Mesmerized by the brilliant ideas of "eccentric" CEO Elon Musk, Kim Sae-hae didn't hesitate to preorder Tesla Motors Inc.'s latest pure electric car model in April, only a week after its unveiling. The 36-year-old writer-cum-painter made a reservation for the Model 3, launched on March 31, as it generates no emissions, comes with greater per-charge range capabilities and sells for an affordable $35,000.  In this photo taken on June 6, 2016, a Hyundai Motor employee explains how the Ioniq all-ele

SBS TV's "Defendant" appears to have clinched its lead in the Monday-Tuesday late night drama race, with more than 20 percent of TV-watching households in and around Seoul tuning into the new series, data showed Wednesday. (Yonhap)The show's fourth episode that aired Tuesday recorded a 20.8 percent viewership among the Seoul metropolitan area households, while snatching an 18.7 percent score nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea.Its competitors, MBC TV's "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People" and

Cheong Mun-kuk, president & CEO of ING Life Insurance, has been chosen for a second term, company officials said Wednesday, as it plans an initial public offering this year.MBK Partners, a local private equity firm holding a major stake in the Seoul-based insurer, has decided to let him manage the firm for another three years, they added. Cheong Mun-kuk, president & CEO of ING life Insurance (Yonhap file photo)The nomination requires shareholders' approval in their annual meeting to be held late

The government said Wednesday that it will double research and development  spending on the local service sector in five years in search of a new growth engine, amid a deep slump in the manufacturing sector. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said it will pour an R&D budget of 1.25 trillion won ($1.07 billion) into the service sector, including software, medicine and tourism industries, in 2021, compared to 664.7 billion won allocated for this year.  Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho visi

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday chose Justice Lee Jung-mi as its acting chief to lead the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye.Lee, 54, took over after Chief Justice Park Han-chul retired a day earlier. Lee has served the longest among the remaining eight justices, with her six-year term set to expire on March 13.Before retirement, former chief Park called for a decision on the president's impeachment before March 13 to prevent a "distorted" ruling caused by an additional vacancy o

Investigators on Wednesday executed the arrest warrant issued against a close friend of President Park Geun-hye, who is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal, to carry out an interrogation, the probe team said.The investigation team went to the detention center near Seoul to compel Choi Soon-sil to appear at its office to undergo questioning on bribery charges.Choi, already standing trial over a string of corruption allegations, is suspected of peddling influence in the appointment of t

The United States plans to deploy 12 F-16 fighter planes to South Korea this month, the US Pacific Air Forces Command said Wednesday, Washington's first deployment of military assets since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump."Approximately 200 airmen and 12 F-16 Fighting Falcons with the 119th Fighter Squadron from Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, New Jersey, are set to deploy in February to Osan Air Base" in South Korea, the command said on its website.The US Pacific Air Forces

The military chiefs of South Korea and the United States on Wednesday reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to forming a strong joint defense posture against North Korea's provocations, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.Gen. Lee Sun-jin, the chairman of the JCS, stressed the need to strengthen deterrence against North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats during his phone talks with his US counterpart Gen. Joseph Dunford, the military said."They determined that an acute security

South Korea's National Assembly opened a one-month extraordinary session Wednesday to deal with a range of controversial issues, including lowering the minimum voting age.Party representatives will deliver speeches starting Thursday. Plenary sessions are scheduled for Feb. 23 and March 2.National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun urged lawmakers to speed up efforts in passing economy-related laws to revitalize the national economy."The parliament is responsible for reducing uncertainties," Chung s

An armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula can no longer be contained only to the area as North Korea's long-range missile capabilities could threaten the continental US, the top US military official said.Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the remark in a message to the latest edition of the Joint Forces Quarterly, a National Defense University magazine, stressing that military decision-making needs to exceed the speed of events."There was a time, not lo

The United States should give up on any last-remaining hope that engagement with North Korea could lead to its denuclearization, a US expert told a Senate hearing Tuesday, calling for all-round pressure on Pyongyang to rethink its nuclear pursuit.Nicholas Eberstadt, a senior analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, made the remark during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, as some experts have stepped up calls for reopening negotiations with Pyongyang to curb its dangerously acc

North Korea has sent letters to the UN chief calling on the global body to help repatriate what it called North Korean women abducted by South Korea last year, the country's state media said Tuesday.Ja Song-nam, permanent North Korean representative to the UN, sent the letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday, which claims Seoul's abduction of North Korean women in 2016 constitutes human rights violations, according to the Korean Central News Agency. UN Secretary-General Antonio

"Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," which recently rewrote cable TV ratings history, secured a four-week winning streak on a benchmark TV popularity chart, while new castaway drama "Missing Nine" debuted at No. 3, data showed Tuesday. (tvN)tvN's "Guardian," which ended its 16-episode run on Jan. 21, scored 301.2 points on the Content Power Index, becoming the No. 1 among TV programs during Jan. 16-22.CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of T

Rice prices in North Korea have been stabilized owing apparently to China's large-scale rice aid and a better harvest, a Seoul-based Internet news outlet well-versed in the North reported Tuesday. The latest rice prices per kilogram showed 4,000 North Korean won in Pyongyang, 3,970 won in Shinuiju in North Phyongan Province and 4,190 won in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, compared with 5,019 won, 4,970 won and 4,980 won, respectively, a year ago, Daily NK said, citing its North Korean sources.Expert

South Korea said Tuesday that it will not tolerate Japan's push to make clear its sovereignty over the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo in its textbook guidelines, saying that such an "unjust" territorial claim should be withdrawn immediately.In its Saturday edition, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported that Japan's education ministry will specify that the islets are a "clear part of the territory of Japan" in its revised curriculum guidelines for textbooks to be used at elementary and mi

The government vowed Tuesday that it will protect the rights of South Koreans illegally staying in the United States following Washington's new executive orders governing immigration.President Donald Trump signed on Friday an order barring citizens of seven Muslim countries from traveling to the US for 90 days and suspending all refugee admissions for 120 days. The action drew an angry backlash both at home and abroad."The executive order does not aim to immediately deport some 11.43 million ill

South Korea's Ambassador to Myanmar Yoo Jae-kyung admitted Tuesday that President Park Geun-hye's confidante, who is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal, was involved in his appointment last year, investigators said.An independent counsel team looking into the scandal recently began investigating suspicions that Park's jailed friend Choi Soon-sil attempted to gain financially by exploiting Korea's massive aid program in Myanmar. Choi allegedly recommended Yoo to the president after in

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the US on Tuesday agreed to deploy an advanced US missile defense system this year as planned, despite persistent objections from China and rising political uncertainties here. During a 30-minute phone call, Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his US counterpart James Mattis also pledged an “overwhelming response” should North Korea commit a long-range missile test in line with leader Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s speech.The conversation came three days ahead of the

While gearing up to question President Park Geun-hye in person over her alleged involvement in corruption, special prosecutors Tuesday added momentum to investigating Park’s close friend Choi Soon-sil and her purported meddling in key state affairs.They also made last-minute arrangements on the precise date and place to summon the incumbent president, an occasion likely to affect Park’s ongoing impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court.　Investigators, led by Independent Counsel Park Young-so

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for a constitutional revision before the upcoming presidential election, in which he is highly anticipated to make a bid as a conservative candidate.He thereby suggested to reduce the current five-year single-term presidency and to establish a task force involving both the ruling camp and opposition.The former top diplomat’s drive to revise the nation‘s basic law was largely taken as his move to regain political momentum, whic