Search efforts for 22 crew members of a South Korean cargo ship that apparently sank in the South Atlantic last week are making little headway after two sailors were rescued Saturday, a government official said Monday.The search for the missing South Korean ship, the Stellar Daisy, began Saturday, one day after the ship's crew sent a text to their South Korean employer, saying their ship was taking on water. Stellar Daisy, a South Korean cargo ship that likely sank in the South Atlantic (Yonhap)

Presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party maintained his lead for the 13th consecutive week but faces a growing challenge from a longtime rival who closed in to rank second, a poll indicated Monday.Moon, a former leader of the largest party in parliament, garnered 34.9 percent in the survey conducted from Monday to Friday last week, up 0.5 percentage point from the previous week, Realmeter said. The four presidential contenders of the liberal Democratic Party greet th

The majority of South Koreans do not believe they will be able to move up the social ladder due to what they call the unfair social structure affected by regionalism, school and blood ties, a survey showed Monday.About 59 percent of those polled said they do not think they can ascend to a higher social status, according to the survey on 1,601 people aged over 20 that was conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in July last year. (Yonhap)For 94 percent of those surveyed, So

South Korea's health ministry signed an agreement with a Seoul-based vaccine research institute Monday to expand cooperation in joint research efforts and to foster experts, officials said.The memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the International Vaccine Institute calls for comprehensive cooperation in research and development to make safe and effective vaccines for people in developing countries. (123RF)"The ministry believes the MOU will provide growth f

The liberal Democratic Party of Korea was set to hold the last round of its primary election Monday to name its candidate in the upcoming presidential election.The one-day voting was to begin at 2 p.m., covering the Gangwon and Jeju provinces, as well as the capital region that includes Seoul and the western port city of Incheon.Whether a presidential candidate will be named at the end of the fourth and last round of the primary election remains to be seen as a successful contender needs to win

WASHINGTON -- How to deal with North Korea will be "the most important conversation" when US President Donald Trump holds talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Sunday."No longer take the excuses from China that they're concerned too. They need to show us how concerned they are. They need to put pressure on North Korea. The only country that can stop North Korea is China," Haley said on ABC's "This Week.""When Secretary (Rex)

WASHINGTON -- The latest US sanctions on North Korea could be a warning of "secondary sanctions" on Chinese firms doing business with the North ahead of US President Donald Trump's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, a US expert said.The Treasury Department blacklisted one North Korean trading firm and 11 individuals Friday for their involvement in providing support to the North's nuclear and missile programs as Washington further tightens the financial screws on Pyongyang.The tr

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said the United States will tackle North Korea on its own if China refuses to use its leverage and rein in the communist neighbor, according to an interview published Sunday.Trump didn't elaborate on how he will deal with the North without Chinese help. But the remark, made in an interview with the Financial Times, was seen as a veiled warning to Beijing that it would be bad for Chinese interests if the US starts taking unilateral action. US President Dona

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, despite losses on Wall Street late last week.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 2.82 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,163.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading.The broad index didn't follow Friday's losses on Wall Street.The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.31 percent, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index declining 0.04 percent.Large-cap stocks were mixed across the board. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. gained 0.92

The presidential nominee of the leading conservative party on Sunday rejected the notion of forming a political alliance with a centrist party to challenge liberal front-runner Moon Jae-in.Hong Joon-pyo, governor of South Gyeongsang Province and presidential nominee of the Liberty Korea Party, made the remark in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in response to a question about the possibility of joining forces with smaller parties including the centrist People's Party. South Gyeongsang Provin

It was a symbolic moment in South Korean women's hockey at the world championships in Gangneung, and one that the country would love to see often at the Winter Olympics on home ice next year.There was Randi Griffin, born in the United States to a Korean mother and an American father, flying down the right wing in a 2-on-1 chance against Slovenia on Sunday. She then threaded a perfect pass to Danelle Im, a Canadian native of Korean descent, who slapped it home to give South Korea a 4-1 lead.In th

South Korea soundly defeated Slovenia 5-1 to open the women's hockey world championships at home on Sunday, but its coach Sarah Murray still found something lacking.South Korea outshot Slovenia 78-12 for the breezy win at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship Division II Group A at Kwandong Hockey Centre in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.South Korean players celebrate a goal against Slovenia at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship Division

South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Friday that it has been honored with a world-renowned competition award for its 1 trillion won ($895 million) fine ruling against global giant Qualcomm Inc. (Yonhap)The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in December made the record ruling against the San Diego-based company and its two affiliates for violating the country's competition act by refusing to offer licenses to chipset manufacturers and demanding high fees for patents used by smartphone makers.The Global

The arrest of ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye has made Samsung Group, the country's top conglomerate, jittery as it may have a negative impact on the trial of its detained de facto chief, sources said Friday.After a marathon court hearing, former President Park was arrested earlier in the day in connection with a massive corruption scandal that brought her down. Charges against Park include bribery, abuse of authority, coercion and leaking government secrets. Samsung's de facto leader L

South Korea said Friday it will soon play host to a high-profile international conference on marine operations, drawing top defense officers from over two dozen nations.The annual Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium is slated to kick off this weekend for a five-day run in Seoul and two other areas -- Pohang and Ganghwa -- where local marine units are stationed, according to the Marine Corps Command.South Korean marines stage an amphibious exercise in this file photo provided by the Marine Corps

South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo on Friday clinched the presidential nomination of the conservative Liberty Korea Party for the May 9 election, bracing for an uphill battle against powerful liberal rivals.The former ruling party announced its flag-bearer during a national convention in Seoul based on the combined results of a vote by full-time party members and opinion polls conducted for the past week.South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo (Yonhap)The 62-year-old former prosec

Daily debit card spending rose 15.2 percent in 2016 from a year earlier, central bank data showed Friday, in the latest sign of growing popularity of debit cards that offer tax benefits.Debit card spending on a daily basis came to 424 billion won ($379 million) in 2016, compared with 368 billion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. (Yonhap)Meanwhile, credit card holders in South Korea spent an average of 1.84 trillion won a day in 2016, up 9.7 percent from 1.6

BEIJING -- The body of the slain half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday was transferred on a flight to Pyongyang en route to Beijing as Malaysia and North Korea have agreed to resolve a diplomatic row over his death, sources said.Two North Korean suspects involved in the killing of Kim Jong-nam also left for Pyongyang on the same flight after a stopover in China, they added.On Thursday, Malaysia agreed to send to North Korea the body of Kim, who was killed last month in Malays

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a total of 25 public appearances in the first three months of this year, which were mainly focused on economic and military subjects, data showed Friday.According to Yonhap News Agency's analysis of North Korean media reports, Kim's public outings in the first quarter were reduced by 26.5 percent from 34 reported in the same period of last year.Frequency and subject of a North Korean leader's public appearances are often used to analyze the inner workings of

An archive of evidence detailing North Korea's human rights violations will be set up at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva in accordance with the latest UN resolution, a US broadcaster reported Friday. The previous Friday, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted the resolution, which calls for the launch of the archive and the international community's cooperation in identifying the North's crimes against humanity. Tomas Ojea Quintana (C), U.N. special rap