The Army said Friday that more than 100 troops have completed its recently launched mine-removal training program and will be deployed next month. The trainees -- 110 Army personnel, six airmen and four Marines -- completed the armed service's first specialized education curriculum that meets the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). The two-week program was launched last month to train troops on explosive ordnance disposal, first aid and mine clearance. Previously, the military's mine

South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai FC have lost their opening match of the FIFA Club World in Qatar to fall to a consolation game. Ulsan lost to Tigres UANL of Mexico 2-1 at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha, on Thursday to kick off the 17th edition of the FIFA tournament. French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored twice for Tigres, while Kim Kee-hee had the lone goal for Ulsan in the first half. The Club World Cup brings together continental champions each year, plus the domestic

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, taking a cue from overnight record gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.3 points, or 0.75 percent, to 3,110.85 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics added 0.85 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix hiked 1.6 percent. Internet portal giant Naver moved up 2.51 percent, with its rival Kakao up 0.22 percent. Leading chemical maker LG Chem jumped 3.1 percent, and rech

South Korea's current account surplus widened on-month in December last year, mainly due to a modest recovery in exports, the central bank said Friday. The current account surplus reached $11.51 billion in December, widening from a surplus of $9.18 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade. Since the country logged a deficit of $3.33 billion in April 2020, the largest in almost a decade, on faltering expo

Samsung Electronics Co. clinched the No. 2 spot in US patent grants among global corporate giants in 2020, industry data showed Friday. Samsung Electronics, the world's top smartphone and memory chip maker, received 8,539 US patent grants last year, down 1 percent from the previous year, according to the data from the US Intellectual Property Organization. Yet, the flagship of Samsung Group, the top family-controlled conglomerate in South Korea, retained the No. 2 title for 14 years on end. S

South Korea's exports of sauces reached an all-time high in 2020 as more people enjoyed cooking at home around the globe amid the new coronavirus pandemic, data showed Friday. Outbound shipments of sauces rose 25.8 percent on-year in 2020 to reach $301.7 million, according to the data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). KITA said the growth also came as global consumers became more aware of Korean-style foods following the popularity of Korean cultural content oversea

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that the United States will review its global defense posture, a move that could affect the number of US troops stationed overseas, including those in South Korea. "Today, I'm announcing additional steps to course correct our foreign policy and better unite our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership," Biden said in his first speech on national security and foreign policy delivered from the Department of State. "To begin, Defense Sec

The United States will closely consult with its Asian allies such as South Korea in dealing with North Korea, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. He also said close consultation with allies will be part of US efforts to strengthen its alliances. "To revitalizing America's alliance, the president has spoken with key allies in both Europe and Asia. Just last night, he had the opportunity to speak with both the president of the Republic of Korea and the prime minister o

At least 2.71 million doses of coronavirus vaccines are expected to arrive in South Korea in the first half through an international vaccine procurement program, health authorities said Thursday. The country will receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines and 2.59 million doses of vaccines by AstraZeneca through the World Health Organization's global vaccine project, known as the COVAX Facility. The country with a 52 million population has secured access to coronavirus vaccines enough

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with Germany's top envoy here Thursday to discuss joint efforts to deepen bilateral ties and cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the foreign ministry said. During their talks, Choi and Ambassador Michael Reiffenstuel agreed to continue communication at each government level to jointly address global challenges, including the pandemic, and explore ways to cooperate in securing COVID-19 vaccines. They also agreed to work

The prosecution filed for a warrant to arrest a former industry and energy minister Thursday as part of a probe into the controversial closure of an aging nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Prosecutors Office asked a court to issue the warrant for Paik Un-gyu on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of business. Paik has been under probe over allegations that he abused his power in the viability assessment of Wolsong-1, the nation's second-oldest nuclear reactor, before the government d

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's biggest carrier, said Thursday its net losses narrowed in 2020 from a year earlier, as it offset the pandemic-caused slump in passenger travel with increased cargo deliveries and enjoyed decent gains from an asset sale. Net losses narrowed to 291.45 billion won ($260 million) last year from 622.76 billion won the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing. "The proceeds from the sale of its in-flight catering and duty-free business and forei

The mastermind of an infamous Telegram sexual exploitation ring was sentenced to an additional five years in prison on Thursday for concealing profits from the crime for which had already been given a 40-year jail term last year. The Seoul Central District Court found Cho Ju-bin guilty of hiding some 108 million won ($96,500) of criminal proceeds by receiving cryptocurrency for the sexually exploitative materials he sold on the pay-to-view chat rooms on Telegram. The 25-year-old was also convi

Associations of small merchants filed a petition on Thursday with the Constitutional Court, asking it to review whether virus-related restrictions violate their basic property rights. The petition is the third of its kind, with the first one filed by bar and internet cafe owners on Jan. 5 and the second one by gym owners and others on Jan. 29. This time, more indoor sports facilities, karaoke rooms, cafes and bakery owners participated in the legal action, supported by civic groups, including

Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co. (HHIH) said on Thursday that it swung to the red last year from a year earlier due to losses from equity ties with its oil refining unit and the new coronavirus pandemic. Its net loss came to 789.7 billion won ($705.8 million) in 2020, compared with a net profit of 115.3 billion won a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Sales fell 29 percent on-year to 18.91 trillion won last year, while it suffered an operating loss of 597.1 billion won, sw

South Korean search giant Naver Corp. said Thursday it will shut down its online portal's real-time search chart service this month amid a yearslong controversy over whether it could be prone to advertising or be used to rig public opinion. The portal giant, which draws 30 million users everyday, said in a blog post that it will shut down the service on Feb. 25 as user searches have become more diversified and specific. The search chart first appeared in 2005 and has served as a major part of

South Korean stocks snapped their three-day winning streak Thursday, as foreign and institutional investors sought profits following a recent hike. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 42.13 points, or 1.35 percent, to close at 3,087.55 points. Trading volume was high at about 1.3 billion shares worth around 20.4 trillion won ($18.2 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 539 to 305. Foreigners sold a net 640 billion won, e

Only 55 of 17,890 people have antibodies against the novel coronavirus in South Korea, health authorities said Thursday, underscoring that the country's aggressive containment efforts might have curbed the prevalence of the virus. The antibody rate of 0.31 percent in South Korea is extremely low compared with other nations and global cities, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Data from the World Health Organization shows that the rate is less than 10 percent in

LOONA has made its first entry on the Billboard's Pop Airplay chart, becoming the first K-pop girl group to rank on the radio chart since BLACKPINK. LOONA's all-English song "Star" ranked No. 40 on the Billboard's Pop Airplay chart, set to be updated on Saturday (US time), according to the US music publication. The chart reflects weekly data from some 160 US radio stations. The Billboard cited Bill Schulz, a program director at radio station KCLA in Reno, Nevada, who was quoted as sa

An appellate court on Thursday handed down a reduced sentence to Woo Byung-woo, a former senior aide to ousted President Park Geun-hye, in a corruption scandal that led to Park's removal from office in 2017. The Seoul High Court sentenced Woo, who served as presidential secretary for civil affairs for Park from 2015-2016, to one year in prison for illegal surveillance of officials. The court cleared him of other charges, including dereliction of duty and a violation of the act on testimony befo