South Korea's inflation expectations fell to the lowest in a year in May on a slide in prices of petrochemical goods, a central bank survey showed Tuesday. Ordinary people expected consumer prices to rise 3.7 percent for the year ahead, down 0.2 percentage point from what was surveyed a month earlier, according to the poll conducted by the Bank of Korea. The reading marks the lowest since May l...

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit around 21,000 on Tuesday in a steady decline from the previous week, as the country is returning to pre-pandemic normalcy with almost all virus restrictions gone. The country reported 21,385 new infection cases, including 43 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,569,468, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's count is a d...

On the strength of her recent LPGA victory, South Korean star Ko Jin-young has returned to the top of the women's golf rankings. Ko climbed a spot to No. 1 in the latest rankings announced Monday, reclaiming the place she had last occupied on Oct. 24, 2022. Ko fell to as low as No. 5 in February this year but has since won twice on the LPGA Tour to claw her way back to the top spot. The women'...

South Korea upset France 2-1 to kick off their FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina, a winning start to the tournament that few had envisioned. Captain Lee Seung-won had a goal and an assist in the narrow victory in Group F action at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, western Argentina, on Monday. South Korea are eyeing their third consecutive trip to the knockout stage, after reaching the rou...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with the visiting head of the World Trade Organization on Monday, highlighting the importance of recovering the multilateral trading system, according to Han's office. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala arrived in Seoul on Monday for a three-day stay, marking the first visit to South Korea by the WTO’s top official since 2014. During the dinner meeting, Han...

South Korea’s finance minister said Monday the government will improve the financial status of debt-laden public energy companies by raising rates to an acceptable level next year. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho made the remarks at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee. “It will take time for public energy companies to retrieve accounts receivable and make a turnar...

A 33-year-old father was arrested Monday for allegedly causing a serious brain injury to his 2-month-old baby by violently shaking him. The Incheon District Court issued an arrest warrant for the man on charges of child abuse, citing concerns that he may attempt to flee. He is suspected of injuring his baby son early this month at their home in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul. He admitted...

South Korean stocks ended markedly higher Monday to extend their winning streak to a sixth session as investors were optimistic about a deal on the United States' debt ceiling to avoid a federal default. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 19.29 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,557.08. Trading volume was a bit slim at 583.13 ...

South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup will embark on a four-day trip to Malaysia on Monday for talks on arms industry cooperation and attend a contract signing ceremony for Seoul's export of FA-50 light attack aircraft to the country, his ministry said. During the visit, Lee will meet with his Malaysian counterpart, Mohamad Hasan, and pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to ...

South Korea's finance minister said Monday the country's trade balance could improve after May and he expects a gradual recovery of tax revenue down the road as well. "After May, South Korea's trade deficit will decrease, and we can anticipate a completely different performance in the fourth quarter," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho told lawmakers during a parliamentary session. The remark came ...

By squeezing past last-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Sunday, Ulsan Hyundai FC extended their win streak to six matches, and their lead at the top of the K League 1 tables to 13 points. Martin Adam's 85th-minute goal ended up being the difference in Ulsan's 3-2 win at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul. Ulsan had recorded only two draws and three losses in their fi...

South Korea will send an economic delegation to Estonia, Lithuania and Finland this week to explore ways to boost cooperation on trade and various new industry fields, such as battery, bio and nuclear power generation, with the respective nations, the industry ministry said Monday. The delegation, led by Deputy Trade Minister Jeong Dae-jin, was to visit Estonia on Monday and have talks with rank...

TOKYO -- A team of South Korean experts began its official activities to inspect the planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant Monday, amid lingering concerns about the safety of the water. The Korean delegation is scheduled to hold a meeting later in the day with Japanese officials from the Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the wrecked power pl...

President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to send a wreath of flowers to a memorial service scheduled for this week for late former President Roh Moo-hyun, a presidential official said Monday. The ceremony, marking the 14th year since Roh's death, will be held in the southeastern rural village of Bongha on Tuesday. It is expected to be attended by a large number of politicians. "Senior presidential politic...

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 7,000 on Monday, posting an on-week decline, with the post-pandemic recovery taking hold as the country has almost removed all virus restrictions. The country reported 6,798 new infection cases, including 22 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,548,083, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's tally marks a drop from...