A UN Security Council panel has approved sanctions exemptions for a German project to provide North Korea with medical equipment for the prevention of COVID-19, its website showed Thursday. The exemptions will allow Germany to export medical equipment to prevent and control the coronavirus, including the delivery of "six units of a Rotor-Disc 100 Starter Kit" for PCR testing to the North's Ministry of Public Health, according to the website of the North Korea sanctions committee. The

North Korea Aug. 19, 2021

South Korea plans to invest 1.6 trillion ($1.37 billion) in the next 10 years to secure core technologies for satellite development in the defense sector, the arms procurement agency said Thursday. The plan is part of a series of measures aimed at upgrading the country's defense capabilities in the space sector, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The agency has launched a task force to focus on developing South Korea's space defense industry, saying that 16 trillion w

Defense Aug. 19, 2021

The South Korean women's national football team will play a pair of friendlies against the world No. 1 United States on the road in October, the sport's national federation announced Thursday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the first match between the two countries will kick off at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. That's 9 a.m. on Oct. 22 (Korean time). The second match will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, or 9 a.m.

Soccer Aug. 19, 2021

An American service member participating in an annual combined exercise with South Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said Thursday. The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) "confirms that one individual recently tested positive for COVID-19 while working in a combined headquarters location supporting CCPT," its spokesman Col. Lee Peters said in a statement. CCPT refers to the computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training, an annual exercise bet

Defense Aug. 19, 2021

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has attended a conference call with his counterparts from the United States and 18 other countries to discuss cooperation over the situation in Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said Thursday. During Wednesday's conference led by US. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, most participants shared the need for close cooperation to ensure the restoration of peace in Afghanistan and the safe return home of their citizens, the ministry said. Among the

Politics Aug. 19, 2021

A Russian naval vessel on Wednesday fired warning shots at a South Korean fishing boat operating in waters off Vladivostok, Seoul's oceans ministry said. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The Russian warship broadcast a warning when the 77-ton fishing vessel was catching squid at around 3:27 a.m. in waters some 138.9 kilometers south of Vladivostok, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The captain of the Korean ship explained the situation to a Russian border patrol of

Foreign Affairs Aug. 18, 2021

South Korea plans to unveil additional measures to curb a sustained increase in household debt, if needed, by mobilizing all available policy means, the nominee for the financial regulator has said. Koh Seung-beom, the nominee for the Financial Service Commission, told officials Tuesday that he will "swiftly" push for "strong" measures to tackle household debt if his nomination is confirmed by parliament, according to the FSC. "It is very urgent to get rid of macroecon

Economy Aug. 18, 2021

South Korea will begin mass production of a newly upgraded interceptor missile, often dubbed the Korean equivalent of the US-made Patriot missile defense system, after successfully completing a number of quality tests, officials said Wednesday. Cheongung II, the upgraded version of the country's first locally-developed medium-range surface-to-air guided missile, accurately hit a missile and an aircraft target in firing tests conducted at the Anheung test site in the western city of Taean, in Ju

Defense Aug. 18, 2021

An appellate court on Wednesday reversed a local court's approval of the Jeju provincial government's revocation of the business license of what would have been the nation's first for-profit hospital. The Jeju branch of the Gwangju High Court ordered the Jeju government to cancel its decision in 2019 to nullify the business license of the Chinese-owned Greenland International Medical Center as South Korea's first for-profit hospital. The appellate court ruling came after the Jeju District Cour

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2021

South Korean stocks rose Wednesday, snapping an eight-session losing streak as investors expected the US. Federal minutes would cause little ripples on tapering of stimulus policies. The Korean won rose against the US. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 15.84 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 3,158.93 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 614 million shares worth some 16.5 trillion won ($14.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 645 to 212.

Market Aug. 18, 2021

South Korea on Wednesday rejected Japan's protest over an opposition lawmaker's visit to the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo, saying Tokyo should never lay territorial claims to the East Sea outcroppings. Japan made the protest after Rep. Hong Suk-joon of the main opposition People Power Party visited Dokdo on Sunday in time for Liberation Day, marking the end of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. A foreign ministry official in Seoul said the government rebutted Japan

Foreign Affairs Aug. 18, 2021

The leadership of Lee Jun-seok, the young and unconventional chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has taken a major blow from a protracted power game with the party's leading presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl that has created unexpected ruptures and bad blood within the party. The relationship between the two has been on shaky ground from the get-go since Yoon, previously an independent, joined the party in late July when Lee was away from the party headquarters on a bu

Politics Aug. 18, 2021

Unification Minister Lee In-young urged North Korea on Wednesday to come back to the negotiating table within this year, voicing concerns that upcoming political events in the region could slow down the peace process with Pyongyang. During his keynote speech at a symposium in Seoul, Lee stressed the importance for the two Koreas and the US to resume dialogue before the end of this year to bring "sustainable peace." "It is highly likely that the momentum for the peace process on

North Korea Aug. 18, 2021

Disgraced former K-pop superstar Park Yoo-chun has been embroiled in a dispute over a double contract with his new agency. The singer and actor, who was also a member of K-pop group JYJ, announced his official retirement from show business after he was convicted of drug charges in 2019. Since last year, however, he has resumed his entertainment career, dropping a new album and holding fan meetings overseas. Recielo, which signed an exclusive contract with Park in January for his career resump

Culture Aug. 18, 2021

This has been an unusual season in South Korean baseball in more ways than one, and the absence of former major leaguers from overseas at the top of batting stats leaderboards has been especially noticeable. Gone are the days when foreign hitters dominated major hitting categories such as home runs, hits and RBIs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Through Tuesday's action, Jose Pirela of the Samsung Lions has been the only foreign bat of note. In his first KBO season, Pirela is tied wit

Baseball Aug. 18, 2021