The White House on Wednesday denied any discussions with US allies to jointly boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Beijing as part of efforts to hold China accountable for its suppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States will work closely with allies for their shared interests but reiterated "no discussion" is under way. "Our position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed. We have not discussed and are not discussing

'골프 황제' 타이거 우즈의 차량 전복 사고는 과속 주행을 한 데다 커브길에서 브레이크 대신 가속페달을 밟으면서 발생한 것으로 미국 경찰 당국이 결론 내렸다. 미 캘리포니아주 로스앤젤레스(LA)카운티의 보안관 앨릭스 비어누에버는 7일(현지시간) 우즈의 스포츠유틸리티차(SUV) 전복 사고의 주요 원인이 과속과 우즈가 커브길을 극복하지 못한 탓이라고 발표했다고 CNN 방송과 일간 워싱턴포스트(WP)가 보도했다. LA카운티는 6주간의 사고 조사 뒤 이날 이런 조사 결과를 내놨다. LA카운티 보안관실의 제임스 파워스는 우즈가 패닉에 빠지면서 가속페달을 브레이크로 착각했던 것 같다면서 브레이크를 밟은 흔적을 찾지 못했다고 밝혔다. 파워스는 "블랙박스(data recorder)에는 브레이크를 밟은 기록이 제로(0)다"라며 "가속페달에는 99%의 가속이 있었다"고 말했다. 우즈가 몰던 제네시스 SUV GV80은 사고 당시 나무를 들이받은 뒤 공중으로

WASHINGTON -- Defense readiness is especially crucial on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday, highlighting the importance of military exercises there. John Kirby said the US goal remains the denuclearization of North Korea. "Training is important on the peninsula. We have to make sure that the alliance is sound and solid and ready to, obviously, defend our interests and the interests of our Korean allies on any given day," he said at a press briefing. South Kor

WASHINGTON -- The United States is prepared to engage in some form of diplomacy with North Korea if it will lead to denuclearization on the peninsula, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday. She said the US remains committed to denuclearization of North Korea. "We have a clear objective as it relates to North Korea, which is denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula," the spokeswoman said at a daily press briefing. "We are, of course, continuing to enforce sanctions. We are

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) suffered a crushing defeat in mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan Wednesday, seen as a critical bellwether for next year's presidential poll. Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) defeated his rival from the DP, Park Young-sun, 57.5 percent to 39 percent to claim the Seoul mayoral seat, according to the final vote tally released by the National Election Commission. The mayoral seat in Busan, the country's second-largest city, also went

North Korea's Cabinet newspaper called Wednesday for strengthening the role of the World Health Organization, saying the country should work closely with the organization to improve the health of its people. The Minju Joson paper made the case in a commentary published on the occasion of World Health Day, saying that billions of people around the world lack access to basic medical services despite big progress in medicine and science technology. "As the COVID-19 swept across the world rec

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae on Wednesday denied his alleged role in a judiciary power abuse scandal during the conservative administration of Park Geun-hye, who was impeached. Yang, who headed the top court from 2011-17, is accused of having pressed his officials at the National Court Administration, the top court's governing body, to devise plans to influence politically sensitive trials for Park, who is now jailed over corruption charges. "The gale that blows in the

South Korean stocks rose for the fifth straight session Wednesday as foreign investors continued to scoop up local stocks amid growing hopes for global economic recovery. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 10.33 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 3,137.41 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.96 billion shares worth some 14.3 trillion won ($12.77 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 544 to 292. Foreigners pi

South Korea's drug safety agency on Wednesday approved the COVID-19 vaccine by Johnson & Johnson's Janssen as it showed around 66 percent efficacy against the new coronavirus, becoming the third vaccine approved here. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety authorized the use of Janssen's one-shot regimen as the vaccine is effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 infections among adults aged 18 and older. It marked the third COVID-19 vaccine approved by South Korean authorities fol

SK hynix Inc., South Korea's second-largest chipmaker, is in talks with German auto parts giant Robert Bosch GmbH over a long-term supply of automotive memory semiconductors, industry sources said Wednesday. SK hynix, the world's No. 2 DRAM vendor, is reportedly seeking to supply automotive DRAM chips to Bosch for at least 10 years, the sources said. The company declined to comment on the issue. If the two sides reach an agreement, SK hynix will get its first long-term contract in the area

SK hynix Inc., South Korea's second-largest chipmaker, said Wednesday it has reached a settlement with US-based Netlist Inc. over memory technology patents. The two sides agreed to a patent cross license covering chip technologies of both companies. Under the deal, SK hynix will gain access to Netlist's portfolio of US and foreign patents. Netlist will receive a royalty from SK hynix, a cross license to SK hynix's patent portfolio and supply of its memory and storage products. Industry obse

The South Korean economy sees its slumps easing as the manufacturing sector has continued to improve on the back of robust exports, a state-run think tank said Wednesday. The service sector is still suffering from setbacks amid the pandemic, but its sluggishness somewhat moderated as the country relaxed tougher social distancing rules in February, according to a monthly economic assessment report by the Korea Development Institute (KDI). "The Korean economy is exhibiting a moderating slow

The unification ministry vowed efforts to resume inter-Korean talks despite North Korea's decision not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, a high-level official said Wednesday. On Tuesday, North Korea said it will not take part in the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics to protect its athletes from the coronavirus pandemic, dashing South Korea's hopes to use the games to kick-start the stalled peace process with Pyongyang. "There is still time left until July. We will continue efforts to re

The US administration of President Joe Biden is very committed to improved relations between South Korea and Japan as cooperation between the allies is key to dealing with various regional issues, including a nuclear-armed North Korea, a US diplomat said Tuesday. Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, also said he feels very "optimistic" about Seoul-Tokyo relations. "I think we've seen very early on, I mean, absolute proof that this administration

A new Japanese single by global K-pop dynamite BTS has topped a weekly digital single chart in Japan, the band's agency said Wednesday. "Film Out" hit No. 1 on Oricon's weekly digital singles ranking compiled between March 29 and April 4, with 32,947 downloads, according to Big Hit Music. While the seven-piece act has reigned atop the Oricon's weekly digital album and streaming rankings, it marks its first No. 1 on the weekly digital singles chart. The Japanese single, released las

LG Electronics Inc. on Wednesday introduced its new solar modules that boast high efficiency as the South Korean tech giant aims to expand its presence in the clean energy sector. LG said its NeON H series solar modules will hit the shelves later this month starting in countries like South Korea, the United States, Germany and Australia. The latest solar modules use N-type bifacial solar cells that are used in premium solar products, according to LG. It also applied half-cut technology that l

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Wednesday the government will expand free coronavirus testing, with recent spikes in new cases spurring concerns of a fourth wave of infections. The country reported 668 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the most since Feb. 18, as sporadic cluster infections continued to increase across the country. "We will expand free testing so that anyone can get a free coronavirus diagnostic test regardless of the social distancing stage or symptoms," Chung sa

Naver Corp., South Korea's top internet portal operator, said Wednesday it has made a strategic investment of $150 million in Indonesian media giant Emtek to strengthen its foothold in the Southeast Asian market. Emtek operates broadcast channels, as well as the over-the-top service Vidio, overseeing media content production and distribution. Through the investment, the two companies aim to collaborate and find new business opportunities, such as in webcomics and cloud technology, in Indonesia

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is investigating a new suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu case amid the country's prolonged battle against the animal disease. The latest suspected case was reported at a duck farm in Jangheung, 394 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. If confirmed, it will mark the first case since late March. Since November last year, South Korea has reported 108 cases of the H5N8 strain of

South Korea plans to temporarily remove tariffs on some imported grains including corn in an effort to help rein in rising food prices, the finance minister said Wednesday. The country plans to import edible corn and some grains without tariffs until the end of this year under the quota tariff system, according to Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki. Currently, duties of 3 percent are levied on imported corn. "There is a limited chance that annual inflation will exceed (the central bank's target