South Korean mobile carriers said Friday they will start selling the red iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus line later this week, ahead of the planned release of a new flagship by Samsung Electronics Co., presumed to be the Galaxy S8.The country' three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp., and LG Uplus Corp. -- plan to roll out the latest iPhone smartphones on Saturday. It marks the first time for US giant Apple Inc. to release a red-colored iPhone. An image of red-color iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plu

Presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in officially declared his bid for South Korea's top elected office Friday, vowing to restore justice and national unity, ensure the rule of law and strengthen independent defense capabilities. The former leader of the largest Democratic Party made the announcement in a video clip released on his website, Facebook and YouTube.  Reporters watch a video clip in which Moon Jae-in, a former leader of the Democratic Party, officially declares his presidential bid, a

North Korea's deputy nuclear negotiator Choe Son-hui recently met a visiting advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in an apparent bid to request help from Russia to arrange bilateral or multilateral talks on Korean Peninsula issues, a US broadcaster reported Friday. "Choe met with Anton Khlopkov, director of Russia's Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS), in Pyongyang on March 15 to exchange opinions on Korean issues," Radio Free Asia said, citing a source in the Rus

With two more episodes to go, "Good Manager" retained its lead in the Wednesday-Thursday late night TV drama race, while its competitors slightly caught up. Episode 18 of KBS 2TV's "Good Manger," which aired Thursday evening, recorded a 17 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea. It marks a 0.4 percentage point dip from the previous broadcast but still towered over its main competitors. This image provided by Logos Film shows the cast of the KBS 2TV office series "Good Manager." (Yonhap)S

South Korea and the United States will wrap up an annual command-post exercise later Friday, while their joint field training is to continue through the end of next month, according to officials."Today is the last day of the Key Resolve training. There will be a comprehensive review of the results (of this year's exercise)," a South Korean defense official said. South Korean and US armed forces conduct their annual joint military training in this file photo. (Yonhap)Key Resolve is a simulation-o

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it will completely disable the charging of the faulty Galaxy Note 7 phablets that have not yet been returned, starting later this month through software updates.Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 7 last year, but the sales were soon suspended on reports of some of the devices catching fire while being charged. An image of the Galaxy Note 7 (Yonhap)The tech giant has been rolling out replacement programs while limiting the products' batteries from being charged b

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a press statement Thursday in condemnation of North Korea's recent missile launch and high-thrust rocket engine test.It is the U.N. panel's third statement against its provocations so far this year. (Yonhap)On Wednesday (Korea time), North Korea test-fired a missile from its east coast, which reportedly ended in failure. The launch followed its firing of four ballistic missiles earlier this month, with three reaching the sea near Japan. On

A survey indicated Friday that South Korea's leading presidential contender probably won more than half the votes in his party's first in-house election earlier this week.Moon Jae-in, former chief of the liberal Democratic Party, was supported by 51.1 percent of those who were asked to choose their favored contender in the first round of the primary held Wednesday, according to Realmeter. The vote was conducted over two days starting on Tuesday. (Yonhap)The outcome of Wednesday's vote will be re

A large number of South Koreans are expected to make overseas trips during the country's "golden holidays" in early May, industry sources said Friday, sparking concerns over a big tourism deficit amid a tumble in Chinese visitors.South Korea marks Buddha's Birthday on May 3 and then Children's Day on May 5. Having a day off on May 4 can make it a five-day holiday.This undated file photo shows the departure lounge of Incheon International Airport being packed with outbound travelers. (Yonhap)Loca

Hanhwa Q Cells Co., a major solar panelmaker here, said Friday that it will raise its output of solar cells and solar modules to a combined 6.8 gigawatts this year, as part of efforts to meet growing demand and cement its share in the global market.Its Malaysian facility will have an annual capacity of 2 GW worth of solar cells and solar modules this year, from the current 1.4 GW, with the output capacity of its Chinese plant to be raised to 2.6 GW by the end of the year. (Yonhap)Hanwha Q Cell a

North Korea seems to have finished preparing for another nuclear test, waiting for leader Kim Jong-un's final decision, South Korean defense officials warned Friday."It's assessed that North Korea is capable of conducting a nuclear test within hours after Kim Jong-un's order," an official said on the condition of anonymity. "We are keeping close tabs on its nuclear-related facilities with combined assets with the US." (Yonhap)The warning came in response to foreign news reports that a nuclear pr

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has opened up a booth at a watch exhibition currently underway in Switzerland, in line with its efforts to bolster its wearable business.The South Korean tech giant plans to promote its smartwatches at Baselworld 2017, which runs through Thursday in Switzerland.Samsung said it will promote the Gear S3 smartwatch, as well as other concept products at the fair."We hope the Gear S3 will be beloved not only by the users of smartwatches, but by traditional fans

Actress Ku Hye-sun has dropped out from MBC TV's weekend drama "You Are Too Much" due to health issues, the network and her agency said Friday."Ku was recently rushed to a hospital emergency room during filming, after showing symptoms of nausea and breathing problems," YG Entertainment, Ku's agency, said.  (Yonhap)The actress was diagnosed with a severe case of anaphylaxis, a type of serious allergic reaction, and was recommended by her doctor to undergo long-term treatment.Ku was cast as the co

Sliding through a photo gallery of LG Electronics Inc.'s new G6 smartphone, Park Yong-ho, an employee in his 30s at a mobile-phone store in Seoul, shows off what he calls the most vivid images taken by a smartphone. "Can you believe it? These photos look like they were taken by a DSLR camera," Park said, adding that the device's full-size screen enables users to take and review photos simultaneously. (Yonhap)Asked how many G6 smartphones he sold these days, Park declined to comment. Park said, h

South Korean shares opened slightly higher Friday, as foreign investors remained net buyers of local stocks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 3.44 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,176.16 in the first 15 minutes of trading. (Yonhap)Sentiment appeared to be subdued following a decline on Wall Street overnight after a delay in the US health care vote that is seen as a test of US President Donald Trump's ability to deliver on his economic policies.Most large caps traded mixed with m

South Korean office workers' pay has increased well below what they had hoped for this year, a poll showed Friday.According to the survey of 883 salaried workers taken by local education service institute Hunet, 51.5 percent of the respondents wanted their 2017 pay to rise in a range of 5 to 9 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap)The median is 7 percent, which is much lower than the actual rise of 2.7 percent for this year.Slightly over 24 percent hoped their salary would increase in a band of 3

Local funds investing in stocks of Samsung Group units have pulled off stellar performances this year on a surge in top-cap Samsung Electronics Co., far outperforming the overall stock market, data showed Friday.As of Wednesday, 25 Samsung Group funds have posted an average return rate of 11.35 percent since the start of the year, according to the data by industry tracker KG Zeroin. The yield is much higher than the 7.5 percent increase in the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index over the

Uli Stielike's job as the South Korean men's national football head coach is safe, despite a stunning loss to China in a World Cup qualifier, the sport's top national official said Friday.Chung Mong-gyu, head of the Korea Football Association, returned home with the rest of the team from Changsha, Hunan Province, early Friday morning on a red-eye flight, after South Korea suffered a 1-0 defeat to China in the final round of the Asian qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Uli Stielike, head

The government said Friday it is making all out effort to successfully raise the Sewol ferry on the last day of favorable weather conditions, as the salvage team removes a ramp that has held up progress.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that as of 6:45 a.m., the joint team of the government and a Shanghai salvage firm, cut off all four hinges of the left rear ramp that has been hanging down under water and hindering the recovery operation. Part of the rusted Sewol ferry resurfaces above

South Korea's overall consumer sentiment improved this month from a month earlier helped by improving exports and eased political uncertainties, central bank data showed Friday.The composite consumer sentiment index for March came to 96.7, compared with 94.4 a month earlier.  (Yonhap)A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.A BOK official attributed the improved consumer sentiment to increased exports and the Constitutional Court's recent decision to oust President Park Geun-hye