South Korean retail firms are competing to provide online platforms using the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to customers, industry sources said Wednesday.11st, a leading e-commerce site run by SK Planet Co., introduced "Baro" late last month, an online messaging tool in which a customer can ask the chatting robot questions to find the right item. Its chatbot, created using the deep-learning technology, responds to the enquiry and gives recommendations.  (

South Korea said Wednesday that North Korea appears to have revived a parliamentary foreign affairs commission to improve its relations with the external world on the basis of its pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles.North Korea set up the foreign affairs commission for the first time in 19 years at its key assembly meeting Tuesday, a move seen aimed at beefing up its diplomacy amid tough international sanctions.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending the fifth session of the 13th Supreme P

A senior Chinese diplomat on Wednesday held a second round of talks with South Korean politicians on the bilateral dispute over the deployment of a US missile defense system here.Wu Dawei, Beijing's chief negotiator on North Korea's nuclear program, met with Rep. Kim Moo-sung, election committee chief of the splinter conservative Bareun Party.He arrived in Seoul Monday for a five-day visit amid growing signs of Pyongyang preparing new nuclear and missile tests.Rep. Kim Moo-sung of the Bareun Par

St. Louis Cardinals closer Oh Seung-hwan has given up an earned run for his third straight appearance, as the usually reliable right-hander remained in a funk in the early going of the 2017 season.Oh allowed a run on two doubles in one inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington on Tuesday (local time), as the Cards fell 8-3.The South Korean has now been touched for at least an earned run in each of his three outings this season. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Oh Seung-h

SEJONG -- South Korea's exports of information and communications technology products rose for the fifth straight month in March on rising global demand for semiconductors and displays, government data showed Wednesday.Outbound shipments of ICT products advanced 15.8 percent on-year to $16.5 billion last month, the third-largest monthly amount in history, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Yonhap)The country's exports have been on a rise since November

President front-runner Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that he will double the rate of increase in the government's fiscal spending if elected, and redirect government spending to create more jobs and support corporate employees.The presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party noted the country's fiscal spending was designed to increase by an annual average of 3.5 percent on-year under the current mid and long-term plans.Moon Jae-in (R), the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday vowed to remove onerous regulations impeding the growth of the bio industry, reiterating the government's commitment to developing it into a future growth engine.During the opening ceremony of an international forum on the bio industry, Hwang also underscored that the country will capitalize on its cutting-edge medical technologies to help develop the world's health industry. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn speaks d

JEJU, South Korea -- The southern resort island of Jeju will host South Korea's first PGA Tour event this fall, officials said Wednesday.The Jeju provincial government said it will sign an agreement with the PGA Tour and CJ Group, the title sponsor of the tournament named the CJ Cup@Nine Bridges, at a ceremony on Thursday. Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of CJ Group (left), and Jay Monahan, then deputy commissioner of the PGA Tour, pose with their agreements in Seoul after CJ signed on to host the CJ

China has shut out all South Korean cable TV channels in the country in apparent retaliation against the planned deployment of an advanced US missile defense system, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, in South Korea, Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday.Because of the THAAD issue, the Chinese authorities have closed cable TV channels dedicated to South Korean news and dramas in Yanji, Jilin Province, the US-based media outlet reported, citing an ethnic Korean source in the area. Alm

Presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in continues to pledge and claim his commitment to the security of the nation, while in reality he wishes to prove his loyalty to the country and not North Korea, observers here noted Wednesday.The presidential candidate of the largest Democratic Party has faced a series of attacks and accusations from conservative and liberal opponents alike, and observers said one such accusation he apparently wishes to get rid of the most is that he is pro-North Korea. Moon

South Korean women's football head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said the real work for his team begins now, after they qualified for next year's top Asian competition.South Korea won the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament Tuesday, thanks to a 4-0 win over Uzbekistan in Pyongyang. South Korea and North Korea finished tied at 10 points with identical records of three wins and a draw, but the South had a better goal difference, plus-20 to plus-17. The South Korea wom

Consumption of cheese and butter has increased steadily in South Korea in recent years as a growing number of people consume Western food, data showed Wednesday.Consumption of cheese rose to 140,769 tons last year from 132,593 tons in 2015, 117,827 tons in 2014 and 107,558 in 2013, according to the Statistics Korea data.Butter consumption also surged to 11,583 tons last year, up from 10,206 tons in 2015 and 9,182 tons in 2014.(Yonhap)Most of the cheese and butter has been imported from abroad, w

More than 650 bio companies from both home and abroad showcased their latest technologies and products at an international exhibition in Seoul on Wednesday.The 2017 Bio Korea International Convention kicked off at the Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul for a three-day run. The annual event, the 12th of its kind, is hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The 2016 Bio Korea International Convention (Yonhap)The ministry said the goal of the event is to navigate the future of t

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it will release its new smartphone, the Galaxy S8, in the United Arab Emirates later this month, and gradually expand sales to other countries in the region.The South Korean tech giant said the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will be available for sales in the UAE starting April 28.Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 smartphone is displayed at a shop in Seoul on April 10, 2017. (Yonhap)Samsung earlier said it plans to commence global sales of the new flags

The government earned 62.5 trillion won ($54.56 billion) from the gambling industry over the past 15 years, about half of it through taxes, data showed Wednesday.The Korea Taxpayers Association analyzed records from the National Gambling Control Commission and found that the government collected approximately 31.55 trillion won in taxes and made 30.95 trillion won in profit in the 2000-2015 period.(Yonhap)Horseracing brought in the biggest portion, 37.5 percent, followed by the lottery (25.4 per

US tech giant Google Inc.'s smartphone app store, Google Play, posted 4.5 trillion won ($3.92 billion) in sales here last year, data showed Wednesday.The figure accounts for 58.2 percent of the country's overall mobile app market in 2016, which is estimated at 7.6 trillion won, the Korea Mobile Internet Business Association said.(Yonhap)As Google takes 30 percent of the sales as commission from app developers, industry watchers said the US giant is estimated to have raked in 1.3 trillion won fro

Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday inspected a combined logistics training with US forces under way on the southeastern coast of the peninsula, the JCS said.Lee visited the exercise site in Pohang, North Geyongsang Province, along with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea.Gen. Lee Sun-jin (2nd from L), chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, shakes hands with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea, at Osa

North Korea's threat of impending nuclear and missile tests and the US escalation of saber-rattling in response have raised tensions around the Korean Peninsula. But most experts here agree that chances are low that Washington will deliver on its threat of a pre-emptive attack, which would lead to a catastrophic war. The recent US missile strikes on Syria carried a clear warning for North Korea, but the dangerous regime armed with nuclear bombs and various missiles is a different case from Syria

ANYANG, South Korea -- South Korean club Anyang Halla captured their second straight Asian hockey title with an overtime victory at home on Tuesday.Kim Ki-sung scored the championship-clinching goal on a power play to lift Anyang past Sakhalin 3-2 for the Asia League Ice Hockey championship, as the home team completed a three-game sweep of the best-of-five final at Anyang Ice Arena in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. Anyang also beat Sakhalin for the championship last year. Anyang forward Kim Sang-woo

FC Seoul hung on to defeat Western Sydney Wanderers 3-2 on Tuesday to stay alive in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.Montenegrin striker Dejan Damjanovic grabbed a brace for FC Seoul at Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney, giving the K League Classic club their first victory in Group F after three straight losses. Western Sydney scored two second-half goals but couldn't cut the deficit any further. Lee Seok-hyun of FC Seoul (second from R) is congratulated by teammates after scoring