Workers who have to put in shifts at irregular hours are more deprived of sleep and more prone to smoking and drinking than people who do regular daytime duties, a survey showed Tuesday.The findings, released by Professor Song Yoon-mi of Samsung Medical Center, said women in their 50s were the most susceptible to developing problems because of their work schedule. A shift worker at an auto assembly line at Hyundai Motor Co. in Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province (Yonhap)The ratio of smokers among f

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the top commander of US Forces Korea, has decided to skip upcoming congressional hearings in Washington DC to stay focused on his duty here amid increased tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the USFK announced Tuesday.He was supposed to attend the Armed Service Committee hearings to be held later this month for testimony, a routine activity for the leader of 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the top commander of

The North Korean army has held a ceremony to pledge its loyalty to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of this week's 105th birthday of late state founder Kim Il-sung, one of the North's key anniversaries, state media reported Tuesday.According to the North's official Korean Central News Agency, soldiers of the army, navy, air and anti-air force of the Korean People's Army paid high tribute to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il -- the current leader's grandfather and father -- at the ceremony on Mond

BUSAN -- Two vessels belonging to the Pacific Fleet of the Russian naval forces made a port call Tuesday at the South Korean coastal city of Busan as part of a regular exchange program with the South Korean Navy.The call at the port of South Korea's Naval Operations Command by the guided-missile cruiser Varyag and the tanker Pechenga, both 11,000-ton vessels, was the second this year to be made by Russian warships. The guided-missile cruiser Varyag of the Russian Pacific Fleet enters a port in S

South Korea's presidential race increasingly took on the form of a legal battlefield Tuesday as each major candidate engaged in litigation to clear their name.With the election four weeks away, the political landscape has shaped up to become a duel between two liberals fighting to take power in the wake of a corruption scandal and subsequent removal of conservative President Park Geun-hye from office.Moon Jae-in, the longtime front-runner and former leader of the liberal Democratic Party, has fa

China's top nuclear envoy has underlined the need to discuss "security concerns" that North Korea holds against the United States, saying that sanctions are not enough to make a breakthrough in denuclearization efforts, a diplomatic source said Tuesday.The remarks were made by China's chief nuclear negotiator Wu Dawei in a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kim Hong-kyun in Seoul on Monday, according to the source.The Justice Party's presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung (R) meets with Chi

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential nominee of the centrist People's Party, pledged Tuesday to create jobs through small businesses and venture firms if elected.The former software mogul made the promise during a lecture before representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises, saying big businesses play a small role in creating jobs.Ahn Cheol-soo speaks during a gathering of kindergarten teachers at Olympic Park in eastern Seoul on April 11, 2017. (Yonhap)"Job creation is done by small and medi

SAO PAULO -- Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo has designated August 15 as "Korean Culture Day," raising the prospect of enhancing the Korean community's image in the South American country and boosting the city government's financial support for Korean culture-related events, South Korean officials said Monday.The designation of Korean Culture Day came after a Koreatown was formed in 2010 in Bom Retiro, a densely populated area in Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo's Mayor Joao Doria (L) and South Korean Consu

South Korea's global ranking in tourism competitiveness has jumped to 19th this year, backed by an improvement in market openness and infrastructure, a report showed Tuesday. The global ranking of Asia's fourth-largest economy moved up 10 spots in 2017 compared with two years earlier, tagging along with top tourist destinations in Europe, North America and Oceania, according to a biennial report by the World Economic Forum released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.   (Yonhap)The Tr

Moon Jae-in, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, on Tuesday announced pledges to reduce household communications expenses through the abolition of the basic monthly mobile phone rate, seeking to appeal to Internet savvy young voters. If elected, the presidential front-runner said, he will completely remove the 11,000 won ($9.63) basic monthly fee charged to all mobile phone users. Moon Jae-in, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, announces his elect

South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday the Donald Trump administration won't take any substantive military action against North Korea without "close cooperation" with Seoul.It cited the spirit of the bilateral alliance that dates back to the 1950-53 Korean War."(Such a military operation, if any,) will be conducted under the robust South Korea-US combined defense posture based on their close cooperation," the ministry's spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said at a press briefing.South Korean Defense

Cigarettes sold on the market contain seven "cancer-causing" substances that pose a threat to public health, South Korean authorities said Tuesday.The International Agency For Research On Cancer under the World Health Organization classifies certain substances as group 1 that are carcinogenic to humans. Substances are placed in this category when there is evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. (123RF)According to a report by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, cigarettes contain seven group 1

South Korea's listed financial firms cut 1.9 percent of their total staff last year, data showed Tuesday, as they grappled with slow growth.According to the data compiled by market researcher Chaebol.com, the number of employees at 45 listed financial firms stood at 89,483 people in 2016, down 1,713 people from a year ago.(Yonhap)Thirteen listed insurers saw their payrolls slashed by 970 to 36,567 people last year. The number of employees at 12 listed financial holding firms and banks was reduce

North Korea and Syria have reaffirmed efforts to step up relations in their recent exchanges of congratulatory messages on key anniversaries as the recent US strike at a Syrian air base alarmed the countries.North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent two congratulatory messages to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the occasions of the 105th birthday of national founder Kim Il-sung and the 5th anniversary of the current leader's elec

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Tuesday urged "calm and consistency" amid growing concerns that North Korea could stage provocations in time for its key political events this month.During a Cabinet meeting, Hwang also stressed the need to strengthen the country's vigilance posture against the North "based on the South Korea-US security alliance."Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (3rd from R) speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the central governm

South Korean prosecutors are expected to conclude their investigation into ousted President Park Geun-hye this week, sources said Monday, before the official campaign period for the presidential election begins next week.Earlier in the day, prosecutors carried out their fourth round of questioning Park at a detention center outside Seoul, where she is incarcerated, over a string of corruption allegations that removed her from office.Former President Park Geun-hye leaves her home in Seoul for pro

LG Display Co. said Tuesday that nothing has been decided on the latest rumor in the market surrounding US Internet giant Google Inc.'s potential investment in the company.(Yonhap)Through a regulatory filing requested by the Korea Exchange, the main bourse operator, LG Display said nothing has been concluded on the matter just saying that various clients have been taking a closer look at the global market for flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products.Industry sources said Monday that

An LG Electronics Inc.'s organic light-emitting diode (OLED) television has been chosen as the best 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) television, a US consumer agency said Tuesday.The LG OLED65G6P, a 65-inch 4K OLED UHD TV in LG's flagship Signature G6 series "has excellent high-definition picture and excellent UHD performance, and like all OLED TVs, it has an unlimited viewing angle," Consumer Reports said on its website in designating the product as the "Best Overall 4K TV."A file photo of LG Ele

North Korea vowed Tuesday to take the "toughest" counteraction against the United States as Washington is sending its strategic assets near the Korean Peninsula for what the North calls an invasion of Pyongyang.The North's warning was made after the US dispatched the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, again to waters off the divided peninsula amid signs of the North's provocations.North Korea's foreign ministry warned that the country is ready to take the toughest actions to de

South Korea, the United States and Japan are arranging a meeting to coordinate their joint response toward North Korea's nuclear and missile threats amid growing concerns that Pyongyang might carry out a major provocation, a foreign ministry official here said Tuesday.A Japanese media report said earlier that top nuclear envoys of the three countries are planning to hold a trilateral meeting in Tokyo later this month, citing multiple government officials.  Kim Hong-kyun (L), South Korea's chief