South Korean stocks opened nearly flat Monday amid concerns over rising new coronavirus cases around the world. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.69 points, or 0.02 percent, to 3,040.32 points in the first 15 minutes of trading amid foreign and institutional selling. Investor concerns grew as US COVID-19 cases moved back up, with the third wave of the virus spreading in Europe. New COVID-19 infections topped 126 million over the weekend around the world, with the death tol

North Korea will hold a large sports competition next month to mark the birth anniversary of state founder Kim Il-sung, state media reported Monday. The sports competition among athletes, students and workers from each province will kick off April 5 in Pyongyang and run through April 15, the birth anniversary of the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The founder's birthday, referred to in the North as the Day of the Sun, is the country'

US officials put diplomatic pressure on South Korea to contribute to a US-led military coalition to fight in the 1990-91 Gulf War, suggesting that its role might affect the future course of bilateral ties, a declassified diplomatic dossier showed Monday. The pressure came when Ban Ki-moon, then director general for American affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, met with Carl Ford, then deputy assistant secretary of defense, during his visit to Washington in December in 1990, shortly before the c

North Korea on Monday accused the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) of violating its sovereignty and applying a "double standard" as it is set to hold a meeting this week to discuss Pyongyang's recent missile launches. Jo Chol-su, director-general of the Department of International Organizations of North Korea's foreign ministry, made the criticism in a statement, as the UNSC is to hold a closed-door meeting Tuesday after the North test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles la

North Korea's official newspaper on Sunday called for local economic development to achieve self-reliance in securing food and other key necessities, saying cities and counties are a "cornerstone" of the national economy. "Development of cities and counties are a major requirement for an improvement in livelihood of people," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers' Party, said. "To significantly improve the livelihoods of people, resolving the food problem, a

The government and the ruling party decided to push for new legislation obligating all public officials to declare their assets, a lawmaker said Sunday, amid a public uproar over a land speculation scandal involving employees of the state housing developer. Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, acting chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, also said after a meeting with officials of the government and the presidential office that the government will make sure to confiscate all illegal gains made from real esta

Seas around South Korea have become warmer over the past five years, causing the habitats of marine life on the seabed to move northward, a report by the country's fishery ministry said Sunday. According to the research report by the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries, climate change raised the temperature of the seawater between 2015 and 2020 in the country, affecting the habitats of creatures living on the seabed, such as crabs and conchs. In 2011, conchs were found to have lived along the coun

WASHINGTON -- US efforts to develop a new approach toward North Korea are in their final stages that include consultations with US allies, a White House spokeswoman said Friday, calling consultations an important part of the process. "We are in the final stages of our intensive, multi-stakeholder North Korea policy review," Jen Psaki told a daily press briefing. "And we're, of course, discussing our review with national security advisers of South Korea and Japan and our trilateral

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Sunday it has decided to fine five manufacturers of windows a combined 1.28 billion won ($1.13 million) for exaggerated advertising. LG Hausys and its four rivals ran advertisements that misled consumers to believe that installing their products can sharply reduce energy costs, according to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). The companies did not specify in ads that such results on energy efficiency could be generated in a strictly controlled environ

Pitching in his first spring training game in nearly three weeks, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals was undone by extra-base hits. The South Korean left-hander served up two triples while giving up two runs in two innings against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on Saturday (local time). This was Kim's first preseason since March 8, when he was charged with four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the same Marlins. While preparing for his next ou

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul has joined his counterparts from 11 countries, including the United States, in adopting a statement condemning Myanmar's military using "lethal force against unarmed people." The 12 military chiefs also include those from Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, according to the statement that was made available on the website of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on Satur

The South Korean construction equipment maker Doosan Infracore Co. said Sunday it has launched its 100-ton excavators, the biggest in its lineup in the global market, and won orders for them from Mongolia and Chile. Doosan Infracore bagged an order for one 100-ton excavator from a Chilean company, with a 100-ton excavator and a 80-ton excavator ordered by a Mongolian company, the company said in an emailed statement. Global demand for the large excavator market is estimated at about 1,000 unit

South Korean ballad singer Hwang Chi-yeul will release an album next month, returning with new music after more than two years, his management agency said Sunday. Titled "Be My Reason," the EP will drop at 6 p.m. on Friday, according to Ten2 Entertainment. Hwang's most recent release was his second full-length Korean album, "The Four Seasons," released in January 2019. The six-track album will entirely consist of ballad songs, including the main track, "Two Letters,&qu

The government will ban eating at mass gathering establishments like sports stadiums, libraries and museums starting Monday, officials said, amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Eating will be banned at 21 types of public places, which also include karaoke bars, public saunas and movie theaters, and violators will be fined 100,000 ($88) starting April 5 after a one-week grace period, officials said. Other facilities subject to the ban include cram schools, hair dressers, gyms, casinos and exhibit

미국의 팝스타 비욘세가 100만달러(11억3천만원) 상당의 귀중품을 도난당했다. 미국 연예매체 TMZ는 27일(현지시간) 경찰 소식통을 인용해 이같이 보도했다. 비욘세가 설립한 매니지먼트사 파크우드 엔터테인먼트가 임대한 로스앤젤레스(LA) 창고 3곳에는 이달 초 두 차례 도둑이 들었다. 절도범들은 비욘세가 임대 창고에 보관 중이던 명품 핸드백과 드레스, 아이 장난감은 물론이고 비욘세 개인 스타일리스트의 사진까지 싹 쓸어간 것으로 알려졌다. LA 경찰은 수사에 나섰지만, 아직 절도범을 잡지 못했다. TMZ는 할리우드 유명인과 관련한 창고 털이 범죄가 유행하고 있다며 최근에는 팝스타 마일리 사일러스의 창고에도 도둑이 들어 옷과 개인 기념품, 가족사진을 훔쳐 갔다고 전했다. (연합뉴스)

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 500 on Sunday, a day after reaching a 36-day high of 505, as fewer people took the virus tests due to rain and the weekend amid lingering woes over a rise in new infections. The country reported 482 more COVID-19 cases, including 462 local infections, raising the total caseload to 101,757, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added one more death from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,722. After hi

North Korea will hold a conference early next month of the secretaries of "party cells," the grassroots units of the ruling Workers Party, state media reported Sunday, as the country tries to achieve goals laid out in a party congress earlier this year. "The Secretariat of the Central Committee of the ruling party decided to convene the sixth conference of cell Secretaries to discuss and guide the affairs in prioritizing the position and role of the Party cells", the Korean

LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean telecom operator, said Sunday it signed a deal to export $11.14 million worth of 5G solutions and content to Thailand's top mobile carrier, Advanced Info Service (AIS). Under the deal, LG Uplus will provide AIS with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) 5G content and also oversee the rollout of the service from its testing to launch. LG Uplus said it expects its immersive 5G content, which includes Korean music shows, to gain popularity in Thaila

Thousands join worldwide vigil to honor victims of Atlanta shootings Over 2,000 people in the United States and from around the world have taken part in a vigil to honor the victims of recent shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent. The White House too mourned the deaths of the eight people while strongly denouncing violence against Asian-American communities on Friday, according to organizers. "My heart goes out to all who are joining the A

Senior defense officials of South Korea and the United States have expressed deep concerns over North Korea's recent missile launches and vowed to closely cooperate to counter threats from Pyongyang, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday. Cho Yong-geun, director of North Korea policy at the defense ministry, and David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, held telephone talks Friday, a day after the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles in a first s