North Korean troops dispatched to Russia have moved to the frontline region of Kursk and are "already engaging in combat" against Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday. "North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia have moved to the Kursk region over the past two weeks and their deployment to battlefields has been completed," the National Intelligence Service said. It said work is underway to gather and analyze additional intelligence, without providing further

North Korea Nov. 13, 2024

The national Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung said Wednesday he was not yet prepared to make a decision on whether to run for his third term at the helm of the top sports body, despite being given clearance to do so by his own organization this week. Lee, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), returned home from Switzerland, where he had attended the World Union of Olympic Cities Sport Summit earlier in the week. He decided to come home a day earlier than initially scheduled. D

More Sports Nov. 13, 2024

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo said Wednesday he has not yet decided whether captain Son Heung-min will play against Kuwait in the upcoming World Cup qualifying match, with the Tottenham Hotspur talisman coming off a long injury layoff. South Korea, world No. 22, will face 135th-ranked Kuwait in their fifth Group B match in the third round of the Asian qualification tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. The contest kicks off at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait C

Soccer Nov. 13, 2024

South Korean shares fell to their lowest level in a year Wednesday, extending their losing streak to a fourth day, as investors' concerns grew over policy uncertainties under the incoming US Trump administration. The local currency also dropped against the US dollar to a two-year low, breaching 1,400 won for the second straight session as of 3:30 p.m. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index sank 65.49 points, or 2.64 percent, to close at 2,417.08, marking the lowest since Nov. 13, 2

Market Nov. 13, 2024

South Korea will proactively address changes in the global trade environment ahead of the launch of the new US administration, while upgrading existing trade pacts with key partners to maintain upward momentum in exports, the industry ministry said Wednesday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy made the announcement in a report marking the start of the second half of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, unveiling plans to sustain export growth, which has continued for 13 straight months thro

Economy Nov. 13, 2024

US President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Tesla CEO Elon Musk, working in tandem with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an organization tasked with reducing bureaucracy in the federal government. Trump issued a statement on the designation as he pledged during a presidential campaign to establish the department as part of a government reform effort. "I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with Ame

World News Nov. 13, 2024

A court on Wednesday decided not to permit a live broadcast for the upcoming sentencing trial of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in his alleged election law violation case. The Seoul Central District Court said it will not allow real-time filming or broadcast of Lee's sentencing trial, slated for Friday, "in comprehensive consideration of the relevant legal interests." The court is set to make its judgment on Lee's charges of violating the election law by making false stateme

Politics Nov. 13, 2024

North Korea has remained mum about former US President Donald Trump's reelection for a week, despite the significance the outcome might hold for the North's leader Kim Jong-un and his regime. As of early Wednesday, none of the North's state media had published any articles, commentaries, or broadcasts about Trump's election victory, although this is not rare considering that it took a similar course in the past. North Korea has a track record of delaying reports on US preside

North Korea Nov. 13, 2024

US President-elect Donald Trump tapped Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary on Tuesday, describing him as a "warrior for the troops and for the country." Trump issued a statement on the designation of Hegseth, an Army veteran with tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as America's next defense secretary, who is tasked with handling a series of tough security challenges, including North Korea's military threats, Russia's war in Uk

World News Nov. 13, 2024

South Korea, the United States and Japan were set to begin their second trilateral multi-domain exercise on Wednesday, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, in ongoing efforts to strengthen security cooperation against North Korea amid its deepening alignment with Russia. The three-day exercise will take place in international waters south of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, the JCS said, around four months after the inaugural exercise was conducted in accordance with an

Defense Nov. 13, 2024

The US military will decommission its aging fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft stationed in South Korea by the fiscal year 2025 following a 42-year service, its Air Force said Tuesday, portraying the planned retirement as a transition to "cutting-edge" upgrades. The decommissioning of the aircraft, noted for tank-busting skills in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, comes as the US Air Force has been pushing for a military modernization initiative in the face of evolving se

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

US President-elect Donald Trump officially named Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security advisor on Tuesday, saying the Green Beret veteran will be a "tremendous" champion of his incoming administration's pursuit of "peace through strength." Trump made the announcement a day after he was reported to have offered the White House advisor post to Waltz, a veteran who served 27 years in the US Army and National Guard with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Mi

World News Nov. 13, 2024

A former US deputy secretary of state expected Tuesday that it won't take "long" for North Korea's security quandary to begin moving toward the top of the policy agenda for the incoming Trump administration as the recalcitrant regime could otherwise explore ways to draw attention. Stephen Biegun, who served as the State Department's No. 2 official and top nuclear envoy during the first Trump administration, made the remarks amid expectations that President-elect Donald T

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

South Korea's import prices rose by the largest margin in six months in October due to rising global oil prices and the weak Korean currency, central bank data showed Tuesday. The import price index advanced 2.2 percent last month from a month earlier, snapping two months of drops, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. The figure marked the highest on-month increase since April when the prices jumped 3.8 percent. From a year earlier, import prices fell 2.5 percent foll

Economy Nov. 13, 2024

The United States confirmed Tuesday that North Korean troops, who have been deployed to Russia's western front-line Kursk region, have begun engaging in combat operations against Ukrainian forces. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, made the remarks amid growing concerns that the North's troop deployment could expand Moscow's protracted war in Ukraine with security implications for both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. "We are incredibly

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2024