Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Tuesday the government will closely monitor the impact of Washington's recent decision to raise tariffs on some Chinese imports. The remark came as the United States announced last week its plans to raise tariffs on around $18 billion worth of imports from China, focusing on strategic sectors, such as solar cells, semiconductors and electric vehicles. "While South Korea has been posting an export growth for seven consecutive months, the uncertainties

The tripartite commission of labor, management and the public launched the process Tuesday to determine next year's minimum wage, with the nation focused on whether it will exceed 10,000 won ($7.35) per hour for the first time. The 27-member Minimum Wage Commission, with nine representatives from each of the three sides, convened its inaugural meeting this year in the central city of Sejong to review the 2025 hourly minimum wage. At Tuesday's session, the commission elected Lee In-je,

South Korean stocks started lower Tuesday as big-cap tech shares fell across the board. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 10.94 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,731.20 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US stock indexes closed mixed, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite up 0.7 percent to hit a record high on chip rally ahead of Nvidia's earnings release Wednesday and S&P 500 up 0.1 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.5 percent lower. In Seo

The United States expressed condolences Monday over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a recent helicopter crash, which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin portrayed as "very unfortunate." Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the State Department, issued a condolence message after the helicopter carrying the president and Iran's top diplomat crashed into the country's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday. The crash came amid tensions between the US and Iran in the midst of

South Korea and the United States began a new round of negotiations Tuesday on sharing the costs for stationing American troops here. The three-day talks through Thursday are aimed at determining how much Seoul should shoulder for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea, starting in 2026. The talks were led by Lee Tae-woo, South Korea's chief negotiator from the foreign ministry, and his US counterpart, Linda Specht from the State Department. The first round of the talks took place

South Korea's media regulator said on Monday it was banning access to a North Korean propaganda music video that it said idolised and glorified leader Kim Jong Un as a "friendly father" and "great leader." South Korea's National Security Act blocks access to the North's government websites and media to restrict exposure to the efforts by Kim's autocratic regime to "praise, incite or propagate" its activities. The two Koreas are still technically

South Korean stocks finished higher Monday led by strong gains in chip and auto heavyweights ahead of key events in the United States. The local currency fell slightly against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 17.52 points, or 0.64 percent, to 2,742.14, rebounding from a 1.03 percent drop the previous session. Trade volume was moderate at 572.2 million shares worth 12.1 trillion won ($8.92 billion), with losers slightly beating winners 474 to 402. Institution

A global summit on artificial intelligence to be co-hosted by South Korea and Britain this week will present global AI governance principles to foster innovation, safety and inclusivity, the two nations' leaders said Monday. In a joint opinion article, President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the upcoming AI Seoul Summit aims to build on the conversation from the first AI Safety Summit held in England last November to address risks and triumphs of the fast-evolvin

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong called for junior doctors who left worksites for months to return to hospitals by Monday, while urging the medical community to resolve a protracted standoff over the government's medical reform through dialogue. The latest appeal by Cho came as a Seoul appellate court last week rejected an injunction filed by the medical community to block the government's plan to increase the medical school admission quota, paving the way for authorities to proceed with

The presidential office apologized Monday for causing confusion among consumers by reversing its plan to ban direct overseas purchases of products that do not have a national certification mark. Sung Tae-yoon, director of national policy at the presidential office, made the remark after the government backtracked on its proposed ban on direct overseas purchases of 80 types of goods that have not received the Korea Certification (KC) safety mark. The policy confusion comes amid criticism that the

North Korea threatened Monday to take powerful deterrent action against what it claims is the US nuclear threat, denouncing Washington for its recent subcritical nuclear test. The US carried out a subcritical nuclear test in Nevada last week, the third of its kind under President Joe Biden. The US said it was designed to collect "essential data" about its nuclear warheads. An unnamed spokesman at the North's foreign ministry said North Korea cannot but reconsider the measures necessary

South Korean stocks started higher Monday on continued hopes for a possible US rate cut. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 19.76 points, or 0.73 percent, to 2,744.38 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wall Street on Friday, US stocks rallied to hit a record high, with the Dow Jones Industrial rising 0.34 percent to top the 40,000 point line for the first time. In Seoul, market heavyweights opened bullish. Top cap Samsung Electronics jumped 1.16 percent, and its chipmakin

CJ Logistics, South Korea's biggest logistics company, said Sunday it will build a cold chain logistics center in the United States as part of efforts to expand its foothold in the North American market. The new center, tailored for the delivery of cold storage products and frozen goods, will be set up in New Century, Kansas, where a major railway is nearby, according to the company. The 27,034-square-meter center will start operations in the third quarter of next year and be able to delive

South Korean veteran golfer Choi Kyoung-ju made history on his 54th birthday Sunday, becoming the oldest winner on the domestic men's tour. Choi defeated Park Sang-hyun on the second playoff hole to capture the SK Telecom Open title on the KPGA Tour at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo on the southern island of Jeju. The two had finished 72 holes tied at three-under 281 on the par-71 course, and Choi clinched the historic title with a par on the second playoff hole, where Park made bogey. At 54, C

South Korea's exports of instant noodles surpassed the $100 million mark for the first time last month on the growing popularity of Korean culture and food, data showed Sunday. Exports of instant noodles, or "ramyeon" in Korean, reached $108.6 million in April, up 46.8 percent from a year earlier, growing at the fastest pace since May 2022, according to the Korea Customs Service. It marks the first time the monthly figure has exceeded $100 million, the agency said. Ramyeon exports have

Gen. John Adams Wickham Jr., the US military commander in South Korea during the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, has passed away at age 95. Legacy.com, a US website providing obituaries and memorials, noted on Friday that Wickham had died on May 11 in Oro Valley, Arizona. Wickham was the commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command from 1979 to 1983, a particularly tumultuous period in South Korea. During Wickham's time here, a military coup led by future President Chun D

A North Korean delegation from the country's border city of Rason has returned home after a weeklong visit to Russia's Far East, state media reported Sunday. The Korean Central News Agency said the delegation led by the chief of the Rason Municipal People's Committee arrived back home on Saturday. The delegation had left for the trip on May 12. The one-sentence dispatch did not provide further details, but the delegation is believed to have discussed resuming passenger train servi

North Korea denounced the United States on Saturday over its recent redesignation as a country not cooperating fully with US counterterrorism efforts, insisting that no area in which the two countries can cooperate exists. Kwon Jong-gun, director-general of the department of US affairs at the North's foreign ministry, issued the criticism after the United States kept the North on its list of countries not fully cooperating with its counterterrorism efforts earlier this week. "The DPRK

Members of popular K-pop girl group NewJeans have each submitted a petition over a court injunction filed to prevent the dismissal of their agency Ador's CEO Min Hee-jin, music industry sources said Saturday. The five members -- Danielle, Minji, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein -- handed in the petitions Friday when the first hearing was held on the injunction sought by Min against a move from Hybe, Ador's parent company, to dismiss her from her position. Details of the petitions were not made

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Saturday to advance the freedom and welfare of the people as a way to uphold the spirit of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Yoon made the remark during a ceremony marking the 44th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement in the city located 267 kilometers south of Seoul. The ceremony was attended by some 2,500 people, including lawmakers from the rival parties and families of the victims. "The entire people of Sout