The ruling Democratic Party's (DP) push for the sweeping revision of its real estate policy has hit a snag due to strong opposition from its hard-line members who are against "cutting taxes for the rich." The party's new leadership led by Rep. Song Young-gil has set out this week to alter the policy widely blamed for its crushing defeat in the latest local elections seen as a key barometer of public sentiment ahead of the presidential election next year. DP's newly refurbished specia

Two people were killed and six others injured in a car crash and subsequent building collapse in Seoul on Thursday, officials said. The accident occurred on a road in southwestern Seoul at around 11 a.m. when two trucks collided and one of them ran into a nearby five-story building, according to police and firefighters. An explosion and fire broke out at the building after gas leaked from a pipe hit by the five-ton freight vehicle, they said. An adjoining single-story building collapsed appar

A Seoul family court on Thursday sided with the ex-husband of Gerhard Schroeder's South Korean wife and ordered the former German chancellor to partially compensate the man for destroying his marriage. The man, whose identity was withheld, filed a lawsuit in 2018 seeking 100 million won ($81,708) in compensation, claiming Schroeder was responsible for the destruction of his marriage with the woman, Kim So-yeon. The Seoul Family Court on Thursday partially accepted the claim and ordered Schroed

South Korea will hold a series of climate change forums next week in the run-up to a global summit on climate change and sustainable development set for late this month, its preparatory committee said Thursday. A total of 10 sessions will take place during the "Green Future Week" from Monday to Saturday to enhance the international community's awareness and resolve to fight climate change ahead of the virtual Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) summit slated for May

Unification Minister Lee In-young called Thursday for nonpartisan parliamentary support for the ratification of a 2018 inter-Korean summit agreement, saying such cross-border issues should be shielded from "wasteful" political controversies. Lee made the remark during a forum in Seoul, saying that the government will soon officially ask for the ratification of the "Panmunjom Declaration" signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their first su

The American business lobby group here has submitted a petition for the pardon of Lee Jae-yong, the imprisoned de facto leader of Samsung Group, to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae ahead of a bilateral summit between South Korea and the United States, its officials said Thursday. The American Chamber of Commerce in South Korea (AMCHAM) last week sent a letter to President Moon Jae-in asking him to consider pardoning Lee ahead of his visit to Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden

POSCO, the world's fifth-largest steelmaker by output, said Thursday it has signed a deal to buy a 30 percent stake in the Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation in Australia for $240 million in the latest move to boost its electric vehicle battery business. Under the deal with Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals Ltd., POSCO will be provided with a long-term offtake agreement for 7,500 tons of nickel in mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide precipitate (MHP) per year produced at Ravensthorpe, beginning in 202

South Korea's household income edged up in the first quarter from a year earlier, data showed Thursday, but the gain was mostly attributable to the government's emergency handouts aimed at tackling economic fallout of the new coronavirus pandemic. The average household earned 4.38 million won (US$3,860) per month in the first quarter, up 0.4 percent from the previous year, according to the data by Statistics Korea. Household income earned through wages, on the other hand, slipped 1.3 percent

President Moon Jae-in's calls for aggressive engagement with North Korea could create tension with the United States, a recent congressional report said. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report comes as Moon is in Washington this week for his first in-person summit talks with US President Joe Biden to discuss North Korea and alliance issues, as well as COVID-19 vaccine cooperation. "Although Moon has welcomed the mention of diplomacy, his preference for more aggressive engagement

The defense ministry said Thursday it will communicate more actively with residents around the US THAAD missile defense base as clashes continue to happen every time supplies are brought onto the base. Residents in the central county of Seongju have long opposed the US Forces Korea (USFK) base in their town where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is deployed, and they have clashed with police when the ministry brought construction equipment and other items for troops onto t

Defense Minister Suh Wook convened a meeting of top military commanders Thursday to discuss troops' living conditions, his office said, amid continued complaints over poor meal quality, especially for those under coronavirus quarantine. Earlier this month, the defense ministry unveiled a set of measures to improve service members' living conditions, including a plan to raise the average daily meal cost, following a series of complaints over the quality of meals. Yet questions were raised over

South Korea's trade dispute agency on Thursday held a public hearing on anti-dumping cases of flat-rolled stainless steel imported from three countries, prior to its final ruling slated in July. The move came after South Korea decided to launch an investigation against Chinese, Taiwanese and Indonesian flat-rolled stainless steel products in September last year, according to the Korea Trade Commission. South Korea's top steelmaker POSCO filed the complaint with the commission over anti-dumping

South Korea's oceans ministry said Thursday it has won a deal worth 58.7 billion won ($51.8 million) to export dried laver products to Japan. Dried laver, called "gim" in Korean, is usually roasted with sesame oil and fine salt and served as a side dish with Korean meals. Exports of dried laver products reached $600 million in 2020, up 3.6 percent on-year, amid growing popularity of Korean food in the Asian market. Of the volume, Japan accounted for the largest share of 22.2 percent.

JEJU -- A ban on unlicensed harvesting of marine life at night has invited strong protest from a group of hobbyists who called the move "unconstitutional." Dozens of hobbyists and leisure industry workers held a press conference on the island earlier this week to demand the provincial government of Jeju scrap the ban immediately. The measure "seriously constrains the constitutional rights to pursuit of happiness of non-fishermen," they said. Last month, the island banned u

Thirteen North Korean ships underwent safety inspections while docked at ports in the Asia-Pacific region last year and all of them were found to have defects, an intergovernmental port control agency said Thursday. A total of 64 safety deficiencies were discovered with the vessels, and two ships with serious defects were banned from sailing until the problems are fixed, according to the annual report on Port State Control (PSC) by Tokyo MOU. It also placed North Korea on its blacklist, along

Nine Army soldiers and a military civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. Of them, eight soldiers were from a unit in Hongcheon, about 100 kilometers east of Seoul, where a COVID-19 case was reported earlier. Around 390 members of the unit received virus tests after the initial case was reported, and around 70 of them are still waiting for their test results, according to the ministry. Separately, another soldier in the southwestern

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose above 600 for the second day Thursday amid continued cluster inflections and spreading variant cases. The country reported 646 more COVID-19 cases, including 619 local infections, raising the total caseload to 134,117, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's daily caseload compares with 654 on Wednesday, 528 on Tuesday and 619 on Monday. There were four additional virus deaths, raising the total to 1,916. South Ko

North Korea has opened a large hospital in an eastern province to provide better medical service to the people outside its capital, state media said Thursday as the country continues its fight against the global coronavirus pandemic. An opening ceremony took place Wednesday for the hospital renovated from the People's Hospital of South Hamgyong Province, with provincial party leaders in attendance, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The hospital "has been turned into a comprehen

South Korean battery maker SK Innovation Co. and American automaker Ford Motor Co. are set to announce a battery joint venture in the United States to ensure a stable supply of batteries for electric vehicles, industry sources said Thursday. The two companies plan to announce a memorandum of understanding on the joint venture later in the day, as South Korean President Moon Jae-in meets with US President Joe Biden in Washington this week to discuss bilateral issues, including EV industry coope

Gfriend, known for its powerful performances and formerly school girl concept, bid farewell to fans after its longtime agency announced the termination of its contract. Source Music, which had represented the six-piece group since its debut in 2015, on Tuesday announced their contract will end Saturday. While the label, which was acquired by K-pop powerhouse Hybe in 2019, did not officially use the term "disbandment," it said in a statement that the group has agreed to walk "sep