Japan remains negligent in carrying out UNESCO recommendations that the country offer correct accounts of wartime forced labor when describing the history of industrial sites recognized as World Heritage, an official said Friday. When the 23 Meiji-era industrial sites won the World Heritage recognition in 2015, Japan promised to set up an information center to remember and honor the victims in a way that recognizes that they were forcibly mobilized for labor. But the promise was not kept. A

The Seoul city government said Friday that stores, theaters and multiple other facilities must close after 9 p.m. for two weeks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Acting Seoul Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup announced the new restriction during a virtual press briefing, saying the order will go into force Saturday. "Seoul is currently facing a desperately dangerous crisis," he said. "We have no room left to retreat. Starting tomorrow, we are halting Seoul after 9 p.m." The o

After a record-breaking 2020, BTS has ranked No. 1 on the Billboard's year-end Top Artists Duo/Group chart for the first time in its career, the US music publication reported. "BTS is the first non-US act to be the year's top duo/group since British/Irish boy band One Direction led in both 2015 and 2014," the Billboard reported Thursday (US time). It added that the band ranked No. 18 in the overall Top Artists chart. BTS ranked second place on the chart in 2017, 2018 and 2019, when T

JEJU -- Prosecutors have demanded life imprisonment for a sex offender indicted for allegedly producing about 1,300 child sexual exploitation photos and videos and distributing some of them online, judicial officials said Friday. The sentencing demand was made during a hearing held at the Jeju District Court on Thursday on the case of Bae Jun-hwan, a 37-year-old who was arrested in July on charges of forcing 44 minors encountered in an open online chat room to produce 1,293 sexual exploitation

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook on Friday invited representatives of major charity organizations to Cheong Wa Dae to thank and encourage them for their much-needed work in helping out the needy. The participants represent 14 charity groups, including the Salvation Army, Good Neighbors, the Korean National Tuberculosis Association, the Korean Red Cross and Babonanum, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Also invited were actor Jang Hyun-sung, mountaineer Um Hong-gil and singer Bada, w

The number of working mothers with underage children fell by the most during the six-month period ending in April as the job market remained sluggish amid the new coronavirus outbreak, data showed Friday. The number of working mothers with children aged under 18 reached 2.67 million as of end-April, down 5.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea. It marked the sharpest decline since 2016, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. The fall was ma

Unification Minister Lee In-young said Friday that South and North Korea should look for creative ways to build peace and prosperity just as the European Coal and Steel Community led Europe into unity "beyond the barrier of ideology and boundaries." Lee made the remark during a video speech at a forum on peace in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), stressing the importance of inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation. The European Coal and Steel Community is an organization established in 1952

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's leading smartphone and chipmaker, on Friday conducted a large-scale personnel reshuffle to reward employees after reporting robust third-quarter results. Samsung Electronics has promoted a total of 214 officials to higher positions to reflect their contributions to the company's stellar performance in the July-September period, the company said in a statement. In the first and biggest personnel changes in three years, 111 general managers were promoted as

Six Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. Three Army officers at the Sangmudae Artillery School in Jangseong, 310 kilometers south of Seoul, were diagnosed with COVID-19 while in quarantine after cluster infections were reported at the base, according to the ministry. Another officer in the central city of Gyeryong tested positive while in quarantine after he was found to have had contact with a person who was later found to

South Korea said Friday it is investigating 10 suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) found from wild bird droppings, sparking concerns over the nationwide spread of the virus among poultry farms. The new suspected cases came from samples gathered from major wild bird habitats across the nation, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It will take up to five days to determine whether they are highly pathogenic. South Korea reported its first highl

WASHINGTON -- The US defense budget bill for next year seeks to prevent a reduction of US troop levels in South Korea, a US congressional record showed Thursday. According to the Conference Report on the defense budget, the US Congress seeks to prevent the use of the national defense budget to reduce the number of US Forces Korea from the current level of 28,500. "None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act may be used to reduce the total number of members of the Armed For

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that the country's latest COVID-19 infection crisis is still ongoing and that authorities will consider enforcing tougher antivirus measures after monitoring the situation. "The number of new COVID-19 infections, which shrunk a bit as of late, is again increasing, and the crisis situation is still ongoing," Chung said during a government meeting of top officials in charge of dealing with the pandemic. The meeting of the Central Disaster and S

South Korea's currency rose to a fresh 30-month high against the US dollar on Friday, propelled by signs of progress in US stimulus talks and the development of coronavirus vaccines. The won closed at 1,082.10 won per US dollar, sharply up 14.9 won from the previous session's close. It marked the strongest level since June 14, 2018, when the won closed at 1,083.10 won per US dollar. The won's rally was encouraged by prospects over a big US economic stimulus measure and breakthroughs in COVID-

The military will introduce a Samsung smartphone-based combat information device on a trial basis next year that will enable troops to view real-time battle information without relying on communications networks. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said it has signed a contract with LIG Nex1 Co. to buy the individual combat equipment for the Army and the Marine Corps, which will allow troops to communicate, sharing intelligence and battle situations, without a separate communications

1살 때 스페인 독감을 피해가고 102살에는 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19)에 두차례 걸렸다가 완치한 미국 할머니가 "천하무적"으로 불린다고 CNN 방송이 3일(현지시간) 보도했다. 주인공은 스페인 독감이 창궐하던 1918년에 태어난 앤젤리나 프리드먼(102) 할머니. 스페인 독감은 1918∼1920년 전 세계에서 약 5천만명의 목숨을 앗아가 인류 최악의 전염병 중 하나로 꼽힌다. 할머니는 스페인 독감 대유행 와중에 이탈리아를 떠나 뉴욕으로 향하는 배 위에서 태어났으며, 병마를 피해간 것으로 알려졌다. 시련은 또 찾아왔다. 뉴욕시 브루클린에서 남편과 가정을 꾸리고 살던 시절 암에 걸려 투병 생활을 했던 것. 할머니는 암을 이겨내고 삶으로 돌아왔지만 비슷한 시기 암에 걸렸던 남편은 먼저 세상을 떠나고 말았다. 100살이 넘어서도 할머니는 병마에 굴하지 않았다. 현재 뉴욕주 웨스트체스터 카운티에 있는 요양원에 머무르고 있는 그는 101살이던

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday on a continued rally by giant chipmakers, after the benchmark index closed at an all-time high the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 24.61 points, or 0.91 percent, to 2,720.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Tech, financial and steel related shares performed strongly, backed by expectations that early COVID-19 vaccine development may quicken the export-intensive economy. Overnight, the Dow Jones Indust

US Army Pacific Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has been nominated to be the next commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK), sources said Friday. If confirmed, LaCamera will succeed Gen. Robert Abrams to lead the 28,500 American troops based in South Korea, as well as to take the helm of the UN Command and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command. Abrams took office in November 2018. The nomination is part of a routine reshuffle, though no official term of office is set for a USFK commander, the

Seoul posted 295 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the most ever for the city, health authorities said. The new high came only a day after the capital city set its previous record for daily coronavirus cases with 262 new infections on Wednesday. Across the country 629 new cases were reported on Thursday, the highest total in nearly nine months, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. "It's hard for the antivirus measures to keep up with the pace of spread because c

Tottenham Hotspur's Korean star Son Heung-min has found the back of the net for the 12th time this season while helping his club reach the knockout stage in a continental club tournament. Son scored once in Tottenham's 3-3 draw against LASK at Linzer Stadium in Linz, Austria, on Thursday (local time) in Group J action at the UEFA Europa League. The result moved Tottenham to 10 points on three wins, one draw and one loss with one match to go, good for second place behind Antwerp (12 points), an

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that the international community must work together to ensure each nation has evenhanded access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are developed and available for use. "To envision a resolution to this crisis that leaves no one behind, we must guarantee equitable access to vaccines and treatments, once available," Chung said in a video speech during the 31st special session of the United Nations General Assembly held in response to the COVID-19 pa