South Korea's public health agency said Thursday that a total of 94 people, most of whom were elderly, died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines. The deaths have stoked public anxiety over the safety of such vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 87 of those deaths have very limited relation with the flu shots. Another seven cases are under investigation. Of the total, 40 people were in their 70s, followed by 38 people aged 80 or older, eight under 60 and e

British American Tobacco (BAT) Korea said Thursday it will increase the ratio of non-combustible cigarette products to 50 percent by 2030 to boost sales amid regulations and health concerns over smoking. The British tobacco company has sold the heat-not-burn glo tobacco heating product (THP) series in the Korean market since 2017 on top of its traditional cigarette products. Currently, traditional cigarette products account for 90 percent of BAT Korea's total sales, with the remaining 10 perc

South Korea pledged Thursday to provide U30 million to the local office of the World Bank by 2023 in an effort to promote cooperation with the international organization. South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance made the pledge in a conference in Seoul on innovative technology, which it hosted with the Korean office of the World Bank and the International Development Association. The conference was the first face-to-face forum held by the World Bank since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the glo

Five American service members and five family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea from the United States over the past two weeks, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. One service member and one dependent arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, and four service members and four family members arrived on international commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west o

South Korean builders' business sentiment surged to a yearly high in October on a recovery in housing orders despite the prolonged coronavirus crisis, a poll showed Thursday. The construction business survey index (CBSI) stood at 79.9 last month, up 4.6 points from the prior month, according to the survey by the Construction and Economy Research Institute of Korea. The October figure was the highest monthly tally for this year, but it was still below the benchmark level. A reading below 100 i

The prosecution has sought arrest warrants for two lobbyists in connection with its investigation into a financial fraud scheme at a private equity investment company. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Wednesday requested the court to grant the warrants against two lobbyists, only identified by their last names, Kim and Ki, on charges of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act and commercial law and bribery. The investigators suspect Ki illegally lobbied government officials and playe

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it will launch a new 5G-running budget smartphone in North America this week as it looks to compete for the growing market for the latest generation network there. The K92 5G -- LG's first budget K Series phone to support the high-speed network -- will first be available in the region Friday (US time) for less than $400, the company said in a statement. Despite the relatively low price tag, LG said the smartphone has a 6.67-inch display that features higher-en

Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday that South Korea will maintain a robust alliance with the United States regardless of the outcome of its presidential election. President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to receive a related report from the National Security Council (NSC) in the afternoon, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. "No matter how the outcome of the US presidential election comes out, our government will maintain the robust South Korea-US alliance and continue cooperation to f

The military has launched an inspection into a border security failure that enabled a North Korean man to cross the heavily guarded border into the South unhindered earlier this week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said (JCS) Thursday. The man, whose identity was withheld, was captured 14 hours after he crossed the border late Tuesday following the military's extensive search operations. Sensors were installed at the barbed wire fences through which the man climbed over, but they did not ring, rais

LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean telecom operator, downplayed concerns Thursday over its use of network equipment by Huawei Technologies Co. amid US pressure to sever ties with the Chinese company, citing the completion of equipment installation and a healthy backlog for maintenance. The United States has repeatedly pressed the South Korean carrier to stop using Huawei's 5G equipment, claiming the Chinese telecom equipment maker poses a security risk and could compromise the country's inter

JEJU -- An annual international peace forum opened on the southern resort island of Jeju on Thursday, with a focus on ways to shore up multilateral cooperation in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and promoting regional security. The three-day Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity comes as the COVID-19 crisis has brought home the pressing need for global cooperation, which has been eroded by an intensifying Sino-US rivalry, as well as emergent protectionism, nationalism and unilateralism in some

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's leading chemical firm, said Thursday it will collaborate with Finland-based bio diesel producer Neste to develop renewable materials for its chemical products. LG Chem and Neste signed a strategic long-term partnership to develop biopolymers and biochemicals to reduce use of fossil feedstock in the Korean company's manufacturing process. LG Chem has a diversified chemical portfolio ranging from petrochemical products to lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

An Army officer and a soldier have tested positive for the new coronavirus but had no contact with other service members at their bases, the defense ministry said Thursday. The officer, based in Anyang, some 20 kilometers south of Seoul, was in quarantine after coming into contact with a civilian COVID-19 patient before he tested positive for the virus. The soldier, based in Asan, 90 km south of the capital, tested positive for the virus after his family member was infected with the virus. T

Doosan Group's system integrator Doosan Logistics Solutions Co. (DLS) said Thursday that it has signed a deal with Chinese autonomous mobile robot (AMR) maker Geek+ to bring logistics robots to South Korea. Under the deal, DLS will exclusively provide logistics robots made by Geek+ to the local market and maintenance services for them, the company said in an emailed statement. Geek+ is the world's largest AMR maker, having 16 percent share of global AMR market, DLS said. Unlisted DLS, a sy

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, said Thursday its net income rose more than 40 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier on the back of robust growth in its media business. The telecom operator's net income stood at 395.7 billion won ($350.5 million) in the July-September period, up 44.2 percent from 274.4 billion won the previous year, according to a regulatory filing. Operating income reached 361.5 billion won, up 19.7 percent over the cited period, while sales r

South Korea's new coronavirus infections rose by triple digits for a second consecutive day Thursday, as sporadic infections continued in the greater Seoul area. The country added 125 more COVID-19 cases, including 108 local infections, raising the total caseload to 27,050, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of domestically transmitted people rose to the highest level since Oct. 23, when 138 new cases were reported. The latest surge came mostly f

"사람을 살려내야 하는 게 우리의 숙명 아니겠습니까. 지금껏 그랬듯 퇴직까지 남은 기간에도 한결같은 신념으로 살아갈 겁니다." 한부모가정 7세 소녀를 대학 입학까지 곁에서 후원하며 12년 전 약속을 지킨 소방공무원이 있어 화제가 되고 있다. 주인공은 경기 하남소방서 양승춘(56·소방경) 구조대장. 양 대장은 1995년 삼풍백화점 붕괴 현장, 2008년 이천 냉동창고 화재 현장, 2011년 일본 대지진 현장 등 국내외 대형 재난 현장에서 활약한 베테랑 구조대원으로 현장에서 수많은 생명을 구하면서 각종 봉사와 후원 등에도 관심을 기울여왔다. 2008년 TV 시사교양 프로그램을 시청하던 그의 눈에 아버지를 여의고 어머니와 단둘이 어렵게 살아가던 일곱 살 어린 소녀의 딱한 사연이 들어왔다. 당시 초등학교 1학년이던 자신의 둘째 딸보다 한 살 어린 이 소녀를 도와줘야겠다는 생각이 든 양 대장은 바로 방송국에 전화해 소녀 어머니의 계좌번호를 받았고 그렇게

The South Korean benchmark stock index opened sharply higher Thursday despite the US presidential election being in limbo, taking a cue from the overnight Wall Street rally. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 31.13 points, or 1.32 percent, to 2,388.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks traded bullish after a 0.6 percent hike the previous session, as investors rush for giant tech and bio stocks as US election uncertainties continue.  Investor sentiment

Major South Korean brokerage house Meritz Securities Co. said Thursday its third-quarter net profit spiked nearly 56 percent from a year ago thanks mainly to increased fee income. Net profit came to 162.5 billion won ($142.8 million) in the July-September period, up 55.7 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Its operating income shot up 72.2 percent on-year to 208.1 billion won in the quarter, and sales rose 4.9 percent to 3.39 trillion won. Meritz Securities s

Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, said Thursday its third-quarter net profit jumped nearly three times from a year earlier on the back of robust growth of its e-commerce services based on its messenger platform. Net profit reached a quarterly high of 143.7 billion won ($126.3 million) in the July-September period on a consolidated basis, compared with a profit of 51.1 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Sales jumped by 4