Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it will unveil a new mobile application processor (AP) next week that is expected to be used in the company's upcoming flagship smartphone. The South Korean tech giant confirmed its new Exynos chipset will be introduced at the Exynos On 2021 event on Tuesday, saying that the product "redefines the standard for premium mobile experiences." Industry observers believe Samsung's high-end Exynos 2100 processor will be introduced at the event. The latest

Kang Chang-il, South Korea's new ambassador to Japan, vowed Friday to do his utmost to help improve the country's relations with Tokyo amid increased tensions after a local court ordered Tokyo to pay damages to Korean wartime sexual slavery victims. "I hold a tremendous responsibility to normalize the frayed relationship between Korea and Japan. I feel heavyhearted and heavy-shouldered," he told Yonhap by phone, hours after his appointment became official. "I will make every eff

An American service member stationed in South Korea died earlier this week in a car accident during a military training, the US military said Friday. Staff Sgt. James Wento, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday, as the military vehicle he was driving overturned during the training event of his unit at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, northeast of Seoul, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. "The circumstances surrounding the accident are under investigation," the

SBS TV는 다양한 종목의 스포츠 스타들이 올해 '정글의 법칙' 첫 시즌인 '스토브리그' 편에 대거 출연한다고 8일 밝혔다. 병만족의 일원이 된 축구 이동국, 야구 이대호·김태균, 농구 허재, 수영 정유인 등 스포츠계 전설들은 막강한 생존력을 보여줄 예정이다. 그동안 경기장에서 좀처럼 볼 수 없었던 이들의 인간적인 모습도 만나볼 수 있다. '태권 트롯맨' 가수 나태주와 배우 이초희도 함께 출연한다. '천혜의 보물섬' 제주도를 배경으로 펼쳐질 '정글의 법칙- 스토브리그'는 16일 오후 8시 55분 첫 방송을 시작한다. (연합뉴스)

A civilian worker for the US Forces Korea (USFK) has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Friday. The contractor, who works at USFK's Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul, was confirmed to have been infected the previous day and is now in isolation at his residence in Seoul before being transported to a facility designated for COVID-19 patients at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, according to USFK. He last visited the Yongsan base on Dec. 31, it added. "KDCA and USFK h

The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be slowly declining after a peak amid tough social distancing guidelines, but health authorities remain guarded against a more transmissible virus variant, officials said Friday. The country added 674 more COVID-19 cases, including 633 local infections, raising the total caseload to 67,360, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Friday's caseload was the lowest since Jan. 2, when the figure stood at 657 due largely t

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, taking a cue from overnight Wall Street gains over global recovery hopes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 53.49 points, or 1.76 percent, to 3,085.17 in the first 20 minutes of trading. Stocks came to a strong start, led by chemical and auto gains. The gains were largely attributed to speculations that the upcoming US administration would increase stimulus and spending. Samsung Electronics added 1.93 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK

North Korea's official newspaper on Friday urged the people to keep their guard up against the coronavirus pandemic as a rare party congress is under way in Pyongyang with thousands of delegates gathering to join the largest political event. The eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party, the first of its kind in nearly five years, has been held since Tuesday to determine the country's policy directions for the economy and foreign affairs. Pyongyang had been placed on the highest alert agains

Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday forecast solid fourth-quarter earnings as its cash cow chip business apparently stayed afloat in the face of the weakness of the US dollar and the resurgence of novel coronavirus infections to cover mediocre performance in its mobile business. In its earnings guidance, the South Korean tech giant estimated its operating profit at 9 trillion won ($8.2 billion) for the October-December period in 2020, up 25.7 percent from a year ago. The fourth-quarter operating

South Korea's three battery makers have been on a roll as investors swoop on them amid growing optimism for their future growth, industry sources said Friday. LG Chem Ltd, the parent of LG Energy Solution Ltd.; Samsung SDI Co; and SK Innovation Co. finished at record highs on the Seoul bourse Thursday amid expectations that eco-friendly policies across the global will increase demand for electric vehicles, powering their growth down the road. LG Energy Solution, which spun off from LG Chem in

South Korea's current account surplus narrowed on month in November last year, mainly due to a decline in investment income, the central bank said Friday. The current account surplus reached $8.97 billion in November, narrowing from a surplus of $11.66 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 last year, the largest in almost a decade, on falte

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reviewed inter-Korean relations and pledged to "comprehensibly" expand external ties during a rare party congress, state media reported Friday. Kim announced the policy line in a report to the third-day session of the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party held in Pyongyang the previous day, citing "the prevailing situation and the changed times," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The report studied the issu

Former two-term Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday announced a conditional bid to run for the seat again in the upcoming by-election. Oh, also a former lawmaker affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said he will run in the Seoul mayor election slated for April 7 unless Ahn Cheol-soo, another main mayor candidate, joins the party. Ahn, head of the minor opposition People's Party, declared his Seoul mayoral bid last month, saying he wants to run as a "unified candida

South Korean stocks rallied Thursday to close above the 3,000-point mark for the first time, backed by strong foreign and institutional buying triggered by US stimulus hopes. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 63.47 points, or 2.14 percent, to close at 3,031.68 points. Trading volume was very high at about 1.5 billion shares worth around 26.8 trillion won ($24.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 617 to 220. Institut

Children's rights activists on Thursday urged the health ministry to look into the role, if any, of a major adoption agency in the death of a 16-month-old adoptee. At a press conference near Cheong Wa Dae, the activists, including those who advocated for the rights of adoptees and single-parent households, urged the ministry to check whether there were any lapses in the agency's work to protect the child. They also demanded Holt Children's Services, the country's biggest adoption agency, revea

South Korea's health authorities on Thursday confirmed three more cases of a more contagious variant of the new coronavirus that was first identified in Britain, bringing the variant's total caseload to 15. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the three people, all family members of a COVID-19 patient who was infected with the variant, were confirmed to have the new COVID-19 strain. The patient arrived in South Korea from Britain on Dec. 19 last year. The KDCA said it is

Taking photos of body parts covered by tight clothing can also be considered a type of sexual offense, the nation's top court has said. The Supreme Court said Wednesday it has remanded the case of a man who was found not guilty of sexual crimes to an appeals division at the Uijeongbu District Court, north of Seoul, for retrial. The man, whose identity was withheld, was charged with filming the lower body of a woman from behind using his mobile phone for about eight seconds on a bus in 2018. T

South Korean firms, anchored by Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., will focus on showcasing new innovations that can make people's lives better in the new normal era of the pandemic at the upcoming global tech expo, industry insiders said Thursday, as they prepare for online exhibition to global audiences. This year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will take place from Monday to Thursday and will be held online for the first time due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. More than

South Korea's ICT ministry said Thursday it will invest 262.6 billion won ($242 million) to foster education in artificial intelligence (AI) and software this year as part of the country's digital New Deal program that seeks to boost jobs in new tech industries. South Korea last year unveiled the digital New Deal, which aims to spend 58.2 trillion won on key tech investments, such as AI, to create around 900,000 jobs by 2025. The Ministry of Science and ICT said it plans to educate around 16,0

Excess funds held by South Korean households and nonprofit agencies rose in the third quarter of last year due mainly to an increase in stock investments, the central bank said Thursday. Net financial funds -- the value of financial assets minus financial liabilities -- held by local households and nonprofit organizations serving households amounted to 30.7 trillion won ($28.2 billion) in the July-September period, up from 16.6 trillion won a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the