WASHINGTON -- The US General Services Administration (GSA) on Monday ascertained Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, as the apparent winners of the US presidential election, Biden's transition team said. "The GSA Administrator has ascertained President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the apparent winners of the election, providing the incoming administration with the resources and support necessary to carry out a smooth and peaceful transfer of power,&q

The South Korean men's national football team reported an additional positive coronavirus test from a staff member Tuesday, while a goalkeeper who was previously infected has since tested negative. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said a fourth team staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 while in Austria for a pair of friendly matches earlier this month. During the November trip, seven players were also infected: Lee Dong-jun and Kim Moon-hwan of Busan IPark, Kwon Chang-hoon of SC F

South Korea's household credit grew at a faster clip in the third quarter compared to three months earlier, driven by a rise in banks' home-backed loans, central bank data showed Tuesday. Household credit reached a record high of 1,682.1 trillion won ($1.51 trillion) as of September, up 44.9 trillion won from three months earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Household credit refers to credit purchases and loans for households that have been extended by financial instit

The combined net profit of insurance firms in South Korea gained 6.1 percent on-year in the first nine months of this year, partly supported by fewer car accidents as people stayed home amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday. Life and non-life insurers saw their combined net profit increase by 319.5 billion won ($286.8 million) to 5.5 trillion won for the January-September period, according to data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). In a statement, the FSS said profits

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) will push to include funds for an additional third round of coronavirus-related emergency handouts in next year's state budget, a senior party official said Tuesday. "To help out the damaged sectors of taxi services, indoor gyms, private learning institutes and PC cafes hit by the third wave of COVID-19 and provide emergency livelihood support to households, we will provide emergency funds worth some 3.6 trillion won ($3.23 billion) to places in

Naver Corp., the operator of South Korea's dominant Internet portal, said Tuesday it will invest 180 billion won ($161 million) over the next two years in supporting small business owners and creators. "Naver aims to produce a new kind of business synergy by connecting business and creative works through the latest technology," Naver CEO Han Seong-sook said in an online press conference. Under the new project, Naver will first develop a new data-based platform that directly connects

Seoul Metro, the operator of the city's vast subway system, has signed a deal with an Australian engineering firm to provide consulting services to Sydney Metro, the Korean company said Tuesday. Under the deal signed in mid-November, Seoul Metro and Ricardo will jointly assist Sydney Metro in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of two subway line extensions. The West line and the Western Sydney Airport link are scheduled for completion and opening in 2030. The three-year consu

A recently resumed tour program to the truce village of Panmunjom will remain in operation despite this week's toughened social distancing measures against the coronavirus, as necessary preventive steps have already been enforced, a unification ministry official said Tuesday. The tours to the Joint Security Area (JSA) and other sites inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas resumed earlier this month after more than a year of suspension due to the outbreak of African swine

South Korea said Tuesday it will release its reserved grains into the market to cope with the reduced rice output after the long rainy season this year coupled with major typhoons. The country will release up to 370,000 tons of reserved rice, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The detailed amount will change depending on the market situation. The rice will be released after the harvest season in different phases to minimize potential fluctuations in the market.

More than seven in 10 South Korean exporting companies expect their overseas shipments to increase in 2021 from this year, a poll showed Tuesday. The survey of 801 exporters, taken by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), showed 71.3 percent of the respondents anticipating an increase in their exports next year. The poll did not give reasons for their expectations for a hike in overseas shipments in the coming year. Exports of petroleum products are projected to climb 6 percent on

South Korea's arms procurement agency signed a contract commissioning a local defense firm to develop a robot capable of detecting and removing land mines and other explosives with indigenous technology, officials said Tuesday. Under the 18 billion-won ($16 million) project, Hanwha Defense plans to develop a robot capable of patrolling the mine-strewn Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea and other dangerous areas, detecting and eliminating explosives, according to the Defense

Combined order backlogs of South Korea's top five shipbuilders, led by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., fell 22 percent in the first nine months of the year from the end of last year due to decreased new orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry sources said Tuesday. But their good financial health will prevent them from raking in orders at lower prices, according to Han Young-soo, an analyst at Samsung Securities Co. The shipbuilders have 38 trillion won ($34.2 billion) worth of order backl

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Tuesday urged public servants to maintain the utmost level of readiness against COVID-19, warning those who contract the virus by not complying with distancing rules will face grave disciplinary measures. "In cases of slack discipline in the public sector, such as cases where public office workers test positive by not complying with antivirus measures, we will gravely seek disciplinary measures," Chung said during a Cabinet meeting at the government co

South Korea said Tuesday it has decided to ban free-range chickens and ducks until early next year as the nation is struggling to prevent the outbreak of avian influenza. Local farms will be advised to keep poultry indoors to prevent them from coming in contact with wild birds or their droppings, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The ban came as the country has reported six cases of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu across the country since late October, wi

광주의 한 어린이보호구역(스쿨존)에서 세 남매 가족을 화물차로 들이받은 운전자가 검찰로 송치됐다. 광주 북부경찰서는 어린이보호구역에서 2살 여아를 숨지게 하는 등 3명의 사상자를 낸 사고를 낸 혐의(특정범죄가중처벌법상 치사 등)로 구속된 50대 A씨를 24일 오전 검찰로 송치한다고 밝혔다. A씨는 지난 17일 오전 8시 45분께 광주 북구 운암동의 한 아파트 단지 인근 어린이보호구역에서 신호등이 없는 횡단보도를 건너는 세 남매와 30대 어머니를 자신의 차로 들이받은 혐의를 받고 있다. 이 사고로 유모차에 타고 있던 만 2살 된 여아가 사망했고, 30대 어머니와 4살 언니는 중상을 입고 병원으로 이송돼 치료를 받고 있다. 유모차에는 영아인 막내 남동생도 타고 있었으나, 사고 과정에서 유모차가 화물차 옆으로 튕겨 나가면서 다행히 크게 다치지는 않았다. 차량 정체로 횡단보도 바로 앞에 화물차를 정차한 A씨는 정체가 풀리자 차량 앞에 있던 가족을 발견하지 못하고 차량을 출발시키면서

The defense ministry on Tuesday began enforcing tougher social distancing rules for service members in the Seoul metropolitan area in line with the government's elevation of the antivirus scheme. Under the social distancing scheme of Level 2, vacations and one-day off-installation trips are primarily restricted. Visits to nightlife facilities continue to be banned, and service members are not allowed to visit religious facilities outside their bases, according to the ministry. The Level 2 gui

LS Cable & System, the world's third-largest wire and cable maker by sales, said Tuesday it has received a submarine cable supply deal in Denmark. Under the deal, LS Cable will supply extra-high voltage submarine cable systems for offshore wind farms operated by Denmark's Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind farm operator, for five years, the company said in a statement. The company did not provide the contract value.  "The offshore wind market is growing fast, particular

Sales of imported commercial vehicles in South Korea jumped 21 percent last month from a year earlier on robust sales of Scania and Mercedes-Benz trucks, an industry association said Tuesday. The number of newly registered imported commercial vehicles rose to 474 units in October from 392 a year ago, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement. Imported commercial vehicles currently account for a large share of the domestic commercial vehicle market

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday after hitting an all-time high the previous session on hopes of an economic recovery and new coronavirus vaccine development. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 7.01 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,609.6 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investor sentiment ran high in the global financial markets, as progress in COVID-19 vaccine development fueled optimism that the economy and trade would normalize down the road. Overnight,

South Korea's drug safety agency has approved clinical trials of vaccine and treatment candidates currently under development by two local drug manufacturers, industry officials said Tuesday. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday gave the green light to conduct a phase one clinical trial of a vaccine candidate, dubbed "NBP 2001," by SK Bioscience. SK Bioscience said it will administer the investigative therapy to healthy adults to evaluate its safety and efficacy at two dif