Five North Korean defectors, including a teenager and a pregnant woman, are facing forcible repatriation after they were arrested in China in September, Five North Korean defectors, including a teenager and a pregnant woman, are facing forcible repatriation after they were arrested in China in September, according to a letter released by the UN human rights agency. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) disclosed a letter that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Kakao Bank, South Korea's top internet-only lender, said Wednesday it has recently completed a capital increase of 1 trillion won ($920 million) to improve its loss-absorbing ability and provide more loans for low- and mid-credit borrowers. TPG Capital of the United States and Anchor Equity Partners of Hong Kong have newly bought shares worth 250 billion won, or a 2.61 percent stake, respectively, the lender said. An additional 500 billion won worth of shares have been sold to existing shareho

One civilian worker for the Navy and a Navy officer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The worker affiliated with a Navy unit in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, contracted the virus after coming into contact with a colleague who recently tested positive following a business trip to the metropolitan area, according to the ministry. The Navy officer stationed at a unit in the southeastern city of Changwon was confirmed to have been infect

A conservative pastor, best known for his mass anti-government rallies in central Seoul, was acquitted Wednesday of charges of premature electioneering and libel against President Moon Jae-in. The Seoul Central District Court made the ruling in the case of Jun Kwang-hoon, 64, head pastor of Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, who was indicted in March over remarks he made during some of the protests and prayer services. He was charged with violating election laws for rallying participants be

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae said Wednesday she will not appeal a court injunction that returned Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to his post last week. Earlier this month, the justice ministry suspended Yoon from duty for two months over four counts of alleged misconduct, including the surveillance of judges hearing cases involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and some presidential officials. Yoon filed for an injunction and the Seoul Administrative Court granted it last Thursday. The pros

South Korea said Wednesday it will spend 150.1 billion won ($137.8 million) on climate and environment-related research next year, up 12.9 percent from this year, to bolster the country's efforts to become carbon neutral by 2050. The Ministry of Science and ICT said it will invest in 30 new climate and environment-related research projects next year, such as committing 3.6 billion won into four projects that develop technology to improve energy efficiency in buildings. South Korea has recently

The defense ministry decided Wednesday to allow South Korean soldiers and civilian workers affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) to get COVID-19 vaccinations with doses shipped from the US for its service members stationed here, officials said. The South Korean troops affiliated with the Korean Augmentation to the US Army, known as KATUSA, as well as civilians working for USFK, are eligible for the inoculation according to the US government's vaccination plan, and USFK and Seoul's def

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is investigating two suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from local farms, amid growing concerns that the disease may penetrate deeper into the local poultry industry. Authorities are investigating the two suspected cases from ducks farms in North Jeolla Province and South Chungcheong Province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Since identifying the first infection in late November, South Korea has

South Korea will extend the reduction of airport usage fees for virus-hit airlines by six months to help them stay afloat amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Wednesday. The government will allow airlines, duty-free shops and other related companies at airports to pay quite lower airport usage fees until June next year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. Incheon International Airport Corp., the operator of the country's main Inc

South Korea's 5G download speed and overall quality improved in the second half of the year from the first half as the country races to deploy nationwide coverage of the latest generation network, a report showed Wednesday. The average download speed on the high-speed network from the country's three major mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- stood at 690.47 megabits per second (Mbps) in the second half of the year, up 33.91 Mbps from the first half, according to da

A cold wave swept across the country Wednesday, with temperatures dipping into the double digits below zero in the northern and central parts of the country. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has issued cold wave alerts for Seoul and the provinces of Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North Gyeongsang and North and South Chungcheong. Morning lows ranged from minus 10 C to minus 15 C in the greater capital area and other northern and central regions. Incheon, west of Seoul, experienced the coldest

Russia, Switzerland and four other countries have provided about $10 million in food assistance to North Korea this year to help its choric food shortages, UN data showed Wednesday. According to the data provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the countries, also including Sweden, Norway, Canada and Bulgaria, have provided food assistance worth $10.5 million this year through the World Food Programme (WFP). Switzerland offered $5.22 million in food aid to

The military decided Wednesday to push for a project to acquire a light aircraft carrier in earnest in an effort to boost its defense capabilities, officials said, despite controversy over its effectiveness. During the closed-door meeting presided over by Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Won In-choul, military leaders also discussed the need to introduce vertical landing jets, according to the officials. The Navy has sought to build a 3,000 ton-class light aircraft carrier, stressing

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 1,000 for a second straight day Wednesday and variant cases rose to five as the government is mulling the toughest distancing rules to curb the pandemic. The country added 1,050 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,025 locally transmitted infections, bringing the total caseload to 59,773, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily infections fell slightly from 1,046 cases a day earlier amid the stricter Level 2.5

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday, the last trading session this year, as investors sought to lock in gains after the benchmark index closed at an all-time high the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.75 points, or 0.17 percent, to 2,815.76 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Local stocks got off to a weak start, led by financial, tech and bio losses. The KOSPI closed at a record high for a third straight day Tuesday. Market bellwether Sam

미국에서 고객에게 모욕을 당한 종업원을 위로하기 위해 십시일반 모금 운동이 벌어져 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19)으로 그 어느 때보다 어려운 요즘 세밑을 훈훈하게 달구고 있다. 30일 CNN 방송에 따르면 미국 애틀랜타에 거주하는 페로자 사이드는 이달 초 패스트푸드점 드라이브 스루 매장에서 바로 앞 손님이 종업원에게 커다란 음료수 잔을 집어 던지는 장면을 목격했다. 앞 손님은 음료수에 얼음을 원하지 않았는데 얼음이 들어있어 화를 낸 것이다. 사이드는 차를 몰아 얼굴에 음료수를 뒤집어쓴 채 울고 있는 종업원 옆으로 다가가 20달러(2만2천원)의 팁을 건네며 위로한 후 경찰에 신고하도록 조언하고 이날 있었던 일들을 페이스북에 올렸다. 페이스북 친구들의 반응은 뜨거웠다. 사이드는 이에 페이스북 친구들에게 임신 6개월인 그 여종업원을 위해 5달러 이상씩 돈을 모아서 전달할 것을 제안했는데, 무려 수백명으로부터 1천700달러(186만원)의 성금이 쏟아져 들어왔다. 성금은 5

South Korea's corporate direct financing plunged nearly 21 percent in November from the previous month due to a sharp drop in stock sales and a seasonal factor, data showed Wednesday. Local companies raised a combined 16.3 trillion won ($14.9 billion) by selling stocks and bonds last month, down 21.3 percent from October, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Corporate stock sales sank 29.7 percent on-month to 871.3 billion won, with the value of initial public of

JEJU ISLAND -- Search operations were under way off the coast of Jeju Island on Tuesday night for the crew members of a capsized fishing boat, authorities said. The coast guard said it received a report that the 39-ton vessel overturned at around 7:44 p.m. in waters some 2.6 kilometers northwest of the Port of Jeju, which is located near the middle of the island's north coast. Seven crew members were presumed to be aboard the vessel. Rescue workers found the vessel at the site and are attempti

Lee Jae-young, vice chairman of global tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., has emerged as South Korea's richest stockholder following his father's death, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. The value of Lee's stock holdings came to 9.1 trillion won ($8.3 billion) as of Tuesday, up from 7.4 trillion won at the end of last year, according to CEO Score. Lee Kun-hee, the younger Lee's father, died on Oct. 25 at age 78, more than six years after being hospitalized for a heart attack. The late Sams

South Korea's industrial output rose in November from a month earlier on improving exports, but consumption declined for the second straight month amid a resurgence in new coronavirus cases, data showed Wednesday. The nation's overall industrial production increased 0.7 percent in November from the previous month, compared with a 0.1 percent on-month fall in October, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Compared with a year earlier, the industrial output fell 0.6 percent in Nove