SEOUL/WONJU -- Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung clinched two consecutive electoral victories Sunday in the ruling Democratic Party (DP)’s primary votes to pick its presidential candidate, solidifying his landslide lead. Lee finished first in one of the party‘s three rounds of electoral college votes, released in a regional primary event in Oak Valley Resort in Wonju, Gangwon Province, earlier in the day. The governor garnered 51 percent of the 496,672 ballots cast by in the

Politics Sept. 12, 2021

Typhoon Chanthu, the season's 14th tropical storm, is forecast to affect South Korea this week, with heavy downpours expected for Jeju Island and southern coastal regions, the state weather agency said Sunday. The typhoon was located 170 kilometers southeast of Taipei as of 9 a.m., heading northeastward at a speed of 21 kilometers per hour, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Its maximum wind speed was clocked at 50 meters per second. The KMA said the storm is expected to

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2021

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to defend its top spot in global semiconductor sales in the third quarter of the year, a report showed Sunday, on the back of strong memory demand. Samsung, the world's largest memory supplier, was projected to log $22.32 billion in semiconductor sales in the July-September period, up 10 percent from a quarter earlier, and maintain its lead against Intel Corp., according to the latest McClean Report from market researcher IC Insights. Intel was estimated to co

Industry Sept. 12, 2021

North Korea on Sunday denounced the US-led war in Afghanistan as a "human rights crime," accusing Washington of committing "atrocities of mass destruction" against innocent people of the country. In a statement posted on its website, titled "US Be Brought to Justice at All Costs for its Human Rights Crimes," the North's foreign ministry said the "hasty flight" of the US troops has brought an abrupt end to Washington's two-decade-long "counter-terroris

North Korea Sept. 12, 2021

  South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo will visit the United States this week to discuss cooperation on various economic topics, including chip supply chains and vaccines, his ministry said Sunday. Yeo will visit Washington from Monday to Friday to meet his US counterpart Katherine Tai and American lawmakers to bolster economic ties between the two countries, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Yeo spoke with Tai last month, but it was through a virtual meeting. In

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 12, 2021

  South Korea's top nuclear envoy departed for Japan on Sunday for bilateral and trilateral talks with his US and Japanese counterparts on North Korean issues. "I expect that the upcoming talks will be a productive step to accelerate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Noh Kyu-duk told reporters before his departure at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul. During his three-day trip, Noh will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Fun

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 12, 2021

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's biggest chemical firm, said Sunday it will produce biodegradable plastics after joining hands with a smaller local chemical company in a move to expand its presence in the eco-friendly product market. Under the partnership with TK Chemical Corp., LG Chem will develop and produce poly butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT). PBAT are synthetic polymers based on fossil resources and can naturally degrade within six months after buried in soil. The two companies said th

Industry Sept. 12, 2021

  Genesis, the independent luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Co., sold more than 100,000 sport utility vehicles (SUV) globally in just 1 1/2 years since its SUV market debut, thanks to brisk sales at home and in North America, data showed Sunday. Genesis' SUV sales totaled 107,700 units from the launch of its first SUV, GV80, in January 2020 until the end of July this year, according to Hyundai Motor's investor relation data. Genesis rolled out its second and smaller SUV flagship GV70 in Janua

Industry Sept. 12, 2021

South Korea said Sunday it plans to officially deliver its intention to New Zealand to join a global pact on the digital sector that covers a wider array of issues beyond conventional free trade agreements. South Korea completed its domestic procedures to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) in August, and now plans to on Monday propose the official launch of negotiations with DEPA members, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Earlier this month, Trade Minist

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 12, 2021

South Korean listed companies' half-year dividends surged to a record high this year as their businesses posted strong performance, market data showed Sunday. A total of 62 local listed firms paid out 4.39 trillion won ($3.75 billion) in interim dividends in June, up 66.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from market tracker FnGuide. It marks the first time that listed companies' half-year dividends surpassed the 4 trillion-won mark. Half-year dividends from South Korean firms r

Industry Sept. 12, 2021

A hacker group believed to be linked to North Korea has attempted to steal data from South Korean experts working as members of an advisory panel for the defense ministry, a cybersecurity firm said Sunday. Emails were sent to some members of the advisory panel earlier this month from hackers who disguised themselves as a North Korea-related department of the defense ministry, notifying them of an upcoming seminar on the occasion of the anniversary of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, accor

North Korea Sept. 12, 2021

  South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan has scored in his Premier League debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers, wasting little time to make a strong first impression. The 25-year-old forward netted Wolves' second goal of their 2-0 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road in Watford, England, on Saturday (local time). This was Wolves' first victory of the season in their fourth match and also their first two goals of the campaign. Hwang is the 14th South Korean to play in the Premier League and seve

Soccer Sept. 12, 2021

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern South Korea early Sunday, but no damage was reported. The quake hit some 4 kilometers southeast of Changnyeong County, about 260 km southeast of Seoul, at 2:04 a.m. from a depth of 13 kilometers, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The epicenter was located at a latitude of 35.53 degrees north and a longitude of 128.53 degrees east. The maximum seismic intensity scale was 2, which means that the tremor can be felt only by a small nu

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2021

Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin got roughed up by the lowly Baltimore Orioles, narrowly avoiding his ninth loss of the season when his offense bailed him out in late innings. The South Korean left-hander pitched a season-low 2 1/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday (local time) in the first game of a doubleheader. The Blue Jays trailed 7-3 when Ryu got the hook, but rallied for an 11-10 victory over the worst team

Baseball Sept. 12, 2021

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases dropped under 1,800 on Sunday as health authorities try to stem virus infections ahead of a major holiday amid persistent infections in the greater Seoul area. The country added 1,755 COVID-19 cases, including 1,725 local infections, raising the total caseload to 272,982, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was down from over 1,800 cases over the past two days. However, it was the second-largest figure fo

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2021