More than 7 out of 10 South Koreans no longer listen to music on CDs as consumers increasingly turn to smartphones and computers, a poll showed Sunday.The Korea Creative Content Agency released the results of its 2016 survey of 1,200 Koreans aged between 10 and 59 on their music listening habits, which allowed multiple responses.According to the survey, included in the "2016 Music Industry White Paper," 91 percent of the people listen to music on their smartphones, followed by television (78.8 p

Culture June 18, 2017

South Korea issued heat wave alerts nationwide for the third straight day Sunday, with the mercury expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions.The Korea Meteorological Administration issued heat wave warnings in parts of North Gyeongsang Province in the southeastern part of the country as of 11 a.m. (Yonhap)Several other towns in the province were placed under heat wave advisories.Heat wave warnings are issued when the daily high is expected to stay above 35 C fo

Social Affairs June 18, 2017

WASHINGTON -- South Korea may consult with the United States about scaling back joint military exercises, such as downsizing the deployment of American strategic assets, if North Korea suspends nuclear and missile activities, an adviser to President Moon Jae-in said Friday.Moon Chung-in, a foreign affairs scholar and special presidential adviser, made the remark during a Wilson Center seminar in Washington, saying President Moon has proposed the idea as part of an incremental solution to the nuc

Defense June 18, 2017

A political standoff over President Moon Jae-in's controversial personnel choices is expected to continue next week as opposition parties remain adamantly opposed to some nominees under fire for alleged ethical lapses.The standoff has stoked fears that Moon's efforts to quickly round out his new government and secure parliamentary approval for an extra budget and administration reorganization could be undermined.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party, in particular, called for the withdrawal of

Politics June 18, 2017

WASHINGTON -- North Korea should denuclearize if the United States is to open talks with the communist nation, the State Department spokesperson said, after President Moon Jae-in expressed a willingness to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang if it refrains from additional provocations. (Yonhap)"Our position has not changed. For the DPRK, for us to engage in talks with the DPRK, they would have to denuclearize. And that is not something we're seeing them take any steps to do so," State Depart

North Korea June 18, 2017

South Korea's government is drawing fire for stripping a Paralympic gold medal winner of basic state subsidies for livelihood stability, critics said Saturday.The controversial policy came to light after Chung Ho-won, a disabled resident of Sokcho on the east coast, said he lost his status as the beneficiary of basic livelihood security aid after winning a boccia gold medal at the Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August last year.Boccia is a competitive sport practiced by people

More Sports June 18, 2017

South Korea's oldest nuclear reactor suspended its power supply operations Saturday as a first step toward its permanent shutdown.The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. said it cut off the power supply line of the Kori-1 reactor as of 6 p.m. and began cooling down the reactor in earnest. Kori nuclear power plant (Yonhap)The temperature of the reactor is expected to drop to 90 C at midnight Sunday from the current 300 C, and will gradually go down further.When it reaches 90 C, the reactor will be of

Industry June 18, 2017

South Korea's new maritime minister on Saturday promised a "new approach" toward the long drawn out search for the remains of nine missing victims believed to be still trapped in a ferry that sank three years ago.Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young-choon visited a dock in Mokpo, a southwestern port city, where search operations are under way.Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young-choon (right) talks to an official during a visit to the dock where the salvaged Sewol ferry is placed in Mokpo,

Social Affairs June 18, 2017

A North Korean man defected to South Korea on Sunday after crossing the border, Seoul's military said.He was spotted at the northern part of the mouth of the Han River in Gimpo, just west of Seoul, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.(Yonhap)The JCS said the man, in his early 20s, was spotted around 2:30 a.m. Sunday near the observation post of the Second Marine Division. Questioning is under way to find out what caused him to flee to the South.The man is said to have swum his way south w

North Korea June 18, 2017

South Korea's defense ministry will soon launch a task force to craft a draft military reform plan in line with President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledges, officials said Sunday.Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk will lead the group to be created later this month. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a visit to the defense ministry on May 17, 2017. (Yonhap)It plans to draw up a report on defense reform measures and report it to a related special committee expected to be established under the presid

Defense June 18, 2017

South Korea's National Intelligence Service said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has cut his public activities significantly as he firmed up his grip on power.In its briefing to the National Assembly's intelligence committee, the NIS also said that the reclusive leader has been engrossed with gleaning intelligence on the South's military operations plan to "decapitate" the North Korean leadership. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (KCNA-Yonhap) (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea.

North Korea June 15, 2017

South Korea condemned Thursday the Japanese government's recent order to its foreign missions to report maps with markings of Dokdo, the Korean name of the islets to which the country lays territorial claim. Japan's Kyodo News reported last week that the government posted messages on the websites of its 70-something overseas diplomatic missions, urging readers to report to the embassies if they see any maps or publications in which the islets are named Dokdo or its surrounding waters as the East

Foreign Affairs June 15, 2017

A new helipad has been built at North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's lakeside villa, a news report said Thursday, citing an analysis of satellite imagery.Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins SAIS, discovered the new structure in imagery of the villa taken on April 2, according to Washington-based Radio Free Asia. These images captured from Google Earth and provided by Curtis Melvin to RFA show North Korean leader Kim Jong-un`s villa before (right) and after the hel

North Korea June 15, 2017

Thomas Shannon, US undersecretary of state for political affairs, paid his respects to a South Korean soldier killed in Afghanistan a decade ago during his trip here earlier this week, the US Embassy said Thursday.On its Facebook account, the embassy posted photos of Shannon paying tribute to Army Ssg. Yoon Jang-ho in front of a stone monument for him at the US military base in Yongsan, central Seoul. Thomas Shannon, US undersecretary of state for political affairs, pays his respects to Ssg. Yoo

Foreign Affairs June 15, 2017

South Korea's vice unification minister said Thursday that the government will seek to improve strained inter-Korean ties in close cooperation with the United States.Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung made the remark in his meeting with Thomas Shannon, undersecretary of state for political affairs, in Seoul to exchange views about North Korea, according to the Ministry of Unification. Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung (right) and Thomas Shannon, US undersecretary of state for politica

Foreign Affairs June 15, 2017