Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group convicted of bribery, returned to prison Thursday, about a month after an appendicitis surgery, sources said.    Lee was transferred to Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul on March 19 to receive an emergency surgery after suffering a ruptured appendix.    The 52-year-old tycoon was supposed to return to Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, last Friday but was advised

The value of stocks traded on South Korea's main bourse has reached an all-time high on the back of a recent market rally, data showed Thursday. The market capitalization of listed companies in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to a new high of 2,220.7 trillion won ($1.99 trillion) as of Wednesday, according to the data from the Korea Exchange. The amount was about 8 trillion won more than the previous record posted on Jan. 25. The country's main stock market has been bullish with the benchm

North Korea's new ambassador to China has presented his credentials to Chinese President Xi Jinping, the North's main newspaper reported Thursday. While presenting his credentials Wednesday, Ambassador Ri Ryong-nam conveyed leader Kim Jong-un's warm greetings to Xi and the Chinese leader also asked the envoy to send his greetings to Kim, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party. Presenting credentials is a customary procedure before foreign ambassado

Foreign bank branches in South Korea saw their combined net profit rise 28.6 percent in 2020 from a year earlier on a modest gain in interest income, data showed Thursday. The combined net income of 36 foreign lenders' local branches stood at 1.15 trillion won ($1.03 billion) last year, up 255.7 billion won from a year earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The increase was mainly attributable to marked growth in their income from foreign exchange and der

Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for the adoptive mother in a highly publicized child abuse case that led to the death of a 16-month-old baby girl. Prosecutors also requested during the trial at the Seoul Southern District Court that the defendant, surnamed Jang, be ordered to wear a tracking device for 30 years and be put under a five-year probation. For Jang's husband, who was also indicted along with her, the prosecution demanded a 7 1/2-year prison term. Jang was ind

South Korea and China on Wednesday reaffirmed their opposition to Japan's plan to release radioactive water without fully consulting with neighboring countries and agreed to consider measures depending on Tokyo's future responses, the foreign ministry said. The two countries shared "strong regrets and serious concerns" over the decision in their inaugural working-level dialogue of related government agencies on maritime cooperation, the ministry said. "The two sides agreed to i

South Korea will provide $100,000 worth of humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines hit by multiple volcano explosions, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Big explosions from the volcano on the eastern island of St. Vincent since last Friday have destroyed communities, forcing nearly 20,000 people to evacuate from their homes, while water and other food supplies are becoming short, according to news reports. The government hopes the assistance will

South Korea has expressed concerns to the United States over Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The move came as the US State Department said Japan "appears to have adopted an approach in accordance with globally accepted nuclear safety standards" in apparent support of its decision to release the radioactive water despite opposition from South Korea and other neighboring

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday slammed Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's plan to introduce new COVID-19 rules in the city, calling the idea an act of "holding people's lives hostage." Oh, a member of the main opposition People Power Party, took office on Thursday after winning the mayoral by-election over Park Young-sun of the DP by a landslide. One of his early focuses has been helping small businesses survive the pandemic by looking at ways to keep them open for longer hours,

A pro-North Korea newspaper on Wednesday denounced Japan's decision to dump contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, calling it a "crime against humanity." Tokyo earlier announced a plan to release more than 1.2 million tons radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean amid criticism from its local fishery industry and neighboring countries. "It is a crime against humanity to justify themselves

A traditional Korean outfit that Jimin of BTS wore in a performance will be up for auction, with the bidding price beginning at 5 million won ($4,476), a local auction house said Wednesday. Jimin appeared in the "hanbok," traditional Korean attire, designed by Kim Rieul in the K-pop act's opening stage for "BTS Week" special on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" that aired in September. Clad in dark hues of hanbok, the seven-piece act wowed fans with a

South Koreans are stepping up protests against Japan's decision to release contaminated water from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, as a dozen government leaders on Wednesday joined civic activists and fishermen in condemning the move as an irreparable disaster for the world's marine ecosystem. Heads of local governments nationwide successively issued statements or held news conferences to denounce Japan's planned release of radioactive water as a threat to the safety and

South Korea adopted a slogan and key symbols for next month's virtual summit on green growth and sustainable development, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, stepping up publicity efforts for the successful hosting of the event. The Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) summit is scheduled to take place on May 30-31, as Seoul seeks to highlight its commitment to the global fight against climate change. Its preparatory committee adopted "Green We Go, Change We Make"

A former wartime sexual slavery victim pleaded with the South Korean government again on Wednesday for it to bring the issue of forced sexual slavery by Japan to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), two months after she made the first such request. "My wish is that President Moon Jae-in convinces Japan's prime minister to take the issue to the ICJ to reveal the truth," Lee Yong-soo, one of the 15 registered surviving South Korean victims of sexual slavery by Japan during World Wa

South Korea's political parties on Wednesday continued to express firm oppositions to Japan's decision to release radiation-tainted water into the sea from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant. Tokyo announced Tuesday that it plans to start releasing massive amounts of radioactive water, which has been stored in tanks at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, in two years. South Korea has expressed strong opposition towards Japan's controversial decision and pledged to take necessary measu

South Korea will review its post-pandemic fiscal policy as an economic recovery from the coronavirus outbreak will raise the need to normalize its expansionary fiscal spending, a senior government official said Wednesday. Second Vice Finance Minister Ahn Do-geol said the government's priority is placed on supporting an economic recovery with increased fiscal aid, but the country will also make efforts to enhance fiscal soundness in the face of the growing national debt. "There is a need t

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a message of "great concern" Wednesday over Japan's decision to dump a huge amount of contaminated wastewater from a crippled nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. Speaking directly to Japan's new ambassador here, Koichi Aiboshi, the president said that there is great concern among South Koreans, as the two nations are geographically close to each other and share the sea, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. He asked the env

South Korean singer-actor Jung Yong-hwa will release a Chinese EP, which includes songs he worked on with Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin and Moroccan-Dutch DJ R3hab, his agency said Wednesday. Titled "Stay in Touch," the four-track album is set for release on June 22, the 31-year-old singer's birthday, according to FNC Entertainment. Ahead of the release, Jung will first drop the single "Checkmake" (R3hab Remix) on Friday. FNC explained R3hab worked on an EDM version

When he's on top of his game, few pitchers in baseball can be as effective and beguiling as Ryu Hyun-jin. The Toronto Blue Jays' ace put on a pitching clinic in picking up his first win of the season against the New York Yankees at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Tuesday (local time). Ryu gave up a run -- unearned -- in 6 2/3 innings against his old nemesis, keeping them off balance all game, with an array of well-located fastballs setting up excellent secondary pitches. The left-hander, n

South Koreans' overseas stock transactions touched a new high in the first quarter of the year on brisk investment in US tech firms, data showed Wednesday. Local investors' trading of overseas shares was valued at $128.51 billion in the January-March period, up 96.5 percent from three months earlier, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository (KSD). It represents the largest quarterly amount since data tracking began in 2011. The figure covers overseas stock purchases and sales