Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and other automakers have been ordered to recall faulty parts in some of their models, South Korea's transportation ministry said Friday.This is part of a broader recall order delivered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the ministry said.   (Yonhap)Hyundai, Kia, Nissan Motor Co., BMW Korea, Audi Volkswagen Korea, Daimler Truck Korea and Sports Motor Cycle Korea Co. plan to recall a combined 12,211 units of 22 kinds of vehicles this week, a

South Korea's financial system remains resilient despite increased risks stemming mostly from rising household debt, the country's central bank said Friday.The country's outstanding household credit -- which is composed of household loans and credit card spending -- came to 1,344.3 trillion won ($1.19 trillion) at the end of 2016, up 11.7 percent from a year earlier, the Bank of Korea said in a statement.  (Yonhap)Increased household credit and potential risks posed by financially troubled compa

A group of US House lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning China's retaliation against South Korea for its decision to host the US THAAD missile defense system and urging Beijing to exercise pressure on North Korea.Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) initiated the resolution together with Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Ami Bera (D-CA), noting that such retaliatory measures could constitut

A former chief US nuclear negotiator with North Korea said Thursday that attacking North Korea, regardless of whether it's preemptive or preventive strikes, is sure to prompt retaliation that could lead to a second Korean War.Robert Gallucci, who negotiated a 1994 nuclear-freeze deal with Pyongyang that unraveled due to the North's cheating, made the point in an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, stressing that a negotiated settlement is the only viable alternative to military action. (Yonhap

US President Donald Trump again called the North Korean situation a "mess" as he criticized his predecessor Barack Obama's handling of foreign policy and economic issues."I inherited a mess, I inherited a mess in so many ways. I inherited a mess in the Middle East, and a mess with North Korea, I inherited a mess with jobs ... I inherited a mess on trade," Trump said in an interview with the Time magazine published Thursday. (Yonhap)Trump made a similar remark earlier this week, saying what's hap

North Korea has marked the 100th anniversary of the creation of an anti-Japanese movement group which was set up by the late great grandfather of the country's leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.North Korea held an event on Wednesday to celebrate the founding anniversary of the Korean National Association which was formed by Kim Hyong-jik, the father of the North's founder Kim Il-sung, according to the Korean Central News Agency. This photo unveiled by the Korean Central N

After a strong preseason start Thursday, Doosan Bears' left-hander Chang Won-jun said he's fully ready for the regular season.The ace for the two-time reigning Korea Baseball Organization champion threw five shutout innings in a 9-2 victory over the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. He held the opponents to four hits and struck out four. In this file photo taken on March 6, 2017, Chang Won-jun of South Korea delivers a pitch against Israel in their World Baseball Classic game at Gocheok

South Korea on Thursday hailed a US House bill on toughening sanctions against North Korea as an action that would effectively tighten the screws on the communist country and send a strong warning.On Tuesday, US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce introduced fresh legislation significantly tightening sanctions on North Korea, including authorizing sanctions on those providing the North with crude oil and other related products. (Yonhap)"The inclusion of very strong and effective el

Type 2 diabetes is closely associated with cancer among Asians, with those suffering from the disease more likely to die from malignant cell growth, a study showed Thursday.People with diabetes, which is linked to certain lifestyle habits such as diet, were 26 percent more likely to die from any form of cancer, according to the study by Yoo Geun-young from Seoul National University College of Medicine. (Yonhap)"It was confirmed that Type 2 diabetes is one of the cancer risk factors for the Asian

The number of South Koreans who were newly diagnosed with tuberculosis last year inched down, but its infection rate remained high compared with other advanced countries, a government report showed Thursday.According to the report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 30,892 people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2016, slightly down from the previous year's 32,181.The 2016 figure means that 60.4 out of every 100,000 South Korea

The head of South Korea's central bank called Thursday for preemptive efforts to ensure Seoul will not be designated as a currency manipulator."I don't think that there is a high possibility that South Korea will be labeled as a currency manipulator," Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol told reporters. The Bank of Korea's building (Yonhap)Still, he sounded a cautious note on the looming US decision, noting South Korea's possibility of being branded as a manipulator cannot be ruled out.He said Sou

A UN council is expected to adopt a resolution condemning the dismal human rights situation in North Korea this week, the foreign ministry here said Thursday.The UN Human Rights Council is to convene a meeting in Geneva to adopt the resolution either on Thursday or Friday (local time), according to foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck. South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck (Yonhap)Cho noted that the UNHRC has adopted a resolution on the North's human rights since 2003 and,

South Korea has confirmed another case of the Zika virus infection, raising the number of people infected with the virus here to 19, health authorities said Thursday.A 55-year-old Korean man was confirmed to have been infected with the mosquito-borne virus after visiting Bolivia, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Yonhap)He is presumed to have been bitten by a mosquito during his stay in the South American nation earlier this month, the authorities said.The man,

South Korean stocks rose slightly Thursday on the back of net purchases by foreign and institutional investors, ahead of a US healthcare vote that will demonstrate US President Donald Trump's ability to deliver economic policies.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 4.42 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 2,172.72. Trade volume was moderate at 352 million shares worth 5.02 trillion won ($4.47 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 407 to 382.The local stock market opened high

South Korea has not gained the momentum needed for early recovery despite the global economy showing signs of picking up pace, the head of a local business group said Thursday."The pace of domestic economic recovery is still slow, although things have picked up for the global market," Park Yong-man, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry, told a meeting with leaders of the country's four major political parties at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap)South Korea appears to be su

South Korea spent some 51 trillion won ($45.5 billion) of the state budget in the first two months of the year to prop up the economy, the finance ministry said Thursday.The budget spending by the government and public institutions for the January-February period is 5.3 trillion won higher than its planned outlay of 45.7 trillion won during the cited period, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. (Yonhap)The South Korean government has focused on ushering in an economic recovery thro

Veteran left-hander Jang Won-sam has won a starting rotation job for the Samsung Lions on the strength of a strong preseason.Kim Han-soo, manager of the Korea Baseball Organization club, said Thursday Jang will take the fifth spot in the rotation when the regular season starts later this month. In this file photo taken on March 14, 2017, Jang Won-sam of the Samsung Lions (C) chats with teammates during a Korea Baseball Organization preseason game against the KT Wiz at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in

The Korea Gas Corp., the world's fourth-largest LNG buyer, said Thursday that it has reached a deal with its counterparts in China and Japan to cooperate on jointly purchasing LNG and sharing related information. (Yonhap)Under the memorandum of understanding with Japan's JERA and China's CNOOC, KOGAS will work together with the two companies to create a "favorable" environment for LNG purchases, the utility firm said.South Korea, Asia's fourth-biggest economy, is one of the largest consumers of

The double Olympic archery gold medalist Ku Bon-chan missed the national team cut for this season on Thursday.The Korea Archery Association said Ku finished 10th among 12 archers in the national team trials held in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, with only the top eight athletes making the squad. In this file photo taken on Oct. 8, 2016, South Korean archer Ku Bon-chan competes in the National Sports Festival at Hongju Sports Complex in Hongseong, South Chungchong Province. (Yonhap)

South Korean companies need advisers, instead of lobbyists, if they want to be successful in China, a global consultancy said Thursday. In a seminar hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, consultants from Control Risks, a London-based risk consulting firm, made the suggestion to South Korean companies operating in China.  (Yonhap)They said the existing approach of lobbying based on "Guanxi" won't work as an effective tool to resolve problems in China in the long term. Gua