Heavy snow pounded central South Korea, including the capital city of Seoul, overnight on Friday, leading to traffic and flight disruptions.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Seoul had received a total of 6.3 centimeters of snow as of 7 a.m.Incheon, west of Seoul, had 8 centimeters of snow, with numbers for Suwon reaching 7 centimeters.The snow warning issued by the weather authority is expected to expand to the southern part of the country as well.(Yonhap)More than 150 flight

The United States is prepared for any North Korean missile launch, including the possibility of shooting it down if it were coming toward the USor allies, the Pentagon said Thursday.Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook made the remark after the US and South Korea picked up signs that the North has readied two new ballistic missiles with an intercontinental range for possible test-firing from mobile launchers.The move suggests the North could carry out a threatened ICBM test earlier than expected.

A series of new shipbuilding orders in recent weeks have raised hopes of recovery in South Korea's troubled shipbuilding industry, boosted by rising oil prices and a global supply shortage of new ships. Samsung Heavy Industries Co. said this week that it had won a $230 million deal to build a floating storage and regasification ship.This photo shows a floating production unit (Samsung Heavy Industries Co.)Under the deal with Norway-based Hoegh LNG Holdings Ltd., the shipyard will build the vesse

North Korea on Thursday lashed out at US Secretary of State John Kerry for what it claimed to be his attempt to undermine the dignity of its leadership, while also accusing him of driving the US-North Korea relationship to the worst possible state."The rubbish made by bete noire Kerry against the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK is nothing but a shriek made by the wretched one bound for ruin after sustaining only bitter defeat and shame in the stand-off with the DPRK, failing to rea

President Park Geun-hye has a mobile phone under a borrowed name, a former aide said during her impeachment trial Thursday, revealing an act that is punishable by law.Jeong Ho-seong, a former presidential secretary, made the revelation while testifying at the Constitutional Court about an influence-peddling scandal centered on Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil.According to Jeong, Park used such a phone even as a lawmaker prior to becoming president out of concerns about wiretapping and security

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's aggressive drive to build grassroots support took on more political overtones on Thursday as the potential presidential contender met with a former conservative leader.Ban paid a courtesy call to Lee Myung-bak, the country's only living former president with some -- albeit feeble -- influence in the country's politics, sparking speculation that he would soon engage in a full-fledged political campaign to boost his presidential prospects.The meeting follo

South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday said it will not expel President Park Geun-hye over the influence-peddling scandal, claiming her impeachment procedures are still under way.In Myung-jin, the party's interim head, said he has put on hold measures to punish Park through its ethics committee."If it was before the impeachment, the party should have punished her to reflect public demand. But now, with the impeachment process in progress, it is meaningless to nitpick her wrongdoings as a

South Korea will speed up high-level talks with the new US administration in a bid to keep the bilateral alliance strong, the foreign ministry said Thursday."Following the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump as US president, the South Korean government plans to seek consultations and coordination between Seoul and Washington in a speedy manner at the minister level as well as higher-ranking policymakers," Cho June-hyuck, spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a briefing. "Through

South Korea's foreign ministry said on Thursday that it is "not desirable" to link the current diplomatic friction over a girl statue symbolizing Japan's wartime sexual slavery with the issue of Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo which are claimed by Tokyo. "We would like to point out that the two issues are completely different in that the girl statue is a universal human rights issue related to comfort women victimized by Japan's military, while Dokdo is a matter associated with our territori

Major South Korean baking and confectionery companies will begin using powdered eggs instead of fresh eggs for their products starting next month, industry officials said Thursday.According to the officials, they plan to import a combined 400 tons of powdered eggs from China and the United States in February.The companies include food conglomerate SPC Group which operates bakery brand Paris Baguette, Lotte Confectionery Co., Haitai Confectionery Co. and CJ Group.So far, the local companies have

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's rare move to bow to workers seems to be only a calculated part of his governing style and not a sign he cares about ordinary North Koreans, a South Korean official said Thursday.The North's leader bowed his head to workers when he visited a shoe factory in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan in December, according to footage released by the North's state TV broadcaster on Tuesday.It is rare for Kim, regarded as the supreme leader in North Korea, to show modesty b

In the 1980s, plump cheeks and round legs were a symbol of successful child-rearing in South Korea. “Your baby should participate in the chubby baby contest” was one of the best compliments a parent could hear.  Three decades on, those features might attract stares and concern, and their parents would be advised to watch their diet, or even take them to a clinic. In a society where fat-shaming is rampant, childhood obesity has also become a telltale sign of parental wealth. The obesity rate has

With the clock ticking for this year’s earlier-than-expected presidential election, a minority left-wing party leader, Sim Sang-jeung, and former Prime Minister Chung Woon-chan declared their candidacy Thursday. Other presidential hopefuls are expected to follow their lead before or after Lunar New Year’s Day on Jan. 28. The upcoming presidential election could take place sooner than the scheduled date in December, depending on the outcome of the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye. Par

The daughter of Lotte Group's founder was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday on a string of charges, including embezzlement and breach of trust, in the first court ruling made against a family member of the retail giant.The Seoul Central District Court convicted Shin Young-ja, the head of the Lotte Foundation, of receiving bribes from various companies in return for business favors related to Lotte's duty-free shops and department stores for over eight years. In this file photo taken on

Another ex-presidential aide testified in court Thursday, possibly further implicating President Park Geun-hye in the massive corruption scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil at Park’s impeachment trial.Kim Sang-yule, a former senior presidential secretary for education and culture, said President Park directly ordered him to consider selecting a company that has business interests with Choi for the 300 billion won ($254 million) construction of a sports stadium for the 2018 PyeongChang

The court’s refusal to issue an arrest warrant for Samsung Group’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong has dealt a blow to the special investigators who have been striving to prove the bribery allegation centered on President Park Geun-hye and her infamous friend Choi Soon-sil.Though the independent counsel team vowed to carry on its investigation, doubts persist on whether the team will successfully secure further evidence within the time constraint. “It is regretful that (the court) rejected the warran

South Korean political thriller "The King" has topped the local box office on its opening day, with a score well over that of "Confidential Assignment," data showed on Thursday. According to a box office tally from the Korean Film Council, "The King," starring actor Jo In-sung, had accompanied 288,972 moviegoers on its Wednesday release. This marks the biggest opening score for homegrown films that have been released in January.The movie, which marks Jo's first film after his 2008 movie "A Froze

A former aide to President Park Geun-hye testified at her impeachment trial Thursday that his appointment to the presidential office was initiated by his nephew, who worked closely with the chief executive's friend at the center of an influence-peddling scandal.Kim Sang-yule, former senior presidential secretary for education and culture, was summoned to testify at the Constitutional Court on allegations that Park's friend Choi Soon-sil wielded enormous influence in appointing top government off

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday called for a thorough security readiness posture, warning of possible North Korean provocations, including cyberattacks, ahead of this year's presidential election.During an annual security meeting involving the government, military, police and civilians, Hwang also instructed top officials to fully prepare against possible attacks by "North Korean spies, internal radicals and violent extremists."Hwang made the remarks a

Volatility in won-dollar exchange rates hit a six-year high last year as the currency markets went volatile due to uncertainties, such as Britain's decision to leave the European Union, the U.S. presidential election and expected U.S. rate hikes, central bank data showed Thursday.The daily foreign exchange variation of the won-dollar rate averaged 0.65 percent in 2016, marking the highest level since 2010, when the figure hit 0.81 percent, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea.The