South Korean manufacturers' domestic supply fell for the third consecutive quarter in the fourth quarter of last year amid the fallout of the prolonged pandemic, data showed Monday. The manufacturing domestic supply index stood at 108.3 in the October-December period, down 1.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarterly index has fallen since the second quarter of 2020, when it declined 4.5 percent on-year, the shar

South Korea's science ministry said Monday it will invest 615 billion won ($549 million) in space projects this year, including launching its long-awaited first homegrown rocket and developing new satellites. The country plans to launch its first locally built Nuri rocket in October this year, committing 189.7 billion won this year to acquire technology to independently build space launch vehicles, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. While the country sent its 140-ton Naro rocket int

South Korea's ICT ministry said Monday that US tech giant Google will take measures to provide stable services, becoming the first company to come under the country's revised law that holds online content providers accountable for service errors. On Dec. 14 last year, multiple Google services, including YouTube, Gmail and Google Calendar, went down for around an hour globally, prompting the Ministry of Science and ICT to look into the matter. According to the ministry, Google experienced an au

South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. said Monday that its drug Remsima SC for the treatment of autoimmune diseases has begun sales in the country. The subcutaneous (SC) version of Remsima, a biosimilar copy of Janssen Biotech Inc.'s Remicade, will hit the shelves domestically following approval a year earlier. Remsima, administered through intravascular injections, is used in the treatment of a number of diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis to Crohn's disease, Celltrion said. The

Two minor natural earthquakes struck North Korea's eastern region early Monday, South Korea's state weather agency said. The first quake with a magnitude of 3.2 was detected at around 3:37 a.m., 37 kilometers north-northeast of Changjin, South Hamkyong Province, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a latitude of 40.67 degrees north and a longitude of 127.45 degrees east, the agency said. The second quake of magnitude 2.3 struck about four hours late

South Korea said Monday it is currently investigating yet another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the country's total confirmed infections staying unchanged at 87. The latest suspected case of the deadly H5N8 strain of avian influenza was reported from an egg farm in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The test result is expected to come out within three days. The farm was raising 160,000 chickens. Since l

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday on losses by auto-related shares in the wake of a paused partnership between South Korean carmaker Kia Corp. and US tech behemoth Apple Inc. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 20.01 points, or 0.64 percent, to 3,100.62 in the first 15 minutes of trading amid strong foreign selling. Auto shares dipped following reports that Apple recently paused its partnership discussions with Kia. The US tech giant has been reportedly in talks with mul

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 300 on Monday, marking the lowest number since last November, when a third wave of outbreaks began, as the nation started an eased social distancing scheme outside the greater Seoul area. The country added 289 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 264 local infections, raising the total caseload to 81,185, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked the lowest daily infections since Nov. 23 last year, whe

Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Corp. said Monday they are not in talks with Apple Inc. over an electric car manufacturing project in response to reports of their suspended discussions. In separate regulatory filings, Hyundai and Kia, which together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales, said they are "not in talks with Apple over developing an autonomous vehicle." The carmakers said they are considering forming a partnership with foreign companies in regard to self-dr

영국 런던에 택배기사도 자칫했다간 모르고 지나칠 만한 집이 있다. 짙은 푸른색으로 외벽을 칠해놓지 않았다면 정면을 봤을 때 왼편에 있는 병원, 오른편에 있는 미용실 사이에 누군가 살고 있으리라 상상도 못 했을 것이다. 런던 서부 셰퍼드 부시에 제일 좁은 폭이 5.6피트(170.69㎝)밖에 안 되는 "런던에서 가장 얇은 집"이 새 주인을 기다리고 있다. 19세기 말∼20세기 초에 지어져 '빅토리아 시대'에 모자 상점으로 쓰였다는 가정집이 부동산 시장에 매물로 나왔다고 AFP 통신이 7일(현지시간) 보도했다. 폭은 좁을지 몰라도 가격은 만만치 않다. 한국 돈으로 14억6천만원이 조금 넘는 95만파운드. 등기부등본에는 이 집이 15년 전 2006년 48만8천500파운드(약 7억 5천만원)에 거래됐다는 기록이 남아있다. 부동산 중개업자 데이비드 마이어스는 이 자그마한 집이 비싼 이유를 두고 "런던의 독특한 역사를 품고 있기 때문"이라고

Son Heung-min has ended his five-match Premier League scoring drought, while helping Tottenham Hotspur end their losing streak at three matches in the process. Son netted his 13th goal in the league -- 17th in all competitions -- in Tottenham's 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. Son's last goal in any match had come in a League Cup match against Brentford on Jan. 5. Harry Kane, Son's favorite partner in crime who had been sidelined with an

South Korean retail investors have bet big on global tech giant Samsung Electronics this year, but their investments have failed to pay off due to a recent pullback in its share price, data showed Monday. Local individual investors have purchased a net 13.4 trillion won ($11.9 billion) worth of shares of the world's leading smartphone and memory chip maker this year, according to the data from the Korea Exchange. The amount accounted for far more than half of retail investors 23.6 trillion won

South Korea's exports of kimchi reached a new all-time high in 2020 thanks to its popularity amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday. Overseas shipments of kimchi came to $144.51 million last year, up 37.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service and industry sources. The amount breaks the previous yearly record of $106.61 million registered in 2012. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish normally made of fermented cabbage, salt and hot pep

Foreign investors remained net sellers of South Korean stocks last month, extending their selling spree for a second consecutive month, data showed Monday. Foreigners sold a net 2.65 trillion won ($2.35 billion) worth of local stocks in January, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). American investors sold a net 3.43 trillion won of stocks last month, while Singapore's investors net purchased 1.6 trillion won worth of stocks, according to the FSS. As of end-Janua

South Korea plans to help crew members aboard an oil tanker seized by Iran to return home as early as this week after Tehran's announcement that it will set most of them free, diplomatic sources said Sunday. Last week, Teheran said it will free the crew members detained aboard the MT Hankuk Chemi, except for the captain, about a month after its military seized the vessel with its crew in the country's waters for allegedly polluting the ocean. Officials at the South Korean Embassy in the Middle

JEONJU -- A senior financial official of the troubled budget carrier Easter Jet has been indicted on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, prosecutors said Sunday. The official, whose identity was withheld by the prosecution, is accused of underselling 5.2 million company shares owned by its affiliates to a specific subsidiary in 2015, which caused damage to the carrier, according to the Jeonju District Prosecutors Office. The shares were worth around 54 billion won ($48.06 million), bu

Restaurants, cafes and sporting facilities located outside the greater Seoul area will be allowed to stay open until 10 p.m. starting Monday, as the government decided to ease restrictions on their operating hours. Under the current social distancing scheme, businesses are required to close at 9 p.m., but the government decided Saturday to ease the rule for those in the provincial regions amid growing complaints over the prolonged virus curbs. The greater Seoul area is currently under Level 2.5

South Korea's domestic demand is faltering amid a flare-up in new coronavirus cases, but the country's improving exports have partially buffered an economic slowdown, a state-run think tank said Sunday. As consumption and employment took a beating amid the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic activity has remained sluggish, led by domestic demand, according to a monthly economic assessment report by the Korea Development Institute (KDI). "The Korean economy saw its domestic deman

The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea (Exim Bank) said Sunday the country's exports are expected to expand up to 12 percent on-year over the first quarter on strong demand for chips and cars. Outbound shipments over the January-March period are estimated to reach around $145 billion won, according to the estimate provided by the bank. "The economic recovery of major export destinations, including China, the United States and the European Union, is expected to lend a hand to the recove

LG Electronics Inc. said Sunday it has set up South Korea's largest energy storage system (ESS) with local partners as the tech giant eyes to expand its presence in the ESS market. LG Electronics said the ESS was built on Anjwa Island, South Jeolla Province, some 320 kilometers south of Seoul, in cooperation with KCH Group, Korea Western Power Co. and Top Solar Group. Together, they have completed a 340-megawatt-hour (MWh) ESS for Anjwa Smart Farm & Solar City, the country's largest ESS fo