All knockout matches at Asia's top club football tournament this year will be played over one leg in centralized venues, the sport's continental governing body announced Monday, citing the need to minimize traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said it has rescheduled knockout matches at its signature club tournament, AFC Champions League, from the home-and-away format to single-leg ties. The round of 16 matches were already set to be one-and-done affair

Having been paired with four Middle Eastern nations in the final World Cup qualifying round, South Korea will likely have to deal with some frustrating time-wasting antics. In Group A of the final Asian qualification stage for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, South Korea will take on Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Syria and Lebanon. Those countries are particularly famous for resorting to moves to kill the clock if they have a lead, including feigning injuries and taking their time before

New Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho met Monday with the bereaved family of a late noncommissioned officer who took her own life after suffering from sexual abuse, and promised to reform the barracks culture to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Park took office on Friday to succeed Lee Seong-yong, who stepped down last month to take responsibility over the death of the master sergeant, surnamed Lee. Lee was found dead in an apparent suicide on May 22, three months after she was

All South Koreans remaining in Afghanistan must leave the country by no later than July or face criminal punishment, a foreign ministry official said Monday, as unrest grew in Afghanistan amid the ongoing withdrawal of US and its allies' forces. Afghanistan is currently banned for travel, along with five other foreign countries, including Iraq, Syria and Somalia. A violation of the travel ban is punishable by up to one-year in prison or a 10 million-won fine ($8,837) under Korean law. A "

President Moon Jae-in warned Monday again that the government will take stern measures against the violation of social distancing rules. He made clear that illegal massive rallies cannot be an exception, apparently referring to collective action by the members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a major umbrella labor union, last weekend. "(The government) can't help taking stern legal steps against collective actions, including illegal large-scale rallies, that violate so

South Korean stocks rebounded Monday after a two-day slump, largely on speculations of solid corporate earnings in the second quarter. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 11.43 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 3,293.21 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 839 million shares worth around 14.3 trillion won ($12.6 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 460 to 372. Foreigners bought a net 1 billion won, while ret

Prices of apartments set aside for public servants in the administrative capital of Sejong rose fivefold in the past four years, a civic group said Monday. The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice announced the results of its study that has tracked the prices of apartment units owned by 25,852 public servants in 127 complexes in the city, around 160 kilometers south of Seoul, since President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017 until May this year. The results showed that the average price

Southern South Korean regions will be hit with heavy rains early this week, while light rain is forecast for the greater Seoul area, the state weather agency said Monday. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that up to 150 millimeters of rain are expected for the southern provinces of Jeolla and Gyeongsang between late Monday and early Tuesday. In particular, some southern areas, including southern North Jeolla Province, coastal areas of South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang province

South Korea remains committed to developing homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, the country's science minister said Monday, although local pharmaceutical companies face difficulties in conducting advanced stages of clinical trials. Lim Hye-sook, the minister of science and ICT, said her ministry will continue to support companies in research and development to help them speed up the development of their COVID-19 vaccine candidates and treatments. The country will also open the Korea Virus Research In

DAEJEON  -- Special limited medals produced to celebrate the distinguished career of Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min went on sale Monday, according to the state-run minting agency. Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp. (KOMSCO) said the medals themed on the 28-year-old striker for Tottenham Hotspur in two designs -- coin and paper money -- are available for purchase on the company's website. KOMSCO said it produced 7,700 units, in reference to S

Rival parties agreed Monday to advance the latest COVID-19 response extra budget bill through the National Assembly by late July. The agreement was made during a meeting earlier in the day between Rep. Han Byung-do and Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, deputy floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party, respectively. Under the agreement, the parties will work toward approving the supplementary budget bill in a plenary parliamentary meeting by July 23 and host a re

Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday it will begin the sale of the Staria minivan in Thailand this week as it strives to increase its presence in Southeast Asian markets. Hyundai also plans to begin introducing the Staria minivan in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia in the third quarter, a company spokesman said. Last year, Hyundai sold about 4,000 vehicles in Thailand and most of the vehicles were the Starex minivan. The Starex minivan is no longer in production. The maker of the Sonata sedan and t

South Korea's oceans ministry said Monday it will revamp safety measures at local seaports in line with efforts to improve the working environment and prevent accidents. The move came as the number of accidents at local ports has been rising recently in sync with economic growth and rising trade volumes, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Over the past decade, around 2,800 workers were involved in accidents at local seaports, with the number of fatalities reaching 53 over the p

Kia Corp. is expected to post better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter on brisk sales at home and abroad, local brokerages said Monday. Kiwoom Securities Co. forecast the operating income of South Korea's No. 2 automaker to stand at 1.58 trillion won ($1.4 billion) for the April-June period, upgrading the carmaker's target stock price to 140,000 won from 120,000 won. "Kia is likely to register marked growth in sales in the domestic and North American markets, where its average

The Navy has joined a US-led multinational maritime exercise in Australian waters to hone cooperative operation skills at sea, officials said Monday. The navies of South Korea, the United States, Japan and Australia kicked off the Pacific Vanguard maritime exercise off Australia's east coast Monday, which is to continue through Saturday, according to the officials. The Korean Navy dispatched the 4,400-ton Wang Geon destroyer, involving 200 crew members to engage in a range of drills, including

The leaders of South Korea and the Netherlands will hold virtual summit talks this week on bilateral ties and global issues, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. President Moon Jae-in plans to have the summit with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The summit, the first between the two sides in three years, comes amid an increasing need for them to cooperate, especially on semiconductors, renewable energy and other future industries

A major umbrella labor union slammed the government on Monday for launching an investigation into an illegal mass rally it held over the weekend. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) took to the streets of Seoul's central Jongno Ward on Saturday to demand better working conditions and a higher minimum wage. The rally, which defied bans by the Seoul metropolitan government and the police, drew an estimated 8,000 people at a time when the capital area has seen a sharp increase in the

President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Monday for his administration to maintain political neutrality, as South Korea's political parties have effectively entered the presidential election season, according to his office. The president issued the message during a meeting with his Cheong Wa Dae aides, according to his spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon was quoted as saying that Cheong Wa Dae and the government should "thoroughly" maintain political neutrality. He called on them to co

North Korea is faced with greater volatility in foreign exchange rates and prices of goods, the unification ministry said Monday, amid economic challenges fueled by the protracted coronavirus pandemic. "The government is keeping an eye on the volatility of major economic indices, including the prices of goods and currency exchange," Lee Jong-joo, the ministry's spokesperson, told a regular press briefing. "We believe that such indices have become more volatile recently," sh

One Army officer, an enlisted soldier and an airman tested positive for the new coronavirus over the weekend, the defense ministry said Monday. The officer was confirmed to have been infected after showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, and the soldier and the airman tested positive following their recent vacation, according to the ministry. The three service members did not receive COVID-19 vaccines, it added. The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the mili