NARITA -- The main South Korean delegation to the Tokyo Olympics arrived in Japan on Monday, four days ahead of the opening ceremony for the competition delayed one year by the coronavirus pandemic. Jang In-hwa, head of the delegation, led a team of 69 athletes and officials from sports such as archery, gymnastics, table tennis and fencing. South Korean athletes in sailing, football and shooting, among others, traveled to Japan earlier in the month. Swimmers and badminton players arrived on Mo

SEJONG -- The number of discouraged workers in South Korea hit a new monthly high in June amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Monday. Asia's fourth-largest economy had 583,000 discouraged workers, up 46,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It was the largest tally for June since related data tracking began in 2014. The number has also renewed monthly highs for the 16th straight month. Discouraged workers refer to those who are curre

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp.'s environment friendly vehicle exports jumped 45 percent in the January-May period from a year earlier on strong demand for their hybrid sport utility vehicles. Hyundai and Kia shipped a combined 145,781 eco-friendly vehicles in the first five months, up from 100,691 units in the year-ago period, according to data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA). Increased overseas sales of hybrid models based on Hyundai's Santa Fe and Tu

Kakao Bank, South Korea's largest internet-only bank, said Monday it will carry out a demand forecasting session this week for its planned initial public offering (IPO). Demand forecasting for domestic institutions is slated for Tuesday and Thursday, with that for overseas institutional investors set to take place Monday through Wednesday. Kakao Bank has offered an IPO price range between 33,000 won ($28.9) to 39,000 won per share, while seeking to raise up to 18.5 trillion won via the share s

South Korean stocks opened steeply lower Monday amid concerns of the resurgence of new coronavirus cases. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slumped 32.26 points, or 0.98 percent, to 3,244.65 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks retreated as the fourth wave of the new COVID-19 at home weakened investor sentiment for risky assets. The infection of 247 South Korean sailors in waters off Africa -- the worst mass infection case in the virus' recent resurgence --

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell slightly Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but the daily caseload has stayed above 1,000 for nearly two weeks. prompting authorities to tighten virus curbs across the nation to contain the spread ahead of the summer holiday season. The country added 1,252 COVID-19 cases, including 1,208 local infections, raising the total caseload to 179,203, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure was down

Defense Minister Suh Wook on Monday named a Navy colonel as a special prosecutor for the investigation into the death of an Air Force sexual harassment victim, the defense ministry said. The appointment of Col. Ko Min-sook -- the first of its kind since the founding of the country's armed forces -- came as the bereaved family has raised complaints that the ongoing probe is not thorough enough. The master sergeant, surnamed Lee, took her own life in May, about three months after being sexually

The importance of the first game in South Korea's Olympic baseball title defense isn't lost on manager Kim Kyung-moon. South Korea's first game in Group B is against Israel on July 29. On paper, the third-ranked South Korea should have little trouble against the 24th-ranked Israel. But Kim thinks South Korea will be in trouble if his players take their opponent lightly. In particular, Kim said his hitters should be on guard against Israeli pitching. That's the preliminary report he received fr

A total of 247 sailors of South Korea's 301-strong Cheonghae unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday, in the worst-ever mass infection among service members. An additional 179 members have newly tested positive after 68 were confirmed to have been infected as of Sunday, the JCS said. The unit first reported six COVID-19 cases last week and conducted virus tests on all of its members. "Test re

SEOUL/TOKYO -- President Moon Jae-in has decided not to visit Japan this week, as no satisfactory accomplishment is expected in proposed summit talks, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. Moon had considered a trip to Tokyo for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday. South Korea and Japan had consultations on the possibility of holding the first face-to-face summit between Moon and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on the occasion. The two sides "had meaningful discussions on progress

Trying to regain consistency with his best pitch, the changeup, Toronto Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin put his head down and got to work in the bullpen during the All-Star break. And he came out throwing it as well as he has at any point this year. The South Korean left-hander rode the changeup to a seven-inning shutout of the Texas Rangers at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Sunday (local time). Ryu held the opponents to three hits in the first game of a doubleheader for his first complete game

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon will visit Washington this week for talks about implementing agreements reached at a summit between the two countries in May, the foreign ministry said Monday. During his trip there from Monday through Thursday, Choi plans to meet officials from the White House and the State Department, and key members of the House to follow up on the outcomes of the May 21 summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden. During the summit in Washington, Moon and

Though it came in an abbreviated game, Ryu Hyun-jin will take a complete game shutout in any shape or form. The South Korean starter for the Toronto Blue Jays pitched a seven-inning shutout against the Texas Rangers to open the second half of the season at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Sunday (local time), carrying Toronto to a 5-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader. Ryu gave up three hits and a walk while striking out four, after his scheduled start was pushed back by a day due to

The South Korean men's Olympic football team almost had a brush with the novel coronavirus over the weekend, even before the start of their competition in Japan. Ryu Seung-min, a South Korean member of the International Olympic Committee, was diagnosed with COVID-19 after arriving in Japan on Saturday. The football team had been scheduled to be on the same flight with Ryu but took a different, earlier flight instead following a last-minute change. Given the recent surge in new cases in and aro

SHENYANG, China -- North Korea's imports from China rose sharply to $12.3 million last month from $2.71 million a month earlier, Chinese trade data showed Sunday. The North's imports had fallen to $29,000 and $3,000 in January and February, respectively, before rising to $28.75 million in April and then falling again in May, according to the data. North Korea's exports to China posted $1.81 million in June, with bilateral trade volume coming to $14.13 million. The two countries' trade volume

South Korea will ban gatherings of more than four people in regions outside the greater Seoul area starting Monday to curb the nationwide spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday. Most regions outside the wider capital area have been placed under Level 2 measures, in which gatherings of more than eight people are banned. But the government decided to toughen the antivirus scheme, as the non-Seoul metropolitan regions have also seen a surge in new cases in recent days.

As roster decisions go, this was probably the easiest one to make for the South Korean Olympic baseball manager Kim Kyung-moon. During a press conference on Sunday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Kim named Oh Seung-hwan, he of more than 400 professional saves in three different leagues, as his closer for the Tokyo Olympics. The 39-year-old right-hander for the Samsung Lions is the career saves leader in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history with 322. He is leading the league this year with 2

During South Korea's inexorable march to the baseball gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the defining moment for catcher Kang Min-ho came not in an at-bat or a defensive play but in an ejection. With South Korea nursing a 3-2 lead over Cuba in the bottom of the ninth inning in the gold medal showdown, Kang was tossed after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Carlos Rey. The angry catcher slammed his mask into the ground and threw his mitt toward the dugout on his way out. Cu

South Korean shipbuilders are forecast to report sluggish earnings in the second quarter of the year due to a sharp rise in prices of steel plates despite brisk orders, analysts said Sunday. POSCO, South Korea's leading steelmaker, has raised the prices of steel plates for ships to 1.15 million won ($1,007) per ton, up nearly two times from a year ago, they said. "A hike in prices of raw materials, including steel plates, will eat into leading shipbuilders' profits in the second quarter,&

With his family watching him pitch in the majors in person for the first time, St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun delivered an outstanding performance. While twirling six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants in a 3-1 win at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday (local time), Kim had to keep his emotions in check. "I tried not to get caught up in the thoughts of my family and just focus on the game at hand," Kim said in his postgame Zoom session. He