Seoul shares ended higher for a second straight session Monday amid hopes that the US Federal Reserve will hint at a potential rate cut in September. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 33.63 points, or 1.23 percent, to close at 2,765.53. Trading volume was moderate at 449.64 million shares worth 10.78 trillion won ($7.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 634 to 244. Institutions and foreigners bought a combined 522 billion won

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun on Monday pledged to make efforts to secure additional free trade agreements with more partners to achieve the annual export target of $700 billion, and offer tailored support for key products including chips and automobiles. Ahn made the remarks during a meeting of the parliamentary committee on trade, industry, energy, SMEs and startups, noting that such measures will help the country enhance its economic security. "We will expand the export market for South

The main opposition Democratic Party on Monday criticized the government for failing to prevent a Japanese gold mine associated with Korea's wartime forced labor from being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On Saturday, the UNESCO World Heritage committee decided to add the controversial mine as a cultural heritage site after South Korea, which had initially opposed Tokyo's bid, gave last-minute consent to the listing. "The Sado mine was listed as World Heritage, backed by t

The opposition-controlled National Assembly passed one of the four contentious broadcasting bills aimed at reducing the government's influence over public broadcasters Monday, with lawmakers of the ruling party walking out in protest. The main opposition Democratic Party led the bill's passage in a 187-0 vote after passing a motion to forcefully end a filibuster by the ruling People Power Party (PPP). The revision to the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act aims to increase the number

Seoul shares opened higher Monday on hope for the US Federal Reserve's rate cut and earnings releases of major tech firms this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 27.62 points, or 1.01 percent, to 2,759.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading. All eyes are on the US central bank's policy decision and earnings results by Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. The Fed is expected to cut rates as early as in September. In Seoul, tech and auto stocks l

  PARIS (Yonhap) – South Korea captured its 10th consecutive Olympic gold medal in the women's archery team event Sunday in Paris, extending the winning streak that began in its capital 36 years ago. The trio of Jeon Hun-young, Nam Su-hyeon and Lim Si-hyeon defeated China 5-4 in the set score after a nail-biting shoot-off at Invalides in Paris.   The women's team event in archery was added to the Olympics in 1988 in Seoul, and South Korea remained undefeated after holding off Chi

A lot of athletes would love to be in Kim Ye-ji's position Sunday, with an Olympic silver medal around her neck. But Kim, after grabbing silver behind fellow South Korean Oh Ye-jin in the women's 10-meter air pistol at the Paris Olympics, didn't fly to France to finish in second place. "I am really disappointed," Kim said afterward at Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris, though the ebullient athlete didn't look the part. "My goal was to w

South Korean shooters Oh Ye-jin and Kim Ye-ji captured the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women's 10-meter air pistol shooting at the Paris Summer Games on Sunday, with Oh setting an Olympic record in the process. Oh scored 243.2 points to hold off Kim by 1.9 points in the final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris. Manu Bhaker of India took the bronze medal with 221.7 points. Oh, 19, became the new Olympic record holder in her debut, surpassing th

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with war veterans and attended celebrations marking the 71st anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, the North's state media said Sunday. The Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, when tank-led North Korean troops invaded South Korea. The United States and 20 other allied countries fought on the side of South Korea under the UN flag. The conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, on July 27, 1953. Kim attended a

A fire at a plant of S-Oil Corp., a major refiner, was completely extinguished Sunday, about five hours after it started, according to firefighters. No casualties were reported as the fire erupted at 4:47 a.m., with photos showing dense flames rising from the plant. Fifty-six vehicles and some 300 personnel were mobilized to extinguish the blaze. The fire is presumed to have broken out in a heating facility used to produce xylene. Fire authorities are investigating the exact cause and scope of t

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach apologized to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday over an incorrect introduction of the South Korea delegation as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Yoon's office said. In their 10-minute phone conversation, Yoon expressed his regret over the incident and asked Bach to prevent a recurrence of similar cases. "As people of the country that has hosted the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games, alo

Since bursting onto the national fencing scene in 2015 as a high school phenom, South Korean sabre fencer Oh Sang-uk has been winning almost every title there is to win in his sport. "Almost" is doing a lot of work in that sentence, because Oh's otherwise impressive resume was missing an Olympic individual medal. The 27-year-old finally filled that hole Saturday in Paris and did so emphatically with the gold medal at Grand Palais. Oh defeated Fares Ferjani of Tunisia 15-11 in the

They say development is not always linear for athletes, but South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min, who won the bronze medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, may beg to differ. Consider his record progression over the past two years. He finished sixth at the 2022 world championships in 3:45.64 and then improved to fifth place at the 2023 worlds with a time of 3:43.92. Kim captured his first world title this February in 3:42.71. About four months later, Kim set a

Oh Sang-uk captured the gold medal in the men's individual sabre fencing at the Paris Summer Games on Saturday, giving South Korea its first gold of this year's Olympics. Oh, world No. 4, defeated 14th-ranked Fares Ferjani of Tunisia by 15-11 in the gold medal bout at Grand Palais in Paris, a match he mostly dominated despite the closer-than-it-should-have-been final score. Oh, 27, became the first South Korean man to win an individual sabre gold. His former teammate, Kim Jung-hwan, had won two

South Korea secured its first medal of the Paris Olympics in shooting Saturday, the first day of the medal race following the opening ceremony the previous evening. Park Ha-jun and Keum Ji-hyeon qualified for the gold medal match in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, about 270 kilometers south of Paris. Park and Keum will grab at least a silver medal, even if they lose to the Chinese team of Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting. The battle for the

South Korea's top diplomat on Saturday called for sending a "united message" against North Korea's nuclear development program at a foreign ministerial gathering led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the call during the ASEAN Plus Three foreign ministers' meeting in Vientiane, noting that North Korea is causing uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula and the region through its provocations and military cooperation with

South Korea will not tolerate any provocations from North Korea, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Saturday, as the country marked the 71st anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Han made the remark during a ceremony in Seoul commemorating the sacrifices made by U.N. forces that supported South Korea during the three-year conflict, which began with North Korean aggression and ended without a peace treaty. "Through overwhelming strength and solidarity w

The military is conducting an investigation into a leak of personal information of agents assigned to an intelligence unit tasked with spying on North Korea, sources said Saturday. The Korea Defense Intelligence Command discovered about a month earlier that classified information, including personal data of its agents stationed overseas, had been leaked, prompting an investigation by the Defense Counterintelligence Command. The leaked information is said to have included those on official cove

About 11 percent of medical students have registered for next year's state licensing examination amid a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors over medical reform plans. According to the health ministry Saturday, 364 out of some 3,200 medical students eligible for the licensing examination registered before the deadline. Many medical students have been collectively boycotting classes in protest against the government's increase of the nationwide medical school quota by some 1,500 seats f

The South Korean sports ministry said Saturday it is seeking a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach over a gaffe during the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics in which South Korea was incorrectly introduced as North Korea during the parade of athletes. In a statement, the ministry said Jang Mi-ran, the second vice minister of sports who attended the ceremony in the French capital Friday, has asked the IOC to arrange a meeting with Bach over the incident, and