South Korean President Moon Jae-in will participate in a virtual conference along with the leaders of 19 other major economies Saturday, Cheong Wa Dae said. The two-day Group of 20 (G-20) summit, chaired by Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to open at night (Seoul time) for discussions on pending global issues -- from climate change to growing inequality. This year's event comes as the world is gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic and its crippling economic impact. With the theme of "Realizing the

The number of daily new coronavirus cases in South Korea exceeded 300 for the fourth consecutive day Saturday due to sporadic cluster infections across the country, casting concerns over a third wave of the pandemic. The country added 386 more COVID-19 cases, including 361 local infections, raising the total caseload to 30,403, according to the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload has stayed in the triple digits since Nov. 8, with the figure exceeding 300 f

South Korea will push actively ahead with cooperation with North Korea once coronavirus vaccines and cures are developed, Unification Minister Lee In-young said Friday, after coming under fire for calling for sharing coronavirus vaccines with the North. "When vaccines and treatment for COVID-19 are developed and distributed in the near future, a new environment will be created in the Korean Peninsula in which people and goods can come and go," Lee said during a meeting with medical ex

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Seoul next week, her ministry announced Friday, amid expectations the two sides will likely focus on bilateral relations and cooperation ahead of a leadership change in the United States. The talks will take place on Thursday, a day after Wang arrives in Seoul for a three-day visit, according to the ministry. Wang will fly in from Japan after a two-day trip there. He last visited Seoul in December last yea

DAEGU -- A court here sentenced on Friday the 2008 Olympic judo silver medalist Wang Ki-chun to six years in prison for sexually assaulting minors. The Daegu District Court also ordered Wang to be banned from working at children-related facilities for eight years and to undergo 40 hours of a therapeutic program for his sexual misconduct. The sentencing was based on the fact that Wang "denied his wrongdoing and pressed his victims to settle, causing them great pains," the court said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will be introduced as a new subject in local high schools next year before being expanded to the curriculums of kindergartens and elementary and middle schools by 2025, the education ministry said Friday, declaring a bid to strengthen AI education in preparation for a digital future. The government's AI education blueprint was announced after Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hae presided over a meeting of social affairs ministers for discussions on adjusting its educat

The year 2020 has been one of the most dismal years for many around the globe, jolting people to face a harsh new reality where the most mundane things in life have become a luxury. BTS, the K-pop act that has grown into one of the biggest pop groups in the world, is no exception. Carefully planned concerts were indefinitely postponed, and the band's seven members began to question what it means to be musicians when they can't perform in front of fans. The answer to that question is their late

A court on Friday ordered a sports agency to compensate fans for Cristiano Ronaldo's no-show at a friendly football match in Seoul last year. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of 162 plaintiffs who sued The Fasta, which organized the exhibition game between Italy's Juventus and South Korea's K-League All Star team on July 26, 2019. The company advertised that Ronaldo would play for at least 45 minutes, but he stayed on the bench throughout the game, angering a sellout crowd of

The National Assembly's defense committee on Friday approved a bill that would allow distinguished male pop culture artists to postpone their mandatory military duties. The committee gave its nod to the bill to revise the Military Service Act to grant an exceptional right to defer military duties of acclaimed pop artists, such as BTS, who are recognized to have contributed to the elevation of the country's global reputation. The bill must pass parliament's plenary session for final approval.

Creditors' plan to sell the debt-laden Asiana Airlines Inc. to its bigger rival Korean Air Lines Co. faces a bumpy road as a local equity fund has filed an injunction against the plan. On Tuesday, Asiana's main creditor, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), signed an investment agreement with Korean Air's parent Hanjin KAL Corp. to inject 800 billion won ($723 million) into Hanjin KAL through a rights offering and convertible bonds. Hanjin KAL will then participate in a 2.5 trillion-won stock sal

Japan is willing to work with South Korea on the monitoring of the envisioned treatment and release into the ocean of contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, a senior embassy official said Friday. The official's remark comes as Tokyo is expected to soon announce its plan to gradually discharge into the sea more than 1.2 million tons of radioactive water stored in tanks since the 2011 meltdowns following an earthquake and tsunami. Tokyo has pushed for the disposal int

At least 26 people have been infected with the new coronavirus in cases tied to a cram school in southwestern Seoul used for preparation for a state exam to pick public school teachers, the district office said Friday. Two people who attended the private education institute in Noryangjin were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 early this week and 24 more attendees and staff members contracted the virus, according to the office of Dongjak Ward. Noryangjin is home to a slew of cram schools d

Seven more service members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday, raising concerns over the fast spread of the virus into barracks. One enlisted soldier stationed in the border town of Paju was confirmed to have been infected following two earlier cases this week. "Some 500 members of the unit underwent virus tests, and we found no additional COVID-19 patients," a ministry official said. A service member at a unit located inside the defense

The National Assembly said Friday it plans to expand the number of its in-house electric vehicle charging stations by twofold by next year. The assembly complex, located in Seoul's western ward of Yeongdeungpo, will double the number of its electric vehicle stations from the current 11 to 22 by the end of 2021, according to the National Assembly Secretariat. The decision was made in line with the government policy on further developing infrastructure for eco-friendly automobiles, it noted.

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations has criticized the UN Security Council for labeling its outer space program as threats, calling the agency an "undemocratic organ devoid of impartiality." Kim Song, the chief of the North Korean mission to the UN, delivered a statement at the plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly session earlier this week, stressing the importance of reform of the UN agency for better representation of its member states. "Until now even after 7

South Korea's total virus caseload topped 30,000 on Friday, 10 months after its first confirmed case in late January, and its virus fight is facing another potential wave of outbreaks amid the nearing winter season. The country reported 363 new COVID-19 cases Friday, including 320 local infections, raising the total to 30,017, according to health authorities. It marked the third straight day that daily virus cases rose by over 300. Since the first case was reported on Jan. 20, the total number

K-pop megastar BTS, which has emerged as one of the biggest pop groups in the world, on Friday released its new album, "BE," an intimate record of messages the septet wants to share with the world during the pandemic. The eight-track album, the band's fifth Korean-language studio album, kicks off with the lead track "Life Goes On" and ends with the chart-breaking single "Dynamite," which propelled BTS to become the first K-pop act to top the Billboard Hot 100. If

Card spending made during a massive nationwide annual shopping festival earlier this month rose 6.3 percent from a year earlier, the trade ministry said Friday, amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Card spending amounted to 37.4 trillion won ($33.5 billion) in the Nov. 1-15 period, when the country held the annual Korea Sale FESTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The shopping festival involving major retailers, manufacturers and traditional markets drew a total of 1,784

A memorial service commemorating late former President Kim Young-sam, a pivotal icon in South Korea's tumultuous democratization, was held Friday afternoon in Seoul. High-profile politicians, including National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug and Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, attended the service, marking the fifth anniversary of his death, at Seoul National Cemetery in the southern Dongjak Ward. Also in attendance were leaders of rival parties, Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the r

19일 오후 6시 28분께 서울 강북구 다세대 주택에서 충전 후 콘센트에 계속 꽂아뒀던 전동킥보드에서 발화한 것으로 추정되는 화재가 발생했다. 지하 1층, 지상 2층으로 된 다세대 주택의 지상 1층에서 시작된 불은 1층을 거의 다 태워 소방서 추산 2천500만원 피해를 내고 오후 7시 20분께 진화됐다. 지상 2층 거주자 60대 남성 1명은 연기를 들이마셔 병원 치료를 받은 후 귀가했다. 다른 인명 피해는 없는 것으로 확인됐다. 소방당국은 1층 거주자가 전동킥보드에서 불이 났다며 신고한 내용 등을 토대로 전동킥보드 배터리 과열로 불이 난 것으로 추정하고 전동킥보드를 수거해 국립과학수사연구원에 감정을 의뢰할 예정이다. (연합뉴스)