South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, tracking gains on Wall Street. The won traded lower against the dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 5.48 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,376.38.On Monday (US time), the Dow Jones industrial average moved up 0.68 percent to end at 21,528.99, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also advanced 1.42 percent to 6,239.01.Large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 1.59 percent, and major chipm

Market June 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Monday denounced North Korea as "a brutal regime" after the death of a 22-year-old US student released by the reclusive country in a coma last week.Speaking moments after news of Otto Warmbier's death was announced publicly, Trump hit out at Pyongyang. US President Donald Trump (AFP-Yonhap)"It's a brutal regime," the president said during a White House event. "Bad things happened but at least we got him home to his parents."In a separate written stateme

North Korea June 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Ramping up pressure on North Korea will be a key topic for this week's high-level security talks with China that will bring together the top diplomats and defense chiefs of the two countries, a senior State Department official said Monday.Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the remark during a conference call briefing to preview the inaugural Diplomatic and Security Dialogue set for Wednesday.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

North Korea June 20, 2017

A special foreign affairs adviser to President Moon Jae-in on Monday stuck to his call for South Korea and the US to consider scaling back joint military exercises in exchange for North Korea's nuclear freeze, saying negotiation is about "give and take."Moon Chung-in, a Yonsei University professor, raised the eyebrows of opposition parties and conservatives in South Korea with the proposal for downsizing military drills that the North has long denounced as a rehearsal for invasion. (Yonhap)He br

Politics June 20, 2017

Prosecutors on Monday cleared a former president of the city-run orchestra of sexual harassment and verbal abuse charges, putting an end to a scandal that plagued the classical music foundation for the last few years. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dropped the charges against Park Hyun-jung, who was accused of repeated sexual and verbal assaults on her staff at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, citing a lack of evidence.  This file photo, dated April 19, 2016, shows former Seoul

Social Affairs June 20, 2017

South Korea's pro football league said Monday that a video review system will be implemented next month to reduce refereeing mistakes and enhance the quality of matches.The K League, the operator of the pro football competitions, said the video assistant referee system will be adopted July 1 in its first division K League Classic after going through a three-month test. The International Football Association Board, the Swiss-based body that determines football rules, approved the K League's test

Soccer June 19, 2017

The southern resort island of Jeju was the most searched tourist destination by South Koreans in May amid unseasonably hot weather, industry data showed Monday. According to world's leading hotel price comparison site HotelsCombined, the most frequently searched region via its Korean website in May was Jeju Island with 14.6 percent, followed by Seoul with 9.3 percent. Tourists walk on a beach on the southern resort island of Jeju on May 7, 2017, the final day of a "golden holiday week" in South

Travel June 19, 2017

Seoul's taxi companies will be obliged to have their drivers wear uniforms, starting this fall, under the metropolitan government's effort to boost the city's image among visitors, municipal officials said Monday.The Seoul metropolitan government and labor and management of the city's 255 taxi companies have recently reached an agreement to reintroduce the driver uniform after the system was abolished in November 2011 in favor of a free dress code, said the officials. Uniform candidates for the

Social Affairs June 19, 2017

South Korea's spy agency on Monday launched an in-house reform committee to head its efforts to insulate itself from politics and regain public trust.The National Intelligence Service committee set up two task forces under its wing each tasked with probing the agency's illegal involvement in domestic politics and overhauling its organizations, it said.The reform of the NIS was one of President Moon Jae-in's election pledges. Moon seeks to prohibit the spy agency from meddling in internal politic

Politics June 19, 2017

President Moon Jae-in's policy advisory panel said Monday that the government will seek to introduce an enhanced public defender system to offer legal aid to low-income citizens in criminal cases starting in the investigation phase.The move is in line with Moon's pledge to strengthen the protection of citizens' human rights. Park Kwang-on, the spokesman for the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, speaks during a press conference at its office in Seoul on June 4, 2017. (Yonhap)Park Kwang-o

Social Affairs June 19, 2017

Korea Post said Monday it will increase the number of postman by 100 during the latter half of this year to help reduce the workload of existing personnel in the crowded new towns near Seoul.About 7,000 postmen, 46 percent of the total 15,582, currently work more than 52 hours per week due to heavy workload, although current law stipulates a maximum of 52 hours work per week. A group of postmen stage a rally in downtown Seoul on June 18, 2017, to demand an increase in manpower. (Yonhap)"We will

Social Affairs June 19, 2017

The parliamentary speaker on Monday cautioned the presidential office not to play down the significance of confirmation hearings for Cabinet nominees even though the legislature's consent is not a requisite to their appointments.Amid a deepening standoff over President Moon Jae-in's nominees, Speaker Chung Sye-kyun also urged opposition parties to separate the appointment issues from other legislative affairs on policies.National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun (center) and the floor leaders of

Politics June 19, 2017

South Korea on Monday refuted North Korea's claim that Pyongyang's nuclear issue is a matter that can only be discussed with the United States.North Korea's propaganda website Uriminzokkiri said that Pyongyang and Washington are the only stakeholders in the nuclear issue, claiming that Seoul has no say. An image of South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)"As six countries were parties to the six-party denuclearization talks, North Korea's nuclear iss

North Korea June 19, 2017

It is necessary to "sternly" respond to North Korea's provocations, but all options should be on the table to denuclearize it, including sanctions and dialogue, South Korea's new top diplomat said Monday.In her inauguration speech, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha also underlined the need for South Korea to get more actively involved in resolving the nuclear stalemate while further strengthening the alliance with the United States."(We) should sternly respond to provocations, but all options shou

North Korea June 19, 2017