SUNCHEON -- A regional police station has referred a foreign national to the prosecution for potential indictment on charges of disobeying a self-quarantine order issued to contain the spread of COVID-19, the police said Wednesday. The Suncheon Police Station in South Jeolla Province said it has referred the woman, only identified as a 31-year-old, to prosecutors on charges of violating the contagious disease prevention and management act. The woman was ordered to undergo self-quarantine for t

Seoul stocks hit fresh record high on US stimulus hopes South Korean stocks snapped their two-day losing streak to end at a fresh record high Wednesday, backed by optimism over the US stimulus talks and positive reports related to US biotech company Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 14.97 points, or 0.54 percent, to close at 2,771.79.Trading volume was high at about 1.1 billion shares wo

The head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) vowed Wednesday never to meddle in domestic politics after the National Assembly passed a reform bill centering on transferring the agency's anti-communist investigation duties to police. "Reform of the NIS has been finally completed after unsuccessful attempts by previous governments," NIS Director Park Jie-won said. "Organizations suspected of getting involved in domestic politics have been dismantled and cannot be r

Senior government officials vowed Wednesday to complete the reform of the prosecution, state spy agency and police in line with a set of newly passed contentious laws. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won and Interior and Safety Minister Chin Young held a joint press briefing to mark the passage of three bills aimed at breaking up the powers of the three state institutions. The bills were passed at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after winning app

The Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Wednesday they have signed former major league hitter Jose Pirela. The team said the Venezuela-born Pirela signed a one-year deal worth up to $800,000, including a guaranteed salary of $500,000 and a signing bonus of $100,000. He can make up to $200,000 in incentives. Making his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2014, the 31-year old went .257 with 17 homeruns and 82 RBIs in 302 big league games for the Yankees, San Diego Pad

Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday denied rumors that it will discontinue the Galaxy Note series next year, saying the flagship phablet line will live on despite the rise of other premium devices. Speculation has arisen recently that Samsung may reconfigure its premium smartphone lineup with Galaxy Z foldables and Galaxy S devices after ditching the Galaxy Note family that is highlighted by S-Pen stylus features. "We are preparing to release the Galaxy Note series next year," a Sa

Korean Air Lines Co. and its labor union have agreed to freeze wages and put 70 percent of employees on furlough in the first half of 2021 to ride out the fallout of COVID-19, officials said Wednesday. About 70 percent of 12,600 employees at South Korea's largest air carrier have been taking unpaid leave since April as part of cost-cutting efforts to overcome the impact of the pandemic. In this year's negotiations, the management and the labor union agreed to freeze wages and maintain the furl

K-pop girl group TWICE ranked No. 72 on the Billboard main albums chart this week, renewing its highest record on the US music publisher's ranking. "Eyes Wide Open," the group's second full-length album, took 72nd place on the Billboard 200 chart refreshed Tuesday (US time), seven weeks after its release in October. It is the second time that the nine-member group's album has landed on the chart since its ninth EP, "More & More," entered the chart at No. 200 in June. T

North Korea is focused on economic and domestic issues ahead of a rare party congress set for next month but can undertake provocations at any time, according to South Korea's defense minister and top military commanders Wednesday. The assessment came during a biannual meeting of top commanders presided over by Defense Minister Suh Wook. It was attended by dozens of high-level military officers and government officials from related agencies, with some participating via a video link due to the n

The city government of Seoul said Wednesday it will conduct COVID-19 tests on all workers at facilities with high risks of virus infections, such as courier companies and nursing homes. Seo Jeong-hyup, the acting Seoul mayor, announced the plan during an online press briefing, as South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hit an all-time high. Under the plan, the city will test all employees at high-risk facilities with crowded working conditions, such as call centers, courier companies, restau

South Korea said Wednesday it is speeding up efforts to cull poultry around farms infected with highly pathogenic bird flu amid growing concerns over the virus spreading nationwide. The country has culled 5.59 million birds as preventive measures since reporting the first farm-related case in late November, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Chickens accounted for 3.5 million, followed by quails with 1.2 million and ducks with 880,000. Local authorities slaughte

A South Korean-led group of UN member countries held a videoconference with an international disease monitoring board to discuss policy directions for effective coronavirus responses, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The UN Group of Friends of Solidarity for Global Health Security was launched in May under Seoul's initiative with a view to bring up a UN-level response to the coronavirus pandemic and other global health problems. It has 44 countries and the European Union as members. The vi

A Seoul-based international forest cooperation agency established under South Korea's initiative has won observer status in the UN General Assembly, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, in a milestone likely to bolster its presence on the world stage. On Tuesday, the 75th session of the General Assembly adopted a resolution on the observer status of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) launched in 2018 under Seoul's proposal to ensure sustainable forest management to help address c

Major South Korean companies in carbon intensive industries are jacking up investment in hydrogen across sectors to cut their greenhouse emissions and capture new business opportunities in the emerging energy sector. Hydrogen can offer solutions in fields ranging from transport to energy storage as an alternative to fossil fuels and is an important pillar of President Moon Jae-in's Green New Deal initiative aimed at going carbon neutral by 2050 and developing renewable energy industries. To e

Seven out of 10 South Koreans plan to travel abroad after coronavirus vaccines are developed, a survey showed Wednesday. According to Incheon International Airport Corp.'s recent survey, 70.2 percent of South Koreans and 82 percent of foreign nationals said they have overseas travel plans after the development of COVID-19 vaccines is completed. The survey was conducted on 1,000 Koreans and 600 foreign nationals from China, Japan, Vietnam and other countries from Oct. 30 to Nov. 20. Of them,

Nearly 1,000 additional soldiers were dispatched to public health centers Wednesday to help the government cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the Army said, as the country's daily new virus cases hit a new record high. About 960 soldiers from the Capital Defense Command, along with 41 medical staff members, were sent to 160 public health centers in the greater Seoul area to guide citizens visiting the virus test facilities for the next three weeks, according to the military. The move came as

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday it has reviewed South Korea's cybersecurity posture during a high-level interagency meeting, as non-contact activities have sharply increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, pointed out that the importance of cybersecurity has been highlighted more this year than at any other time. He cited the spread of contactless activities, such as online classes and working from home. Speaking at the annual &qu

K-pop superstar BTS has hit the top five on a Billboard radio airplay chart for the first time with its mega-hit single "Dynamite." The band's first English-language song rose one notch to rank fifth this week on the Pop Songs radio chart updated Tuesday (US time), according to Billboard. The chart is one of the main radio airplay charts of Billboard, measuring total weekly plays of the top 40 songs on around 160 mainstream radio stations. It is the first time that BTS has made it t

20여 년 전 아버지가 외상으로 구매한 쌀값을 갚으라며 가수 겸 배우 비(본명 정지훈·38) 부부의 집에 찾아가 소란을 피운 부부에게 벌금형이 선고됐다. 16일 법조계에 따르면 서울서부지법 형사7단독 유창훈 부장판사는 폭력행위 등 처벌에 관한 법률 위반(공동재물손괴 등)으로 재판에 넘겨진 A(79)씨와 부인(73)에게 각각 벌금 70만원을 선고했다. A씨 부부는 비의 아버지인 정모씨가 부인과 20여 년 전 서울 용산구의 한 시장에서 떡집을 할 때 자신들이 운영하는 쌀가게에서 떡 제조용 쌀을 외상으로 구매하고 대금을 현재까지 갚지 않고 있다고 주장했다. A씨 부부는 올해 2월 정씨와 비 부부가 함께 거주하는 집에 찾아갔으나 정씨가 만나주지 않는다는 이유로 "쌀값 좀 갚아 달라"고 소리를 지르며 대문을 여러 차례 쳐 20만원 상당의 대문 개폐기를 부수고 문을 강제로 연 뒤 무단으로 문 입구와 집 마당까지 들어갔다. 앞서 A씨 측은 연예인 '빚투(#빚

South Korea's coronavirus death toll continued to rise Wednesday, posting a double-digit increase in virus fatalities for the second straight day as critically ill patients piled up amid spiking virus cases. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the country reported 12 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the total to 612. The country reported a daily high of 13 COVID-19 deaths Tuesday. The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 226, sharply