Apple Inc. has announced a global recall of AirPods Pro wireless earbuds for faulty sound issues, such as crackling or static sounds. Apple said it has determined that a small percentage of AirPods Pro may experience sound issues, adding that affected units were manufactured before October 2020. The US tech giant said problems of an affected AirPods Pro included crackling or static sounds that increase in loud environments, with exercise or while talking on the phone. It also said active nois

WASHINGTON -- Americans will go to the polls this week to decide who will lead their country over the next four years in one of the most contentious presidential elections that could also become the most scandalous election in recent US history. With President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden holding different, and often opposite, views on nearly every issue, the election is widely expected to see the highest voter turnout rate since 1908, when the turnout rate stood at 65.7 perc

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Sunday announced a new social distancing scheme based on five levels instead of three, saying the new plan aims to improve anti-virus measures in a tailored fashion amid criticism the current system is too broad-brush. The scheme will take effect Saturday and break up the current three levels into Levels 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3. The government has divided the nation into seven zones, with the level of each zone determined based on the average number of daily infect

Eight units of South Korea's third-largest conglomerate SK Group will participate in a global renewable energy campaign also joined by Google Inc. and Apple Inc., the group said Sunday. The SK firms will be the first South Korean companies to take part in the RE100 campaign that calls for companies to meet their entire electricity demand with renewable energy such as wind power and solar power by 2050. About 260 companies, including Google Inc., Apple Inc. and Ikea, have already joined the c

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. has been fined 246 million won ($216,800) for misusing a subcontractor's technologies, the country's antitrust watchdog said Sunday. Hyundai Heavy shared the design of a subcontractor's lighting equipment with another subcontractor without permission to help it make the same equipment from April 2017 to April 2018, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said. The shipbuilder was found to have delivered the design of five ship engine parts provid

South Korea will launch an ecological survey on the Han River's estuary along the inter-Korean border this week as part of efforts to implement an agreement with North Korea to jointly use the now-restricted waterway, the unification ministry said Sunday. The survey will start Monday for a 10-month run on about 80 square kilometers of wetland on the southern side of the Han River, near the western border between the two Koreas, to collect "in-depth" ecological and environmental data,

A female Marine Corps officer has been assigned to an aviation battalion after completing training as a helicopter pilot, becoming the Marines' first-ever female chopper pilot, officials said Sunday. Lieutenant Cho Sang-ah, 27, was assigned to Marine Corps' 1st Division 1st Battalion as a chopper pilot after successfully completing 9 months of training. This marks the first time a female helicopter pilot was stationed at the Marines in the 71 years since its 1949 establishment. Commissioned in

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday appointed Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip, known for his daily coronavirus briefing, as the new minister for food and drug safety in a reshuffle that also affected 11 other vice minister-level posts. Moon also appointed Vice Labor Minister Lim Seo-jeong as senior presidential secretary for jobs and Park Jin-kyu, a former presidential secretary for New Southern and New Northern policies, as vice minister of trade, industry and energy, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang

Hyundai Motor Co. sold over 380,000 units of its premium brand Genesis in overseas markets over the past five years since the brand launched in November 2015, industry sources said Sunday. Sales of Genesis came to a combined 384,471 units in September this year, showing its steady sales in the global passenger car market, they said. The current Genesis lineup is composed of the G70, G80 and G90 sedans and the GV80 SUV. In the first nine months, sales of the all models of Genesis were talli

A Seoul court has ordered a major online shopping mall to compensate more than 2,400 customers 100,000 won ($88) each for a data leak in 2016, legal sources said Sunday. The Seoul Central District Court handed a partial victory to the customers of Interpark Corp., who had demanded 300,000 won each in compensation for the breach. The information of more than 10 million customers, including IDs, passwords, mobile phone numbers and addresses, was compromised in May 2016. "(Interpark) inform

An emergency anti-virus law that North Korea recently enacted requires not only its citizens, but also foreigners, to unconditionally obey anti-virus measures, including a ban on entering the sea, according to a state newspaper report. The law also bans foreigners from making unauthorized visits to border regions, while stipulating that the bodies of those who die in an epidemic should be handled according to related regulations, according to the Minju Joson newspaper as obtained by Yonhap News

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a message to pro-North Korean residents in Japan encouraging them to continue friendly relations with Japan and make sure to be safe from the coronavirus, state media said Sunday. "All the branches should ... create an external environment favorable for the existence and development of the community of the Koreans resident in Japan by taking the initiative in conducting activities for friendship with the Japanese people," Kim said in the letter rel

The Seoul metropolitan government will begin imposing fines of 100,000 won ($88) on those who do not wear face masks in public next week, a measure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Enforcement of mandatory mask wearing will begin Nov. 13 after a one-month trial period, officials said. Exceptions will be made for children under the age of 14, the disabled and those diagnosed with a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to breathe through a mask. All others can al

첩보 영화 시리즈 '007'에서 1대 제임스 본드 역할을 연기한 영국의 원로 영화 배우 숀 코너리가 31일(현지시간) 사망했다. 향년 90세. BBC 방송, 스카이 뉴스는 이날 그의 가족을 인용해 코너리의 사망 소식을 보도했다. 1930년 8월 25일 스코틀랜드 에든버러의 파운틴브리지 지역에서 태어난 코너리는 지난 8월 90세 생일을 맞았다. 그는 1962년 제작된 007 시리즈 첫 작품인 '007 살인번호'(원제 Dr. No)에서 최초의 제임스 본드 역할을 맡았다. 코너리는 007 시리즈 가운데 7편의 작품에서 주연을 맡으며 '섹시한 남성'이라는 역할 모델을 할리우드 영화계에 만들었다. 영화팬들 사이에서는 역대 007 중 최고라는 평가를 받고 있다. 코너리는 007 시리즈 이외에도 '오리엔트 특급살인'(1974년), '장미의 이름'(1986), '언터처블'(1987년), '인디아나 존스:최후의 성전'(1989년), '더록'(1996년) 등 다수의 작품에 출연했고 2006

Popular areas in the South Korean capital were bustling with crowds celebrating Halloween on Saturday despite continued warnings by authorities against potential new coronavirus transmissions. While most major clubs in the popular areas of Hongdae, Itaewon and Gangnam were closed as part of precautionary measures, people instead flocked to bars in the areas to enjoy the weekend. Itaewon in the central Seoul ward of Yongsan was crowded with people wearing Halloween costumes. The lines to sign d

South Korea's outbound shipments dipped 3.6 percent in October from a year earlier on fewer working days and virus resurgence, snapping the previous month's brief rebound, data showed Sunday. Outbound shipments came to $44.9 billion last month, compared to $46.6 billion a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports moved down 5.8 percent to $39 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $5.9 billion. The latest figure roughly falls in line

The interim manager for the South Korean baseball club SK Wyverns has resigned, leaving a leadership vacuum for a team coming off its worst season in 20 years. The Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Saturday bench coach Park Kyung-oan, who served as interim skipper in the absence of ailing Youm Kyoung-youb, expressed his intent to resign following their season finale from the previous night. The club accepted his resignation Saturday. Youm fell ill and briefly lost con

South Korea's public health agency said Saturday that a total of 83 people, most of whom are elderly, died after being administered with a seasonal flu vaccine. The deaths have stoked public anxiety over the safety of flu vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the deaths of 72 people have very limited relation with the flu shots. Another 11 cases are currently under investigation. Of the total, 37 people are in their 70s, followed by 34 people aged 80 or old

The SK Wyverns wasted no time filling up their foreign player quota for next season, as they retained a veteran Canadian infielder and newly acquired two pitchers less than 24 hours after finishing up a disappointing 2020 campaign. The Wyverns announced Saturday, one day after their final Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season game, that they have re-signed first baseman Jamie Romak for his fifth season. Then they added right-handers Wilmer Font and Artie Lewicki to their staff. The

An additional case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) has been confirmed in South Korea, bringing the total caseload to three, health authorities said Saturday. The 14-year-old girl was admitted to a hospital and recovered from the disease earlier this year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). KDCA has conducted an investigation into eight suspected MIS-C cases and confirmed that a total of three children had the syndrome that affects seve