A group of US lawmakers on Thursday expressed concerns over a recent South Korean law that prohibits the dispersal of propaganda leaflets to North Korea, noting the law may limit the freedom of speech of South Koreans and others working to promote human rights. Their shared concerns were expressed at the start of a hearing hosted by a bipartisan caucus of the House of Representatives, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. The leaflets were typically flown over the border by balloon. "S

Rep. Lee Gae-ho of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first virus case among the incumbent lawmakers, the National Assembly said Thursday.    Lee underwent COVID-19 testing earlier in the day after one of his secretaries was confirmed to have been infected, it said.    Rep. Wi Seong-gon, who came into close contact with Lee, tested negative, and Rep. Lee Won-taeg is set to undergo a test, according to officials. Both are members o

North Korea on Thursday denounced Japan's decision to release contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, demanding immediate withdrawal of the decision to prevent a "new catastrophe for the humanity."    On Wednesday, Tokyo approved the plan to dump more than 1 million tons of radioactive water from the wrecked nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking strong criticism from its local fishing industry and neighboring countries such

The Seoul metropolitan government said Thursday it is looking at schools as the first venue to introduce COVID-19 self-test kits following consultations with the central government. Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official at the city government, told a press briefing that there were many opinions in favor of introducing the kits in schools for a trial run during an advisory meeting with experts on Wednesday. "(The experts) spoke of the need to be careful in introducing self-test kits in a

South Korean stocks finished higher to extend their gains to a fifth session Thursday amid expectations that the economic recovery would be quicker and stronger than expected. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 11.95 points, or 0.38 percent, to close at 3,194.33. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.3 billion shares worth some 17.4 trillion won ($15.6 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 468 to 375. Foreigners bought

The upcoming US congressional hearing on South Korea's ban on the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea will not have any impact on the alliance between Seoul and Washington, an official said Thursday. The unification ministry official told reporters that the congressional hearing is "not directly related to the South Korea-US alliance" as a bipartisan caucus of the US House of Representatives is set to hold the hearing on Thursday (US Eastern time). "We do not thi

South Korea's economy is expected to grow in the mid-3 percent range this year on resilient exports, a leading private think tank said Thursday. Asia's fourth-largest economy is likely to expand 3.5 percent on-year this year, a sharp turnaround from a 1 percent contraction in 2020, according to the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI). KERI's latest projection is higher than the 3 percent forecast made by the Bank of Korea in late February. The think tank under the Federation of Korean In

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it will invest $20.5 million to expand its washing machine factory in the United States in a move to meet growing demand in the country. The home appliance maker said the investment will create 334 new jobs at the plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, bringing its total workers to 1,000. LG has invested $360 million to build the plant, which has been operational since late 2018 and currently has the capacity to produce more than 1 million front- and top-load washer

The police have stepped up security measures around Muslim communities across the country as safety precautions during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, according to police sources Thursday. The National Police Agency recently ordered provincial and local police authorities in 18 regions to increase security in Muslim communities during the Ramadan period, sources said. It also recommended authorities to look out for online activities that could portend dangerous activities or public disrupti

US electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc.'s sales in South Korea nearly quadrupled last year from a year earlier on rising popularity of its vehicles, its financial statement showed Thursday. Tesla Korea said in a regulatory filing that it logged 716.2 billion won ($640 million) in sales in the Korean market in 2020, up 295 percent from a year earlier. Its annual operating profit soared 429 percent on-year to 10.7 billion won, and its net income skyrocketed 507.7 percent to 7.9 billion won, the com

South Korea said Thursday it will ramp up efforts to promote a homegrown charging technology for electric vehicles (EVs) as an international standard, as the country plans to penetrate deeper into the growing sector. The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards held a virtual meeting with experts from home and abroad to further foster the wireless charging technology for EVs with a capacity of 50 kilowatts, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy. South Korea proposed the te

South Korea said Thursday it plans to study deeper into electrofuel, a clean energy source that can be used by internal combustion engine cars, in line with its vision to go carbon neutral. Under the plan, local businesses and institutions launched a research team to carry out research and development projects for the alternative resource, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Electrofuel refers to an environment-friendly energy source that can be used in traditional fossil-

South Korea's three major mobile carriers will share their 5G networks in remote coastal and farm towns in a move to accelerate the rollout of the latest generation networks, the ICT ministry said Thursday. The carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- signed an agreement so that 5G users can have access to the high-speed network regardless of the carrier they are subscribed to in 131 remote locations across the country, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. Under the

A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for causing a car accident under the influence that resulted in the death of a Taiwanese student studying here last year, a Seoul court said Thursday. The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday handed down the prison term to the 52-year-old man, surnamed Kim, on charges of violating the anti-DUI law. The man was indicted for hitting and killing Tseng Yi-lin, a 28-year-old Taiwanese woman, while drunk driving in the southern Seoul ward of Ga

Aero K Airlines Co. on Thursday began regular flights with an A320ceo aircraft as South Korea's eighth low-cost carrier. Aero K began services on a domestic route between Cheongju, 140 kilometers south of Seoul, and Jeju Island, with a plan to expand flights to Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam, the company said in a statement. The budget carrier has leased three A320ceo passenger jets from US-based aviation investment manager Carlyle Aviation Partners Ltd. "We are

South Korea's exports hit a record high in the first quarter as shipments of chips and autos remained robust amid the pandemic, customs data showed Thursday. Overseas shipments amounted to $146.5 billion in the January-March period, up 12.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service. The reading marked the largest volume for any first quarter since the customs agency began compiling related data. The country's exports rose for the fifth straight month in March as ship

SsangYong Motor Co. was placed under court receivership once again Thursday as its Indian parent Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has failed to attract an investor amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and its financial status is further worsening. The Seoul Bankruptcy Court approved the debt-rescheduling process for SsangYong Motor as US vehicle importer HAAH Automotive Holdings Inc. didn't submit a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire the financially troubled carmaker. Mahindra had been in talks wit

South Korea's central bank on Thursday held its benchmark policy rate unchanged at a record low of 0.5 percent, as an economic recovery remained patchy and the country is at risk of being hit with another wave of COVID-19 infections. As widely expected, the monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea (BOK) voted to leave the base rate steady in this year's third rate-setting meeting. Low inflationary pressure and rising home prices also appeared to prod the BOK board to stand pat, analysts said

A joint venture between South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. and US automaker General Motors Corp. will build its second battery factory in Tennessee to step up production, industry sources said Thursday. Ultium Cells, a joint venture between LG and GM, has picked a site in Tennessee for their second electric vehicle (EV) battery plant, which will be similar in scope to its $2.3 billion Ohio plant, according to sources familiar with the matter. The two companies will jointly anno

South Korean stocks opened nearly flat Thursday amid lingering concerns over the pandemic. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 1.22 point, or 0.04 percent, to 3,183.6 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks came off to a muted start after South Korean health authorities said the country may need stronger social distancing measures if daily COVID-19 cases remain high throughout the rest of the week. The country added 731 new cases Wednesday, the highest sinc