South Korea's ruling party chairman suggested Wednesday reopening the long-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea's border town of Kaesong will help build trust among the two Koreas and the United States, and ease tension on the Korean Peninsula. "Reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex is very critical to building trust between the US, South Korea and North Korea," Rep. Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), said during a session of the Aspen Sec

North Korea Aug. 4, 2021

Online shopping in South Korea hit a record high in the second quarter as more people used e-commerce shopping platforms amid a contactless trend caused by the pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The value of online shopping transactions stood at 46.9 trillion won ($40.8 billion) in the April-June period, up 25.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. Amid an economic recovery and a non-contact consumption trend, online purchases of goods and services gained gro

Economy Aug. 4, 2021

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has asked the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to back Seoul's efforts to foster a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula after the recent restoration of inter-Korean communication lines, his office said Wednesday. Chung made the remarks during Tuesday's virtual ASEAN Plus Three foreign ministerial meeting, which also involved China and Japan. Until Friday, the minister is set to join a series of virtual sessions led by the regional bloc, including t

Politics Aug. 4, 2021

The government will closely monitor the COVID-19 situation to decide whether to adjust social distancing restrictions later this week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday. "(The government) will closely monitor the trends for one or two more days and decide the level of social distancing (guidelines) to be effective from next week during a Friday meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters," he said while chairing an interagency meeting on the coronav

Politics Aug. 4, 2021

TOKYO -- South Korea stunned Turkey in five sets in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympic women's volleyball tournament on Wednesday, with its captain and greatest player keeping alive hopes of winning her first medal. Kim Yeon-koung carried South Korea on her back with 28 points, as the 13th-ranked South Korea beat the fourth-ranked Turkey 3-2 (17-25, 25-17, 28-26, 18-25, 15-13) at Ariake Arena. In Friday's semifinals, South Korea will face the winner of the Brazil-Russian Olympic Committee

Olympic Games Aug. 4, 2021

Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea rose 23 percent in July from a year earlier despite the extended COVID-19 pandemic, an industry association said Wednesday. The number of newly registered foreign vehicles climbed to 24,389 units last month from 19,778 a year ago on strong sales of German vehicles, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement. The three bestselling models last month were Mercedes-Benz's E 250 sedan and E220d 4MATIC sedan and

Economy Aug. 4, 2021

Two Army cadets and an Air Force civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The Air Force official based in Seongnam, south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a family member tested positive, according to the ministry. One cadet in Seoul was found to have been infected on vacation, while the other in the central county of Goesan tested positive during a summer training. The latest cases raised the total number of

Defense Aug. 4, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases sharply bounced back to the 1,700s on Wednesday as the highly transmissible delta variant weighs on the country's virus fight during the summer vacation season. The country added 1,725 COVID-19 cases, including 1,664 local infections, raising the total caseload to 203,926, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally marked a sharp rise from 1,218 cases Monday and 1,200 cases Tuesday. Daily cases usually fall o

Social Affairs Aug. 4, 2021

Homegrown actioner "Escape from Mogadishu" has topped a cumulative 1 million admissions on the seventh day of its release, becoming the first South Korean flick to achieve the feat this year, box office data showed Wednesday. The film, released on July 28, attracted 121,000 people on the previous day, bringing its combined total to 1.03 million, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, the film became the first South Korean-made title shown in 202

Film Aug. 4, 2021

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight rallies on Wall Street over optimism for strong corporate earnings. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 6.51 points, or 0.2 percent, to trade at 3,243.65 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The KOSPI got off to a strong start on foreign buying, led by tech gains. The S&P 500 gained 0.82 percent to close at a record high, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite

Market Aug. 4, 2021

North Korean officials attended a photo exhibition held by the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang and highlighted their cooperative ties, state media showed Wednesday, signaling Pyongyang's resumption of in-person diplomacy suspended due to the coronavirus. The photo exhibition was held Tuesday "to mark the 20th anniversary of Chairman Kim Jong-il's historic visit to Russia and the 10th anniversary of his visit to the Siberian and the Far Eastern regions," according to the Korean Central Ne

North Korea Aug. 4, 2021

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp. said Wednesday their sales jumped 26 percent in the United States last month from a year earlier on strong demand for SUVs. Hyundai Motor and Kia sold a total of 138,599 vehicles in the US last month, up from 110,156 units a year ago, the companies' sales data showed . SUV and eco-friendly models drove July sales as consumers responded to Hyundai's diversified lineup to find a vehicle that meets their transportation needs, Senior Vice President Ran

Mobility Aug. 4, 2021

WASHINGTON -- The United States will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea despite the latter's apparent ambition to become a nuclear state, a ranking US intelligence official said Tuesday. Sydney Seiler, national intelligence officer for North Korea at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, argued the North's true intention, at least for the time being, may be to be accepted as a nuclear state. "We have made clear in all of our negotiations -- what it is we expect from t

Foreign Affairs Aug. 4, 2021

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Tuesday the country will sharply increase imports of eggs in August and September in a bid to help stabilize high prices amid a pick-up in consumer inflation. The country plans to bring in 100 million eggs in August and September, respectively, more than the 70 million eggs imported in June, according to the finance ministry. South Korea brought in 144 million eggs between January and May to ease the supply shortage caused by the outbreak of bird flu here. Hi

Economy Aug. 3, 2021

Over 10 workers at a Samsung Electronics Co. local research and development (R&D) center were infected with COVID-19, but there has been no shutdown of the facility, industry sources said Tuesday. Twelve employees at the R5 R&D-focused building in Suwon, just south of Seoul, tested positive for the coronavirus, and those who were in contact with them await their test results, a person familiar with the matter told Yonhap News Agency over the phone. There might be more confirmed coronav

Industry Aug. 3, 2021