Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Saturday condemned the United Nations for criticizing the country's recent test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), reaffirming Pyongyang's stance to retain nuclear weapons development. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday denounced North Korea's launch of a Hwasong-19 ICBM as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Worke

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Canada have called for the withdrawal of North Korean troops dispatched to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine, labeling the deployment "a grave escalation" of tension that threatens security in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. The call was made in a joint statement adopted during a "two plus two" meeting of the two countries' foreign and defense ministers in Ottawa on Friday (Canada time), Seoul's foreign minist

National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik said Friday that South Korea is "not considering the dispatch of troops to Ukraine at all," amid reports of North Korea's imminent participation in the war to support Russia. Shin made the remark during a parliamentary audit when lawmakers asked him about the possibility of South Korea sending troops to Ukraine. The adviser, however, noted that he believes the deployment of a South Korean team of observers and analysts to Ukraine is essential

North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Son-hui said Friday the current situation on the Korean Peninsula requires Pyongyang to make efforts to bolster its readiness against nuclear retaliation, noting that the reclusive regime will not change its nuclear policy. Choe made the remark during her meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to a report by Sputnik, which came amid North Korean troops' possible participation in Russia's war with Ukraine. Choe was quoted as saying by the

South Korean stocks fell for the third consecutive session Friday, led by tech share losses. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) lost 13.79 points, or 0.54 percent, to close at 2,542.36, extending its losing streak from Wednesday. Trading volume was light at 315.1 million shares worth 7.8 trillion won (US$5.66 billion), with decliners beating gainers 599 to 288. Foreigners and institutions dumped a net 38.8 billion won and 188.4

The government said Friday it will designate three cities as the nation's first hydrogen-specialized complexes and support their growth into hydrogen industry hubs. The designation comes after the three cities -- Donghae and Samcheok of Gangwon Province and Pohang of North Gyeongsang Province -- passed preliminary feasibility surveys to carry out hydrogen cluster projects, the government said following a meeting of the government-led Hydrogen Economy Committee. The Donghae-Samcheok project

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Friday as Wall Street experienced a sharp drop on weaker-than-expected earnings from tech heavyweights. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 0.24 point, or 6.06 percent, to 2,550.09 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, U.S. stocks finished sharply lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.9 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.8 percent after a disappointing outlook from Meta Platforms and Microsoft. In Se

South Korea's exports extended on-year gains to the 13th straight month in October, data showed Friday, on the back of the robust performance of semiconductors. Outbound shipments rose 4.6 percent on-year to $57.5 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports added 1.7 percent on-year to $54.3 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $1.62 billion. South Korea has been maintaining a trade surplus for 17 consecutive months. Exports

North Korea said Friday it successfully test-fired the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day, with its leader Kim Jong-un saying the country has secured an "irreversible" status of developing delivery means of nuclear weapons. Guided by Kim, North Korea carried out a "crucial" missile test that set milestones in "perpetuating the absolute superiority" of the country's armed forces, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

As many as 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's western front-line Kursk region and are expected to enter into combat "in the coming days," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday, warning that they would become "legitimate" military targets. Blinken made the remarks during a press conference after he, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun held their "two-plus-two&q

The presidential office said Thursday that a South Korean nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic will proceed as planned despite a temporary hold placed by the Czech antitrust body. On Wednesday, news reports said the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition had imposed the hold in response to appeals filed by U.S. nuclear energy firm Westinghouse Electric Co. and French energy company Electricite de France. The news came as a South Korean consortium, led by Korea Hydro &

South Korea on Thursday conducted its first interagency field training exercise aimed at coping with potential hazards from space debris, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The exercise, organized by the JCS, was conducted at the Air Force's 20th Fighter Wing, attended by relevant agencies, including the Korea Aerospace Administration and the National Fire Agency, officials said. Under a scenario of space debris falling on South Korean territory, participating agencies and the military

South Korea's military said Thursday it staged airstrike drills against a mock mobile missile launcher earlier this week in an apparent warning against North Korea's latest firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The drills took place Wednesday at a training ground in Taebaek, 181 kilometers east of Seoul, as part of the ongoing Freedom Flag air exercise with the US, a day before North Korea launched an ICBM into the East Sea. Hours after the launch, the Joint Chiefs

South Korea's state-run oil company said Thursday it has signed an agreement with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation to store 4 million barrels of oil from the Middle Eastern country that can be accessed in case of a global energy crisis, adding to Seoul's efforts to secure a stable supply of energy sources. Under the agreement, the Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC) will store the barrels in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan, where they can be supplied domestically when needed. "A

South Korean stocks closed almost 1.5 percent lower Thursday as tech and financial shares sharply lost ground. The local currency was rising against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) lost 37.64 points, or 1.45 percent, to close at 2,556.15. Trading volume was a little slim at 396.7 million shares worth 10.7 trillion won ($7.75 billion), with winners slightly outnumbering losers 473 to 401. Overnight, Wall Street finished lower on the losses of chip companies,

The ruling People Power Party called Thursday for a swift revision of espionage laws to outlaw spying not only for "enemy countries" but for all "foreign countries." PPP leader Han Dong-hoon issued the call during a Supreme Council meeting days after a South Korean national was found to have been detained by China on espionage charges while working for a Chinese chipmaker. "Because the espionage law applies only to North Korea, in the event that a Chinese national is sus

South Korean stocks kicked off sharply lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite S tock Price Index (Kospi) lost 33.62 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,560.17 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street finished lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.22 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite down 0.56 percent and the S&P 500 down 0.33 percent, as chip companies, including Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia, lost ground. I

South Korea's industrial output fell from a month earlier in September on dwindling production in the semiconductor and other manufacturing sectors, data showed Thursday. Retail sales, a gauge of private spending, also went down amid signs of weaker economic growth, while facility investment rebounded on-month, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Industrial production fell 0.3 percent on-month, following a 1.2 percent increase in August. In on-year terms, industrial output w

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said Wednesday that the dispatch of a South Korean team of observers or analysts to Ukraine would be the South Korean military's "obvious" task, as he stressed there would be lessons to be learned. Kim made the remarks, saying that if such a team is not sent to Ukraine, it would constitute a "dereliction of duty." "Throughout the history in many different wars, including the Iraq war, there have been many cases where we have sent monit

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States condemned North Korea's troop deployment to Russia in the "strongest" terms with "one voice" as they held the allies' annual defense talks at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued the condemnation at the 56th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) as Seoul and Washington have confirmed the troop deployment, which is feared to escalate Russia'