South Korean construction companies, led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., are eager to bag lucrative overseas deals this year as relatively high oil prices may usher in large-scale construction projects from the Middle East and other regions, industry sources said Wednesday.According to the International Contractors Association of Korea, local construction firms clinched overseas deals valued at a combined $28.19 billion last year, down 38.9 percent from a year earlier, marking the low

A North Korean defector arrived in the United States last month as a refugee, a US-based news agency said Wednesday.Citing data provided by the State Department, the Voice of America reported that the woman in her 20s entered the country on Dec. 12 and settled in the western part of Arizona.The latest case brought to 212 the total number of North Korea defectors seeking asylum in the US since 2006.  North Korean traffic police officer in Pyongyang (Yonhap)They can attain refugee status in the US

South Korean boy group Bangtan Boys, also known by its abbreviated name BTS, is set to reveal new songs at its upcoming concert, its agency said Wednesday. K-pop group Bangtan Boys (Yonhap Photo)According to Big Hit Entertainment, the seven-member act will be showcasing new tracks, including "Not Today" and "Spring Days," at the "2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode Ⅲ The Wings Tour" at the Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Feb. 18-19. The new album titled "You Never Walk Alone" is slated to come ou

Sales of portable solar chargers for smartphones and tablets have soared in South Korea as fans of Nintendo's smash hit Pokemon Go want their devices to keep charging while playing the game. About two weeks after the augmented-reality mobile game was formally launched in South Korea, the number of Korean players is estimated to surpass 7 million people.  (Yonhap)Braving chilly weather, it has become a common scene in South Korea to see people hover around streets and other public places in searc

South Korea's cigarette exports rose sharply to surpass the $1 billion mark for the first time last year on growing demand from the Middle East and Japan, the latest customs data showed Wednesday.The total value of tobacco exports reached a record $1.01 billion in 2016, up 11 percent from the previous year's $914 million, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. (Yonhap)The figure has been on a sharp rise at an average on-year growth of 20.2 percent during the 2014-2016 perio

South Korea and Indonesia opened a joint office on Wednesday to carry out close consultations in the KF-X fighter aircraft development project, the state defense procurement agency said. "The opening of the joint program management office will not only help the two countries exchange views on pending issues during the KF-X project but also allow them to effectively fine-tune differences," Jung Kwang-sun, director general for the KF-X Program Group at the Defense Acquisition Program Administratio

The chief of South Korea's central bank said Wednesday that the government should cooperate with private companies to address challenges in global trade markets."Coming up with measures to ride out deteriorating trade environments should be the government's top priority," BOK Governor Lee Ju-yeol said in a meeting with trade experts and professors. (Yonhap)His comments underscored worries that growing protectionism of the new U.S. government could hurt South Korea's exports, which in turn could

South Korea's leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co. has reportedly postponed the launch of its Sonata plug-in hybrid in China by nearly a year, company official said Wednesday, due to what many believe is China's trade retaliation against the planned deployment of a US air missile defense system to South Korea.The new Sonata plug-in was originally expected to be introduced in the Chinese market in April. The Hyundai Sonata plug-in hybrid (Hyundai Motor)Company officials said the car will likely be

A series of animal and poultry disease outbreaks in South Korea is feared to be a huge drag on the country's exports of meat and other livestock products, industry sources said Wednesday.In recent years, the foot-and-mouth disease has broken out frequently in South Korea and the country lost the status of an FMD-free nation, while a fresh outbreak of the disease was confirmed at cow farms in early February. (Yonhap)At the same time, the country has been suffering from a rapidly spreading outbrea

Foreign mobile games have become increasingly popular in South Korea as seven foreign apps were among the 20 top-grossing mobile games, according to data on Wednesday.The Tuesday chart of Google Play's highest-grossing mobile game apps in South Korea showed that the augmented reality mobile game "Pokemon Go" by Nintendo came second.  (Yonhap)"FIFA Online 3" of the United States was ranked fifth, with "Clash Royale" of Finland and "MU Origin" of China coming in eighth and ninth each. The Tuesday

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday called for "swift and bold" quarantine and sterilization efforts to contain the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that hit the country this week.During a daily meeting of government officials and experts on the disease and avian influenza, Hwang also ordered a thorough, scientific analysis of the origin of the disease, noting that the latest cases occurred even though cows in the affected regions had been vaccinated."We have to make

New South Korean investment in the United States reached a six-year high in 2016, also surpassing new US investment in South Korea, data showed Wednesday.According to the data from the Korea International Trade Association, fresh South Korean investment in the United States reached $6.94 billion in the first nine months of last year. (Yonhap)The amount, even without fourth quarter figures, is close to the annual total of $7.31 billion in 2011, the highest in six years.The annual tally for 2015 c

Sales of semi-large sedans in South Korea have been on a roll recently with their shipments one-upping those of midsize cars for a second month in January, industry data showed Wednesday.Domestic sales of semi-large sedans, including Hyundai Motor Co.'s Grandeur and Kia Motors Corp.'s K7, totaled 15,242 units in January, about 1,800 more than those of Hyundai's Sonata and other midsize cars, according to the data. Hyundai Motor Co.'s new Grandeur semi-large sedan (Yonhap file photo)In December,

Hankook Tire, South Korea's leading tire maker, is set to begin hiring over 1,000 new workers in the United States following the completion of its new production facility there, company officials said Wednesday.They said the company has already hired some 300 employees to work at its new plant in Tennessee.  An aerial view of Hankook Tire's new production facility in Tennessee. (Hankook Tire)There will be about 1,200 employees working at the new factory by the end of the year, they said, adding

Eland Cruise, which runs a cruise tour on the Han River in Seoul, has indefinitely suspended the operation of its four ferries amid safety concerns, the company said Wednesday."(We) have decided to stop the operation of all cruise ships starting on Feb. 8 in order to secure their safety during the winter period," it said on its website. (Yonhap)It stressed that the move is not because of any "big safety problem" in connection with the service, saying it's meant to scrutinize any possible hitch.E

The US State Department on Tuesday issued a new warning against traveling to North Korea."The Department of State strongly urges US citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea/the Democratic People's Republic of Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea’s system of law enforcement," the department said."This system imposes unduly harsh sentences for actions that would not be considered crimes in the United States and threatens US citizen detainees with bei

US President Donald Trump wants to reassure South Korea that the US stands with the Asian ally and will prevent any further hostile actions from North Korea, the White House said Tuesday.White House press secretary Sean Spicer made the remark at a regular briefing, recalling a phone conversation that Trump had with Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn last week."He had a conversation the other day. We look forward to fulfilling that conversation," Spicer said. "I think obviously the

A possible resumption of the now-shuttered joint industrial park will likely emerge as a controversial issue for South Korea's next administration, possibly sparking a row over the country violating UN sanctions resolutions against North Korea, experts in Seoul said Wednesday.With the closure of the factory zone marking its first anniversary this week, whether to resume the Kaesong Industrial Complex is gaining attention in the political arena as liberal presidential hopefuls are voicing the nee

North Korea is exercising restraint from nuclear and missile tests to avoid galvanizing conservatives in South Korea ahead of a presidential election, and is certain to resume provocations once the leadership crisis in the South is resolved, a top US expert on Korea said Tuesday.The assessment from Victor Cha, a Georgetown University professor and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, breaks with more common perceptions that Pyongyang is holding off on action until t

The Constitutional Court added three more hearings until Feb. 22 for the historic impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye, which means the final verdict on the fate of her presidency may be out in March at the earliest. The top court decided to bring in eight of the 15 witnesses requested by Park’s lawyers, including Park’s longtime friend Choi Soon-sil and ex-presidential secretary An Chong-bum once again, both of whom are being tried for colluding with Park to extort donations from local