Senior diplomats of South Korea and Iran had discussions on Iranian assets frozen here under US sanctions, the foreign ministry said Friday, with the thorny bilateral issue on the table for the talks in Vienna aimed at restoring the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. Seoul's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri Kani, in the Austrian capital Thursday (local time), on the sidelines of the eighth round of negotiations to salvage the Joint Comprehensive Pl

Foreign Affairs Jan. 7, 2022

South Korea's military on Friday reported 27 additional COVID-19 cases, including 25 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,403. Of the new cases, 19 are from the Army, four from the Air Force, two from the Navy and two from the Marine Corps. Currently, 217 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,591 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

Defense Jan. 7, 2022

Trade volume between South Korea and Britain grew 33 percent for about one year after the implementation of a bilateral free trade deal, the industry ministry said Friday. Seoul and London clinched the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in August 2019, and the pact went into effect in January 2021 following Britain's departure from the European Union. During the first 11 months of last year, their trade volume came to $10.6 billion, up 33 percent from the same period a year earlier, accordin

Economy Jan. 7, 2022

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in three days Friday as the country is speeding up booster vaccination shots amid persistent concerns over the potentially more transmissible omicron variant. The country added 3,717 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,529 local infections, raising the total caseload to 657,508, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was down 409 from the previous day's tally and 1,158 fewer than

Social Affairs Jan. 7, 2022

GWANGJU -- For Choi Hyoung-woo, the 38-year-old outfielder for the Kia Tigers, the 2021 season wasn't any fun. But the veteran is confident that things will be far different in the new season. In 2021, the Tigers missed the postseason in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the third straight season. And Choi endured his least productive full season as a pro; his .233 batting average, .375 slugging percentage, 12 home runs and 55 RBIs were all Choi's worst numbers since he became an everyd

Baseball Jan. 7, 2022

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's nuclear and missile programs pose an ongoing threat to the region and the international community, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. The top US diplomat also highlighted the need to strengthen the US-Japan alliance to meet such threats. "Meanwhile, the DPRK's unlawful nuclear, missile programs pose an ongoing threat. And we saw that again this week with the most recent launch," Blinken said, referring to North Korea's test launch of a sel

Foreign Affairs Jan. 7, 2022

The remains of a South Korean troop killed in the 1950-53 Korean War have been identified following their recovery from a former battle site last year, the defense ministry said Friday. In October, the ministry's excavation team found the remains of Ssg. Kim Il-soo from the site, White Horse Ridge, inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. It later identified him through a DNA analysis. The identification was possible as his younger brother had registered his DNA sample with the

Defense Jan. 7, 2022

South Korea plans to increase the supply of key foodstuff needed to prepare for the Lunar New Year holiday starting next week in a bid to help tame inflationary pressure, a senior government official said Friday. The government will begin to supply a record amount of 204,000 tons of holiday-related foodstuff, such as napa cabbages, beef and pork, on Monday for three weeks in the runup to the traditional holiday set for Jan. 31-Feb. 2, according to First Vice Finance Minister Lee Eog-weon. Dema

Economy Jan. 7, 2022

Seoul shares opened higher Friday as tech stocks advanced despite losses on Wall Street, but investors remain concerned about the US' looming tapering move. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 26.23 points, or 0.90 percent, to 2,946.76 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The main index rebounded from a 2.3 percent drop in the past two sessions. The decline was attributable to Fed meeting minutes that suggested the US central bank may raise interest rates sooner

Market Jan. 7, 2022

Antiviral COVID-19 pills will arrive in South Korea next week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday. "We will make sure they can be used swiftly in the medical field," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul. The government has so far secured oral COVID-19 drugs for around 1 million patients. The country signed a prepurchase contract with US drug giant Pfizer Inc. for its Paxlovid pill for 762,000 patients. It also inked a deal with MSD, a subsidiary of US drugmaker

Politics Jan. 7, 2022

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol and the chief of his People Power Party reached a surprise agreement Thursday to put their long-running feud behind them and move forward for election victory. PPP lawmakers also withdrew their push to oust party chairman Lee Jun-seok as the two patched up the row that has been blamed for the recent sharp fall in Yoon's public support about two months ahead of the March 9 presidential election. The surprise reconciliation came after Lee sa

Politics Jan. 6, 2022

Prosecutors said Thursday they indicted the two founders of Mergepoint, a once-popular online discount app, for causing some 100 billion won ($83.63 million) worth of damages to customers and member stores by selling virtual coupons that could not be used. The Seoul Southern Prosecutors Office said the sibling founders -- Kwon Nam-hee, CEO of the app operator, Mergeplus, and Kwon Bo-goon, the top strategy executive, -- were charged with fraud and violating the e-transaction law. The latter Kw

Social Affairs Jan. 6, 2022

A 32-year-old man was sentenced to seven years behind bars Thursday for beating his girlfriend to death. The man, surnamed Lee, was indicted on charges of battering his girlfriend, Hwang Ye-jin, to death in the lobby of a studio apartment building in western Seoul in late July during a fight between the two. Repeatedly beaten on the head, Hwang lost consciousness and was moved to a hospital with symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage. She eventually died about 20 days later. Appealing for leniency,

Social Affairs Jan. 6, 2022

The South Korean government is preparing to launch a new team to step up support for North Korean defectors suffering from economic and psychological difficulties after resettlement here, officials said Thursday. The team -- which will comprise of officials from different government agencies, including the unification ministry and the police -- is expected to be set up by next month to provide defectors with tailored support in fields ranging from education and employment to living and psycholo

North Korea Jan. 6, 2022

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday expressed his condolences over the death of three firefighters who were killed while battling a warehouse blaze in Pyeongtaek. Moon said he is "heartbroken" by the news of three firefighters "who died while engaging in rescue activities at the forefront of protecting the lives and safety of people," according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon prayed for the repose of the deceased and offered deep consolation to families of t

Politics Jan. 6, 2022