The foreign ministry said Wednesday it will thoroughly look into an assault case involving officials at the South Korean Embassy in China and will take stern measures. The ministry confirmed that an internal probe has been launched after it received a complaint accusing two embassy officials of beating an administrative staff member working at the same diplomatic mission while drinking at a bar in Beijing last week. "We will take stern measures in accordance with principles and regulation

South Korean stocks snapped a two-session losing streak to end higher Wednesday, buoyed by strong gains in tech and auto stocks, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 15.91 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at 3,100.58 points. Trading volume was high at about 2.13 billion shares worth some 18.07 trillion won ($16.32 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 486 to 334. Foreigners picked up

The number of men going on paternity leave jumped 23 percent last year from the previous year, reflecting cultural and policy changes, the labor ministry said Wednesday. The total number of private sector workers requesting paternity leave stood at 27,423 last year, more than double the number in 2017 (12,042), the ministry said. The increase can be attributed to more couples raising their children together and policies encouraging men to take leave, it said. The coronavirus pandemic likely c

Many transgender people in South Korea have experienced discrimination and hatred in everyday life, a survey by the state human rights watchdog showed Wednesday. A total of 591 transgender aged 19 or above took part in the survey on the discrimination they have experienced under nine criteria, including daily life, education and employment, conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea over six months from May of last year. The survey is the largest of its kind conducted here. Am

The US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday it will ease antivirus restrictions for most areas except for Seoul and some surrounding regions, starting Monday, allowing its members to dine at restaurants and conduct off-base activities. The Health Protection Condition (HPCON) level will be adjusted by one notch to the second-lowest level of "Bravo" from "Charlie" for USFK areas I and III and the Seongnam district, effective Monday at 7 a.m., according to the US military. Those

South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and a senior US diplomat agreed to have close consultations on Washington's review of North Korea policy during their phone talks Wednesday, the foreign ministry said. The talks between Noh and Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, came as Seoul seeks to ensure policy coordination with the administration of US President Joe Biden to reengage with Pyongyang. "In the phone call, the two sides exchanged

Foreign investors remained net sellers of South Korean equities in January, extending their selling spree for a second straight month, the central bank said Wednesday. Foreigners sold a net $1.07 billion worth of local stocks last month, compared with a net selling of $2.36 billion in December last year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). Offshore investors turned net buyers of Korean bonds worth $1.32 billion last month, the BOK said. Meanwhile, volatility in South Korea's currency slight

South Korean banks' household loans continued to grow at a faster pace in January, driven by the strong growth of mortgage loans, central bank data showed Wednesday. The value of outstanding bank loans to local households came to 996.4 trillion won ($892.8 billion) as of end-January, up 7.6 trillion won from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The January reading compares to a 6.7 trillion-won gain in December last year. The BOK said the rise in lending was

North Korea has recently launched a temporary committee to rev up its economic development drive, state media said Wednesday, as the communist country pushes ahead to achieve goals set forth at last month's rare party congress amid crippling sanctions and antivirus efforts. On the second day of the plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reported on domestic economic issues and other external matters, the Korean Central News Agency (KC

The density of ultrafine dust particles has markedly fallen in both South Korea and China last year due mainly to close bilateral cooperation, their governments said in a joint press release Wednesday. According to the release by Seoul's Ministry of Environment and Beijing's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, concentrations of ultrafine dust particles declined about 27 percent in South Korea and slightly over 28 percent in China in 2020, compared with the 2015 levels. In South Korea, last ye

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. said Wednesday that it will demonstrate whether its remote autonomous navigation system can autonomously steer a large ship in August. A 9,200-ton ship will be used to demonstrate the shipbuilder's remote autonomous navigation system known as Samsung Autonomous Ship, or SAS, the company said. Mokpo National Maritime University will assess whether the system helps the ship navigate autonomously under remote control, Samsung Heavy said. If Samsung Heavy succeeds in

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook visited a traditional fish market in a western port city Wednesday to hear out the hardships of small merchants going through tough times due to the new coronavirus and encourage them ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Moon and Kim visited the Soraepo-gu Fish Market in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, to speak directly with merchants and buy local goods, according to Cheong Wa Dae. The two purchased fresh fish and salted and dried fish p

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Wednesday that how the nation deals with the pandemic during this week's Lunar New Year holiday will be crucial in the outcome of South Korea's grueling battle against the third COVID-19 wave. "The Lunar New Year holiday which begins tomorrow is an important crossroad for the trajectory of the COVID-19 (pandemic). The most critical-to-date third wave could either end, or its dying embers could flare up again," Chung said during an interagency meeting

The drama film "Minari" about a Korean American immigrant family was shortlisted for two music categories in the upcoming Academy Awards, organizers said Wednesday. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) revealed shortlists for nine categories for the Oscars, including international feature, original score, original song and animated short film. In the original score section, music from the American film "Minari," composed by Emile Mosseri, was among the 15

Global superstars BTS will be appearing on "MTV Unplugged" later this month, becoming the first Korean act to perform on the iconic music program produced by American broadcaster MTV. "On Feb. 23, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook will bring their collective energy to an update of the storied series straight from Seoul, South Korea," MTV reported on Tuesday (US time). While the broadcaster did not elaborate on the songs that BTS will perform, it said the "sp

Hyundai Motor Group on Wednesday unveiled its first "uncrewed" mobility vehicle concept as it strives to morph into a future mobility solutions provider. The TIGER robot, which stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot, is designed to operate as a four-wheel drive vehicle or a four-legged walking machine to conduct scientific exploration activities, carry emergency medical kits and deliver products to inaccessible areas, Hyundai said in a statement. The vehicle with

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is currently investigating two more suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the total caseload standing at 88. The latest suspected case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from a duck farm in Buan, 280 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The country is also looking into another suspected case at a duck farm in Eumseong, 131 kilometers south of the capital city. Th

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street amid hopes for progress in US stimulus. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 2.55 points, or 0.08 percent, to 3,087.22 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.14 percent to a new record high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.03 percent. Large caps traded mixed in Seoul. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics fell

South Korea reported a spike in daily coronavirus cases Wednesday as clusters of infections continued to emerge, with health authorities urging people to avoid family gatherings during the Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 444 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 414 local infections, raising the total caseload to 81,930, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The figure was the highest since Feb. 4, when the nation recorded 451 new cases. It also m

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday its latest smartphone line, the Galaxy S21 series, posted 30 percent higher sales than its predecessor in South Korea as the tech giant strives to boost its handset sales. Samsung said sales of the Galaxy S21 family between Jan. 29 and Monday were 30 percent higher than those of the Galaxy S20 series. By model, the entry-level S21 accounted for 40 percent of the total sales, followed by high-end S21 Ultra with 36 percent. The S21 was launched with a pric