Disaster safety authorities were on heightened alert on Sunday as heavy snowfall was forecast to hit South Korea on Sunday evening and throughout the night, raising alarms over potential traffic disturbances around morning rush hour the next day. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the western part of the greater Seoul area and the west coast line of the South Chungcheong Province will begin to see snowfall at around 3 p.m. The flurry will then gradually move east to affect the count

One new case of highly pathogenic bird flu was reported from a local poultry farm on Sunday, raising the total caseload to 66, the agriculture ministry said. The latest suspected case of the highly-virulent H5N8 avian influenza strain was reported at a duck farm in Gimje, about 260 kilometers southwest of Seoul, according to the ministry. The ministry said it has culled poultry in farms within a 3 kilometer radius and has issued a standstill order for nearby farms within 10 kilometers for 30 d

LONDON -- South Korea has been officially invited to this year's summit of the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialized nations set to be hosted by Britain in June.  The office of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday (local time) that the government has invited South Korea, Australia and India as guest nations to the three-day G-7 summit set to be held in Cornwall from June 11-13. The G-7 meeting normally includes the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy,

New South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kang Chang-il on Sunday stressed his commitment to exploring "political" solutions to a set of historical conflicts between the two countries and fostering a "future-oriented" bilateral relationship. Kang made the remarks in a virtual meeting with reporters before he officially takes office this week, amid renewed tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over a recent South Korean court ruling ordering the Japanese government to compensate victim

Another bout of heavy snowfall has been forecast to hit South Korea later in the day and continue through Monday morning, raising the alarm over a potential traffic disturbance around morning rush hour. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the western part of the greater Seoul area and the west coast line of South Chungcheong Province will begin to see snowfall at around 3 p.m. The flurry will then gradually move east to affect the country's inland areas. By Monday morning, most parts

United States Forces Korea (USFK) on Sunday issued a "shelter in place" directive, ordering part of its service members to remain at home after additional COVID-19 outbreaks were reported inside its barracks. According to USFK's Twitter account, the directive dated Saturday requires service members based at Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul and Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, to stay at home except for necessary activities. It said the directive will expire Tuesday. The

A majority of South Korean manufacturing companies expect their business conditions to stay in positive terrain this year, led by a recovery in the refining, chipmaking and bio sectors amid the virus pandemic, a poll showed Sunday. According to the survey of 1,009 manufacturers conducted by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), the manufacturing sector's business survey index (BSI) stood at 103 for the year. A BSI reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Sunday it is investigating a suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a poultry farm. The latest suspected case of the malign H5 strain of avian influenza was reported at a duck farm in Gimje, about 260 kilometers southwest of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The ministry issued a standstill order for nearby farms within 10 kilometers, as bird flu is contagious and can cause severe illness and even death

South Korean retail investors have emerged as deep pockets in the stock market, pouring in more than 100 trillion won ($90.6 billion) since early last year, data showed Sunday. Individual investors net bought a combined 102.2 trillion won in local and overseas stocks from Jan. 2, 2019, to Friday, according to data from the Korea Securities Depository (KSD). During the cited period, individuals bought a net 77.8 trillion won worth of local stocks. They bought 59 trillion won worth of stocks tra

Hyundai Motor Group's environment-friendly vehicle sales in the global market jumped 36 percent to over 500,000 units in 2020 from a year earlier, industry data showed Sunday. Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. sold a total of 501,487 units of eco-friendly models, including electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid models and fuel-cell EVs, worldwide last year, according to their sales data. By type, gasoline hybrid models accounted for 52 percent of the t

North Korea is to kick off a parliamentary session in Pyongyang on Sunday in an apparent legislative step to follow up on the country's ruling party congress that recently ended. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Choe Ryong-hae, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), and parliamentary representatives offered flowers at the statues of former North Korean leaders at Pyongyang's Mansudae hill on Saturday, ahead of the fourth session of the 14th SPA

Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) sold by South Korean automakers sharply rose to exceed 600,000 units for the first time in 2020 on the back of the rising popularity of car camping and new lineups, industry data showed Sunday. Five companies -- Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and SsangYong Motor Co. -- sold a combined 615,982 units last year, a 15.3 percent surge from a year earlier, the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) said. SUV sa

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 500s for the sixth consecutive day Sunday, as the country partially eased restrictions on cafes and gyms to strike a balance between maintaining social distancing and easing the burden on virus-hit businesses. The country added 520 more COVID-19 cases, including 20 imported infections, raising the total caseload to 72,340, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Sunday's daily number marked a sharp fall from

수천억원에 달하는 비트코인이 든 하드디스크 드라이브를 실수로 버렸던 한 영국 남성이 이를 되찾기 위해 쓰레기 매립지를 파내게 해달라며 지방정부 당국에 거액의 기부금을 약속했다. 16일 미국 CNN 방송에 따르면 영국 웨일스 뉴포트의 IT업계 종사자 제임스 하우얼스는 비트코인이 든 자신의 드라이브가 쓰레기 매립지에 묻힌 것으로 추정된다면서 이곳을 파내게 해주면 5천250만파운드(약 787억원)를 기부하겠다고 뉴포트 시의회에 제안했다. 그에 따르면 해당 드라이브에는 7천500비트코인이 들어 있다. 현재 1비트코인의 가격은 한화 4천100만원으로, 이를 환산하면 금액은 약 3천75억원에 달한다. 2009년부터 암호화폐를 채굴했다던 그는 당시 가치가 매우 낮아 이 드라이브의 존재를 잊고 지냈다고 한다. 그런 그가 이 드라이브를 찾아 나선 것은 1비트코인 가격이 1천200달러(약 130만원)까지 치솟았을 때였다. 그러나 하우얼스는 2013년 6∼8월 중에 실수로 이를 버렸다는

An appellate court will give a verdict on Monday for Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong in a retrial of a bribery case involving former President Park Geun-hye. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., faces charges that he bribed Park and her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to win government support for a smooth father-to-son transfer of managerial power at Samsung. Park was later impeached and ousted from presidency for corruption and abuse of power. Prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison t

South Korea on Saturday eased restrictions on previously shuttered or scaled back businesses as the number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 500s for the fifth consecutive day. The country added 580 more COVID-19 cases, including 547 local infections, raising the total caseload to 71,820, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Saturday's daily number marked a slight increase from 513 posted a day earlier, the KDCA said. Prime Minister Chung

South Korea on Saturday extended its current social distancing level for two weeks while easing business restrictions on cafes, gyms and other indoor facilities. Under the new measures taking effect Monday, the capital area will continue to enforce Level 2.5, the second highest in a five-tier system, and the rest of the nation will remain under Level 2. The ban on private gatherings of five or more people, and the restriction on business operations after 9 p.m., will also be kept intact. Prim

  Bong Joon-ho, writer-director of Oscar-winning South Korean film "Parasite," will preside over the main jury of this year's Venice International Film Festival, according to the festival's website Friday. Bong will serve as the president of the International Jury of the Competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, scheduled to take place from Sept. 1-11 at Venice Lido in Italy, the website of La Biennale di Venezia, the festival's organizing body, said. Bong was

One American soldier stationed in South Korea and five individuals affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for the new coronavirus, military officials said Friday. The service member resides and works on the US Army Garrison Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and has access to the Yongsan base, according to USFK. Four civilian workers -- three American and one Korean -- and a family member tested positive on Thursday, it added. The Yongsan ba

The head of South Korea's leading business lobby group on Friday sent a letter to a Seoul court asking for leniency in the upcoming sentencing of the Samsung Group heir in a bribery case, the group said. Park Yong-maan, who heads the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), sent the letter to the Seoul High Court and asked judges to render lenient sentencing on Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong. The plea marked the first time that Park has written a character reference l