South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it has completed culling 19.9 million poultry since late November as the country continues to raise its guard against highly pathogenic bird flu. The figures include 16.4 million chickens and 1.73 million ducks, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The total caseload of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza traced to farms reached 68 as of Thursday. The latest confirmed case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came

South Korea's oceans ministry said Thursday that it plans to come up with detailed guidelines for aquariums and ban newly established facilities from displaying whales and dolphins amid the public's growing awareness of animal rights. The move came as the country lacks detailed guidelines over the management of animal rights despite the fact that more than a million people visit local aquariums every year, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. South Korea currently has 23 aquarium

Local retail sales of processed rice products shot up nearly 11 percent in 2019 from a year earlier due to the growing demand from single-member households while more people opt for convenient meals, data showed Thursday. Retail sales of processed rice products, including ready-to-eat steamed rice, porridge, and noodles, came to 884 billion won ($804 million) in 2019, compared with 797.3 billion won posted in 2018, according to the latest data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and R

Rookie K-pop act TREASURE is set to release its first full album in Japan in March, officially debuting in the Asian country, its agency said Thursday. "The First Step: TREASURE Effect," set to drop on March 31, is a Japanese version of the band's debut full album and carries 13 tracks sung in Japanese, according to YG Entertainment. Apart from the 12 songs included in the Korean version of the album, it also includes "Beautiful," the band's first song sung only in Japanese

Samsung Display Co. said Thursday it will mass-produce organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays for laptops with a higher refresh rate in the first quarter of the year as the South Korean panel maker eyes increasing sales amid the pandemic. Samsung Display said the mass production of its 90Hz OLED screen for laptops will begin in March. The affiliate of Samsung Group said most laptops in the market currently come with a 60Hz refresh rate display, but its latest product will deliver a more

Delivery workers reached a final agreement with their employers on Thursday to prevent overwork by placing the burden of sorting parcels on the companies. The two sides had been in negotiations over a deal after 19 delivery workers died last year apparently due to overwork. The agreement, which was mediated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stipulates that logistics firms bear the responsibility for sorting parcels before their delivery, a job couriers have blamed for thei

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Thursday ordered state finance authorities to take legislative steps to legally enable compensations for small businesses that have suffered losses due to forced closures from the government's antivirus measures. "I've been well aware of the hearts of small business owners, who have reached their limits as COVID-19 has lasted for over a year. The four separate extra budgets and the tailored support programs remain insufficient in fully healing the pain,&quo

SK Innovation Co., a South Korean refinery-to-battery company, said Thursday it has invested in a Chinese battery swap system provider to step up its battery business in the world's largest market. SK Innovation said it acquired a 13.3 percent stake in Blue Park Smart Energy Technology Co. (BPSE), a subsidiary of Beijing Automotive Group, without elaborating on the financial terms. The South Korean firm said the strategic investment will boost its electric vehicle (EV) battery business in Chin

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in 400s for the second consecutive day Thursday as health authorities try to further slow down infections with an enhanced social distancing scheme. The country added 401 more COVID-19 cases, including 380 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 73,918, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Thursday's figure was slightly down from 404 cases reported the previous day. The third wave of COVID-19 here reac

South Korean shares opened higher Thursday, tracking overnight Wall Street gains as US President Joe Biden took office. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 22.24 points, or 0.71 percent, to 3,136.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks rose on expectations that the new US administration's potential spending increase would spur demand for export-intensive economies. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged up 0.11 percent, with No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix gaining

South Korea's exports rose 10.6 percent on-year in the first 20 days of January on the back of robust shipments of chips and autos amid the pandemic, customs data showed Thursday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $28.2 billion in the Jan. 1-20 period, compared with $25.5 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports also grew 10.6 percent on-year during the cited period. Imports inched up 1.5 percent on-year to $28.6 billion in the 20-da

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has sent a congratulatory message to new US President Joe Biden on his inauguration, stressing Seoul's commitment to unswerving coordination for regional peace and prosperity, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. In the note delivered to Washington, Moon expressed hope for a meeting with Biden in the near future to build "trust and friendship" as well as to have "candid dialogue" on issues of mutual concern, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kan

20일(현지시간) 조 바이든 미국 대통령의 취임식에 등장한 팝스타 레이디가가는 큼지막한 금빛 비둘기 모양 브로치로 단숨에 이목을 끌어모았다. 올리브 가지를 입에 문 비둘기가 날갯짓하는 모양을 형상화한 브로치는 검은색 상의와 대조를 이루며 금방 눈에 띄었다. 평소에도 개성 있는 옷차림으로 눈길을 끌어온 레이디가가가 바이든 대통령 취임식에 맞춰 비둘기 브로치를 착용, 극심한 분열과 대립을 겪어온 미국에 평화를 호소한 셈이다. 레이디가가가 미국 국가를 열창하면서 분위기는 금방 숙연해졌다. 불과 2주전 도널드 트럼프 대통령 지지자들이 난입해 민주주의를 짓밟은 현장에서 대통령 취임식의 국가가 울려퍼진 것이다. 레이디가가는 바이든 대통령을 강력 지지해왔다. 대선 직전의 유세에도 바이든과 직접 무대에 올라 지지를 호소했다. 미국의 인기 컨트리가수 가스 브룩스는 찬송가 '어메이징 그레이스'를 불렀다. 그는 노래를 하다가 취임식 참석자들뿐만 아니라 집이나 직장에서 취임식 중계를 보고 있는

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is and will continue to be a major challenge for the new US administration, but not as great a challenge as other domestic issues such as the pandemic, at least for now, as evidenced by President Joe Biden's inaugural address on Wednesday. The new US leader took office with a speech that mostly focused on the need for unity among Americans to fight off the deadly new coronavirus, but also other foes facing the US that he said included "anger, resentment, hatred, e

The new administration of US President Joe Biden is expected to have a positive impact on South Korea's exports as he pledged to reverse the Trump administration's protectionism and trade wars, along with a massive economic relief package. However, trade tension between the US and China is likely to persist as he is predicted to confront Beijing by stepping up cooperation with Washington's European and Asian allies, although Biden is unlikely to engage in a trade war seen under Trump. "Wh

South Korean stocks advanced for a second consecutive session Wednesday, as auto and tech stocks continued to rebound. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 15.97 points, or 0.71 percent, to close at 3,114.55 points. Trading volume was high at about 1.2 billion shares worth some 24.3 trillion won ($22.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 511 to 322. Foreigners sold a net 236 billion won, while retail investors purchased

A years long controversy in South Korean speed skating took another twist Wednesday, with the announcement that one athlete has sued her former teammate over emotional distress. Legal representatives for the speed skater Kim Bo-reum said she is seeking 200 million won ($182,590) in compensation for mental anguish caused by her former 2018 Olympic teammate, Noh Seon-yeong. The suit was filed last November, said Kim's lawyer, Heo Won-rok of the Seoul-based firm Q1. Kim and Noh were at the center

LG Electronics Inc. on Wednesday said it plans to promote its smart factory push as the home appliance maker targets improving its productivity. LG announced it will spend 50 billion won ($45 million) from February to set up a new home appliance product testing facility at its second factory in Changwon, some 400 kilometers south of Seoul. The new facility will integrate all existing testing labs at the factory, according to LG. The South Korean tech giant said the forthcoming facility will a

A US Department of Defense official working at an American military base in central Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday. The American working at the US Army Garrison Yongsan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Monday following direct contact with someone who tested positive earlier, the US military said. The official had been in quarantine at his off-installation residence since Jan. 8, and tested positive after developing symptoms.

South Korea plans to monitor foreign exchange liquidity conditions for non-banking institutions on a monthly basis in a bid to ease potential market jitters caused by their dollar crunch, the finance ministry said Wednesday. The Ministry of Economy and Finance unveiled a set of measures to reduce non-bank institutions' FX liquidity risks as a market rout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore their vulnerability to external shocks. "The government drew up measures to manage F