After five years of implementation, it is a good time for the United States and South Korea to review their bilateral free trade agreement and improve it through renegotiation, a top adviser to US President Donald Trump said.Heritage Foundation founder Edwin Feulner, who served as a senior adviser to Trump's transition team, made the remark in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News Television, corroborating concern that renegotiation of the trade deal is inevitable. Edwin

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday called emphatically for NATO members to meet their defense spending obligations, warning that the US could "moderate its commitment to this alliance" unless they do so."No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defense of western values. Americans cannot care more for your children's future security than you do," Mattis said in a speech to NATO defense ministers at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, according to text of

The assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother thrust national security to the forefront of the agenda of South Korea's unfolding presidential competition on Wednesday.Presidential hopefuls from ruling and opposition camps united in condemning North Korea but stuck different tones on how to deal with the unpredictable regime.   (Yonhap)Conservative contenders from the ruling Liberty Korea Party and the splinter Bareun Party said the killing of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia on Mon

KB Financial Group said Wednesday it has opened a third bank branch in Cambodia in the latest move to strengthen its business in the Southeast Asian country.The opening of the KB Kookmin Bank branch earlier in the day drew some 100 local and South Koreans, including KB Financial Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo, according to KB Financial. KB Financial Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo (2nd from left) attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of the third branch of KB Kookmin Bank in Toul Tom Poung in southw

The Hyundai Ioniq electric vehicle has been named the greenest car in the United States, beating its global rivals the BMW i3 and the Toyota Prius Eco, the South Korean manufacturer of the car, Hyundai Motor Co., said Wednesday.The Ioniq Electric topped a list of environmentally friendly vehicles sold in the United States that was put together by a non-profit organization, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The Hyundai Ioniq Electric Vehicle (Hyundai Motor)The list, posted on

An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's decision to fine a ruling party lawmaker for providing false information to voters ahead of the parliamentary elections last year.The Seoul High Court dismissed the appeal by Rep. Ham Jin-gyu of the Liberty Korea Party and ordered him to pay a 900,000 won($787) fine -- 100,000 won shy of the amount that may cause him to lose his parliamentary seat under the Public Official Election Act. This photo, taken on Jan. 26, 2017, shows Rep. Ham Jin-gy

South Korea's finance minister promised Wednesday to bolster efforts to help local companies obtain more overseas deals in a bid to prop up their growth."The ministry will make utmost efforts for a turnaround in local firms' overseas contracts over the next three years as a way of bringing new momentum to our economy," Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said during a visit to a Hyundai Elevator plant in Icheon, south of Seoul.  Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho talks with an official while paying a visit to Hy

Doosan Bobcat Inc., a construction equipment unit of Doosan Group, said Wednesday that its earnings spiked 22 percent last year from a year earlier, largely due to an increase in sales of high-priced products.Net profit reached 180 billion won ($158 million) last year, up 21.7 percent from a profit of 148 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. (Yonhap)Operating income surged 7.4 percent on-year to 414 billion won last year, while sales fell 2.2 percent to reach 3.95

A virtual reality cafe opened Wednesday in western Seoul in partnership between a PC manufacturer and VR content provider who are collaborating on a joint project for business expansion.The cafe, named VRIZ, opened near Hongik University campus that has one of the highest foot traffic in the capital. It will be operated by PC maker Jooyon Tech Co. with YJM Games supplying VR games and other related contents. (Yonhap)While there are other VR-focused businesses in major cities that set up shop fro

A state-funded research institute said Wednesday that it has developed new anti-counterfeit technology to create unforgeable laser-induced patterns that can be applied to various products such as watches and checks.The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials said it has successfully engraved the micro-sized patterns with a hole that is smaller than 10 micrometers by using two laser beams. (Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning)So far, it was virtually impossible to create such micro-si

South Korea's household loans jumped 12 percent last year from a year earlier as people borrowed more from financial institutions to buy homes and invest in businesses, the central bank said Wednesday.The outstanding loans extended to households came to 1,154.6 trillion won ($1.01 trillion) as of the end of December last year, compared with 1,030.6 trillion won from a year earlier, the Bank of Korea said in a report submitted to the parliament. (Yonhap)South Korean officials view an increase in

A group of South Korean researchers have discovered a bioactive compound that has a negative effect on the growth of the Zika virus that's been breaking out in Latin America over the last two years, a state-run university said Wednesday.The group, led by Kim Do-man, a professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology, found out that myricetin, a flavonoid found in teas, fruits and plants, inhibits the NS2B-NS3 protease, which enables the virus to s

The state safety agency on Wednesday announced a recall of products from 45 companies, including a number of items used and worn by children from famous foreign labels.The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards said an inspection carried out from November to January found harmful substances in 47 products from the companies. Those for children included fabrics, sports goods and educational toys, it said.(Yonhap)A children's cap from Crocs for Kids was detected to have plasticizer at an amoun

South Korea's top diplomat said Wednesday that he will work to raise the awareness of the gravity and urgency of North Korea's nuclear threats during international events to be held in Germany this week.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is to leave for Bonn where a foreign ministers' meeting of a group of 20 countries will kick off on Thursday for a two-day run. He will also attend the Munich Security Conference that follows later in the week.   Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)Yun is seeking t

The chief of South Korea's spy agency on Wednesday confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother was murdered with poison in Malaysia.National Intelligence Service Director Lee Byong-ho told lawmakers that for the past five years Pyongyang has been attempting to assassinate Kim Jong-nam, who was under the protection of the Chinese government.People watch a TV broadcast announcing the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam, at Seoul Station on

SBS TV's mystery crime thriller "Defendant" further emboldened its lead in the Monday-Tuesday drama race, with the show's rating rising above 25 percent among Seoul households, data showed Wednesday. (SBS)Tuesday night's eighth episode of "Defendant" recorded 25.2 percent viewership in Seoul, according to Nielsen Korea. The show's overall national rating rose to 22.2 percent.Rival shows "Rebel: A Thief Who Stole The People" and "Hwarang" both lost ground from a day before, falling to 10.6 percen

South Korea's ruling Liberty Korea Party on Wednesday urged the government to expand protection for a former North Korean embassy minister posted to London who defected to Seoul last year, after reports showed North Korean leader's half brother was killed in Malaysia."Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and the government must keep a watchful eye on North Korea's movements," Rep. Chung Woo-taik, the floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, said. "We also must bolster protection of

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday cautioned against any negligence in investing for the future, underscoring the need for South Korea to capitalize on its technological edge to nurture new growth engines.During a joint session held by the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, and the state science and technology strategy panel, Hwang also reiterated that the government has to further strengthen support for startups through a policy initiative that

An advanced US Navy ship that tracks and monitors ballistic missiles arrived in South Korea's southern port city of Busan on Wednesday, the Seoul military said. The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen pulled into port three days after North Korea test-fired a newly developed intermediate-range ballistic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine which is more powerful and harder to detect than a liquid-fueled rocket.This photo taken on Feb. 15, 2017, shows the The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25) anchored in

South Korea's transport ministry said Wednesday it has ordered seven companies to recall a total of 2,721 units of 33 models of foreign vehicles for certain defects.The recall affects 1,357 units of the 320i and 16 other BMW models built between June 8, 2000 and January 30, 2003 as they could be equipped with Japan's Takata air bag inflators during repair work. (Yonhap)Takata Corporation said on its website last year that certain inflator ruptures are caused by a combination of long-term exposur