South Korea will launch an ecological survey on its side of the Han River's estuary along the inter-Korean border early next month as part of efforts to implement an agreement with North Korea to jointly use the now-restricted waterway, an official said Tuesday. Under a military agreement signed at a 2018 summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the two sides agreed on the joint use of the Han River estuary along their western border and conducted joint waterway

The new coronavirus pandemic has had a negative impact on children's nutritional intake and other aspects of welfare, a survey by a nongovernmental group showed Tuesday. A survey by Seoul-based charity group Good Neighbors, conducted in June on 6,750 children from age 4-18 and their parents, showed that the rate of children who ate three meals a day on a regular basis stood at 35.9 percent. The number represents a significant drop from the annual average of 50.1 percent in 2018, yielded by a s

Delivery workers at Lotte Global Logistics on Tuesday launched a nationwide strike to demand better treatment following the deaths of their colleagues apparently from overwork. The workers announced the strike at a distribution center in southeastern Seoul, saying they will be joined by around 250 colleagues across the nation in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province. "Lotte Global Logistics has made enormous profits thanks to increased delivery volumes cau

The US Forces Korea (USFK) called on its members Tuesday to get flu vaccination, stressing that its flu vaccine is safe without reports of serious adverse effects. All US military members are required to receive the seasonal flu vaccine annually, and Commander Gen. Robert Abrams has directed all of the USFK members to get their flu shots by Dec. 1. "The potential exposure of the COVID-19 virus is something we cannot afford to risk by delaying or avoiding the flu shot. Do your part to pro

A US spy plane flew near the Korean Peninsula early Tuesday, an aviation tracker said, in what appeared to be an effort to monitor North Korea just days ahead of the US presidential election. The US Air Force's E-8C Joint Stars was spotted in skies above the Yellow Sea from late Monday to early Tuesday, No callsign tweeted. The same type of the aircraft was also seen carrying out operations Saturday night above the western waters. The flights came amid speculation the North could test its ne

Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI), a producer of portable fuel cell power packs for drones, said Tuesday it will make inroads overseas to expand its presence in the power cable-checking system. To that end, DMI signed a preliminary deal with the Korea Electric Power Research Institute (KEPRI), a R&D subsidiary of the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the company said. Under the deal, both sides plan to share their patent technologies and sales networks, and KEPRI's automated p

Hanwha Energy Corp., a South Korean renewable energy company, said Tuesday that it has won a project worth $185 million to build a solar power plant on Hawaii's most populated island of Oahu. Under the deal with Hawaiian Electric Co., Hanwha Energy is set to build the 60-megawatt solar facility and energy storage systems (ESS) with capacity of 240 megawatt hours (MWh) by 2023. ESS refers to energy saving procedures in large batteries for the efficient distribution of power. Hanwha Energy sai

Speculation is growing over when Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong would take the position of chairman in South Korea's largest conglomerate following his father's death, industry insiders said Tuesday, though the heir has already been recognized as the tech giant's de facto leader. His father and a longtime Samsung Group head, Lee Kun-hee, died Sunday at age 78, more than six years after being hospitalized for a heart attack. Jae-yong, the eldest scion and the only son of the l

Corporate ownership of land in South Korea has been on a steady rise in recent years amid rising criticism of conglomerates' real estate investment, government data showed Tuesday. South Korean companies owned 6.953 square kilometers of land in 2019, up 1.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It represents 11.3 percent of the country's total land area, up from a 10.1 percent share in 2012. Corporate land ownership had bee

Business sentiment in South Korea improved for November as domestic consumption expands on eased social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic, a local think tank said Tuesday.   The business survey index (BSI) of the country's top 600 companies by sales came to 99.5 for November, up from the 84.6 for October, the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) said in a statement. "Eased social distancing rules have helped improve companies' profitability. But it's too early

Korea Zinc Inc on Tuesday reported its third-quarter net income of 170.4 billion won ($150.9 million), up 7 percent from a year earlier. The company said in a regulatory filing that operating profit for the July-September period rose 28 percent on-year to 267.4 billion won. Revenue increased 14.2 percent to 1.97 trillion won. The operating profit was 33.2 percent higher than the average estimate, according to the survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency. The esti

North Korea's official newspaper said Tuesday the country should focus on science and technology to make what it needs on its own without imports at a time when its borders are closed over coronavirus concerns. "We can hardly find a better opportunity in strengthening our self-supporting economy and maximize our internal ability and development potential through the power of science and technology than now when borders on the land, in the air and sea have been completely blocked," sai

Military officials and defense researchers were to hold their first meeting Tuesday to develop core technologies necessary to build and deploy the country's first light aircraft carrier by 2033, the arms procurement agency said. The military has been pushing to secure the 40,000-ton light aircraft carrier to "proactively respond to threats from all directions," though some critics have raised questions about its cost-effectiveness. During Tuesday's meeting, military officials and res

A pastor has been fined for violating an in-person worship ban imposed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus here, a local court said Tuesday. The Gwangju District Court sentenced the pastor, only identified as a 57-year-old, to a fine of 2 million won ($1,766) on charges of breaching the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. The pastor was accused of holding an in-person worship service attended by 198 people at a church in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on J

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest wireless provider, said Tuesday it will open a new flagship store by working with Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. The new store, named T Factory, in the trendy neighborhood of Hongik University in western Seoul, will open on Oct. 31, according to the carrier. SK Telecom said it is collaborating with the US tech giants and Samsung Electronics Co. to showcase their latest products and services, including the carrier's cloud gaming service, launched in Septemb

Samsung Display Co., a major display panel maker in South Korea, has received approval from the US government to supply certain display products to Huawei Technologies Co., sources here said Tuesday, amid Washington's sanctions against the Chinese tech giant. Samsung Display recently acquired a license from the US Commerce Department to export some of its smartphone OLED displays to Huawei. Samsung Display is the world's largest smartphone OLED display supplier. The US started to impose new

고 이건희 삼성그룹 회장이 쓰러진 이후 지난 6년간 이 회장 일가가 받은 배당금이 3조원에 육박한 것으로 나타났다. 이 기간 이 회장 일가가 받은 배당금이 3배 이상으로 증가했다. 10조원을 웃도는 상속세 납부 자금 마련을 위해 삼성전자와 삼성물산 등의 배당이 확대될 것이라는 전망이 나온다. 27일 금융감독원 전자공시시스템 등에 따르면 이 회장이 심근경색으로 쓰러진 2014년부터 지난해까지 총수 일가가 상장사로부터 받은 배당금은 총 2조7천716억원에 달했다. 배당금은 2014년 2천221억원에서 2019년 7천501억원으로 증가했다. 5년 새 3.4배로 커졌다. 삼성전자 배당금 비중이 컸다. 2018년과 2019년의 경우 이 회장 일가 전체 배당금 7천500억원 안팎에서 삼성전자 배당금이 약 3천500억원이었다. 삼성전자가 2018년부터 주주환원 정책 등으로 배당을 늘리면서 규모가 더 커진 것이다. 배당금 규모가 클수록 상속재산이 커져 상속세도 늘어나지만, 삼성전자의

A 2014 EP album by K-pop megastar BTS has made a surprise debut on the Billboard main chart. "BTS' 'Skool Luv Affair' debuts at No. 12 on this week's Billboard 200. It's the group's 12th career entry on the chart," the US music publisher said in a Twitter post updated Monday (US time). "Skool Luv Affair," the septet's second EP released in February 2014, was recently republished and released after it won a fan vote on albums and DVDs that should be released again. The feat

Samsung Card Co. on Tuesday reported its third-quarter net income of 128.1 billion won ($113.4 million), up 41.1 percent from a year earlier. The company said in a regulatory filing that it posted 173.4 billion won in operating profit for the quarter, compared with 120.1 billion won a year ago. Sales fell 10.4 percent to 772.1 billion won. The operating profit was 22.2 percent higher than the average estimate, according to the survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Ag

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has become the top scorer in the Premier League, with his league-leading eighth goal giving his team a tight 1-0 victory. In an away game against Burnley at Turf Moor in Burnley, Britain, on Monday (local time), Son headed in from close range after a headed pass from his English teammate Harry Kane in the 76th minute. The winner is Son's eighth goal in the league's 2020-21 season and helped him take the lead in the Premier League scoring table, outnumbering Do