The unification ministry on Sunday described the weekend remarks by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister about the possibility of holding "constructive" discussions on inter-Korean issues as "meaningful." On Saturday, Kim Yo-jong said the North could declare a formal end to the Korean War as suggested by the South and even discuss holding an inter-Korean summit if the South treats the North with "impartiality" and mutual respect. The statement, carried by the Ko

North Korea Sept. 26, 2021

A South Korean worker of a state-run facility currently used by hundreds of evacuees from Afghanistan as a temporary shelter was confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus Sunday, the Ministry of Justice said. According to the ministry, the employee of the National Human Resources Development Institute in the nation's central county of Jincheon tested positive for the virus. The worker reportedly was not in charge of duties related with the Afghan evacuees. Following the infection, the in

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2021

Five groups of media workers urged political parties Sunday to renounce a possible parliamentary vote this week on a bill accused of hurting press freedom, stressing the need to form a consultative body to build social consensus on the issue. The groups, including the Journalists Association of Korea, issued a joint statement, as the ruling Democratic Party hopes for the bill to be passed Monday, following talks with the main opposition People Power Party. The legislation, titled the Press Arbit

Politics Sept. 26, 2021

The amount of cargo handled at South Korean seaports was up 8.7 percent on-year in August amid the global economic recovery, government data showed Sunday. The cargo processed at the country's ports stood at 128.6 million tons last month, up from 118.3 million tons a year earlier, according to the data by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Handling of export-import cargo rose 9 percent to 117.4 million tons on the back of strong exports of petrochemicals and cars. Coastal cargo handled in Sou

Economy Sept. 26, 2021

A North Korean researcher berated Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Sunday for his recent remarks at the UN General Assembly, stressing Pyongyang would not associate with whoever his successor will be if Tokyo's "hostile policy" toward it continues. Ri Byong-dok, a researcher at the Institute of Japan, made the remarks in a piece posted on the website of the North's foreign ministry, after Suga made the video message Friday (New York time), stressing the North's recent ballisti

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 26, 2021

South Korea will still be able to carry out its plan for a phased return to normal life, starting in late October, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday, despite the recent surge in new coronavirus infections. Kim made the remarks at a forum, as the country is seeking to accelerate a return to normal life on the back of progress in the vaccination campaign, with small businesses suffering deepening economic woes due to prolonged social distancing curbs. "By late October, 70 percent of the

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2021

The music video for K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's "Kill This Love" has exceeded 1.4 billion views on YouTube, its management agency said Sunday. The video hit the milestone at about 6 p.m. the previous day, becoming the second video from the group to do so after the 2018 hit song "Ddu-du Ddu-du," according to YG Entertainment. BLACKPINK is now the only K-pop group with more than one music video that has over 1.4 billion views. "Kill This Love" reached No. 41 of the B

K-pop Sept. 26, 2021

South Korea's full service carriers, including Korean Air Lines Co., are predicted to post strong earnings in the third quarter of the year on the back of a rise in air cargo rates, analysts said Sunday. In a consensus estimate of 10 analysts by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency, Korean Air is forecast to record 176.8 billion won ($150 million) in operating profit in the July-September period, a turnaround from an operating loss of 31.4 billion won in the same period a

Industry Sept. 26, 2021

A Seoul district court has ruled Samsung Securities Co. must compensate investors for half of their damages incurred due to a 2018 dividend error by an accidental stock issuance, judicial sources said Sunday. The Seoul Central District Court recently ruled partially in favor of three investors who filed damages suits against the brokerage firm for the "fat-finger" error caused by an official at the firm on April 6, 2018. If the ruling is confirmed, Samsung Securities must give between

Industry Sept. 26, 2021

K-pop sensation BTS kicked off an international music festival Sunday with a performance of its hit song "Permission to Dance" from an iconic gate in Seoul. The septet opened "Global Citizen Live," a 24-hour concert featuring dozens of top artists from around the world, with a prerecorded performance filmed at night outside Sungnye Gate, South Korea's No. 1 national treasure. "Welcome to Seoul, Korea!" the band said in unison before starting the show. The seven memb

K-pop Sept. 26, 2021

LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean mobile carrier, said Sunday it will offer Disney+ through its internet protocol television (IPTV) platform as the flagship streaming service from US media giant Walt Disney Co. is set to launch in the country in November. The carrier said it has signed a deal with Walt Disney Company Korea so that Disney+ will be accessible from its U+tv platform, strengthening competitiveness against rivals KT Corp. and SK Telecom Co. LG Uplus already bundles Netflix with it

Industry Sept. 26, 2021

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases dropped below 3,000 on Sunday amid spiraling woes over the wide spread of the virus across the country due to the variants and the mass migration during the Chuseok holiday. The country reported 2,771 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,735 local infections, bringing the total caseload to 301,172, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Still, the figure is the second largest since the outbreak of COVID-19 in January last year in the

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2021

North Korean Embassies and diplomatic personnel are engaging in illicit financing activities to fund the country's nuclear and other destructive weapons activities, a British government report has said. The British finance ministry's National Risk Assessment of Proliferation Financing (PF) report said its hosting of the North Korean Embassy in London "may pose an inherent" risk, as not all banks in the country may be attuned to UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions that restrict such

North Korea Sept. 25, 2021

South Korean boy band NCT 127 has made it onto Britain's Official Charts with its latest album "Sticker." Its third studio album debuted at No. 40 on the Official Albums Chart Top 10 on Friday (local time), just one week after its release on Sept. 17. The nine-piece K-pop act has been listed on the Billboard charts of the United States several times. But this is the first time for the band to enter the top British albums chart, which is compiled by the Official Charts Company based o

Performance Sept. 25, 2021

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The leaders of the United States, Australia, Japan and India on Friday called on North Korea to engage in dialogue and abide by UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit its ballistic missile tests. The call came at the end of the first in-person summit of the four countries, which form the so-called Quad, in Washington. "We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, and

Foreign Affairs Sept. 25, 2021