South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it has identified yet another case of highly pathogenic bird flu amid the prolonged battle against the contagious animal disease. The latest confirmed case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from a duck farm in Jangheung, South Jeolla Province, overnight, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. It marked the first confirmed case since March 13, when another egg farm in North Chungcheong Province was infected wi

Ex-Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon beat software mogul-turned-politician Ahn Cheol-soo on Tuesday to become the single opposition candidate for the upcoming Seoul mayoral by-election, as opinion polls project a possible election victory for the opposition bloc. Oh, who is running on the ticket of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), was declared the winner of a bipartisan primary against Ahn, the leader of the conservative minor People's Party (PP), according to the primary results. The victor

Online grooming, or luring minors through the internet to sexually illicit businesses, will be subject to criminal punishment in South Korea starting in September, a government ministry said Tuesday. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said the revised act on the protection of children and juveniles against sexual abuse will take effect on Sept. 24. Under the revised law, those who repeatedly send online messages incurring sexual shame or hate to children or trick them into doing some s

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, tracking overnight Wall Street advances amid a fall in US Treasury yields. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 14.74 points, or 0.49 percent, to 3,050.2 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 1.23 percent, as the yield on the US 10-year Treasury fell, easing investor concerns over earlier-than-expected post-pandemic inflation. In Seoul, top cap Samsung Electronics gained 0.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for stronger strategic communication and unity with China to address "hostile forces" in a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media said Tuesday. Kim sent the message "to notify the accounts of the 8th Congress of the WPK, as required by the times that call for intensifying the strategic communication between the two parties on the basis of deep comradeship," the Korean Central News Agency said, without mentioning when the

Arming South Korea with its own nuclear weapons against threats from North Korea would only help justify the North's ongoing pursuit of nuclear weapons, and thus making it impossible to denuclearize the North, a former commander of US Forces Korea said Monday. Vincent Brooks argued the US must instead periodically reaffirm its commitment to the joint defense of South Korea and strengthen its extended nuclear deterrence for South Korea. "My opinion is that the provision of nuclear weapons

South Korea will take actions to stabilize the bond market in a timely manner if market volatility increases amid concerns over rising US bond yields, a senior government official said Tuesday. First Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom said financial authorities will flexibly adjust the sale volumes of Treasury bonds. "If volatility increases, the government will focus on stabilizing the bond market by taking timely actions through close cooperating with related agencies," Kim said a

WASHINGTON -- Court proceedings began here Monday for a North Korean national suspected of money laundering, the US Department of Justice said. The suspect, Mun Chol-myong, "made his initial appearance today in federal court in the District of Columbia, where he was indicted on May 2, 2019," the department said in a press release. "The indictment further alleges that Mun was affiliated with the DPRK's primary intelligence organization, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it has signed a deal with Japan's largest mobile operator NTT Docomo Inc. to provide 5G network solutions as the South Korean tech giant tries to further expands its presence in the 5G infrastructure market. Samsung said it will support Docomo with its advanced 5G technology, including open radio access network (O-RAN) compliant solutions, to help the Japanese telecom firm deliver better 5G services to its customers. Docomo provides wireless network servi

South Korea's business confidence climbed for the ninth consecutive month in February amid growing hopes of an economic recovery, a poll by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed Tuesday. The OECD business confidence index (CSI) came to 99.5 for Asia's fourth-largest economy last month, up 0.3 point from the prior month, according to the survey by the group of 37 mostly rich and advanced nations. The OECD index for South Korea has been on the rise since June wh

WASHINGTON -- The United States will continue to work closely with its allies and partners, including China and Russia, to denuclearize North Korea, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday. The White House adviser also said the North continues to remain unresponsive to US overtures for dialogue. "We have not yet heard directly from them through diplomatic channels," he said in an interview with MSNBC. The US earlier said it has reached out to North Korea through "

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday, in a verbal message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that Beijing will uphold a political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, according to Chinese state media Xinhua. Xi also said he wants to make efforts for solid development of relations with North Korea. Xi's messages were delivered by senior Chinese diplomat Song Tao to Ri Ryong-nam, North Korea's new ambassador to China, during their meeting in Beijing earlier in the day, Xinhua reporte

Justice Minister Park Beom-kye on Monday expressed dismay over senior prosecutors' decision to close the alleged perjury case involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, exposing a rift that has lingered for years between the ministry and the prosecution. While accepting the outcome, Park criticized the decision as tantamount to "protecting their own family." He said it is "questionable" if the meeting of prosecutors held to review the case properly reflected the int

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon called Monday for the world to reaffirm its commitment against racial discrimination amid concerns over a reported rise in anti-Asian sentiment related to the new coronavirus. Choi made the call in a pre-taped speech for the UNESCO Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination, as the Korean community in the United States mourns the deaths of four women of Korean descent killed in last week's shootings in Atlanta. "Given the recent upsurge of

Oriental Brewery, South Korea's largest brewer, plans to raise prices of some beers next month because of a rise in beer tax, a company official said Monday. The prices of its major beer products, including Cass Fresh and Cass Light, will go up by an average of 1.36 percent from April 1, according to the OB official. Under the new policy, the factory price of a 330-milliliter bottle of Cass Fresh will rise from 845.97 won ($0.75) to 857.90 won. OB, which accounts for about 60 percent of the

South Korea on Monday reported 36 more new cases of COVID-19 variants, including 26 local infections, further escalating concerns over the spread of the more transmissible strains. Of the additional cases, 33 people were confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus variant believed to have originated in Britain, followed by the South Africa variant with two and the Brazil variant with one, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The new variant cases were i

South Korean stocks lost for the second consecutive session Monday as investors' concerns about the increase in bond yields reduced their appetite for risky assets. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.07 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 3,035.46 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 903 million shares worth some 13.1 trillion won ($11.6 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 456 to 389. Foreigners sold a net

Sales of imported commercial vehicles in South Korea fell 24 percent in February from a year earlier on lower demand amid the extended coronavirus pandemic, an industry association said Monday. The number of newly registered imported commercial vehicles fell to 261 units last month from 344 a year earlier, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement. Sales of all imported commercial vehicles declined last month as COVID-19 containment measures and u

The unification ministry said Monday it will look for opportunities to move forward the Korea peace process amid dimmed prospects for engaging with North Korea through the Tokyo Olympics following Japan's decision to ban foreign spectators. South Korea has been seeking ways to create opportunities to reengage with North Korea through events such as the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled for July and August this year. "We will continue to seek ways to move forward the peace process on the

LG Electronics Inc. is still mulling the fate of its money-losing mobile business, industry insiders said Monday, amid rumors that the South Korean tech giant may shut down the unit instead of selling it. In January, LG announced its mobile communications division is open to "all possibilities" for its future operations after years of poor performance. LG's mobile business has been in the red since the second quarter of 2015. Its accumulated operating losses reached nearly 5 trilli