Popular actress Lee Young-ae has donated to a local hospital in Gangneung where her recent drama was shot.Earlier this month, Lee made the donation of 100 million won ($87,450) to Asan Hospital in the city, in Gangwon Province, asking that the money be used to treat poor patients. She stayed in the city for months from late 2015 to shoot her latest drama "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors," now showing on SBS TV. This undated file photo shows Korean actress Lee Young-ae (Yonhap)Lee came back to the sma

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on builders to finish construction for a new town in Pyongyang before the birthday of the country's late founder in April, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.North Korea is pumping up efforts to complete the construction of Ryomyong Street by April 15, the 105th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of the North's leader.   North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) tours the construction site of a new district named Ryomyong Street in Pyongyang. (For Us

Foreign ownership of South Korean stocks reached a fresh high this week with offshore investors owning more than 50 percent in dozens of listed companies, data showed Thursday.Foreign investors held 523.1 trillion won ($463 billion) worth of local stocks traded on the main bourse and secondary KOSDAQ market as of Wednesday, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service and the bourse operator Korea Exchange.Except for November, offshore investors have been in a net buying mode since

South Korea's savings banks posted a sharp increase in their combined net profit last year on increased interest income, data showed Thursday.The total net income of 79 savings banks here jumped 34.6 percent on-year to 862.2 billion won ($753.7 million) according to the Financial Supervisory Service. It said the figure is a provisional one.A file photo of the logo of a South Korean savings bank (Yonhap)Their interest revenue rose by 632.1 billion won compared with a 258 billion won rise in loan-

South Korean singer Kim Jae-joong's second full-length album has been chosen as the most popular K-pop album in China for 2016, his management said Wednesday.Kim's "NO. X" topped the ranking recently announced by the major Chinese video streaming platform Youku, C-JeS Entertainment said. The ranking was based on album reviews and grades posted on the popular media review sites in China. Kim Jae-joong, a member of K-pop boy band JYJ, performs during a concert in Seoul on Jan. 22, 2017. (Yonhap)Re

Top security officials of South Korea and the United States agreed Wednesday to respond sternly to any additional provocations by North Korea and work closely together with China to increase pressure on Pyongyang, officials said.South Korean National Security Adviser Kim Kwan-jin reached the agreement when he met with US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster at the White House, sharing the view that additional North Korean provocations could come at any time, Kim's office said in a statement. 

SM Entertainment will hold auditions in Indonesia to scout talent for its "NCT" idol group project, the nation's top entertainment agency said Wednesday.Company founder Lee Soo-man unveiled the plan for its first-ever talent audition in Indonesia at a South Korea-Indonesia business summit in Jakarta the previous day. "Last year, we launched our global idol group project NCT and are producing groups tuned to the cultures of each city around the world," Lee was quoted as saying. The K-pop mogul an

South Korea will open camp this weekend in preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup at home.Head coach Shin Tae-yong will assemble his U-20 players on Sunday at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. They will also host a four-nation invitational tournament from March 25 to 30. The draw for the FIFA U-20 World Cup takes place in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on March 15, 2017. (Yonhap)The U-20 World Cup will take place from May 20 to June 11 in six cities. In a dra

Saddled with a slew of onerous tasks at home and work, Kang Dong-heun sleeps around five hours a day. The 37-year-old high-school teacher raises a hyperactive toddler daughter and helps his students striving to enter top-tier universities.The demanding obligations force Kang to drink up to five cups of coffee each day and frequently wash his face with cold water so as to stay awake.This photo, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows an office worker taking a nap at his office. (Yonhap)"Even after work

The US Federal Reserve raised key interest rates Wednesday in a decision that reflects an economy getting healthier than expected, signaling that additional hikes would be made in a gradual manner later this year.The Fed raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 to 1 percent. "In view of realized and expected labor market conditions and inflation, the committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 3/4 to 1 percent. The stance of mone

The US trade representative nominee has named South Korea as one of the leading countries enjoying trade surpluses with the US, adding to concern that the administration of President Donald Trump could seek to revise the free trade deal with Korea.The remark by Robert Lighthizer, made during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, came after the US trade representative released its trade policy report earlier this month that highlighted negative effects of the Korea trade pact.US Trade Repre

South Korean teen figure skater Cha Jun-hwan ranked second in the short program with a new personal best score at the junior world championships on Wednesday.Cha scored 82.34 points to open the International Skating Union World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei. Cha sits 1.14 points behind the leader, Dmitri Aliev of Russia.Aliev won the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in December, with Cha finishing third at the time.South Korean teen figure skater Cha Jun-hwan (Yon

Seven newborns have been infected with rotavirus at an obstetrics clinic in Seoul, health authorities said Wednesday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the infants from the clinic in western Seoul were confirmed to have been infected with the virus, which causes diarrhea.The KCDC said it has conducted an epidemiological investigation into the 29 newborns from the hospital and confirmed the seven cases.Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of severe and dehydrating dia

Two South Korean pastors have been arrested by Chinese police for providing protection for North Korean defectors in China, a group of anti-North Korea activists here said Wednesday.One pastor was arrested on Feb. 18 with his wife and two children at an airport in the northeastern Chinese city of Qingdao prior to a flight to South Korea, according to the group "Justice for North Korea."The other minister was caught with his wife at a hotel in the city of Qinhuangdao in China's northern province

Malaysia has confirmed the identity of the slain half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un using a DNA sample from one of his children, foreign media reported Wednesday.Investigators "confirmed the identity of the body as Kim Jong-nam based on the sample obtained from his child," Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying by AFP.Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (R) (Yonhap)Reuters also reported that the sample was taken from one of Kim's children, citin

South Korea's presidential hopefuls on Wednesday welcomed Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn's decision not to run for president. They urged him to instead focus on a fair management of the upcoming election."We urge Hwang to concentrate on fairly administering the presidential election and attend to the livelihood of the people," said Rep. Kim Kyung-soo, a spokesman for Moon Jae-in, a frontrunner candidate from the liberal bloc.Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Y

Prosecutors questioned two employees of the Korea Customs Service last week, a prosecution official said Wednesday, as they began looking into allegations that local conglomerates gave kickbacks to former President Park Geun-hye and her friend in return for business favors.A prosecution team looking into an influence-peddling scandal that led to Park's ouster grilled the employees in charge of duty-free shops on Monday, according to the official, who asked not to be named.There have been allegat

The ongoing deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea is a self-defense measure aimed solely at North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, a senior foreign ministry official here said Wednesday.South Korea and the US recently started the process of installing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.They said that it is aimed at better coping with the North's missile threats, but China has voiced strong objection claiming that the shield equipped with a strong radar could be u

South Korean travelers are increasingly wary of China as their destination, with anti-Korean sentiment rising among the Chinese over the planned deployment of a US missile defense battery in South Korea, industry and public officials said Wednesday.Lately, a growing number of Korean middle and high schools have canceled plans to send their students to China on field trips due to an outburst of anti-Korean sentiment there, said the officials. Chinese police stand guard in front of a Lotte Departm

South Korean stocks closed slightly lower on Wednesday, slipping from their almost two-year highs the previous session, as investors opted to lock in part of recent gains ahead of the outcome of the Federal Reserve's rate policy meeting. The Korean won rose to the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 0.78 point, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,133.00. Trade volume was moderate at 370 million shares worth 4.81 trillion won ($4.21 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers