South Korea's new virus cases rose by double digits Wednesday amid concerns that a new cluster infection in the southeastern port city of Busan could potentially lead to a mass outbreak. The country added 84 more COVID-19 cases, including 53 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,889, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked a fall from 102 cases reported on Tuesday. The number of daily new local infections also went down from 69 a day earlier.

Im Sung-jae has been the biggest South Korean name on the PGA Tour for the past couple of years, but he hasn't played like one in the tour's only event held on his home soil during that time. Now that the tournament, the CJ Cup, has been relocated to the United States for this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps the pressure to deliver in front of home fans will be off the shoulders of the 22-year-old. The fourth edition of the CJ Cup will start at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Veg

South Korean shares opened lower Wednesday, as investor sentiment weakened over a deadlock in US fiscal stimulus plans and slow progress in new coronavirus vaccine development. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 0.77 point, or 0.03 percent, to 2,402.38 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks traded bearish, taking a cue from Wall Street losses that stemmed from worries that the new US stimulus plan is losing steam ahead of the November presidential election. Inve

South Korea's central bank froze its key interest rate at a record low Wednesday amid heightened economic uncertainties over the protracted coronavirus outbreak and rising housing prices. The Bank of Korea (BOK) also voiced concerns about the fast growth of household debt as asset markets, such as the housing market, could become unstable due to excessive household loans. In a unanimous decision, the BOK's monetary policy board kept steady the benchmark seven-day repo rate, called the base rat

'슈퍼스타' 크리스티아누 호날두(35·포르투갈)가 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19)에 걸렸다. 포르투갈축구협회는 13일(현지시간) 발표한 성명에서 호날두가 코로나19 양성 판정을 받고 현재 격리 중이라고 밝혔다고 AP, 로이터 통신 등이 전했다. 이에 따라 호날두는 14일로 예정된 스웨덴과의 유럽축구연맹(UEFA) 네이션스리그 경기에 출전하지 않는다. 협회는 호날두가 아무런 감염 증상을 보이지 않았다면서도 언제 확진된 것인지는 밝히지 않았다. 호날두의 코로나19 확진에 따라 다른 선수들도 모두 검사를 받았지만 모두 음성 판정을 받았다고 협회는 설명했다. (연합뉴스)

South Korean telecom giant KT Corp. is set to strengthen its top pay TV operator position in the local market after its satellite broadcasting unit clinched a deal to acquire a local cable TV operator. In a regulatory filing late Tuesday, KT Skylife Co. said it will acquire Hyundai HCN Co.'s broadcasting business for 491.1 billion won ($427.4 million) by July 30, 2021. Currently, Hyundai HCN is in the process of spinning off its broadcasting division, which will retain the original name, as a

The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to South Korea's security, including providing "extended deterrence," during annual talks between the military chiefs of the two countries, both sides said Wednesday. US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman (JCS) Gen. Mark Milley made the remark Tuesday during the 45th Military Committee Meeting (MCM) via videoconference with his South Korean counterpart, Gen. Won In-choul, days after North Korea unveiled a massive new intercontinental missile

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a typhoon-hit mining town in the country's eastern province and lauded ongoing efforts to rebuild the area, state media reported Wednesday. Kim visited the Komdok region of South Hamkyong Province hard-hit by typhoons in recent months and reviewed recovery efforts under way, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "He said he could see the damage done to the area was more severe than he thought. He highly appreciated the labor feats of the serv

SEJONG -- South Korea plans to supply more homes to newlyweds and first-time homebuyers through public and private development projects, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday. About 92 percent of newlyweds and first-time homebuyers will be eligible to purchase housing units as the government plans to ease some rules for them, Hong said in a meeting with property-related ministers. Currently, the government requires public and private construction firms to sell a certain amount of new h

During what ultimately ended as a disappointing 2019-2020 Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur, the club's Korean star Son Heung-min and his lads had a documentary crew's cameras and microphones following their moves at home and away. The upshot was "All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur," a nine-episode series on Amazon Prime. It chronicles a campaign that saw the slumping Spurs change their head coach en route to a sixth-place finish. Having watched the documentary, Son said he

BERLIN -- Hundreds of people staged a rally in Berlin on Tuesday to protest a district office's order to remove a statue in the German capital symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. Some 300 activists and citizens gathered near the statue, formally called "The Statue of Peace," in Berlin's Mitte district and marched to the Mitte district office, demanding the German city authorities revoke the removal decision. Korea Verband, a Berlin-based civic group with South Ko

  The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that South Korea's economy will shrink 1.9 percent this year as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged exports and consumption. The IMF's latest forecast represented a slight upgrade from its previous prediction of 2.1 percent contraction in June. The IMF also painted a somewhat brighter picture of the global economy as advanced nations reopened their economies, although the pandemic has showed no signs of weakening. The global economy is expect

Chung Un-chan, commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization, has decided not to seek a second term. Following its board of directors meeting, the KBO announced Tuesday that Chung, whose three-year term ends in December, will not pursue another term at the helm of the country's professional baseball. The board, made up of presidents from 10 KBO clubs, decided to nominate former Doosan Bears interim owner Chung Ji-taik as the new commissioner. The KBO's board of governors, comprising owners o

Over 100 South Korean lawmakers have signed a joint letter protesting the city of Berlin's order to remove a statue symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery from the streets of the German capital, according to political parties Tuesday. The letter, signed by 113 members of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), the minor progressive Justice Party, Basic Income Party, Transition Korea party and independent legislators, was delivered to the German embassy in South Korea on Tuesday. Korea

More than 40 percent of retired athletes in South Korea remained jobless as of last year, a lawmaker said Tuesday, calling for state help for them to build "a second life." As of 2019, 41.9 percent of the 8,251 retired athletes surveyed by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee remained unemployed, Rep. Kim Yea-ji of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing data by the committee. Of those employed, only 29.8 percent answered they had jobs related to sports, such as refe

First Lady Kim Jung-sook of South Korea said Tuesday that the role and mission of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has become more significant than ever amid the new coronavirus outbreak. She was speaking in a video message for the Seoul-based organization's annual forum of partner nations, which was held online. Kim serves as honorary president of South Korea's IVI support committee. "As the whole world battles against the COVID-19 pandemic, the mission of the IVI, which is to d

South Korea's military is expected to run short of troops from around 2032 due to a shrinking population amid low birthrates, the military recruitment agency chief said Tuesday. The Military Manpower Administration chief, Mo Jong-hwa, made the remark during a parliamentary audit session, saying detailed discussions should begin to come up with measures to cope with the expected shortage. From 2032, Mo said, the country will have only about 180,000 people joining the military a year when at le

South Korean shipbuilders are expected to win orders later this year to build liquefied national gas (LNG) ships in Africa, analysts said Tuesday. In the January-September period, local shipbuilders fell far short of achieving their annual order targets as the new coronavirus pandemic continued to affect the shipbuilding industry, according to their order data. Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering received $4.5 billion worth of orders in the first nine months, achieving 29 percent o

Fans of K-pop superstar BTS on Tuesday voiced frustration over the social media storm in China that has erupted over member RM's recent remarks honoring those sacrificed during the Korean War. In an Oct. 7 ceremony hosted by the US-based nonprofit organization The Korea Society, RM, who spoke on behalf of the group that received an award for its contributions to Seoul-Washington ties, referred to the 1950-53 war where the two countries fought together. "We will always remember the history

South Korean stocks turned lower late Tuesday morning, as investors went risk-averse over the local resurgence of the new coronavirus. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 14.43 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,389.3 as of 11:20 a.m. The KOSPI fell back into negative terrain after opening a tad higher following the overnight Wall Street rally. Investor sentiment worsened as the country's new COVID-19 infections bounced back to the triple digits, stoking fears that the p