South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Thursday on hopes for the US Federal Reserve's possible rate cut after slower-than-expected inflation in the world's largest economy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 35.69 points, or 1.31 percent, to 2,766.03 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US stock market closed at record highs, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.88 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite jumping 1.4 percent. The la

South Korea and the United States will hold their second round of negotiations in Seoul next week on the sharing of the costs for the upkeep of American soldiers stationed here, Seoul officials said Thursday. The talks, set for Tuesday through Thursday, come about a month after the allies launched the negotiations on determining how much Seoul should shoulder for the stationing of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. The first round of the SMA talks took place in Hawaii. The current six-year deal,

A rare mid-May warning of heavy snow was issued Wednesday over mountainous areas in northern Gangwon Province. The warning went into effect at 7:20 p.m. as snow, which had started shortly beforehand, was forecast to continue into Thursday morning, accumulating up to 7 centimeters in highland and other mountain areas of northern Gangwon. A heavy snow warning is issued when snowfall accumulation is expected to reach five centimeters or more within a 24-hour period. It marks the first mid-May heavy

President Yoon Suk Yeol exchanged Wednesday somewhat awkward greetings with Cho Kuk, leader of a minor opposition party, in their first public encounter in years after the two became at odds with each other over the investigation into Cho's family. The brief meeting took place when Yoon was leaving an event held in celebration of Buddha's birthday in central Seoul, where many other key political figures were also present. Yoon greeted Cho, the leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, by s

President Yoon Suk Yeol promised Wednesday to run state affairs "rightly" in a way that will help improve the people's livelihoods and make the country overcome challenges. Yoon made the remarks in a congratulatory speech in observance of Buddha's birthday, a public holiday in South Korea, saying he will do all he can do to make a "warm and happy" society. "I will do my best to carry out the state affairs rightly as I always keep the Buddha's teachings in

The Japanese head of the operator of the popular Line messenger app attended a meeting with Naver Corp.'s employees and was said to pledge job security, an industry source said Wednesday, as the South Korean internet giant is under pressure from Tokyo to sell stake in Line. Takeshi Idezawa, president of LY Corp., the operator of Line controlled by a joint venture between Naver and SoftBank of Japan, attended the meeting with employees of Line Plus Corp. on Tuesday, according to the source.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his "beloved daughter" Ju-ae attended a ceremony marking a newly built street at the north gateway of Pyongyang, the North's state media reported Wednesday. It was the first time in about two months that Ju-ae made a public appearance since she visited a military unit on March 15. Kim and his daughter attended the ceremony on Tuesday, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. The KCNA described the street as "clear proof of

The government plans to amend tobacco-related laws to designate synthetic nicotine as a type of tobacco in order to regulate the product category seeing growing popularity among young smokers, according to officials Wednesday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy and Finance plan to push for a revision of the law to include synthetic nicotine in the definition of tobacco under the Tobacco Business Act, according to officials. In South Korea, tobacco-related laws are man

The crime-action film "The Roundup: Punishment" set another record by attracting more than 10 million viewers on Wednesday, after 22 days of screening, data showed. According to the data from the movie's distributor, ABO Entertainment, the fourth installment of the "The Roundup" crime-action film franchise topped more than 10 million. With Wednesday's record, three installments in the "The Roundup" series attracted more than 10 million viewers each. "

South Korea's top envoy to the United States expressed confidence Tuesday that the alliance between Seoul and Washington will strengthen "incessantly" through the allies' "institutionalized" cooperation irrespective of who wins the White House in November. Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong made the remarks as US President Joe Biden is set to face former President Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election amid speculation that Trump's return to the top office could potentially bring a foreig

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a new tactical missile weapons system and called for an "epochal change" in war preparations by attaining arms production plans, state media said Wednesday. Kim oversaw the "tactical missile weapons system to be newly equipped by the combined missile units of the Korean People's Army in charge of an important firing assignment" on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It did not provide further details on the

US President Joe Biden plans to quadruple tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and hike duties for solar cells, semiconductors and other "strategic" sectors, the White House said Tuesday, as he is revving up his reelection campaign. The Biden administration announced a new package of tariff increases, casting it as an endeavor to protect American workers and businesses from what it calls China's unfair trade practices, and accusing China of flooding global markets with "artif

A South Korean man has been arrested in Cambodia for his alleged involvement in the murder of a South Korean tourist and abandoning his body in Thailand, officials said Tuesday. The suspect, 27, was nabbed at a lodging in Phnom Penh at around midnight following a tip-off that a South Korean suspected of involvement in the case was spotted in the area. Police have been tracing the whereabouts of the man after confirming that he had fled to Cambodia. He is one of three South Koreans suspected

A number of F-22 stealth jets from the US Air Force arrived in South Korea earlier this week, a Pentagon website showed Tuesday, raising the possibility of a joint air drill involving the latest air assets. The US 8th Fighter Wing posted a photo showing the arrival of F-22 stealth jets at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, 178 kilometers south of Seoul, on the Pentagon's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website. "The Raptors' arrival, demonstrates the Pacific Air Forces

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged necessary support and cooperation to Ukraine during a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, Seoul's presidential office said. "The South Korean government is proactively participating in the global community's efforts to restore peace and pursue post-war reconstruction in Ukraine," Yoon said during the phone call, according to his office. "We will continue the support and cooperation that are needed by

South Korean stocks ended slightly higher Tuesday as investors took a wait-and-see stance ahead of US inflation data expected to affect the US Federal Reserve's rate-setting decision. The Korean won dropped against the US greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index went up 3.13 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,730.34. Trade volume was slim at 436.6 million shares worth 9.3 trillion won ($6.79 billion), with gainers outpacing decliners 526 to 342. Foreign investors and institutio

The military will stage an air exercise Tuesday aimed at defending against a large-scale aerial attack amid renewed attention to air defense capabilities in the wake of Iran's massive drone and missile attack on Israel. The drills will be led by the Air Force Operations Command and joined by Army, Navy and Marine Corps units across the country, according to the Air Force. Some 30 aircraft, including F-35A fighters, as well as various air defense assets, including the Patriot and Cheongung m

A former division commander of the Marine Corps returned home Tuesday following 22 hours of police questioning in connection with the death of a young Marine conscript during a search operation for downpour victims in July last year. Lim Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, is the highest-ranking Marine official questioned as part of the investigation into the death of a Marine conscript, surnamed Chae, who was swept away by a torrent during a search for missing flood v

The military is planning to hold a rare meeting between major South Korean and US Forces Korea special operations officials later this month to discuss ways to improve special warfare capabilities amid North Korea's threats, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday. South Korea operates special forces units separately under the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps, and regularly stages combined drills with US Special Operations Command Korea troops, but holding a meeting between all o

A North Korean science and technology delegation has departed for Russia, state media said Tuesday, as the two countries are deepening their bilateral ties following the summit of their leaders in September. The delegation led by Ri Chung-gil, chairman of the State Commission of Science and Technology, left for Moscow on Monday to attend the eighth meeting of a government committee on trade and economy as well as science and technology cooperation between the two nations, according to the Korean