Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon attended a high-level meeting on climate change in London this week to discuss efforts to advance carbon emission goals ahead of an upcoming multilateral summit, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The two-day ministerial talks for the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) that ended Monday (local time) focused on how to implement the goals pledged by countries in the Paris Agreement on tackling climate change and encourage those w

Politics July 27, 2021

The following is a chronology of major events leading to the restoration of communication lines between South and North Korea on Tuesday, 13 months after the North unilaterally severed them in protest of anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by activists. 2020 June 4 -- North Korea threatens to scrap a military tension reduction deal with South Korea and shut down major exchange projects in anger over Seoul's supposed failure to stop activists from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda le

North Korea July 27, 2021

South Korean internet-only bank Kakao Bank Corp. is set to draw relatively low subscription from retail investors for its initial public offering (IPO), with deposits for the stock offering at a smaller-than-expected 22 trillion won ($19.1 billion) as of 11 a.m., its IPO managers said Tuesday. On the last day of the two-day subscription, retail investors may pour additional deposits to subscribe for one of the largest IPO deals. Kakao Bank's IPO subscription for individual investors closes at

Market July 27, 2021

Bereaved family members of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster agreed Tuesday to dismantle a memorial hall at Gwanghwamun Square while construction on the plaza is under way. The Seoul metropolitan government informed the families early this month that it would take down the structure Monday as part of construction work for the restructuring of Gwanghwamun Square. The families agreed at the time to move the makeshift hall, which was built in April 2019, and asked that a consultative body be set up t

Social Affairs July 27, 2021

TOKYO -- South Korean teen swimmer Hwang Sun-woo ranked seventh in the men's 200m freestyle event of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, the best performance by a South Korean swimmer in nine years. The 18-year-old was in the lead after the first 150 meters before losing steam and finishing second from last at 1:45.26 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Tom Dean of Britain won the gold medal in 1:44.22, 0.04 ahead of fellow Briton Duncan Scott. Fernando Scheffer got the bronze in 1:44.66. Hwang had won the

Olympic Games July 27, 2021

Three members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), who tested positive for COVID-19 after participating in a massive outdoor rally in downtown Seoul on July 3, had actually contracted the virus from a restaurant, the militant labor group said Tuesday. Yang Kyung-soo, head of the KCTU, called a news conference to announce that the COVID-19 infections of the three KCTU members were confirmed to have occurred at a restaurant on July 7 and there have been no additional confirmed case

Social Affairs July 27, 2021

Inter-Korean military hotlines are back to normal operation after a 13-month suspension, the defense ministry confirmed Tuesday, saying the two Koreas will resume regular daily calls via the communication lines. Earlier in the day, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae and the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced that the two sides agreed to reopen all direct communication lines at 10 a.m. as part of efforts to improve inter-Korean relations. "South and North Korean militar

North Korea July 27, 2021

Nearly 7 in 10 South Korean senior citizens want to keep working until the age of 73 amid a rise in life expectancy, a survey showed Tuesday. The survey by Statistics Korea showed 10 million, or 68.1 percent, of the 14.76 million South Koreans aged between 55 and 79, said in May they want to continue to work in the future, up 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier. The elderly said they want to keep working until an average of 73, unchanged from the previous year. As for the main reasons fo

Economy July 27, 2021

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki plans to issue a public message about the housing market Wednesday, the finance ministry said Tuesday, as the government seeks to stabilize high-flying home prices. Hong plans to hold a press briefing Wednesday to explain the government's assessment of the current housing market and state its housing policy goal, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Hong has repeatedly warned that housing prices could fall at any time as prices of apartments in the gre

Economy July 27, 2021

The two Koreas reopened direct cross-border communications Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae announced, 13 months after Pyongyang unilaterally severed them in protest of anti-Pyongyang propaganda activities in the South. Park Soo-hyun, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication, announced that Seoul and Pyongyang decided to resume communications via their direct hotline starting at 10 a.m. In June last year, North Korea cut off all communication lines with South Korea in protest over Seoul's

Politics July 27, 2021

Twelve people affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK), including five service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Tuesday. Two service members at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, and three service members at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of the capital, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, according to USFK. Four family members of a Department of Defense (DoD) employee and another DoD civ

Defense July 27, 2021

TOKYO -- South Korean pistol shooter Jin Jong-oh fell short in his second bid for a record-setting medal in Tokyo on Tuesday, coming up empty-handed in his fifth and possibly final Olympics. Jin and his teammate Choo Ga-eun failed to make it out of the qualification round in the mixed team 10m air pistol event at Asaka Shooting Range in Tokyo. They finished the first qualification phase in ninth place with 575 points, with only the top eight moving on to the next qualification stage. The South

Olympic Games July 27, 2021

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as investor sentiment improved over optimism for strong corporate earnings. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.62 points, or 0.73 percent, to 3,248.57 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks rebounded after the KOSPI closed down nearly 1 percent the previous session on market jitters about China's clampdown on education tech firms and its property market. Local large caps of various sectors continued to report

Market July 27, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 1,300s for the second straight day Tuesday as health authorities strive to stem infections outside the greater Seoul area and the spread of the delta variant with toughened distancing measures. The country added 1,365 COVID-19 cases, including 1,276 local infections, raising the total caseload to 191,531, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload was up 47 from the previous day. The country

Social Affairs July 27, 2021

BORYEONG -- The annual Boryeong Mud Festival has been selected as one of Asia's three major festivals by an international festival association, a local government said Tuesday. According to the city government of Boryeong, about 190 kilometers south of Seoul, its popular mud festival was designated as one of the Three Major Festivals of Asia by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) Asia. The two other festivals that received recognition were the annual Harbin Internationa

Culture July 27, 2021