The liberal Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential primary race is heating up, with a young, lesser-known candidate rising prominently on his quest to challenge an older and more established longtime favorite.The runner-up opposition People’s Party on Sunday stepped up preparations for its primary rules, launching an election preparation committee, while conservative groups also jockeyed to find a strong candidate of their own in anticipation of an earlier than expected presidential election. 

Police and fire authorities said Sunday that an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fire that claimed four lives and injured 47 people on Saturday at a shopping mall in Dongtan, on Seoul’s Southern outskirts.  Police suspect a cutting machine used during the welding work may have caused the blaze. Oxygen-assisted cutting machines and gas cylinders collected from the site have been sent to the National Institute of Scientific Investigation for detailed analysis, the police sa

South Korea will check all 480,000 children set to enter elementary school this year for signs of child abuse, the Education Ministry said Sunday. “If soon-to-be enrollees are unaccounted for, failing to show up at preliminary meetings organized by their designated schools, we will visit their houses and check their living situations,” said an official from the Education Ministry.This will be the government’s first nationwide check-up of pre-school children, after a high-profile case last year r

About a month ago, South Korea’s Constitutional Court began a historic trial on President Park Geun-hye to determine whether she deserves to be removed from office.The court has so far held 10 hearings and called in 16 witnesses to find the truth behind the corruption and influence-peddling allegations that led to her parliamentary impeachment on Dec. 9.While some of the witnesses, including Park’s detained friend at the center of the scandal, Choi Soon-sil, have vehemently defended the embattle

North Korea's black economy, which is believed to have grown as a market force in recent years, helped the isolated country weather international sanctions last year, according to a researcher at South Korea's state-run think tank on Sunday.North Korea, which has been under layers of international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile program, is expected to focus on stimulating its domestic consumption this year, said Lee Jong-kyu, a researcher at the Korean Development Institute, in a

The special counsel investigating an influence-peddling scandal centered on President Park Geun-hye is seeking to have a face-to-face interrogation with her this week. It will be the first-ever prosecution enquiry of a sitting South Korean president if it is carried out as planned, officials said Sunday.Independent Counsel Park Young-soo is in talks with the president's lawyers with a plan to hold the interrogation of the president sometime between Wednesday and Friday, according to officials fr

United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has proposed maintaining around-the-clock communication with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo in a bid to tighten the countries' alliance further against North Korea, a military source said Sunday."Secretary Mattis suggested to Minister Han (they) communicate closely around the clock and all year round during their defense ministerial talks on Friday," the source said, referring to the defense chiefs' recent meeting in Seoul."Han responded that

People in South Korea took to the streets in central Seoul on Saturday calling for President Park Geun-hye's immediate resignation over an influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime friend.This massive rally marked the 14th candlelight vigil that has been held almost every weekend since the scandal broke out. The gathering resumed after a break for the Lunar New Year holiday last week.With over 2,100 civic groups claiming to join the rally, demonstrators took to the central streets of Seo

Actress Moon Geun-young received emergency surgery earlier this week to treat right-arm muscle pain and canceled her planned stage performances, her agency said Friday.Moon was diagnosed with compartment syndrome after visiting a hospital Wednesday for sudden pain in her right arm, her agency Namoo Actors said. (Yonhap)Compartment syndrome is a condition that occurs when excessive tissue pressure builds up in compartments containing muscles and nerves. It can lead to permanent muscle and nerve d

Prices of the 10 most heavily traded stocks in South Korea have soared more than 30 percent this year, reflecting strong investor appetite for issues that frequently change hands, a market tracker said Friday.According to FnGuide, prices of the main bourse's top 10 stocks in terms of cumulative turnover ratio surged an average 30.5 percent over the past one-month period.  This undated photo shows an investor watching an electronic bulletin board at a brokerage house in Seoul. (Yonhap)The turnove

South Korean shipping liner Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. said Friday that it has brought US eggs into the country to help ease a supply shortage caused by an avian influenza outbreak.A Hyundai Merchant ship carrying a total of 317,000 eggs that weigh 19 tons departed the US city of Seattle on Jan. 21 and arrived at the southern port of Busan on Tuesday, the company said. A total of 317,000 eggs shipped by South Korean shipping liner Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. await their quarantine process on Fe

South Korea's leading tire maker Hankook Tire Co. said Friday its net profit jumped nearly 30 percent from a year earlier in 2016, helped by a slight increase in sales and an apparent drop in costs.Net profit came to 853 billion won ($743.5 million) last year, up 29.9 percent from the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing. (Yonhap)Sales gained 3.1 percent on-year to 6.63 trillion won, while operating profit spiked 24.7 percent to a little over 1.1 trillion won.In the fourth quar

 Ganghwa Icefish FestivalHeld in the Hwangcheong Reservoir at the base of Deoksan Mountain and Guksusan Mountain, Ganghwa Icefish Festival is managed and sponsored by the fishery community of Hwangcheon Reservoir in Naesu-myeon. Visitors can enjoy ice-fishing and visit nearby Yongdure Village for various agricultural and traditional experiences. Admission fees is 5,000 won per person, and there is no age limit. Visiting hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and visitors can register on site.For more i

SK Innovation Co., South Korea's top oil refiner, on Friday said its earnings nearly doubled last year from a year earlier, thanks to better-than-expected results from its petrochemical business and expanded refining margin.Net profit stood at 1.72 trillion won ($1.49 billion) last year, compared with a profit of 868 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. (Yonhap)Operating income surged 63 percent on-year to reach a record 3.23 trillion won, while sales sank 18.3 pe

Lotte Group, which is to provide the site for South Korea to host an advanced US missile defense system, on Friday deferred a final decision on accepting a government-proposed land exchange.Group officials said the board of directors for Lotte International, the owner company of the golf course picked as the site, met for two hours to review exchanging the lot for land near Seoul. There was no decision from the meeting, they said. There was also no announcement of a second meeting. (Yonhap)"The

Asiana Airlines Co., South Korea's No. 2 flag carrier, said Friday that it swung to the black last year with its operating profit surging more than fivefold from a year earlier, aided by low oil prices and cost-cutting efforts.Net profit came to 54.3 billion won ($47.3 million) in 2016, a turnaround from a loss of 139.2 billion won in the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing. (Yonhap)Sales gained 4.5 percent on-year to 5.79 trillion won, but operating profit spiked 444.5 percen

The South Korean government on Friday began a safety probe on diapers from Proctor & Gamble after allegations arose that they contain toxic chemicals.The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards is taking action on rising fears at home after French media reported that the diapers had dioxin, an insecticide substance. (Yonhap)"We will investigate if there are actually toxic chemicals, and if so, how dangerous they are," an agency official said.  The agency will randomly take samples of the prod

Samsung Electronics Co. has been in discussions with Murata Manufacturing about whether the Japanese company could supply batteries for Samsung's next flagship GalaxyS8 smartphone, an industry source said Friday.  (Yonhap)The Galaxy S8 smartphone will replace Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, which was discontinued last year due to battery problems that caused some of the devices to catch fire. The discussions between Samsung and Murata recently took place, according to the source. After a months-long pr

Russia will consider taking countermeasures to protect its own security if the United States pushes ahead with its planned deployment of an advanced anti-missile system on South Korean soil, the country's top envoy in Seoul said Friday.Russian Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Timonin said that the stationing of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system on the Korean Peninsula will have a "dangerous" impact on ongoing efforts to secure regional peace and stability."We will have no choice

South Korea's prosecutors are investigating alleged stock price rigging involving a local investor, known for his stellar investment records on the secondary KOSDAQ market, sources at the financial industry said Friday.The prosecutors are tracking the man, only identified as his surname Won, after securing an arrest warrant from a Seoul court. A file photo of the KOSDAQ index (Yonhap)He is suspected of having taken huge profits by manipulating the share price of Homecast Co., a set-top box maker