Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Friday voiced hopes for deeper ties between South Korea and Peru based on "multifaceted" bilateral cooperation triggered by their free trade agreement which took effect in 2011.Lee made the remarks during his meeting with Peruvian Second Vice President Mercedes Rosalba Araoz Fernandez. She was in Seoul to attend a forum on future cooperation between Korea and Central and South America. South Korea`s Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (right) shakes hands with Peruvian Secon

South Korean budget carrier T'way Air Co. on Friday began flight service between Jeju Island and Japanese city of Osaka, a move aimed at capitalizing on growing low-cost travel demand during the peak summer season. As part of its push to expand its services, T'way Air said it will also start other international routes from Busan to Osaka and Vietnam's Da Nang on Saturday.The move comes as many South Koreans are choosing to go to Japan and Southeast Asian countries for their summer holidays over

Nearly 80 percent of South Korean salaried workers expect their jobs to be affected in some way by the "Fourth Industrial Revolution," a survey here showed Friday. In a poll conducted by Hunet, a local education company, 75 percent of 691 salaried workers replied that the industrial wave will have an impact on their work environment. But only 17 percent of the respondents said they were familiar with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it would change the overall economy. The industrial rev

The number of foreign stock investors registered in South Korea rose slightly in May, with Americans accounting for the lion's share, the country's financial watchdog said Friday. The number of overseas investors who were registered in the Financial Supervisory Service reached 43,943 as of end-March, up 646 from end-December, according to the watchdog.Among them, retail and institutional investors totaled 10,883 and 33,060, respectively, as of March, up 120 and 526 from the end of December.By co

Renault Samsung Motors Corp., the South Korean unit of French automaker Renault S.A., said Friday it aims to export 40,000 units of its QM6 SUV this year. Renault Samsung began to sell the flagship QM6 SUV in the markets, such as Latin America, Australia and the Middle East, in June last year. In September, the QM6 SUV was launched domestically, a company spokesman said. A QM6 SUV is getting ready to be shipped for sale in Europe at a port in Changwon, 398 kilometers southeast of Seoul on June 3

South Korea's main stock index declined on Friday, driven by the sell-offs by foreign and institutional investors with risk aversion on the rise. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 3.87 points, or 0.16 percent, to close at 2,391.79. Trade volume was moderate at 332 million shares worth 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion). The local stock market opened lower, tracking declines on the Wall Street overnight. However, the main stock index, w

South Korea's finance minister said Friday that he has no immediate plan to raise the current economic growth forecast of 2.6 percent despite an uptick in exports and world trade."If the supplementary budget is approved and implemented in a timely manner and we see its effect, the growth rate can probably go up," Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon told reporters after an event held in Goyang on the northern outskirts of Seoul. The government submitted an 11.2 trillion won ($9.8 billion) ex

Allianz Life Korea said Friday it has appointed Sun Lei as its new head in a reshuffle that also affected its chief financial officer.Sun served in senior posts in the actuary, product, risk and finance divisions at Allianz Asia Pacific, Taiwan and China before joining Allianz Life Korea as CFO in 2013.The insurer said it named Roy Guo as its new CFO. Roy worked as an investment, economic specialist and financial analyst in the China Shenzhen Mercantile Exchange and Canada Sun Life Financial.Las

Jin Air Co., one of South Korea's biggest budget carriers, on Friday opened a new route to Jeju Island to capitalize on growing low-cost travel demand during the peak summer season.The low-cost carrier has allocated a 189-seat B737-800 jet to serve the Gwangju-Jeju route two times a day, the airline said in a statement.  A Jin Air B737-800 passenger jet takes off from a runway in this undated photo. (Photo courtesy of Jin Air)It currently operates three flights between the resort island and thre

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon tried Friday to calm worries over a government plan to give "citizen jurors" the final say over the fate of two nuclear reactors, whose construction has recently been suspended by the new liberal administration.During a meeting with reporters marking his 100 days in office, Lee said that the jurors -- albeit not experts -- will make their decision based on "sound common sense" after sufficiently listening to both supporters and opponents.   Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon s

North Korea condemned the United States Friday for designating it as one of the worst countries sponsoring human trafficking.State Department's annual report on human trafficking released on Tuesday placed the North on a list of the world's worst state sponsors of the crime for the 15th straight year. "The release of the report reflected the Trump administration's reckless scheme to stifle North Korea," a spokesman of North Korea's foreign ministry was quoted as saying by the country's official

WASHINGTON  -- US President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and travelers from six mainly Muslim countries went into effect late Thursday, after a Supreme Court decision allowed it to go forward following a five-month battle with rights groups.The Trump administration says the temporary ban is necessary to block terrorists from entering the country, but immigrant advocates charge that it illegally singles out Muslims.The 90-day ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, an

BERLIN -- European leaders said Thursday they are ready to defend the Paris climate accord and free trade when they face President Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was “more determined than ever” to see the climate deal succeed.The Trump administration’s “America First” approach to trade has caused widespread concern internationally, as has its decision to pull out of the Paris accord. Trump announced the withdrawal shortly after returning from

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump unleashed a brutal personal attack Thursday on respected female television host Mika Brzezinski, sparking an instant backlash, in the latest stunning salvo in the president‘s ongoing war with the media.Trump’s Twitter outburst -- in which he describes the journalist “bleeding badly from a facelift” -- appears to have been triggered by Brzezinski‘s sharp comments during the morning show she co-hosts with Joe Scarborough on the left-leaning MSNBC network.Mika Brzezinski

HONG KONG -- Tanks, missile launchers and chanting troops greeted President Xi Jinping in a potent display of Chinese military might Friday as part of his landmark visit to politically divided Hong Kong.The show of force came hours after activists were released from police custody after being arrested over a protest.Xi arrived in the city on Thursday to mark 20 years since Hong Kong was returned to China by Britain, with authorities desperate to stick to the script during anniversary celebration

The average ages of both South Korean men and women at the time of their first marriage have risen over the past decade, an industry report showed Friday.According to the report by local matchmaking firm Duo, the average age of men who tied the knot stood at 36 years. The tally is based on data collected on clients of the matchmaking company between June 2015 and May 2017. (Photo courtesy of Duo)The two-year average marked an increase from 33.4 years tallied 10 years earlier.The report also show

More than 250 medical doctors and health care providers from South Korea and the United States gathered in Seoul on Friday to discuss ways to pursue innovations as the economies around the world embrace the fourth industrial revolution.The annul Healthcare Innovation Seminar, hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, brought together leading experts from government, academia and industries as the world undergoes rapid changes.Among the attendees are South Korean Health and Welfare Min

South Korean shares traded lower late Friday morning, as investors opted to cash in part of their recent gains.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 10.34 points, or 0.43 percent, to 2,385.32 as of 11:20 a.m.Large caps traded mixed with market kingpin Samsung Electronics falling 1.34 percent, and global chipmaker SK hynix down 1.75 percent.Top automaker Hyundai Motor fell 0.93 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors traded 0.66 percent lower.POSCO, the No. 1 steelmaker, adva

South Korea on Friday expressed concerns that some foreign media outlets' "groundless" reports could hamper inter-Korean relations, apparently pointing to a Japanese report on Seoul's alleged attempt to implement regime change in North Korea.Japan's Asahi Shimbun said Monday that the administration of former South Korean Park Geun-hye attempted to change the North Korean regime, including a possible plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)"There are concerns that some errone

Officials from South Korea and Japan have discussed bilateral collaboration on environmental issues, the foreign ministry here said Friday.In the 19th meeting of the countries' joint environmental cooperation committee held a day earlier in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, the two sides discussed cooperation in removing maritime trash and protecting migratory birds, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Yonhap)Also on the agenda was regional and multilateral coope