South Korean firms are tightening their virus prevention measures, including allowing more workers to work from home, as the country has decided to enforce the toughest social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area, the hotbed of the recent spike in new infections. South Korea's daily virus infections hit a new high with 1,316 cases, forcing the government to apply the strongest Level 4 distancing measures from Monday for two weeks. Under the Level 4 rules, private gatherings of three or m

Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it will suspend one of its seven domestic plants for four weeks to prepare for the production of an electric vehicle. Hyundai plans to halt the Asan plant from Tuesday until Aug. 6 to upgrade the facilities before it begins production of the IONIQ 6 midsize sedan later this year, a company spokesman said over the phone. The 300,000-unit-a-year Asan plant produces the Sonata sedan and the Santa Fe SUV. In February, the maker of the Sonata sedan and the Palisade SU

President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed gratitude for the support the US Congress has provided in the advancement of the decades-old Seoul-Washington alliance during a meeting with a group of visiting US lawmakers at Cheong Wa Dae. Moon hosted a reception for the visiting members of the US Congressional Study Group on Korea (CSGK), a bipartisan study group on South Korea, at the presidential office. The CSGK, consisting of about 54 US lawmakers, was launched in 2018 as part of diplomatic effo

Five people who went to a theater in Seoul last month have tested positive for COVID-19, the first time an infection has been confirmed among audience members, the city government said Friday. The five are among 22 confirmed COVID-19 patients traced to the theater in Jongno Ward. The first case was reported in a theater personnel member on June 29. "This is the first time we have confirmed infections among members of an audience at a theater, which we manage separately in case of cluster

The retail, hospitality and other service sectors in the wider capital area are expected to suffer another setback as the highest level of social distancing rules will be implemented amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry watchers said Friday. Under the Level 4 guidelines to go into effect Monday for two weeks in Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon, entertainment establishments, including night clubs, will be ordered to shut down, while

The upcoming ban on private gatherings of three or more people in the greater Seoul area is driving owners of restaurants, bars, cafes and many other small businesses into utter despair. On Friday, the government announced a decision to put the capital area under the toughest social distancing rules of Level 4, halving the maximum number of people allowed for private gatherings to a mere two. Under the unprecedented restrictions set to be in effect for two weeks beginning Monday, gatherings of

Unionized workers at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's top shipbuilder, have decided to extend their ongoing walkout for another week to up the ante in their wage negotiations with the management as the company urged them to return to work, the labor union said Friday. The unionized workers were to end the strike on the day, which started Tuesday, occupying a shipbuilding crane in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, after the wage deal fell through. In response to the walkout,

South Korea's electricity consumption continued to rise in May amid an accelerating economic rebound, data showed Friday. Asia's fourth-largest economy used 40,842 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power in May, up 6.6 percent from a year ago, according to the data from the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO). It marked the seventh consecutive month for the power consumption to increase on-year. By segment, power consumption of the industrial sector rebounded a whopping 10.3 percent, and that of shops a

South Korea's leading steelmaker POSCO estimated Friday its second-quarter operating profit hit the highest point in 15 years on robust demand amid a global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating profit for the April-June quarter jumped to 2.2 trillion won (US$1.9 billion) from 121.2 billion won during the same period of last year, the company said in a regulatory filing. It marked the highest quarterly operating profit since 2006, when the steelmaker reported its quarterly ea

The main opposition party outstripped the rival ruling party in public support for the first time since a major corruption scandal involving former conservative President Park Geun-hye about five years ago, an opinion poll showed Friday. The latest survey by Gallup Korea showed the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) garnered 32 percent of support while the ruling Democratic Party (DP) had 31 percent. The poll was conducted on 1,000 voters nationwide from Tuesday-Thursday. T

All schools in the greater Seoul area will switch to virtual instruction full-time, as the government decided to raise the virus alert level to the highest next week amid record-breaking COVID-19 cases. The measure will go into effect Wednesday at schools in Seoul, Incheon, 40 kilometers west of the capital, and Gyeonggi Province until July 25, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during a briefing Friday. Cram schools should shut down at 10 p.m. starting Monday. School summer vacation normally

The US Forces Korea (USFK) decided to implement tougher antivirus rules for two weeks, banning visits to bars and clubs and mandating mask wearing, amid the fast spread of the pandemic in South Korea, the US military said Friday. South Korea has seen a drastic surge in the daily COVID-19 caseload over the past several days, reporting the highest-ever figure on Friday since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. The Seoul government decided to impose the toughest social distancing scheme in the

Two members of the South Korean baseball club NC Dinos have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, forcing the league to cancel two games scheduled for Friday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the game between the Dinos and the Kiwoom Heroes set to take place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Friday evening will be rescheduled for a later date. Another game in Seoul, between the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, has also been canceled out of precaution, becau

A Japanese-language album by superband BTS has received a million-seller certification in Japan, the group's agency said Friday. "BTS, The Best," the seven-piece band's album released in the Asian country in June, received the certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, according to Big Hit Music. It is the first million-seller certified album in Japan this year. For BTS, it is their first album to receive the million-seller certification by the industry associatio

Professional sports games and Olympic football tuneup matches in the greater Seoul area will be played without spectators starting next week, under heightened social distancing rules in place in the region. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the Korea Professional Football League (K League) both announced Friday that games in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will be held behind closed doors. Earlier in the day, the government announced it will place Seoul and its nearby regions, cov

President Moon Jae-in will hold an emergency inter-agency meeting to discuss the COVID-19 crisis in the greater Seoul area early next week, his office said Friday. Moon instructed that the "special" session be convened at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Participants will include Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, as well as Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Jeong Eun-kyeong, head

Ham Sang-wook, deputy foreign minister for multilateral affairs, met senior officials of the Republic of the Congo to discuss bilateral ties and economic cooperation during his trip there this week, the foreign ministry said Friday. On Wednesday, Ham paid courtesy calls on Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso and Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, the minister of international cooperation and promotion of public-private partnership. Ham's trip to the capital city of Brazzaville was designed to dee

Military prosecutors have indicted 10 people over the death of an Air Force sexual harassment victim following a monthlong investigation into a string of irregularities that led to the noncommissioned officer taking her own life, the defense ministry said Friday. The number of officials to stand trial could further rise as a dozen others are still under investigation, the ministry said, announcing the interim results of its probe into the incident that sparked an intense public outcry over the

JYP Entertainment, the agency-label behind K-pop girl groups like ITZY, TWICE and Wonder Girls, is poised to launch a new all-female act next year. The company, which recently posted a new teaser image and video for the upcoming launch, said the new act is set to debut in February next year. JYP said it has formed a new business unit dedicated to the girl group, comprising officials who helped scout and train members of Wonder Girls, 2AM, 2PM and TWICE. As part of a pre-debut scheme, JYP is s

Unification Minister Lee In-young expressed strong regret Friday after the chief of the main opposition People Power Party suggested a need to abolish the ministry handling inter-Korean affairs. PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok raised the suggestion during a radio interview earlier in the day, saying it is inefficient to separate the duties of the foreign ministry and the unification ministry. "I would like to ask whether Chairman Lee Jun-seok's remarks represent the party's opinion," Lee s