The parliamentary budget committee on Saturday referred an extra budget bill to its subcommittee for fine-tuning, accelerating its deliberations with the end of the current legislative session just three days away.The National Assembly's long-delayed review of the 11.2 trillion won ($9.8 billion) budget began in earnest Friday when three opposition parties lifted their parliamentary boycott a day after President Moon Jae-in's disputed pick for labor minister quit.The liberal president, who took

South Korea's vice foreign minister has asked for Sweden's cooperation in tackling North Korea's nuclear issue during a bilateral policy consultation meeting, the foreign ministry here said Saturday.Lim Sung-nam held the meeting with his Swedish counterpart Annika Soder in Stockholm Friday (Sweden time), where he explained the new Seoul government's policy to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.South Korea`s Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam (R) speaks with his Swedish counterpa

WASHINGTON -- The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a defense bill calling for increased spending on missile defense programs amid North Korea's evolving threats.The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (H.R. 2810) passed 344-81 to order $696 billion for defense in the fiscal year 2018, including some $12.5 billion for missile defense programs."The Committee continues to be a strong supporter of a robust missile defense program given the increasing threats against o

PAJU -- South Korea's new Defense Minister, Song Young-moo, on Saturday called for strong and overwhelming military readiness when he met soldiers guarding the heavily armed Korean Demilitarized Zone. A day after taking office, Song visited the truce village of Panmunjom and met with soldiers from South Korea and US-led United Nations Command protecting the border.  New Defense Minister Song Young-moo (L) visits the Demilitarized Zone on July 15, 2017. (Yonhap)Song asked soldiers to stably manag

South Korean baseball veteran Kim Sang-hyun has been ruled eligible to return to the top professional league a year after an off-field incident forced him out of competition.The KT Wiz in the Korea Baseball Organization said Friday they will reinstate Kim, 36, from their restricted list and then will waive him.The Wiz placed Kim on that list on July 13 last year, after Kim was charged with engaging in lewd conduct in public. Players on the restricted list are ineligible to perform anywhere in th

An Asiana Airlines jet with 176 passengers on board has landed safely after the plane's nose cone was damaged by a hailstorm in South Korea, airline officials said Saturday.Asiana Airlines flight 8234 was en route from the southern resort island of Jeju to the city of Cheongju, about 120 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday afternoon when the incident took place.  (Yonhap)When the Airbus 321 jet approached the Cheongju airport, it was hit by hailstorm, officials said. No injuries were reported.

The South Korean men's national football team will depart for Uzbekistan for a crucial World Cup qualifier earlier than scheduled to ensure thorough preparation, the sport's national federation said Friday.South Korea will take on Uzbekistan on Sept. 5 at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent. The Korea Football Association said the national team had been set to depart for Uzbekistan on Sept. 3, but it decided to fly out on Sept. 1 instead. The match will be the final one for both nations in the current

DAEGU -- Two of South Korean baseball's biggest sluggers led their team to victory at the annual Korea Baseball Organization All-Star Game on Saturday.Choi Jeong of the SK Wyverns and Lee Dae-ho of the Lotte Giants each belted two home runs, as their Dream Team defeated the Nanum Team 13-8 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Choi got the All-Star Game MVP honors, earning 40 out of 53 votes from the media after going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs sco

DAEGU -- The greatest slugger ever in South Korean baseball played in his final All-Star Game before home fans on Saturday, picking up a double while doing everything in his power to deflect attention from himself.Lee Seung-yuop of the Samsung Lions was 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI, as his Dream Team defeated the Nanum Team 13-8 in the annual Korea Baseball Organization All-Star Game. The midsummer classic was played at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, the home park of the Lions located in

Tension over North Korea's recent launch of a ballistic missile with intercontinental range will likely raise the possibility of economic and financial risks in the Asia-Pacific region, a global ratings appraiser said Sunday."Developments in the Korean Peninsula have raised the risk of a military conflict that could have significant negative economic and financial impact across the Asia-Pacific," S&P Global Ratings said in its latest report. "Asia-Pacific sovereign credit quality faces risks fro

GYEONGJU -- South Korea's nuclear power operator failed to hold a board meeting on Thursday to touch on the issue of suspending the construction of two planned nuclear power plants due to stiff opposition from union members.The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. board had to call off the planned meeting as seven of the 13 board members were unable to enter the headquarters building in Gyeongju, 371 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Unionized workers of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co.. stop board m

Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor Co. will vote on whether to stage a walkout as they press for more wages and benefits, the company and its union said Thursday.The two-day vote comes as the country's largest carmaker by sales struggles with slowing sales in major markets such as China and the United States. Members of Hyundai's 51,000-strong union will cast their votes by 1 p.m. Friday, with the results to be made available at 8-9 p.m. "We will stage a strike if ongoing negotiations with manag

The government's move to ban identification photos on all public sector resumes is facing angry backlash from local photo studio owners worried about a dive in sales.Members of an association of private photo studio owners held a rally Thursday in front of the office of President Moon Jae-in's power transition team in downtown Seoul, insisting that the ongoing push for the resume photo ban in the public sector will threaten the livelihoods of about 300,000 photo studios nationwide.The protest ra

South Korean stocks closed at a record-high level on Thursday as investors' sentiment was boosted by overnight gains on Wall Street. The Korean won gained against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index soared 17.72 points, or 0.74 percent, to close at a fresh record high of 2,409.49. Trade volume was low at 284 million shares worth 6.05 trillion won ($5.32 billion), with gainers slightly outnumbering losers 397 to 396.The index reached an all-time intraday high of 2.422.26

DANDONG -- Buses in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong bordering North Korea, have introduced a Korean-language service for the first time, a local Internet news organ reported Thursday, drawing attention to the reason behind the step. "Dandong began Korean-language service in buses Nos. 101, 102, 103 and 106 for South and North Korean residents and Chinese-Koreans in the city, starting this month," Dangdong News Network said. In addition, some bus stops set up bus route signs in Korean, t

South Korea's electricity demand is expected to increase at a slower pace than in the past, local experts said Thursday.The electricity usage for the 2017-2031 period is forecast to be smaller than the previous forecast that covers 2015 through 2029, the experts said. (Yonhap)The forecast was made by the group of civilian experts, including energy university professors, designated by the government. The government maps out a long-term energy plan for the time span of 15 years biennially so as to

Hundreds of employees of Kumho Tire Co. on Thursday held a rally against plans by creditors to sell the company to China's Qingdao Doublestar.About 750 workers held separate rallies at the company headquarters in Seoul and an R&D center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, demanding creditors led by the state-run Korea Development Bank stop the sales process. (Yonhap)"The creditors are trying to sell our company to Doublestar, which is inferior in every aspect, including size, technology and marketing,

South Korea's state-run Korea Development Bank said Thursday it plans to invest $130 million into a Chinese project for the expansion of the Haikou Meilan International Airport.KDB will set up a private equity fund to make the investment, the bank said. China's central economic planner approved the project in 2015 to expand the airport in the southern island province of Hainan. (Yonhap)The project is a part of China's massive "One Belt, One Road" infrastructure drive that aims to increase its ec

South Korea's exports of petroleum products and refined oils rose sharply in the first six months of the year on rising crude prices, customs data showed Thursday.A total of $16.69 billion worth of petroleum products were shipped overseas during the January-June period, up 36.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service. The volume of such exported goods also rose 1.7 percent to 32.93 million tons over the cited period.Asia's fourth-largest economy saw its en

South Korea's financial regulator said Thursday it will require fintech firms to come up with measures to deal with terrorist financing, in line with an agreement reached at the recent Group of 20 summit. About 40 fintech firms in South Korea are expected to launch international money transfer services for small funds on Aug. 15. During the G-20 summit in Germany, leaders of the world's top economies agreed to step up efforts to tackle the financing of terrorist groups.  G-20 summit in Germany.