foreign Affairs May 4, 2021

The new US policy toward North Korea does not affect the United States' alliance with South Korea or its defense commitment on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. John Kirby made the remark when asked if the outcome of the recently concluded North Korea policy review may affect the US defense posture on the Korean Peninsula. "We also have concomitant alliance requirements on the peninsula with our South Korean allies to continue to make sure we are, as the saying goes,

Foreign Affairs May 4, 2021

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for coordinated efforts to denuclearize North Korea on Monday while the top diplomats from the Group of 7 (G7) countries were later scheduled to discuss the North Korea issue. In his bilateral meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, the top US diplomat highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in dealing with the North. "Secretary Blinken and Minister Chung stressed their commitment to work together to protect and adv

Foreign Affairs May 4, 2021

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged North Korea on Monday to return to the negotiating table, saying his country seeks to make practical progress toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. The call comes after North Korea threatened the US will face "worse and worse crisis." "I hope that North Korea will take the opportunity to engage diplomatically and to see if there are ways to move forward toward the objective of complete denuclearization o

Foreign Affairs May 4, 2021

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, agreed Monday to continue close cooperation for complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. The agreement came as they met bilaterally on the margins of a gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in London, after the Joe Biden administration completed its review of policy toward Pyongyang. "Secretary Blinken shared the results of the US' review of policy on

Foreign Affairs May 3, 2021

Nearly 400 South Korean residents in India will return home this week via non-scheduled flights authorized by the government, health authorities here said Monday, as they plan to safely transport the nation's citizens from the coronavirus-hit country.  The authorities said a Vistara flight carrying 173 people, including workers of Hyundai Motor, will arrive in Incheon on Tuesday after departing from Chennai International Airport in India. Also, a flight by Asiana Airlines is scheduled to

Social Affairs May 3, 2021

Unionized workers at Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Monday they have decided to lay down their tools again to demand a wage hike.  Renault Samsung's 1,900-strong workforce will launch an eight-hour strike at their plant in Busan, around 450 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday as they are not satisfied with the company's wage proposals.  The announcement came as they staged a six-hour strike Monday. They previously launched an eight-hour strike last Friday.  The union and

Industry May 3, 2021

Hankook Tire & Technology Co. said Monday its first-quarter net profit jumped 53 percent from a year earlier on a base effect amid the extended COVID-19 pandemic. Net profit jumped to 149.47 billion won ($133 million) for the three months that ended on March 31 from 97.66 billion won in the same period of last year, the company said in a statement. "Corporate taxes were factored in the year-ago quarterly bottom line, but in this past quarter, there was not such a one-off cost factor,&

Industry May 3, 2021

GM Korea Co. said Monday its sales retreated 25.4 percent last month from a year earlier on weak demand at home and abroad. The South Korean unit of General Motors Co. sold 21,455 vehicles in April, down from 28,749 units the previous year, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales dropped 18.4 percent on-year to 5,470 units, and exports sank 27.5 percent to 15,985 autos over the cited period, it said. The Detroit carmaker has three Korean plants -- two in Bupyeong and one in Changwon -

Industry May 3, 2021

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-largest automaker, said Monday its sales soared 78 percent last month from a year earlier on a low base effect and solid demand for SUVs. Kia sold 249,734 vehicles in April, up from 140,262 units a year ago, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales reached 51,128 units last month, climbing 1.5 percent from a year earlier. Overseas sales vaulted 120.9 percent on-year to 198,606 units due to the low base effect from last year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit

Industry May 3, 2021

Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday its sales more than doubled last month from a year earlier on robust demand for its SUV models despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's biggest carmaker sold 345,777 vehicles in April, up from 167,693 units a year earlier, helped by strong demand for the Palisade SUV, the Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, and the Genesis GV70 and GV80 SUVs, the company said in a statement. On top of robust SUV sales, the company benefited from a base effect, in which i

Industry May 3, 2021

Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Monday its sales fell 28.6 percent last month from a year earlier due to weak domestic demand. The South Korean unit of Renault S.A. sold 9,344 vehicles in April, down from 13,087 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales tumbled 50.4 percent on-year to 5,446 units last month, while exports jumped 87.2 percent to 3,878 units over the cited period, XM3 the company said. French automaker Renault holds an 81 percent stake in Renault S

Industry May 3, 2021

SsangYong Motor Co. said Monday its sales fell 36 percent last month from a year earlier due mainly to lower demand at home amid the extended COVID-19 pandemic. SsangYong Motor sold 4,351 vehicles in April, down from 6,813 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Exports rose 30 percent to 1,033 units last month from 796 a year ago, but domestic sales declined 45 percent to 3,318 units from 6,017 during the cited period, it said. From January to April, sales also fell 26 percent

Industry May 3, 2021

The immigrant film "Minari" has become the third movie to attract over 1 million viewers in South Korea this year, enjoying a post-award season bump on supporting actress Youn Yuh-jung's historic Oscar victory, data showed Monday. The US drama film about a first-generation Korean American family struggling to build a new life in rural Arkansas sold more than 23,900 tickets Saturday, bringing its combined total to over 1 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFI

Film May 3, 2021

A government task force said Monday it has sought a warrant for the arrest of a retired senior government official who is suspected of land speculation. Nam Gu-jun, the task force chief, told reporters the request was sent to the prosecution on Friday as part of his team's ongoing probe into allegations of property speculation by public officials. "We decided this is a case that calls for a warrant. We'll have to wait for the decision of the prosecution and the court," Nam, who is al

Social Affairs May 3, 2021