South Korea is expected to send an Air Force transport aircraft to Australia this week to import 27,000 liters of urea water solution, a military source said Tuesday, in an effort to ease a supply shortage of the fluid. A KC-330 tanker transport plane is expected to take off at Gimhae International Airport in the southeastern port city of Busan on Wednesday, the source said, noting details for the operation of the plane have yet to be finalized. The mobilization of the plane comes amid the gov

Defense Nov. 9, 2021

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this week during which he will focus on the pandemic recovery and vaccine donations, a presidential spokesperson said Tuesday. Leaders of the 21-nation APEC will hold the virtual summit Friday, with the region's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains and carbon neutrality expected to be high on the agenda. During the summit, Moon plans to emphasize South Korea's role

Politics Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea's top military officer embarked on a weeklong trip to Belgium and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday to promote bilateral defense exchanges and cooperation, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. During his visit to Brussels from Wednesday to Friday, JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul plans to meet senior officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including Military Committee Chairman Adm. Rob Bauer. Won is also scheduled to hold talks with European Union Militar

Defense Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea is closely monitoring signs of North Korea's reopening of its border long closed due to the coronavirus, a unification ministry official said Tuesday, amid reports a train in operation was spotted in the region bordering China. Local media broadcast footage of a train crossing the bridge over the Amnok River connecting Sinuiju in North Korea to the Chinese port city of Dandong on Monday, saying it appears to be a test operation ahead of an imminent border reopening. Yet, Seoul's un

North Korea Nov. 9, 2021

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it will try to provide COVID-19 relief handouts to all people in January after earmarking the money in the next year's national budget despite opposition from the government and its rival party.  The DP plans to use this year's excess tax revenue to fund its universal relief grant scheme. If the government does not issue additional state bonds, the party believes 200,000-250,000 won ($170-$210) can be given to each person. "We will try

Politics Nov. 9, 2021

The agricultural ministry said Tuesday it is investigating suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm as it issued a nationwide standstill order to help contain its spread. The suspected cases of the avian influenza were reported from a quail farm in the central county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is the first time in about seven months that suspected bird flu cases were reported from a farm,

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2021

The justice ministry announced Tuesday it has come up with a law revision to allow capable singles to become eligible for full adoptions. The ministry said it plans to submit the bill to revise the current civil law to allow singles 25 and older capable of supporting the well-being of an adoptee to become eligible for full adoptions. According to the current law, full adoptions, which cuts off all legal ties of an adoptee with the original family, are allowed only for married couples, while s

Politics Nov. 9, 2021

Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda has been named South Korean baseball's top player for October, the month in which he also set an all-time strikeout record for a season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Tuesday that the Cuban ace beat five other candidates for the Player of the Month honor for the final month of the regular season. Miranda earned 15 out of 32 votes from media, and 144,942 out of 277,106 online votes cast by fans. He went 2-0 in five October starts and re

Baseball Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea's tax agency said Tuesday it has launched probes into suspected tax evasion by 30 people who pocketed corporate profits for personal gains or handed down wealth to their children by illegal means. The National Tax Service (NTS) said it has cracked down on corporate chiefs and their family members who allegedly misused corporate profits or made illegal off-shore tax evasions and capital transactions. Of them, nine people made illegal property-related transactions or traded intangibl

Economy Nov. 9, 2021

A total of 14 African nationals have been apprehended for allegedly defrauding more than a million dollars from South Koreans after building relationships with them online while posing as diplomats, doctors and soldiers, police said Tuesday. The suspects, most of them from Liberia and other African countries, allegedly used such fake identities to befriend 24 victims and swindled a total of 1.67 billion won ($1.4 million) from them in what is known as a "romance scam," according to th

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2021

South Korean manufacturers' domestic supply rose at a slower pace in the third quarter from three months earlier mainly because a shortage of auto chips dented vehicle production, data showed Tuesday. The manufacturing domestic supply index stood at 105.3 in the July-September period, up 2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The reading slowed from the second quarter when it grew at the fastest-ever on-year pace of 9.1 percent. The index, which measures b

Industry Nov. 9, 2021

KT Corp., a South Korean telecom giant, said Tuesday its third-quarter net income rose 46.9 percent from a year earlier on the back of robust growth of 5G network subscribers as well as its media content businesses. Net income for the July-September period stood at 337.7 billion won ($286.7 million) on a consolidated basis, compared with a net profit of 229.9 billion won the previous year, according to a company statement. Operating income reached 382.4 billion won, up 30 percent over the cite

Industry Nov. 9, 2021

South Korean shipbuilders regained the No. 1 ranking from their Chinese rivals in global new orders in October, bagging more than half of the global orders, industry data showed Tuesday. Local shipbuilders led by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. won a combined 1.12 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) in new orders last month, taking up 52 percent of 2.13 million CGT global orders, according to data provided by global market researcher Clarkson Research Service. Chinese shipbuilders, which ranked

Industry Nov. 9, 2021

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. said Tuesday that it has signed a 636.3 billion won ($ 539.7 million) deal to build an Aegis destroyer of the South Korean Navy. Under the deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Hyundai Heavy Industries will deliver the warship, which is the second of three upgraded Aegis destroyers named Gwanggaeto-III Batch II, to the Navy by 2026. Hyundai Heavy Industries is set to deliver the first of the three upgraded destroyers to the Navy by 2024. The fi

Industry Nov. 9, 2021

Local governments across South Korea recorded steep budget deficits last year due to increased spending to cope with COVID-19, the interior ministry said Tuesday. According to an analysis by the ministry, the consolidated fiscal balance of 243 local governments for the fiscal year of 2020 recorded a deficit of 8.7 trillion won ($7.4 billion). Last year's deficit tally marked a sharp contrast with a budget surplus of 6 trillion won recorded in 2019. The ministry cited the local government's ex

Economy Nov. 9, 2021