South Korean captain Son Heung-min was ruled out of a World Cup qualifying match against Lebanon on Tuesday with a leg injury, a devastating blow to the team already struggling to find offense. The Korea Football Association said Son experienced discomfort in his right leg after Monday's practice, and was later diagnosed with strained right calf. The KFA added that the decision to keep the Tottenham Hotspur star out of Tuesday's match was reached for precautionary reasons. The kickoff against

Soccer Sept. 8, 2021

South Korean stocks retreated Tuesday amid lack of major market-moving events as investors still assess weak US job data and its impact on the Federal Reserve's timeline for tapering its stimulus. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) decreased 15.91 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 3,187.42 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 745 million shares worth some 11.7 trillion won ($10.1 billion), with losers outnumbering gainer

Market Sept. 7, 2021

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that South Korea will scale up its solar and wind energy production facilities by more than twofold within four years as part of the government's new carbon neutrality policy. "By 2025, we will expand the scale of solar and wind-related facilities by more than twofold compared to now," Moon said in a pre-recorded speech celebrating the second UN-designated International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. Cheong Wa Dae explained that Moon reiterated th

Politics Sept. 7, 2021

South Korea has confirmed 3,091 more cases of four major contagious variants of the new coronavirus over the past week, including 3,070 of the highly transmissible delta variant, health authorities said Tuesday. The caseload of such infections reached 23,388 here, with the number of delta cases, first reported in India, tallied at 19,951, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally indicates the delta variant is becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 here,

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2021

South Korea's 10 financial holding firms saw their combined net profit jump 50.3 percent in the first half due mainly to higher interest income, data showed Tuesday. The combined net profit of KB Financial, Shinhan Financial and eight other financial holding firms stood at 11.47 trillion won ($9.9 billion) in the January-June period, compared with a profit of 7.63 trillion won for the same period last year, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The FSS attributed

Economy Sept. 7, 2021

C HUNCHEON -- Police in the eastern city of Chuncheon said Tuesday they arrested 14 people on charges of smuggling and distributing illegal drugs, and another four people, including TV celebrity Amy, who allegedly used narcotics from them, officials said Tuesday. The Gangwon Police Agency recently busted a drug trafficking operation that allegedly brought in drugs from Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries, largely by international airmail, and sold them to clients in South Korea via th

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2021

South Korea will provide $3 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar to help the country cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The ministry said it will make sure the aid is delivered to the people of Myanmar through "direct and transparent" means, suggesting that it will be provided through international organizations so as to prevent the aid from being diverted by the military. The aid comes amid the continuing political unrest in the S

Foreign Affairs Sept. 7, 2021

South Korea's economy is under pressure over growing headwinds as a recent spike in COVID-19 infections is likely to delay a recovery of domestic consumption, a state-run think tank said Tuesday. The nation's economy is on a recovery track amid robust exports, but the toughest virus curbs, in effect due to the fourth wave of the pandemic, may dampen improving domestic demand, according to a monthly economic assessment report by the Korea Development Institute (KDI). "Our economy has recen

Economy Sept. 7, 2021

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Tuesday asked subway unions of Seoul and four other major cities to refrain from staging a planned walkout next week, saying it will seriously disrupt the public transportation service. "The people will likely experience great inconvenience and disruption if subways' operation gets interrupted ahead of the fall harvest Chuseok holiday," Kim said during a Cabinet meeting held at the government office complex in Seoul. This year's Chuseok holiday is set f

Politics Sept. 7, 2021

North Korea appears to be preparing to hold a military parade this week to mark the anniversary of the country's founding, military sources said Tuesday. Earlier, around 10,000 troops were observed in the North Korean capital in a possible indication the reclusive regime is preparing a military parade ahead of its state and ruling party founding anniversaries on Sept. 9 and Oct. 10, respectively. According to multiple sources, the parade is more likely to be held during the state founding an

North Korea Sept. 7, 2021

South Korean shipbuilders far outstripped their Chinese rivals in terms of new orders in August, retaining their top spot for the fourth straight month, industry data showed Tuesday. Local shipbuilders led by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. won a combined 780,000 compensated gross tons (CGTs) in new orders last month, taking up 57 percent of 1.37 million CGTs of global orders, according to data provided by global market researcher Clarkson Research Service. Chinese shipbuilders obtained 370,000 C

Industry Sept. 7, 2021

North Korea's trade with China plunged 82.1 percent on-year amid prolonged border closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, the unification minister said Tuesday. Minister Lee In-young made the remarks during a plenary session of the foreign affairs and unification committee at the National Assembly, saying that the North is focused on addressing internal challenges, including protracted sanctions, the COVID-19 pandemic and recent flood damage. The North's trade with China from January to July

North Korea Sept. 7, 2021

An Air Force officer and two Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,644, the defense ministry said Tuesday. An Air Force officer in the central city of Cheonan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after coming into contact with a person who tested positive earlier, while an Army officer in Yangju, north of Seoul, was found to have been infected after a family member tested positive, according to th

Defense Sept. 7, 2021

South Korea's current account surplus slightly narrowed in July due to reduced trade surplus, although exports maintained strong growth, central bank data showed Tuesday. The current account surplus reached $8.21 billion in July, narrowing from a surplus of $8.85 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade. Since the country logged a deficit of $3.33 billion in April last year, the largest in almost a decad

Economy Sept. 7, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose to slightly below 1,600 on Tuesday while authorities strive to tighten their guard against the pandemic and raise the vaccination rate ahead of a major national holiday. The country added 1,597 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,563 local infections, raising the total caseload to 263,374, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was the highest for any Tuesday despite tough social distancing measures

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2021