North Korea floated trash balloons toward South Korea early Tuesday, the South's military said, marking the second consecutive day of such provocation. The Joint Chiefs of Staff raised the possibility of the balloons drifting toward northern Gyeonggi Province and other parts of the Seoul metropolitan area, advising citizens not to touch the balloons and to be cautious of any potential drops. Since late May, North Korea has sent over 5,000 balloons across the border into South Korea. In Mond

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Monday that the government will maintain readiness against potential North Korean provocations through close cooperation with the United States. Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary hearing, citing a series of provocations from North Korea, such as the launch of balloons toward the South and missile tests. "The government will maintain a thorough readiness posture against various potential provocations from North Korea, while ensur

Prosecutors on Monday raided the residence of Namyang Dairy Products Co.'s former chairperson and the company's headquarters as part of an ongoing investigation into embezzlement allegations. Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office raided more than 10 locations, including former Chairman Hong Won-sik's home. In August, the company filed a complaint against Hong and three other former company officials, accusing them of allegedly embezzling company funds of

Seoul stocks finished over 1.5 percent higher Monday, bolstered by US employment data, and modest gains in chip and battery shares. The local currency sharply fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index moved up 1.58 percent, or 40.67 points, to 2,610.38. Trading volume was moderate at 336 million shares worth 10.2 trillion won ($7.57 billion), with gainers outpacing losers at 618 to 259. Institutions and foreign investors together bought a net 98 billion won, whi

South Korea's media regulator is set to look into TikTok over a potential violation of the nation's personal data protection law, an official at the regulator said Monday. TikTok is accused of automatically requiring its users to receive advertisements, instead of letting users give their consent to receive such content under the Korean law, according to industry sources. The Korea Communications Commission suspects that TikTok may be violating the Act on Promotion of Information and C

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating inched up to 27.9 percent from a week earlier but remained below the 30 percent mark for the second consecutive week, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance rose 2.1 percentage points from the previous week, when it recorded the lowest level in Realmeter surveys since he took office in 2022. The negative assessment of Yoon fell 2.7 perce

North Korea has denounced the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's condemnation of military cooperation between the North and Russia, warning that the entity could face "tragic consequences" if it continues to pursue an anti-North Korea stance. NATO issued a statement last week that condemns North Korea and Iran for "fueling" Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine with their direct military support to Moscow. North Korea's foreign ministry on Sunday denounc

The National Assembly is set to kick off its annual inspection of the government and state agencies Monday for a 26-day run. On the first day of the audit, 10 of the Assembly's 17 standing committees will hold inspection hearings to scrutinize the management of the central and regional governments as well as their agencies. The Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and the Public Administration and Security Committee will be among the 10 committe

South Korea's foreign reserves increased for the third straight month in September on the back of the increased value of non-US dollar assets and investment gains, central bank data showed Monday. The country's foreign reserves had come to $419.97 billion as of end-September, up $4.05 billion from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. The central bank attributed the increase to a rise in the converted value of non-dollar assets amid the weak greenback and in

Seoul stocks opened higher Monday led by gains among battery and automotive shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.21 percent, or 5.33 points, to 2,575.04 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Battery manufacturers and automakers led the overall gains, with leading battery maker LG Energy Solution jumping 2.85 percent and top automaker Hyundai Motor adding 1.46 percent. Financial firms also gained traction, with KB Financial rising 1.57 percent and Shinhan Financial up 0.55

President Yoon Suk Yeol began his state visit to the Philippines on Sunday by honoring fallen soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War and meeting with Korean nationals in the nation. Yoon visited the Korean War Memorial Pylon at the Heroes' Cemetery in Manila with first lady Kim Keon Hee on the first day of his two-day trip focused on strengthening economic and security ties. "South Korea and the Philippines have maintained close, friendly relations, and the Philippines was the first

Two-time champions Ulsan HD FC extended their lead at the top of the K League 1 table with a come-from-behind win over second-place Gimcheon Sangmu FC on Sunday. Yago Cariello scored the tiebreaking goal in the 80th minute to lift Ulsan to a 2-1 victory at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in the teams' final match of the first phase of the season. With 33 matches in the books, the 12 teams have been split into two tiers: the top six in Final A and the

Asiana Airlines Inc. announced Sunday it will increase fees for excess baggage on its international flights starting Jan. 2, 2025. Those fees apply to baggage in excess of the airline's free allowance. Fees for baggage exceeding the quantity limit will go up by as much as 40,000 won ($29.66) depending on routes, Asiana said. For short-haul routes within 90 minutes from Korea, the excess baggage fee will rise from 60,000 won per piece to 90,000 won. For flights to Europe, Africa and Oceania,

The education ministry said on Sunday it will temporarily allow medical students to take a leave of absence on condition that they return to school next year. The decision follows Seoul National University's move late last month to approve leave of absence requests submitted en masse in protest of the government's medical reform plans, which include increasing medical school quotas. While reaffirming its stance that taking leave to show solidarity is not a valid reason, the ministry sa

The LG Twins erased an early deficit to defeat the KT Wiz 7-2 on Sunday to even up their Korea Baseball Organization postseason series at one game apiece. Light-hitting infielder Shin Min-jae drove in three runs for the Twins, while the bottom third of their lineup contributed four hits, five runs, two RBIs and two steals on this rainy afternoon at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Twins starter Im Chan-kyu went 5 1/3 solid innings for his second career postseason victory in front of a sellout c

Seoul revises pilot program for Filipina domestic workers after initial trial The Seoul city government said Sunday it has revised its pilot program for providing Filipina domestic workers to households, following about a month of the program's implementation. The revisions, made during meetings between the labor ministry and other relevant parties, will take effect this month to address issues that arose during the initial phase of the program, such as some workers leaving their workplaces

Over 60 percent of South Korea's automotive exports during most of 2024 have been shipped to North America, according to industry data, raising concerns about the need for more balanced global export strategies. The combined exports of the five South Korean automotive firms — Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, KG Mobility, and Renault Korea Motors — totaled 1,857,111 units during the January-August period. Of those, 61.4 percent, or 1,140,073 units, were shipped to North America, mar

North Korea is set to convene a key parliamentary meeting on Monday, where it is expected to revise its constitution by removing unification-related clauses and clarifying the nation's territorial boundaries, including the maritime border. The 11th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) is anticipated to address these revisions, nine months after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un redefined inter-Korean relations as being between "two hostile states" and vowed to no

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to further develop relations between the two countries as they exchanged messages marking the 75th anniversary of relations, state media reported Sunday. Kim said in the message to Xi that it aligns "with the fundamental interests of the two countries to invariably carry forward and develop the DPRK-China friendship with a long history and good traditions," according to the Korean Central News Agency. DPRK stands

Baseball star Hwang Jae-gyun and Jiyeon of girl group T-ara have filed for divorce mediation to end their two-year marriage, the singer said Saturday. In a statement released by her legal representative, Jiyeon said the couple initiated the process by mutual consent after failing to overcome a dispute. The couple reached an agreement to part ways after living separately due to an unresolved dispute and the process has been filed with the Seoul Family Court, according to the statement. The two ti