South Korea and more than 40 African nations held a foreign ministerial meeting to discuss cooperation ahead of a leaders' summit later this week, Seoul's foreign ministry has said. The rare gathering on Sunday came as South Korea is set to host the first-ever Korea-Africa summit for Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing together the leaders of 25 of the 48 participating countries. The talks were led by Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, his counterpart from Maurita

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Monday as moderate US inflation raised hopes for a possible rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 33.76 points, or 1.28 percent, to 2,670.28 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The US personal consumption expenditures price index, excluding food and energy costs, increased 0.2 percent in April, meeting market expectations. The PCE index is one of the key barometers for the US central bank to set its ton

President Yoon Suk Yeol was set to have a series of meetings with leaders of 10 African nations Monday to discuss ways to expand cooperation on the eve of the first-ever Korea-Africa Summit, the presidential office said. Yoon will hold back-to-back meetings with leaders from Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Togo, Rwanda, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde at the presidential office in Seoul. The leaders were in South Korea to attend the inaugural Korea-Afri

North Korea said Sunday it will temporarily stop sending trash-filled balloons across the border to South Korea, though it also threatened to resume such operations if Seoul sends more anti-Pyongyang leaflets. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang-il claimed Pyongyang had sent 3,500 balloons, carrying 15 tons worth of debris, toward South Korea between Tuesday night and Sunday morning. Kim offered to temporarily halt

The Hanwha Eagles announced Sunday that Kim Kyung-moon, who led South Korea to the 2008 Olympic baseball gold medal, will be their new manager. The Eagles signed Kim to a three-year deal worth 2 billion won ($1.4 million), including a signing bonus of 500 million won. Kim's hiring comes six days after his predecessor, Choi Won-ho, resigned to take the fall for the team's struggles. Kim, 65, will be managing in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the first time since June 2018. Ki

The presidential National Security Council is expected to discuss a plan to resume propaganda campaigns via loudspeakers across the border with North Korea, in response to the North's launch of some 600 balloons carrying trash to the South, a source close to the matter said Sunday. The NSC meeting will be held Sunday afternoon and presided over by National Security Adviser Jang Ho-jin, according to the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Earlier in the day, South Korea's military said N

North Korea has sent around 720 more balloons carrying trash to South Korea and continued jamming GPS signals for five straight days against the South, Seoul's military said Sunday, as South Korea's presidential office was considering taking countermeasures. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it has detected some 720 balloons that floated across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas and fell in different parts of the country between 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The

Household loans extended by five major lenders in South Korea rose for the second straight month in May on a rise in mortgage and credit loans, industry data showed Sunday. Household loans extended by the five top lenders added 4.7 trillion won ($3.39 billion) from a month earlier to 702.7 trillion won as of end-May, according to data compiled by Yonhap News Agency. It marked the second consecutive on-month growth from 4.4 trillion won in April, following a 2.2 trillion-won drop in March. The ga

North Korea sent around 90 balloons carrying trash to South Korea on Saturday, Seoul's military said, after it launched hundreds of similar balloons across the inter-Korean border earlier this week. As of 11 p.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected around 90 balloons that floated across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas and fell in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The North appears to have started sending the balloons at around 8 p.m., with the fallen balloons

South Korea's top envoy to the UN denounced North Korea's failed satellite launch this week as "one of the most expensive fireworks" on Friday, stressing that it has used its scarce resources for the launch despite persistent food shortages. Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook made the remarks as the UN Security Council (UNSC) held an open meeting to discuss the North's launch of the satellite on Monday, which Seoul, Washington and others criticized as a violation of UNSC resolut

South Korean girl group NewJeans has been named the only K-pop artist on Billboard's 21 Under 21 list for 2024. The list, released on May 31 (US time), honors the most influential young artists under the age of 21 in the music industry, based on album and song sales, streaming numbers, as well as overall influence within the industry. Billboard noted, "NewJeans has established a singular presence in K-pop since debuting just two years ago," highlighting its remarkable achievements

North Korea attempted to jam GPS signals near the western sea border for the fourth consecutive day Saturday, the South's military said. The military detected the jamming signals directed toward the islands near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, the de facto western maritime boundary between the two Koreas, starting at about 6 a.m., according to a South Korean military official. The latest attempt has not hindered any military operations, the official said, although similar recent

South Korea's exports extended on-year gains to the eighth straight month in May on the back of strong shipments of semiconductors, data showed Saturday. Outbound shipments rose 11.7 percent on-year to $58.1 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports shed 2 percent on-year to $53.1 billion last month, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.96 billion. South Korea has been maintaining a trade surplus for 12 consecutive months. It was

Senior diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan "strongly" condemned North Korea's recent satellite and missile launches, and reaffirmed their commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as they held trilateral talks in Virginia on Friday. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano issued a joint statement after the meeting at Campbell's p

Ten countries, including South Korea, and the European Union (EU) expressed firm opposition Friday to the expanding arms transfers between North Korea and Russia, urging the two countries to stop the illegal activities meant to aid Moscow's war in Ukraine. The countries made the call in a joint statement released under the names of their foreign ministers, affirming that the recent sanctions designated by each country in relation to the suspected arms deals represent "a coordinated eff

The unification ministry warned Friday that "unendurably" painful measures would be taken against North Korea if it continues to stage "irrational" provocative acts, such as this week's sending of balloons carrying trash to South Korea. Earlier this week, North Korea flew hundreds of large balloons carrying trash and manure into South Korea and staged GPS jamming attacks in waters near South Korea's northwestern border islands for a third straight day until Friday.

The Hanwha Eagles' pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin was scratched from his start Friday evening against the Samsung Lions because of left arm discomfort. Ryu had been scheduled to take the mound at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, but the Eagles replaced him about an hour before the 6:30 p.m. first pitch. In Ryu's stead, right-hander Kim Kyu-yeon, who had been pitching in relief all season, made his first career start. The Eagles did not provide further de

Seoul shares ended almost flat Friday after a three-day rise ahead of key US inflation data due this week. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.08 point, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,636.52. The main index has fallen 1.9 percent this week. Trade volume was heavy at 594.78 million shares worth 15.45 trillion won ($11.1 billion), with gainers far outpacing losers 533 to 332. Institutions and individuals bought a combined 1.35 trillion

The health ministry said Friday it will provide more financial support for trainee doctors and begin a trial operation to reduce their working hours, amid protracted walkouts prompted by a plan that boosted the number of medical students. Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang told reporters that the pilot program will decrease the continuous working hours for trainee doctors from the current 36 hours to approximately 24 to 30 hours. "The new law reducing trainee doctors' working hours

South Korea's top diplomat has said that the country will actively position itself as a cooperation hub in various networks, highlighting its vision as a "global pivotal state." The vision, promoted by the current government of President Yoon Suk Yeol, aims for South Korea to serve as a responsible nation that upholds and promotes freedom, human rights and the rule of law. "Under the vision of 'global pivotal state,' the government is participating in multilateral a