Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., a major electronics components maker in South Korea, on Monday reported robust third-quarter earnings on firm demand amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Samsung Group affiliate chalked up a net profit of 240 billion won ($212.5 million), up 119.4 percent from a year earlier. The company said in a regulatory filing that it posted 302.5 billion won in operating profit for the July-September period, up 59.9 percent from a year ago. Sales rose 3.3 percent on-ye

SM Entertainment, the K-pop powerhouse that represents popular girl groups Girls' Generation and Red Velvet, on Monday announced the debut of a new girl group next month. Little is known about the new act, named "aespa," except for a logo and a teaser video uploaded on the group's social media accounts early Monday. SM Entertainment said the band's name comes from the English words "avatar, experience and aspect" -- with the name meaning "to be able to meet another se

The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) rebounded last week, widening its lead over the main opposition party amid allegations of opposition politicians' possible implication in a ballooning fund scam scandal, an opinion poll showed Monday. According to the Realmeter poll conducted on 2,527 voters nationwide from last Monday-Friday, the approval rating for the DP came in at 35.1 percent, up 2.9 percentage points from a week ago. The previous week, the DP saw its approval rati

Baseball fans who miss out on postseason tickets next month will be able to watch games live on select big screens across the country. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Monday that it has reached an agreement with Lotte Cinema, one of South Korea's top multiplex chains, to screen live postseason games at 10 locations nationwide. Websites and official apps for both the KBO and Lotte Cinema will provide further details on screening times and ticketing. The postseason begins Sunday

LG Electronics Inc. on Monday released premium wireless earbuds with an active noise cancellation (ANC) system in South Korea as the company seeks to expand its presence in the wearables market. The high-end model of the LG TONE Free wireless earbuds, the HBS-TFN7, was launched here for 219,000 won ($190). LG said the earwear device is equipped with ANC technology that tunes out ambient noise, allowing users to better concentrate on the sound coming through the earbuds. It also used technolo

South Korea's major instant noodle makers are estimated to have posted solid earnings in the third quarter, as demand from stay-at-home consumers rose amid the pandemic and sales in overseas markets remained robust, a survey showed Monday. The combined operating profit of Nongshim Co., Samyang Foods Co. and Ottogi Co. is projected to have reached 107.1 billion won ($94.9 million) in the July-September period, up 31.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the survey by Yonhap Infomax, the fi

Shares in Samsung Group's key affiliates closed higher Monday on expectations that they may increase dividend payouts to help the late Samsung chief's scions secure funds to pay record high inheritance taxes and they may overhaul their governance structures. Samsung Group chief Lee Kun-hee died Sunday at age 78, more than six years after being hospitalized for a heart attack. Shares in three Samsung affiliates held by the late group chief spiked in the morning session as investors bet that th

South Korea's beer exports more than halved in the first nine months of the year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday. Overseas shipments of Korean beer stood at $54.1 million in the January-September period, about 46 percent of last year's $117.3 million, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. Exports to China fell by a third to $20.3 million from $67.6 million over the cited period. Shipments to Hong Kong sank 27.3 percent, and those to the United

Popular K-pop acts NCT and BLACKPINK both ranked in the top 10 on the Billboard's main albums chart with their latest albums. The 23-member boy band NCT debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with its new album "NCT - The 2nd Album RESONANCE Pt. 1," the Billboard reported Sunday (US time). The Billboard 200 is one of the US music publisher's main charts, ranking the most popular albums of the week in the United States based on data, including album sales and streaming. NCT's album ea

젊은 딸이 암으로 숨지자 28년 만에 나타난 생모가 억대 보험금과 유산을 받아 간 '제2의 구하라' 사건이 벌어졌다. 단독 상속자인 생모는 딸의 모든 재산을 가져간 것도 모자라 유족이 병원비와 장례 비용을 고인의 카드로 결제했다며 소송을 걸기도 했다. 양육 의무를 다하지 않은 친부모의 상속에 제한을 두는 법안이 마련될 필요가 있다는 지적이 나온다. ◇ 유산 다 챙긴 생모…'병원·장례비' 추가소송도 26일 법조계 등에 따르면 A(55)씨는 지난 4월 숨진 딸 김모(29)씨의 계모와 이복동생을 상대로 딸의 체크카드와 계좌에서 사용된 5천500여만원에 대한 부당이득금 반환 청구 소송을 서울동부지법에 냈다. 김씨는 지난해 위암 진단을 받고 항암치료를 하던 중 지난 2월 숨졌다. 생모 A씨는 김씨가 태어난 후 1년여를 제외하고는 연락조차 없이 지냈던 것으로 알려졌다. 딸의 사망 소식을 들은 A씨는 김씨를 간병해오던 계모와 이복동생에게 돌연 연락해 "

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Monday on hopes of fresh US stimulus to insulate the fallout from the pandemic. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 6.17 points, or 0.26 percent, to 2,366.98 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Sunday (Washington time), US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would push for an agreement for the new stimulus scheme amid a resurgence of the virus. The United States reported 83,757 new COVID-19 cases Friday (US time), an all-t

South Korea and Britain agreed Monday to maintain their trade ties after the scheduled end of the transition period of London's departure from the European Union and to form a deeper bond to overcome the economic jitters caused by the pandemic. Seoul's Industry Minister Sung Yun-mo met Alok Sharma, Britain's secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, in Seoul to discuss the two countries' post-pandemic cooperation, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

South Koreans in their 20s are overburdened with bank overdrafts and loans from credit card companies amid a jobs crunch sparked by a protracted economic slump, data showed Monday. Outstanding overdrafts and card loans extended to local 20-somethings came to some 2.15 trillion won ($1.91 billion) as of the end of June this year, according to the data that the Financial Supervisory Service prepared for an annual parliamentary audit. The amount is up from 2.08 trillion won from the end of last y

The 2020 regular season in South Korean baseball will wrap up this week, with four of the five postseason-bound clubs expected to jostle for position until the very end. The NC Dinos clinched the No. 1 seed in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason last Saturday. Four other teams -- the LG Twins, KT Wiz, Kiwoom Heroes and Doosan Bears -- have also secured playoff spots, but their final positions are still to be determined. The Dinos will advance directly to the Korean Series. The No.

Jeju Air Co., South Korea's top low-cost carrier, will likely receive state financial support in a bid to help overcome a coronavirus-caused cash crunch, sources said Monday. In May, South Korea launched a 40 trillion-won ($35.4 billion) fund to provide financial aid to the country's backbone industries, including the airline service sector, amid the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the sources, the operational council of the Key Industry Stabilization Fund is slated

South Korea has identified the remains of a soldier killed in the 1950-53 Korean War through a DNA analysis after they were recovered from near a former battle site, the defense ministry said Monday. Myung Han-hyup's remains were excavated in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, in 2017. His son, Myung Gap-won, 72, had registered his DNA sample in 2010 to find his father, according to the ministry. The identification marks the 153rd such case since South Korea began excavating remains in 20

South Korea and China on Monday launched the ninth round of talks with China to bolster ties in the service and investment fields as part of their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which went into effect five years ago. South Korean and Chinese trade officials will hold a virtual meeting that will run through Friday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The two countries launched the first FTA follow-up meeting in 2018. "During the meeting, we plan to set more det

South Korea's top health official said Sunday the nationwide free flu vaccination program will continue, saying no links have been found between vaccines and deaths among those who received those shots. In a press briefing, Health Minister Park Neunghoo reiterated the stance expressed earlier by other national health authorities on the issue. As of 1 p.m. Saturday, 48 people have died after receiving flu vaccines, with the majority of them in their 70s and 80s. Park said a team of experts on v

President Moon Jae-in mourned the passing of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee on Sunday, saying the country has lost an iconic figure whose leadership put its semiconductor industry on the global map. Moon delivered his condolences through his chief of staff, Noh Young-min, and Cheong Wa Dae's senior secretary for economic affairs, Lee Ho-seung. Lee Kun-hee, one of the most crucial business leaders in South Korea's post-war economic advancement, died earlier Sunday at age 78, more than six y

Lee Kun-hee, the late chief of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group, was the wealthiest man in the country, data showed Sunday. The total value of stocks held by Lee, who died at a Seoul hospital after being bedridden following a heart attack in 2014, stood at 18.2 trillion won ($16.1 billion) as of Friday, according to the Korea Exchange data. By company, Lee held a 4.18 percent stake in the conglomerate's crown jewel, Samsung Electronics Co., worth 15 trillion won, 20.76 percent in S