Seven additional people from South Korean football club Seongnam FC have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the total caseload on the team to 22. Seongnam announced Monday that five players and two staffers have been diagnosed with COVID-19. After the first case from the K League 1 club was reported on July 11, the rest of the team received tests. The team now has 14 players and eight staffers on the COVID-19 list. Those who initially tested negative have since exhibited sympt

Soccer July 19, 2021

The Ministry of Justice on Monday gave advance notice of a revision to the civil law that would grant animals legal status as individuals with lives that deserve to be protected. The ministry said it has added the new clause, "animals are not objects," to article 82 of the Civil Code. Under the existing law, animals are identified as "an object that takes up space" and are not separated from inanimate things, so animal abusers have been punished only for damaging property i

Social Affairs July 19, 2021

LG Electronics Inc. said Monday its new compact sound bar will be available in the market as the South Korean tech giant eyes to beef up its presence in the home audio market. LG Eclair will be launched in North America later this month and will hit the shelves in major European and Asian countries. In South Korea, the premium sound bar comes with a price tag of 899,000 won ($790). The latest product, which was honored at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, is about one-third the size of a

Technology July 19, 2021

North Korea's official newspaper on Monday called for continued efforts to realize a self-reliant economy even if the situation improves, saying the country would end up subservient to others unless it is able to stand on its own. North Korea's emphasis on "self-reliance" appears intended to tighten internal discipline amid bleak economic conditions caused by prolonged global sanctions and border controls to ward off a coronavirus outbreak. "Even if the room for exchanges and co

North Korea July 19, 2021

Renault Samsung Motors Corp., the South Korean unit of Renault S.A., said Monday it has temporarily suspended its sole plant due to parts shortages. Renault Samsung will halt the Busan plant, 453 kilometers south of Seoul, from Monday to Tuesday due to lack of semiconductor parts, a company spokesman said. It is the first time for Renault Samsung to suspend the plant on a global chip shortage. In May, the company temporarily closed the plant, as its union continued strikes for a wage hike for

Mobility July 19, 2021

NARITA -- The main South Korean delegation to the Tokyo Olympics arrived in Japan on Monday, four days ahead of the opening ceremony for the competition delayed one year by the coronavirus pandemic. Jang In-hwa, head of the delegation, led a team of 69 athletes and officials from sports such as archery, gymnastics, table tennis and fencing. South Korean athletes in sailing, football and shooting, among others, traveled to Japan earlier in the month. Swimmers and badminton players arrived on Mo

Olympic Games July 19, 2021

SEJONG -- The number of discouraged workers in South Korea hit a new monthly high in June amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Monday. Asia's fourth-largest economy had 583,000 discouraged workers, up 46,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It was the largest tally for June since related data tracking began in 2014. The number has also renewed monthly highs for the 16th straight month. Discouraged workers refer to those who are curre

Social Affairs July 19, 2021

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp.'s environment friendly vehicle exports jumped 45 percent in the January-May period from a year earlier on strong demand for their hybrid sport utility vehicles. Hyundai and Kia shipped a combined 145,781 eco-friendly vehicles in the first five months, up from 100,691 units in the year-ago period, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA). Increased overseas sales of hybrid models based on Hyundai's Santa Fe and Tu

Mobility July 19, 2021

Kakao Bank, South Korea's largest internet-only bank, said Monday it will carry out a demand forecasting session this week for its planned initial public offering (IPO). Demand forecasting for domestic institutions is slated for Tuesday and Thursday, with that for overseas institutional investors set to take place Monday through Wednesday. Kakao Bank has offered an IPO price range between 33,000 won ($28.9) to 39,000 won per share, while seeking to raise up to 18.5 trillion won via the share s

Market July 19, 2021

South Korean stocks opened steeply lower Monday amid concerns of the resurgence of new coronavirus cases. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slumped 32.26 points, or 0.98 percent, to 3,244.65 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks retreated as the fourth wave of the new COVID-19 at home weakened investor sentiment for risky assets. The infection of 247 South Korean sailors in waters off Africa -- the worst mass infection case in the virus' recent resurgence --

Market July 19, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell slightly Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but the daily caseload has stayed above 1,000 for nearly two weeks. prompting authorities to tighten virus curbs across the nation to contain the spread ahead of the summer holiday season. The country added 1,252 COVID-19 cases, including 1,208 local infections, raising the total caseload to 179,203, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure was down

Social Affairs July 19, 2021

Defense Minister Suh Wook on Monday named a Navy colonel as a special prosecutor for the investigation into the death of an Air Force sexual harassment victim, the defense ministry said. The appointment of Col. Ko Min-sook -- the first of its kind since the founding of the country's armed forces -- came as the bereaved family has raised complaints that the ongoing probe is not thorough enough. The master sergeant, surnamed Lee, took her own life in May, about three months after being sexually

Politics July 19, 2021

The importance of the first game in South Korea's Olympic baseball title defense isn't lost on manager Kim Kyung-moon. South Korea's first game in Group B is against Israel on July 29. On paper, the third-ranked South Korea should have little trouble against the 24th-ranked Israel. But Kim thinks South Korea will be in trouble if his players take their opponent lightly. In particular, Kim said his hitters should be on guard against Israeli pitching. That's the preliminary report he received fr

Olympic Games July 19, 2021

A total of 247 sailors of South Korea's 301-strong Cheonghae unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday, in the worst-ever mass infection among service members. An additional 179 members have newly tested positive after 68 were confirmed to have been infected as of Sunday, the JCS said. The unit first reported six COVID-19 cases last week and conducted virus tests on all of its members. "Test re

Politics July 19, 2021

SEOUL/TOKYO -- President Moon Jae-in has decided not to visit Japan this week, as no satisfactory accomplishment is expected in proposed summit talks, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. Moon had considered a trip to Tokyo for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday. South Korea and Japan had consultations on the possibility of holding the first face-to-face summit between Moon and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on the occasion. The two sides "had meaningful discussions on progress

Politics July 19, 2021