Senior managers at big service sector firms earned 4.2 times more than rank-and-file workers last year, highlighting the widening wage gap in earnings that began with the 2008-09 global financial crisis, according to official data Monday.A service worker's average monthly wage rose to 1.67 million won ($1,460) last year from 1.61 million won in 2009, according to data by the Bank of Korea and the Ministry of Employment and Labor.  (Yonhap)In comparison, a senior manager's average monthly wage st

South Korea is considering forming a consultative body involving political parties and the civil society to set its North Korea policy that won't be swayed by political views, government officials said Monday.Seoul's unification ministry is mulling over ways to reflect opinions from the government, political parties and civilians in crafting the North Korea policy that can be consistently pursued whether a liberal or conservative administration is in office, according to officials. (Yonhap)Conse

A senior member of a minor opposition party denied his involvement in a fabricated tip-off about President Moon's son during the election campaign earlier this year. Lee Jun-seo, a former senior official of the People's Party, appeared at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office to face questioning over the party's allegations, based on a fraudulent statement from an anonymous informant, that Moon Joon-yong landed a job at a public agency in late 2006 based on his father's influence.  Lee

Former US President Barack Obama will attend a conference in Seoul on Monday to deliver a speech on leadership, organizers and embassy officials said. Obama arrived at Gimpo International Airport on Sunday night, along with his wife Michelle Obama and two daughters.  Former President Barack Obama`s motorcade leaving Gimpo Airport (Yonhap)It marks his first visit to South Korea since he had a summit with then-President Park Geun-hye more than three years ago. Obama is to deliver a speech regardin

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rebounded slightly last week amid positive reception of the South Korea-US summit and his decision to give citizens full access to the vicinity of the presidential compound, a survey indicated Monday.In the Realmeter survey conducted from Monday to Friday, 75.3 percent approved of Moon's job performance, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous week. (Yonhap)Those who disapproved of his job performance made up 17.3 percent, down 1.3 percentage points, wh

North Korea on Sunday condemned the South for what it called Seoul's "submission to the US," as leaders of the two countries joined their voices last week in urging Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambition.The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, published a commentary that assessed Seoul's senior officials as having "revealed their miserable appearance seized with sycophancy and submission to the US occasioned by the chief executive's first junket to the US," referring to South Korean Pr

President Moon Jae-in returned Sunday from the United States where he had a summit with US President Donald Trump on North Korea, alliance and trade issues. Upon arrival, he issued a statement to the nation stressing the summit has set the stage for South Korea to play a bigger role in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue diplomatically.  (Yonhap)"Through this summit, the two countries agreed to achieve their common goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner," Moo

Jeju Air Co., a South Korean low-cost carrier, said Tuesday it will start flights to Vietnam's Nha Trang starting next month.The route is the latest move by the budget carrier to expand into Southeast Asia and Japan not only to absorb the growing travel demand but also to offset sharp declines in passengers from China.Beijing banned the sale of travel packages to South Korea starting March 15 in retaliation against Seoul's deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.  A Jeju Air

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and other major shipyards in South Korea have seen their stock prices slide for days due to a fall in oil prices, analysts said Tuesday.Hyundai Heavy was trading at 173,000 won ($152) on the Seoul bourse as of 10:10 a.m., down 0.29 percent from the previous session's close. The price is down from its yearly high of 187,500 won on June 14.Its smaller rival Samsung Heavy Industries Co. was quoted at 12,500 won, down 1.19 percent, extending its losing streak to a second

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest carmaker, said Tuesday it will add a new SUV to its lineup next month to boost sales. Kia Motors has developed the Stonic subcompact SUV as part of its efforts to absorb growing demand for SUVs at home and abroad amid a global economic recovery and low oil prices."The B-segment SUV market has grown fast in the past five years since 2013 to 110,000 units in South Korea. The Stonic is to attract customers in their 20s and 30s who put price and fuel ef

Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin said Tuesday that E-Mart, South Korea's largest discount store outlet, will focus on its online shopping mall, electronics retail and "No Brand" products to generate future growth.Speaking to a group of employees of E-Mart, an affiliate of Shinsegae Group, at the company's headquarters in Seoul, Chung said the focus should be put on the development of key promising business sectors.A file photo of Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin (Yonhap)H

South Korea ranked No. 1 in terms of e-commence for grocery shopping, far outpacing other major developed countries, an industry report showed Tuesday.According to the report by industry tracker, Kantar Worldpanel, the percentage of fast-moving consumer goods shopping via online and mobile channels out of all purchases in South Korea between June 2015 and June 2016 came to 16.6 percent. FMCG refers to goods such as soft drinks, toiletries, over-the-counter drugs, processed foods and many other c