North Korea slammed the United States Thursday for its latest sanctions on the communist regime, saying they justify the country's development of nuclear weapons. (Yonhap)In an interview with the North's Korean Central News Agency, a spokesman for the foreign ministry denounced the bill signed into law Wednesday that also calls for sanctions on Russia and Iran."The US adoption of sanctions law against the DPRK is no more than last-ditch efforts by those who are terrified at the series of measure

A group of South Korean consumers will file a compensation lawsuit next week with a local court against three German automakers accused of lying about diesel emissions and collusion, a local lawyer said Friday.Six people who own Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes Benzes are expected to file their case with the Seoul District Court on Monday, represented by attorney Ha Jong-sun of Barun Law. Ha is also the lawyer for another group of consumers who had filed a similar lawsuit in 2015 against Volkswagen a

Top security officials of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Thursday to maximize pressure on North Korea to stop its missile and nuclear provocations, the presidential office here said.South Korea's National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong held a video conference with his US and Japanese counterparts, H.R. McMaster and Shotaro Yachi, to coordinate their response to North Korea's evolving threats, according to Cheong Wa Dae. South Korea`s National Security Office chief Chung Eu

The United States is weighing the option of relisting North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and strengthening joint military drills with South Korea and Japan, an opposition lawmaker here said Thursday.Khang Hyo-shang of the Liberty Korea Party said that, during his recent trip to Washington, Joseph Yun, the US State Department's special representative for North Korea policy, told him that the option is under consideration to cope with the reclusive state's provocations. This photo, taken

The South Korean government has no plan to raise power charges in the next five years amid its efforts to phase out all nuclear plants, a senior official said Thursday."The nuclear-free plan will not directly bring an increase in electricity prices in the coming five years," Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee In-ho said in a press briefing. Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee In-ho in a press briefing (Yonhap)"After the five-year period, there will be limited pressure fo

South Korea on Thursday hailed US President Donald Trump's ratification of a bill that imposes sanctions on Russia, China and North Korea, voicing hopes that it could quicken North Korea's denuclearization."The latest law adopts a vast range of new sanction elements and significantly intensifies the implementation of existing sanctions on North Korea," Cho June-hyuck, spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press briefing.  (Yonhap)"(The new law) reflects the United States' stron

South Korea's foreign minister is expected to meet the newly tapped top diplomat of Japan at the upcoming meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss bilateral ties, regional and global issues, her office said Thursday.Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tapped Taro Kono as a replacement for Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. He is the son of Yohei Kono, known for issuing a landmark 1993 apology as chief cabinet secretary for Japan's sexual slavery of women during Worl

A state commission formed to gauge public opinion on the construction of two nuclear power reactors in South Korea said Thursday it will play the role of an advisory organ coming up with a recommendation, rather than a final decision maker, on whether to continue or call off the project. In an effort to reduce South Korea's dependence on nuclear energy, the government of President Moon Jae-in proposed scrapping the project to build the Shingori-5 and Shingori-6 reactors in the southeastern city

Jeju Air Co., one of South Korea's leading budget carriers, said Thursday its net profit more than tripled in the second quarter from a year earlier on higher low-cost travel demand.In the three months that ended on June 30, net profit soared to 15.1 billion won ($14 million) from 4.6 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a statement."In the second and fourth quarters when demand is relatively lower than the other two quarters, we focused on attracting customers with lower ticket price

Ahn Cheol-soo, the former co-chair and presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, declared his bid for its upcoming leadership election Thursday, three days after he was cleared of any involvement in a fake tip-off scandal.The demoralized center-left party is set to elect its new leader on Aug. 27, as it faces the daunting task of regaining public trust in the wake of the scandal involving some of its former election campaigners. (Yonhap)The party's top post has been vacant s

The sale of environment-friendly vehicles surged 24 percent in the first half from a year earlier on improving infrastructure and government subsidies, industry data showed Thursday.  (Yonhap)In the January-June period, domestic and foreign carmakers sold a total of 40,978 environment-friendly vehicles, up from 33,123 units an year earlier, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.During the same period,

President Moon Jae-in's top security adviser on Thursday dismissed the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula, amid reports about US President Donald Trump's mention of a potential armed conflict with an increasingly belligerent North Korea. Chung Eui-yong, President Moon Jae-in`s top security adviser, speaks to the press at the National Assembly in Seoul on Aug. 3, 2017. (Yonhap)"Even the United States does not appear to see (war possibilities)," Chung Eui-yong, the chief of the National Se

A group of eight US senators has called on FIFA to consider dismissing Russia as the host of the2018 World Cup if a probe into Moscow's alleged use of North Korean workers is true, a statement showed Thursday.The group led by US Senator Bob Menendez, senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has sent a letter to FIFA demanding it heed growing calls to open a probe into reports that North Korean workers were exploited on a World Cup stadium site in Russia, according to the statemen

The labor ministry plans to draw up guidelines on the after-work use of mobile messaging and other forms of social networking services, an official said Thursday, amid growing complaints about companies giving work-related orders via social media during off hours. (Yonhap)A growing number of people have complained about getting work-related orders via mobile messenger Kakao Talk and other messaging services after working hours. A Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey last year showed tha

Audi Volkswagen Korea Ltd., a global sales unit of Audi AG, is speeding up preparations to resume sales in South Korea within this year, Seoul officials said Thursday. On July 25 last year, Audi Volkswagen Korea, which was selling passenger cars under marques such as Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porshe and Volkswagen, voluntarily stopped selling its vehicles in the country. Back then, the Seoul government was about to ban the sale of almost all Audi and Volkswagen cars while imposing heavy fines

Seoul's foreign ministry has reiterated that South Korea and the United States are maintaining close consultation, dismissing concerns that Seoul is sidelined from international discussions to resolve North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.  (Yonhap)It also emphasized the US supports Seoul's leading role in paving the foundation of peace on the Korean Peninsula. "Both South Korea and the United States clearly share their common stance about our leading role (to be secured) in paving the way f

A heavy drop in the number of Chinese visitors to South Korea nearly doubled the gap between inbound and outbound travelers, the Korea Tourism Organization said Thursday.The January-June tally this year showed that some 6.75 million foreigners came to South Korea, down 16.7 percent from the same period last year, according to KTO. The number of outbound South Koreans totaled over 12.62 million during the same months. The last time that the gap neared twofold was in 2007. (Yonhap)The imbalance ap

South Korea may announce unilateral sanctions on North Korea after the United Nations Security Council imposes fresh punitive measures over the North's latest long-range missile tests, a government official said Thursday.The South Korean government is reviewing what unilateral sanctions it can impose on the North after Pyongyang launched two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles in July. (Yonhap)"Relevant ministries are reviewing them. Last time, the government unveiled unilateral punitiv

The Moon Jae-in administration will never cease efforts to help stabilize the housing market, a senior official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday, noting the new government has five years to go.The remarks came one day after the government announced a set of measures to curb a recent spike in home prices that it apparently believes may have been partly caused by speculation.(Yonhap)Kim Su-hyun, the top presidential secretary for social affairs, said he was not sure how wel

Just seven years ago, Cho Soo-kyung, a public relations agency worker, hardly had time for herself as her job demanded nearly every moment of her waking hours. A sense of devotion and achievement were her rewards, or at least that's what her company wanted her to believe."Then, I was happy when my clients were happy. There often were many unfair or unreasonable demands that I would have said no to had it not been for my company or my colleagues who had a stake in what I did," the 39-year-old rec