The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said he "certainly" hopes South Korean experts will participate in the UN nuclear watchdog's monitoring of Japan's ocean release of radioactive Fukushima water.  IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency via video link Tuesday, as Seoul is seeking to take part in the IAEA-led verification efforts amid growing health risk concerns over Tokyo's plans to discharg

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it has collaborated with K-pop icon BTS to suggest people take eco-friendly actions in their daily lives to protect the environment in a campaign film celebrating Earth Day. In the one-minute YouTube video themed "For Tomorrow We Won't Wait," BTS raises awareness on the importance of sustainable practices and promotes hydrogen as a source of clean energy. It was Hyundai Motor's second Earth Day video starring BTS, following the

Defense ministry officials held a meeting with residents near a US Forces Korea (USFK) firing range in the northern city of Pocheon on Wednesday as part of efforts to address safety and other complaints over firing drills, the ministry said. Residents near the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, some 45 kilometers north of Seoul, have long complained about noise, unexploded ordnances and other damage incurred by the drills. During the meeting in Pocheon, some 40 government officials, inclu

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his prudent approach Wednesday toward the issue of whether to grant special pardons to two imprisoned former presidents, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. He emphasized the need to consider public consensus on the politically sensitive matter and its possible impact on national unity during his luncheon meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon at Cheong Wa Dae. Moon was responding to a proposal from the Busan mayor that Moon take the m

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 700 Wednesday as the country is ratcheting up efforts to boost vaccination rates amid growing concerns over another wave of the pandemic. The country reported 731 more COVID-19 cases, including 692 local infections, raising the total caseload to 115,926, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's daily caseload was sharply up from 532 cases on Monday and 549 cases on Tuesday. It is also the first time

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the country's "special" strategic relations with Cuba in another message congratulating President Miguel Diaz-Canel on his election as the new powerful head of its ruling communist party, according to state media Wednesday. The message delivered Tuesday via the Cuban ambassador in Pyongyang came a day after Kim sent another message expressing "absolute support" to Diaz-Canel following his appointment as first secretary of the Communis

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday after the benchmark stock index closed at an all-time high the previous session, increasing the valuation pressure. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 23.07 points, or 0.72 percent, to 3,197.63 points. The Kospi quickly fell through the 3,200-point mark with the opening bell as foreign and individual investors sold stocks to lock in gains. The stock index gained for the past six days until Tuesday amid expectations of a global econo

South Korea's exports jumped 45.4 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April as shipments of chips, autos and oil products remained solid amid an economic recovery, customs data showed Wednesday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $30.9 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $21 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports increased 31.3 percent on-year to $33 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $2 billion during the cited period

South Korea's exports of kimchi touched an all-time high in the first quarter of the year thanks to its popularity amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Wednesday. Overseas shipments of kimchi came to $46.57 million in the January-March period, up 54.3 from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service and industry sources. It represents the largest-ever quarterly figure and breaks the previous yearly record of $42.08 million registered in the second quarter of last

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday the government is guarding against potential instability in the housing market as home prices in Seoul picked up amid expectations for eased rules on redevelopment housing projects. The minister also said the government plans to unveil measures next month to overhaul the Korea Land and Housing Corp., the public housing developer at the center of a land speculation scandal involving public officials. Housing prices in Seoul recently jumped after new M

South Korea's wine imports more than doubled in the first quarter of the year as more people enjoyed drinking at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, data showed Wednesday. Asia's fourth-largest economy imported $109.7 million worth of wine in the January-March period, up 115.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service and industry sources. It represents the first time for the value of first-quarter wine imports to exceed the $100 million mark. The volum

South Korea's producer prices gained 0.9 percent on-month in March due to a modest rise in oil prices, extending their monthly gains for the fifth straight month, central bank data showed Wednesday. The producer price index, a barometer of future consumer inflation, stood at 106.85 in March, compared with 105.91 a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index advanced 3.9 percent from the previous year, the BOK data showed. The prices of agricultural goods fell 2.1 percent on

The South Korean Embassy in Indonesia has shut down temporarily after the ambassador tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday.  The embassy said it will halt operations through Thursday after reporting virus patients, including the South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Park Tae-sung.  Workers at the embassy, as well as those at the South Korean mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, are currently being tested for the novel coronavirus, officials said. According to World Health Orga

Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea's largest automotive conglomerate, is mulling the sale of its railway business affiliate, industry sources said Tuesday. The group is considering selling Hyundai Rotem's loss-making railway business, according to the sources. Hyundai Motor, the group's crown jewel, is the largest shareholder in Hyundai Rotem, having held a 33.77 percent stake as of last year, which is estimated to value around 1 trillion won ($897 million) with the management premium.  Hy

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun has relayed South Korea's concerns over Japan's plan to release radioactive water into the sea during his visit to Colombia early this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.  He explained Seoul's position on Tokyo's planned discharge of the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, when he met with his Colombian counterpart, Francisco Echeverri, the ministry said in a release.  Choi also mentioned t

A "vaccine swap" agreement that South Korea is looking at with the United States could be a loan deal in which the country receives surplus COVID-19 vaccines from the US and gives the same amount back later, sources said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said during a parliamentary session earlier in the day that the country is discussing a "vaccine swap" arrangement with the US "fairly seriously" and the issue was a key focus in his talks with US Special Pr

The city of Seoul is introducing a new rule under which officials involved in sexual crimes will be expelled immediately, Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on Tuesday. Oh made the announcement during a press briefing arranged to formally apologize to the victim of alleged sexual harassment by his predecessor Park Won-soon. Park was found dead last July in an apparent suicide amid allegations that he harassed a female secretary. "I declare the immediate introduction of a 'one-strike-and-you're-out' ru

South Korea has identified a total of 321 cases of "emerging" variants of the novel coronavirus since December, health authorities said Tuesday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said these variants are different from the three most-known mutations from Britain, South Africa and Brazil that are known to be more transmissible. There is no indication yet whether these new strains are more deadly than current circulating variants of the virus, the KDCA said. Of the

Dividends paid to the chiefs of South Korea's top 50 business groups jumped 37.1 percent last year from a year earlier as major companies delivered more returns to shareholders, industry data showed Tuesday. A total of 39 heads of the nation's 50 conglomerates received a combined 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in 2020, according to the data by the local research firm Korea CXO Institute. Dividends to late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee amounted to 862.6 billion won last year, which acco

K-pop girl group TWICE is set to appear on the US TV series "The Kelly Clarkson Show" next week, its management agency said Tuesday. The K-pop act will perform "Cry For Me," its latest single released in December, on the popular American daytime show on April 27 (US time), according to JYP Entertainment. The up-tempo dance number has topped iTunes charts in 20 countries and regions, including Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand, and peaked at No. 2 on the worldwide iTunes song c