South Korea decided not to co-sponsor a UN Human Rights Council resolution on North Korea's rights violations for the third consecutive year, though it will join the document's adoption by consensus, a Seoul official said Tuesday. The council is set to adopt the resolution for the 19th straight year during the 46th session in Geneva this week, as Seoul seeks to avoid tension with the North amid its efforts to resume inter-Korean dialogue. "The government's position will remain the same as

South Korean stocks slumped for the third consecutive session Tuesday amid uncertainties related to the longer-term US Treasury yields and US-China political ties. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 30.72 points, or 1.01 percent, to close at 3,004.74 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.3 billion shares worth some 15.9 trillion won ($14.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 653 to 216. Foreigners sold a net

A yearlong cultural festival celebrating the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Belgium will begin Tuesday, the culture ministry said. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it has designated Belgium as this year's counterpart for its cultural diplomacy project. Under the plan, cultural events will be held to promote cultural exchange between the two countries under the slogan "sharing friendship together, enjoying prosperity to

Defense Minister Suh Wook has no plans to discuss the US-led regional forum Quad with his Indian counterpart during his visit to the country this week, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Suh, who has been on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is scheduled to arrive in India on Thursday for a three-day visit. The planned visit to India spurred speculation that Suh could discuss the Quad forum during his talks with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Involving the United States, Austr

The prosecution has seized the house of former President Park Geun-hye after she failed to pay financial penalties ordered by the Supreme Court in its final ruling on her corruption and power abuse cases, prosecution officials said Tuesday. In its high-profile ruling on Jan. 14, the top court upheld a 20-year prison sentence, a fine of 18 billion won ($15 million) and a forfeit of 3.5 billion won for Park, who was convicted in a massive power abuse and bribery scandal that removed her from offi

South Korea, home to chipmaking giants such as Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc., was the world's third-largest market for semiconductor materials in 2020, a report showed Tuesday, moving down one spot from a year earlier after posting an under-par industry average growth. The country's chip materials market grew 3.9 percent on-year to $9.23 billion in 2020, according to the report from SEMI, a global industry association representing companies in the electronics design and manufacturi

The state human rights watchdog on Tuesday urged local governments to withdraw their orders for migrant workers to undergo mandatory coronavirus testing, calling it "discriminatory against foreigners." Some local governments, including Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, issued such administrative orders earlier this month amid spikes in infections in areas and workplaces with a large number of foreign nationals. The city of Seoul revised the order Friday amid protests from t

A government probe team said Tuesday that it has referred dozens of alleged land speculation cases involving public servants, including a presidential security staffer, to the police. The team led by police said Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency has been looking into the cases of 23 public officials and a Cheong Wa Dae security officer. The total number of people under probe over suspected land speculation has mounted to 333. It also confirmed that the official working for the Presidential Security

The number of stock trading accounts in South Korea has risen sharply over the past year to surpass the 40 million mark amid a buying craze by retail investors, industry data showed Tuesday. Active stock accounts in Asia's fourth-largest economy numbered 40.07 million as of Friday, up from 35.48 million at the end of last year. It marks the first time that the country's number of active stock accounts has exceeded the 40-million level. The number has increased by approximately 10 million sinc

The unification ministry is conducting an internal review of ways to provide food and fertilizer to North Korea as humanitarian assistance, an official said Tuesday. "We continue to conduct an internal review as it requires an evaluation of the situation at the North Korea-China border, the overall inter-Korean relations and whether the conditions are right to provide such assistance," a ministry official said. "Our position remains the same over the issue, that we must provide

LG Display Co. is struggling to make profits this year with its focus on expanding its OLED business, its chief said Tuesday. The panel maker posted an operating loss of 29.1 billion won ($25 million) in 2020, sharply narrowing from a loss of 714.5 billion won a year earlier, while sales increased 3.2 percent on-year to 24.23 trillion won, apparently benefiting from increased demand for displays amid the pandemic-induced trends of remote working and distance learning. "This year, we will

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. said Tuesday that it has resumed the operation of its shipyard one day after its closure due to new coronavirus infections. The shipbuilder suspended work at its shipyard in Okpo, Geoje Island, 398 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday to conduct virus tests for its employees. Two confirmed cases were reported after virus tests for 2,400 employees. (Yonhap)

Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin will visit Seoul next week for talks with his South Korean counterparts, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The meeting slated for Monday follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's planned talks with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in Seoul this week. "It will be a regular strategic dialogue," defense ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said during a regular press briefing. The top Russian officials' back-to-back South Korea tr

Global TV sales are expected to decline slightly this year, but shipments of premium TVs will grow, a report showed Tuesday, boding well for South Korean makers that lead the high-end sector. Global TV shipments are projected to reach 223.09 million units in 2021, according to market researcher Omdia, which is down 1 percent from last year's 225.35 million units. The latest figure is also down from Omdia's previous estimate of 224.22 million units late last year. Omdia predicted that robust

Police said Tuesday they are searching for a man who allegedly threw lukewarm coffee at women on the street in a suspected hate crime against females. Police in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, received reports that a man on a bicycle hurled coffee at a total of six women who were alone at a bus stop or on a bench at night from March 9-21. The victims are all in their 20s. Police are trying to track down the suspect through closed-circuit TV footage. "As it is suspected as a

South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea's military moves in close coordination with the United States, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday, amid signs that Pyongyang is deploying multiple rocket launchers on a western border island. Sources say there have been "multiple signs" that the communist country has deployed multiple rocket launchers and other weapons on the inter-Korean border islet of Changrin. "Our military has been closely tracking and monitoring North

BLACKPINK's Rose saw her debut solo release reach No. 70 on Billboard's main singles chart in the highest ranking for a K-pop female soloist. "On the Ground," the title track of her double-track solo release "R," hit No. 70 on the latest version of the Billboard's Hot 100 updated weekly. This is the second time a K-pop female soloist has made it on the Billboard's main singles chart. In 2016, CL of 2NE1 hit No. 94 with the song "Lifted." The track, entirely sung

President Moon Jae-in received his first dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, as he plans to attend a Group of Seven (G-7) summit to be held in Britain. He received the shot at the Jongno Ward public health center near the presidential compound in Seoul, along with first lady Kim Jung-sook and nine Cheong Wa Dae officials who will accompany them on a trip to Britain in June. The G-7 session is scheduled to take place in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall from June 11-13. M

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 400 on Tuesday for the first time in a week amid concerns of a potential resurgence as the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout for elderly citizens began after a one-month delay over safety concerns. The country reported 346 more COVID-19 cases, including 331 local infections, raising the total caseload to 99,421, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country added seven more deaths from COVID-19, increasin

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was set to visit South Korea on Tuesday for talks with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong about bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues, officials said. Lavrov is expected to fly in here from China, where he made a two-day visit for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Lavrov last came to Seoul in 2013, when he accompanied Russian President Vladimir Putin on a trip. Before that, he traveled to Seoul in 2009, which