Suwon FC earned a promotion back to the top competition in South Korean football on Sunday, thanks to a last-second penalty that punctuated a dramatic finish. Suwon FC played Gyeongnam FC to a 1-1 draw in the final K League 2 promotion playoff at Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. But since Suwon were the higher seed in this match after finishing the season in second place, they only needed a draw against the third-seeded Gyeongnam to return to the K League 1. And An

President Moon Jae-in visited a high school Sunday to check antivirus preparations ahead of this week's national college entrance exam, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon went to Osan High School in the central Yongsan Ward, which has been designated as a special test center for students in self-quarantine. The College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) will take place Dec. 3. Cheong Wa Dae said Moon's visit was aimed at easing the concern of students, parents and faculty members amid a surge in coronaviru

South Korea's biggest carrier Korean Air Lines Co.'s planned acquisition of the debt-laden Asiana Airlines Inc. requires approval from antitrust authorities in at least four other countries, industry sources said Sunday. According to the aviation industry sources and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the planned merger requires review from authorities in the United States, European Union (EU), China and Japan. A failure would jeopardize the deal valued at 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) that w

Output of domestic alcoholic beverages decreased by over 10 percent over the past five years, but imports of alcohol nearly doubled during the same period, government data showed Sunday. The total production of alcoholic beverages made in the country came to 337 million kiloliters in 2019, down 11.3 percent from 390 million kiloliters in 2014, according to the data by the National Tax Service (NTS). In contrast, a total of 460,000 kiloliters of alcoholic beverages was imported last year, up 12

South Korea stepped up efforts to curb spread of the highly pathogenic bird flu as the country reported a case at a duck farm for the first time in 32 months, the agriculture ministry said Sunday. On Saturday, the country confirmed its first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) of the H5N8 strain among domestic poultry at a duck farm in Jeongeup, a North Jeolla Province city about 290 kilometers south of Seoul. The last confirmed case at a farm was reported in March 2018, according

The ruling Democratic Party has raised its coronavirus vaccine supply target to 44 million people, or 85 percent of the country's population, a key party source said Sunday. The figure is sharply higher than the 30 million target previously cited by health authorities. To secure the vaccines, the party plans to seek an additional 1.3 trillion won ($1.18 billion) in next year's state budget, currently under deliberation at the National Assembly, according to the source. "Wouldn't all citi

A group of South Korean scientists has found that a batch of animal bones discovered from Ulleung Island belonged to sea lions, which went extinct decades ago on the island, the maritime ministry said Sunday. The announcement came after a group of local scientists found 20 pieces of animal bones from Ulleung in the East Sea earlier this year. The bones were later confirmed through DNA analysis to be of sea lions, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. "Previously, there were o

South Korean listed firms are expected to log better earnings in the fourth quarter compared with a year ago amid simmering recovery from the pandemic's fallout, data showed on Sunday. As of Friday, the combined operating income for 167 major listed firms on the main bourse was estimated at 33.6 trillion won ($30.4 billion) for the October-December period, up 60.1 percent from a year earlier, according to financial info tracker FnGuide. It also represents a 6.9 percent increase from the previo

North Korea has stepped up virus control measures along the inter-Korean border and at sea, state media said Sunday. The communist country is "firmly establishing a blockade wall in the areas near the border and the Military Demarcation Line and asking workers and residents to keep established system of action and immediately gain control of and respond to even the slightest abnormal situations," the Korean Central News Agency reported. The Korean Central Broadcasting Station also re

일본 상공에서 유성으로 보이는 거대한 불덩어리가 떨어지는 모습이 NHK 방송 카메라에 생생하게 잡혔다. 일본 공영 NHK 방송에 따르면 29일 오전 1시 34분께 유성 중에서도 특히 밝은 빛을 내는 불덩어리(火球)가 서(西)일본의 광범위한 지역에서 관측됐다. 미에(三重)현과 아이치(愛知)현 등에 설치된 NHK 카메라에는 남쪽 상공에 출현한 불덩어리가 수 초 동안 낙하하다가 섬광을 발산한 뒤 사라지는 모습이 그대로 찍혔다. NHK는 이 장면을 봤다는 게시물이 SNS에 잇따라 올라왔다며 도카이(東海), 긴키(近畿) 지방 외에 시코쿠(四國) 등 서일본의 넓은 지역에서도 관측할 수 있었다고 전했다. 시코쿠 지방인 에히메(愛媛)현 자택에서 목격했다는 NHK 직원은 "커튼 너머로도 불덩어리가 빛나는 것을 알 수 있을 정도로 밝았다"고 말했다. 이에 앞서 일본에서는 지난 7월에도 간토(關東)지방에 엄청난 화염을 동반한 운석이 떨어진 뒤 10여 일 만에 지바(千葉)현 나

The number of automobiles subject to recalls topped 2 million in the first 10 months of the year, marking the fourth straight year of auto recalls exceeding the threshold, industry data showed on Sunday. According to the data, a total of 2.04 million units was subject to recalls in the January-October period, up 56.2 percent from a year earlier. Last year, a total of 2.16 million units was subject to recalls. Last week, Hyundai Motor Co., Mercedes-Benz Korea and four other companies were orde

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea fell back to below 500 for the first time in four days on Sunday due apparently to less testing over the weekend, as health authorities were set to possibly raise distancing measures in the greater Seoul area later in the day. The country added 450 more COVID-19 cases, including 413 local infections, raising the total caseload to 33,824, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported one additional corona

The defense ministry plans to develop a "big data" collection and analysis system to more efficiently take advantage of diverse and scattered data so as to make better policy for military operations and troops. Currently, the military has vast amounts of data on more than 1.4 million items related to the management of troops, arms procurement and other defense supplies field, and there has been a growing need for a platform to better manage them using advanced technologies, according

South Korea's health agency said Saturday that a total of 108 people died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines this year, with the authorities concluding 107 of the deaths had no direct causal relations with their inoculations. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency added one more death to its running tally of those who died after getting flu shots, amid public anxiety over the safety of vaccines. "As a result of epidemiological investigation and deliberations by a damage survey

North Korea's main newspaper on Saturday reported on military efforts to strengthen the monitoring of coastal areas and the responsibility of front-line health care workers in a stepped-up campaign against the new coronavirus. The Rodong Sinmun published articles highlighting the importance of maintaining a strong push to prevent COVID-19 transmissions, as the virus continues to resurge around the world, including in South Korea. "Surveillance posts deployed along the coastal areas are s

An Army artillery school in southwestern South Korea has reported large-scale coronavirus infections among its soldiers, local health authorities said Saturday. Sixteen soldiers undergoing training or stationed at the Sangmudae Artillery School in Jangseong, 310 kilometers south of Seoul, were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday after an Army officer from the same compound tested positive for the virus the previous day, the authorities said. All of the 16 new patients had come into contact wit

South Korea on Saturday confirmed this year's first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) among domestic poultry at a duck farm in a southwestern province. The agriculture ministry said a virus detected from ducks at a farm in Jeongeup, a North Jeolla Province city about 290 kilometers south of Seoul, in a pre-shipment test Thursday has been confirmed as the highly pathogenic bird flu of the H5N8 strain. It marked the first confirmed case of highly pathogenic AI detected among domesti

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea exceeded 500 for the third straight day Saturday, as health authorities face growing pressure to toughen social distancing restrictions amid continued sporadic infections across the country. The country added 504 more COVID-19 cases, including 486 local infections, raising the total caseload to 33,375, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It reported six additional coronavirus fatalities, bringing the total to 522

South Korea's COVID-19 pandemic response was highlighted in a report compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the ICT ministry said Friday. The OECD included South Korea's use of technology to combat the pandemic this year in its Digital Economic Outlook report, such as the country's mobile application that monitors those under quarantine and its epidemiological investigation system, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. The report shares policy mea

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that South Korea has confirmed more than 500 COVID-19 infections for the second consecutive day and warned that the virus appears to be spreading again in earnest nationwide. "As the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 patients reached above 500 for the second straight day (as of the start of Friday), it's a situation in which a resurgence is getting into full swing in our country as well," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a meeting of