WASHINGTON -- The United States should be prepared for military operations against North Korea, even though the hope is to resolve the situation without resorting to force, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said Sunday."We do have to do something, and so, we have to do something, again, with partners in the region and globally. And that involves enforcement of the UN sanctions that are in place. It may mean ratcheting up those sanctions even further. And it also means being prepared for mi

WASHINGTON -- The United States will renegotiate the terms of the THAAD missile defense system's deployment to South Korea, and until then, will stick to the existing deal that commits the US to pay for the system, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said Sunday.McMaster made the remark during an interview with "Fox News Sunday," rejecting reports that he contradicted President Donald Trump and promised the US will pay for THAAD when he spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kw

Former major league pitcher Jeff Manship on Sunday set a record for the longest winning streak to start a career in South Korea.Manship, who pitches for the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization, won his sixth straight decision by holding the Kia Tigers to a run on four hits in six innings in the Dinos' 12-1 victory.Jeff Manship of the NC Dinos throws a pitch against the LG Twins during their Korea Baseball Organization game at Masan Stadium in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. (Yonhap)

South Korea's state-controlled electric utility company said Sunday that is has made its first overseas foray into the clean development mechanism business.Korea Electric Power Corp. said it signed a deal with its counterpart in Iran on Saturday to reduce greenhouse gases in the resource rich Middle East country. (KEPCO)It said the plan outlines cutting back on sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) being released into the atmosphere by some 700,000 tons in the next 10 years. It said a building energy manag

South Korea's Democratic Party said Sunday it will push for a parliamentary hearing on the on-going deployment of a US missile defense system, claiming that the deployment should be decided upon by the next administration. "We will seek a hearing at the National Assembly in May in order to resolve public suspicion over the procedural legitimacy of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) deployment and whether there was a secret agreement," the majority party's special committee on the is

Sales of Samsung Electronics Co.'s new flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone stood at about 22,200 units on Saturday in South Korea, industry data showed Sunday, up compared to weekdays. The increase marks a gain from 16,000 units activated by the country's carriers on Thursday and some 17,000 units reported for the following day, according to industry data. Samsung has said preorders for the Galaxy S8 surpassed 1 million units.  (Yonhap)The daily figures included both preordered smartphones and phones

A high-profile politician on Sunday accepted centrist presidential nominee Ahn Cheol-soo's offer to lead his campaign panel to prepare for a reformist government as the hopeful struggles to shore up declining voter support.During a press conference, Kim Chong-in, a former interim leader of the Democratic Party, said he will lead the panel to support the candidate of the People's Party envisioning a "joint reformist government" marked by transparency and close cooperation with parliament. Kim Cho

INCHEON -- During last week's men's hockey world championship, South Korean forward Shin Sang-hoon had a rather unusual source of motivation to draw upon: his impending military service.All healthy South Korean men have to serve around two years in the armed forces, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Athletes like Shin are no exception, unless they win an Olympic medal or an Asian Games gold medal. South Korean hockey forward Shin Sang-hoo

INCHEON -- For Eric Regan, a Canadian-born hockey defenseman now representing South Korea, nothing is tougher than watching his teammates battle on the ice while he's sidelined with an injury.Despite the absence of the sturdy rearguard for the final two games, South Korea finished in second place at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Division I Group A in Kiev, Ukraine, last week. By doing so, South Korea has also qualified for the top-tier international competition, the

Samsung Electronics Co. said Sunday that its innovative Flex wash laundry system won the "Best of Best" ergonomics design award at an industry event on Jeju Island.The global electronics giant said the recognition by Ergonomics Society of Korea on Friday highlighted the excellent convenience and ease of use incorporated into the washing machine that was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier in the year. (Yonhap)It said ESK members also gave high marks for efficiency and

INCHEON -- South Korea has defied odds to qualify for the top-tier competition in international men's hockey, and head coach Jim Paek says there's no big secret to it other than hard work.Paek, a former National Hockey League defenseman, coached South Korea to second place at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Division I Group A in Kiev, Ukraine, last week. Jim Paek, head coach of the South Korean men's hockey team, speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport on

The Bank of Korea said Sunday that despite US President Donald Trump celebrating his first 100 days in the White House, uncertainties over his policies have grown and are causing jitters. Citing concerns about Trump's protectionist moves, legal challenges over his anti-immigration policy and a revamped healthcare plan, the central bank urged Asia's fourth-largest economy to strengthen its monitoring on policies being pursued in the world's No. 1 economy. In an interview with Reuters last week, T

South Korea is investing heavily in education, but its education quality lags far behind rich countries in nurturing talent through skills development, a report showed Sunday. According to the report by Hyundai Research Institute, a private think tank, South Korea spent 5.9 percent of its gross domestic product on education in 2013.  (Yonhap)The spending was 0.7 percentage point higher than the average figure for members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Citing a repo

After the United States deployed a nuclear-powered submarine and an aircraft carrier to South Korean waters amid high inter-Korean tensions, North Korea on Sunday threatened to sink the underwater vessel, accusing America of stepping up military intimidation."The moment the USS Michigan tries to budge even a little, it will be doomed to face the miserable fate of becoming a underwater ghost without being able to come to the surface," the North's propaganda website Uriminzokkiri said in a posting

INCHEON -- The South Korean men's national hockey team made a triumphant return home on Sunday, having secured the country's first berth in the top-tier world championship.Coached by former National Hockey League defenseman Jim Paek, South Korea finished in second place at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Division I Group A in Kiev, Ukraine, last week.South Korean players pose for pictures after finishing second at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Champions

South Korea will inject a total of 38.6 billion won ($33.9 million) over the next two years to support local small and mid-size software firms become more globally competitive, the ICT ministry said Sunday.Under the so-called Global Creative Software project spearheaded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, 16 companies in various software sectors such as security and system software will receive support. (123RF)The government has been making various efforts to assist promising so

A local private think tank said Sunday it has raised its growth outlook for South Korea this year, helped by increased exports and facility investments.The Korea Institute of Finance projected the country's gross domestic product to increase by 2.8 percent for 2017, higher than its earlier estimate of 2.5 percent growth forecast in October.It said the economy should expand 2.6 percent in the first half followed by 2.9 percent gains in the July-December period.The upward revision came as the glob

North Korea on Sunday lambasted South Korea's conservative forces in yet another attempt to stop them from taking power in the South's upcoming presidential election, calling the debate of a security crisis caused by the North Korea's nuclear and missile threats "a maneuver of conservatives to take the helm of the country again."Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary that the conservative parties' attempt to take power again is a desper

The USS Carl Vinson, a US aircraft carrier, on Saturday started a joint naval drill with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea amid heightened tensions from North Korea's failed ballistic missile launch earlier in the morning, defense officials here said."South Korea and US strike forces began a drill in the East Sea from 6 p.m. today against the backdrop of the current security situation," the South Korean Navy said. A photo of the USS Carl Vinson (Yonhap)No specific schedule for the rendezvous

South Korea's external earnings will fall by 2.7 percent if exports to China contract by 10 percent, a report by a state-run think tank showed Sunday.The report analyzing global trade friction released by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade showed Asia's fourth-largest economy being hurt if there is trade-related trouble between South Korea, the United States and China. KIET said that while Seoul will be affected if there are complications with the United States and trade prot