Seventeen American service members and six others affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea from the United States, the US military said Monday. The latest cases among the USFK-affiliated population rose to 509, most of whom have tested positive upon arrival in South Korea from the US. Of the newly reported cases, eight service members and one dependent arrived at Osan Air Base in the city of Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers so

Justice minister nominee Park Beom-kye on Monday vowed to carry on prosecution reform, a contentious topic that has triggered backlash from prosecutors, and asked for their close cooperation. "I understand the reason why President Moon Jae-in appointed me was to entrust me with the role of a closing pitcher for prosecution reform," he told reporters on his way to work to prepare for his confirmation hearing, the schedule of which has yet to be determined. He said conditions are ripe

South Korean mobile carriers are expected to report improved earnings for the final quarter of 2020 on the back of steady growth in 5G users, analysts said Monday. The combined operating profits of the country's three major telecom operators -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- are estimated at 670.9 billion won ($620.3 million) in the Oct.-Dec. period last year, compared with 497.9 billion won the previous year, according to a poll by Yonhap Infomax, the financial arm of Yonhap Ne

South Korean builders' business sentiment edged down in December from a month earlier due to a resurgence of coronavirus infections, a poll showed Monday. The construction business survey index (CBSI) came to 84.6 last month, down 0.7 point from the previous month, according to the survey by the Construction and Economy Research Institute of Korea. The December figure marks the first on-month drop in four months. The index rose for three months from September to November. A reading below 100

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co., a major South Korean builder, said Monday it has signed a 2.9 trillion-won ($2.7 billion) deal with the Iraqi government to build port facilities. Daewoo E&C has obtained the deal from the state-run General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI) to build a tunnel, a container terminal and roads to the Al Faw port in Basra, the company said in a statement. "The company participated in the port construction project from 2013. In the previous deal, we

Lineage 2M, a mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), will land in Japan and Taiwan during the first quarter of this year, South Korean online game maker NCSoft said Monday. The mobile version of the mega-hit game Lineage 2 will be simultaneously available on Google's Android and Apple's iOS devices in the two Asian countries, the company said. Lineage 2M, which integrates NCSoft's technology and expertise built over the past 20 years, features full 3D graphics and 4K U

Unification Minister Lee In-young said Monday he hopes to receive a positive message from North Korea on inter-Korean relations as Pyongyang is expected to hold a rare party congress this week. Lee made the remarks during his online address for the new year to his ministry staff, as the North is set to convene the congress of the Workers' Party this week for the first time in over four years amid expectations that the North is to unveil its economic scheme and policy directions for the United S

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it is looking into yet another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu linked to farms amid the prolonged fight against the disease. The latest suspected case of a highly contagious H5N8 strain of bird flu was reported from an egg farm in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul, late Sunday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. After reporting the first case at a farm in nearly three years in November 2020, the cou

A government decision to reject a foreign national's naturalization application citing a drunk driving conviction has been ruled lawful by a Seoul court, according to judicial sources Monday. According to the sources, the Seoul Administrative Court recently overturned a Nepali national's request to rescind the justice ministry's rejection of the person's naturalization due to a driving under the influence (DUI) conviction. The Nepali had filed litigation against the justice minister after bein

South Korea is in talks with the United States to cover the wages of Korean employees at the US Forces Korea (USFK), an official said Monday, in an apparent move to avoid another furlough amid the stalled defense cost-sharing negotiations. The prolonged deadlock in the talks determining Seoul's share of the costs to keep American troops here potentially puts thousands of Korean workers at USFK at risk of being forced to take unpaid leave again this year. About 4,000 of them were furloughed for

South Korea strongly condemns a terrorist attack presumed to have taken place at a southern airport in Yemen and expresses support for international efforts to end the conflict in the region, the foreign ministry said Monday. "Our government strongly condemns the presumed terrorist attack at the Aden International Airport that occurred at an important juncture in which the agreement on the formation of a new Yemeni government is being implemented," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam

President Moon Jae-in took a trial ride in South Korea's landmark bullet train, designed to cut carbon emissions, on Monday in his first on-site activity of the new year. He traveled between two local cities -- Wonju in Gangwon Province and Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province -- on the EMU-260 train a day before it is to be put into public service. EMU stands for electric multiple unit, and 260 is its running speed in kilometers per hour. Named the KTX-Eum, it is the first EMU train develope

The defense ministry said Monday it has extended a toughened social distancing scheme for two weeks, banning troops from vacationing and taking off-installation trips, to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Since November, the ministry has enforced Level 2.5 social distancing rules, the second highest in its five-tier alert system, following a series of COVID-19 cluster infections at barracks across the country. "We've decided to extend the Level 2.5 scheme for all units from today u

K-pop boy group EXO's Baekhyun attracted some 110,000 viewers from around the world in his first online concert held over the weekend, the singer's agency said Monday. "Beyond Live - Baekhyun : Light," livestreamed via Naver V Live on Sunday, drew some 110,000 viewers from 120 countries, according to SM Entertainment. The agency said the concert trended on Twitter as fans in countries like France, the Netherlands, Russia, Vietnam and Indonesia tweeted posts, including hashtags like #

South Korea's free trade deals may further increase this year in line with its efforts to revitalize its ailing pandemic-hit exports and cope with the growing protectionism around the globe, a trade promotion agency said Monday. South Korea and Britain implemented their bilateral FTA on Friday to maintain their trades regardless of London's departure from the European Union. Following the move, the country now has 17 free trade pacts that cover 56 countries around the globe. The free trade pa

The chief of South Korea's Navy has vowed to make every effort to secure a light aircraft carrier and diverse military assets to boost defense capabilities. The Navy has sought to build a 30,000-ton-class light aircraft carrier, and the military authorities finalized a plan last week to push for the project in earnest starting this year. "We should expedite moves to secure diverse future military assets, including a light aircraft carrier, in a timely manner to be fully prepared for futur

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Monday that the government will spare no efforts this year to stabilize housing prices that have been rising despite a series of measures to cool down the property market. The minister also said that policy efforts will be put into place to pull off a "fast and strong" economic recovery this year as Asia's fourth-largest economy faces growing uncertainties such as a resurgence in new coronavirus cases. "From the beginning of the new year, we wil

South Korean stocks kicked off higher Monday, the first session of the new year, led by strong chip and auto gains. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 4.48 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,877.95 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.37 percent, but No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 2.95 percent. Top automaker Hyundai Motor soared 6.77 percent, and its auto part making affiliate Hyundai Mobis spiked 12.13 percent. Leading chem

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has appealed a South Korean court's order to seize its assets held in South Korea soon after the relevant legal process to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor took effect late last month, judicial officials said Monday. The public notifications to Mitsubishi Heavy went into force last Tuesday and Wednesday, after the company failed to carry out a 2018 order by the Supreme Court to compensate five plaintiffs, including a 91-year-old victim. The

More than 330 South Korean exhibitors are expected to introduce their new products and cutting-edge services at the world's largest tech expo next week, data from its organizer showed Monday. So far, 338 firms, institutions and colleges from South Korea have registered for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021, according to the US Consumer Technology Association. This year's tech show will take place online from Jan. 11 to 14 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The number of South Korean