Honda Motor Co., Audi Volkswagen Korea and two other companies will voluntarily recall over 14,000 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Friday. This is the latest in a series of recalls by carmakers operating in South Korea and vehicle importers due to problems with vehicle components. The four companies, including Scania Korea Group and Ford Sales Service Korea, are recalling a combined 14,217 units due to faulty components in five models, the Ministry of Land, Infra

North Korea held a military parade Thursday evening in central Pyongyang to celebrate the recently concluded party congress, showing off its state-of-the-art weapons, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), state media reported Friday. The parade held in Kim Il-sung square came after Pyongyang wrapped up its eight-day congress of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday, at which leader Kim Jong-un pledged to bolster the nuclear arsenal of the country. North Korea appears to aim a

Correctional facilities in South Korea reported no new coronavirus cases on Thursday for the second day in a row, after an alarming surge in a cluster infection at a Seoul prison. A total of 1,249 COVID-19 cases linked to prisons across the countryb had been reported as of Thursday, unchanged from Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice said. The government has announced a set of enhanced COVID-19 measures for prisons following the outbreak at the Seoul detention center that has emerged as a hotbed

North Korea appeared to have staged a military parade on Thursday, a South Korean government source said, after Pyongyang wrapped up a rare party congress with calls to bolster its nuclear arsenal. The military parade began at around 6:00 p.m. and was in progress as of 8:00 p.m., the source said on condition of anonymity. Asked whether North Korea staged a military parade, a South Korean military official replied that the military was keeping a close watch on North Korea. Earlier in the da

Seven American civilians working at US Forces Korea (USFK)'s Yongsan garrison in central Seoul have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Thursday. One US Department of Defense (DoD) employee and four contractors, who work together on the base, have been in isolation after coming into direct contact with their colleague who earlier tested positive for COVID-19, according to the USFK. The sixth case is the spouse of one of the contractors, who works at a separate locatio

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the government agreed Thursday to seek ways to partially loosen restrictions imposed on private gyms and other indoor business establishments to control the latest wave of COVID-19. The understanding between the DP and top state health officials was reached during a meeting of the party's COVID-19 response committee, ahead of the government's planned deliberation on Saturday of whether or not to adjust the current social distancing scheme. The current Level

Korean American director Lee Isaac Chung said the growing compliments showered on his latest immigrant film "Minari" represents people's faith in humanity that everyone harbors deeply in mind. In an online conversation hosted by Korean American actress Sandra Oh as part of the Korean American Day celebration Wednesday (US time), he said the movie was not just a tale of a Korean immigrant family based on his childhood experience but also a story of an individual struggling with everyda

Survivors of COVID-19 reported hair loss and decreased breathing capacity months after their infections, and some had lingering lung troubles, the health authority said Thursday. A survey on 40 adult patients who were hospitalized for the virus infection showed that hair loss and shortness of breath during exercise were the most common symptoms experienced three months after recovery, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Six months after infection, the discharged patien

Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday issued a statement on the Supreme Court sentence of former President Park Geun-hye, stating the corruption scandal that led to imprisonment of an ex-president should never be repeated. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court upheld a 20-year sentence for Park on bribery and other charges, closing the legal process that gripped the country and ultimately removed her from office in 2017. "Such an incident should never be repeated, through taking the tragic incident o

Hundreds of cafe owners filed a lawsuit against the government on Thursday seeking compensation for losses suffered under COVID-19 business restrictions. An association of cafe owners said the suit, which was lodged with the Seoul Central District Court, calls for around 1.8 billion won ($1.64 million) in damages, or 5 million won for each of the 358 plaintiffs. "The inconsistent and unfair antivirus regulations have led us to resort to legal action," the association said in a statem

Samsung Display Co. on Thursday signed a collective agreement with its labor union, becoming the first electronics affiliate of Samsung Group to ink such a deal. The agreement was reached about seven months after the management and the labor union started to negotiate on welfare programs and working condition improvements. Samsung Display is the first among Samsung Group's five major electronics affiliates, including Samsung Electronics Co. and Samsung SDI Co., to ink a collective agreement wi

Superstar BTS has swept the 2021 Gaon Chart Music Awards with six trophies for its successful albums and songs released last year. At the annual awards ceremony held virtually on Wednesday due to the new coronavirus pandemic, the K-pop act won three trophies in the "Artist of the Year - Digital Music" category and two in the "Artist of the Year - Physical Album" category. The awards are given to 12 digital songs that topped the chart each month and four physical albums that

South Korea' agricultural ministry said Thursday it will raise its guard against African swine fever (ASF) over the winter as the number of infections among wild boars continued to grow at an alarming rate. The country has reported 941 ASF cases linked to wild boars since 2019 from inter-Korean border regions, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. "Currently, the country has around 4.1 wild boars for every square kilometer. We plan to reduce the figure to two,

The incoming US administration of Joe Biden is fully aware of the "urgency" of North Korea's nuclear issues, and South Korea is ready to closely work with Washington to draw up the "most effective" countermeasures as soon as the new government takes office, a Seoul official said Thursday. North Korea recently ramped up its push to strengthen its nuclear arsenal in its recent key party gathering in what appears aimed at upping the ante ahead of the inauguration of President-e

South Korean banks' household loans increased by the most last year, fueled by demand for home-backed lending and overdrafts for stock and property investments, central bank data showed Thursday. Outstanding bank loans to local households came to 988.8 trillion won ($896 billion) as of end-December, up 100.5 trillion won from the previous year, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). It marked the largest on-year gain since 2004, when the central bank began compiling related data.

The South Korean smartphone market is projected to grow 11 percent this year from a year earlier, a report showed Thursday, on the back of increased sales of 5G handsets. Smartphone shipments in South Korea are estimated to reach 19 million units this year, up from 17 million units a year ago, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research. It predicted that expanded 5G smartphone models and the release of smartphones with new form factors, such as foldables and rollables, will push up h

South Korea said Thursday it has confirmed three more cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local poultry farm, with more suspected infections currently under investigation. Authorities said they have found two cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza at farms each in North and South Chungcheong Province, raising the total caseload to 60, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Earlier in the day, the country also confirmed another case in Muan, South Jeolla P

South Korea will further boost its military capabilities to counter North Korea's short-range missile threats, the defense ministry said Wednesday, after Pyongyang vowed to bolster its nuclear arsenal amid a deadlock in negotiations with the United States. Wrapping up an eight-day congress of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday, the North's leader Kim Jong-un called for enhancing the country's "nuclear war deterrent" and building "the most powerful military strength." Aske

Sales of bonds and certificates of deposits (CDs) in South Korea swelled more than 16 percent in 2020 from a year earlier, data showed Thursday. The value of those debt instruments issued last year came to 454.4 trillion won ($414 billion), up 16.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository (KSD). Bond sales surged 19 percent on-year to 429.9 trillion won, while CD issuance sank 20 percent to 24.5 trillion won. Sales of special bonds floated by sta

South Korea's auto exports sank 21.4 percent on-year in 2020 as the new coronavirus pandemic disrupted global supply chains and sapped demand, data showed on Thursday. The country's shipments of cars reached 1.89 million units last year, compared with 2.4 million units posted in 2019, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In terms of value, exports also moved down 13 percent to reach $37.4 billion. The number of cars shipped surrendered 33.9 percent on-