South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 90,000 for the second consecutive day Friday but were sharply up from a week ago, in an upward trend in the curve amid a resurgence in the virus. The country added 85,320 new COVID-19 infections, including 439 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 19,620,517, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's tally is slig...

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, as investors speculated that a second consecutive quarterly contraction in the US economy may prod the US Federal Reserve to take rate hikes that are less aggressive than previously expected. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 17.81 points, or 0.73 percent, to trade at 2,453.08 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks came of...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country's ties with China, "sealed in blood," will further develop for generations to come as he marked the anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, state media said Friday. On Thursday, Kim visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang and paid tribute to the fallen Chinese soldiers that fought in the war, the Korean Central News Agen...

WASHINGTON -- US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera stressed the importance of strengthening the US-South Korea alliance Thursday, one day after the countries marked the 69th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. The four-star US general insisted the alliance provides the "strategic depth" and "legitimacy" to deal with any global challenges...

South Korea's industrial output rose in June from the previous month, but retail sales declined for the fourth straight month as high inflation and rising interest rates weighed on consumption, data showed Friday. Industrial output grew for the second straight month in June as it rose 0.6 percent on-month, following a 0.8 percent increase in May, according to the data from Statistics Korea. Th...

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases fell to a low single-digit figure, according to its state media Friday. The number of people who newly showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day stood at 3, the state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not provide information on w...

WASHINGTON -- The United States remains firmly committed to the defense of South Korea, a state department spokesperson said Thursday, hours after North Korea warned South Korea that it may face "annihilation." Ned Price said the US also remains open to engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang, but that the reclusive regime continues to remain unresponsive to US overtures. "We have a vital interest ...

WASHINGTON -- A senior White House official visited South Korea this week to discuss ways to enhance the countries' cooperation in countering cybercrimes committed by actors such as North Korea, the White House National Security Council (NSC) said Thursday. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor (DNSA) for cyber and emerging technologies, traveled to Seoul from Monday through Wednesday...

The main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday announced that it shortlisted three candidates, including the party's former presidential candidate, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, for its new chairperson. Rep. Park Yong-jin and Rep. Kang Hoon-sik were also shortlisted as candidates seeking to be the DP's new leader, the party said, without disclosing the number of votes they received. Lee told reporters ...

South Korean stocks advanced for a fourth consecutive session Thursday as the chief of the US Federal Reserve has hinted at slowing the pace of its interest rate hikes down the road. The Korean won sharply rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 19.74 points, or 0.82 percent, to close at 2,435.27 points, the highest figure since June 17. Trading...

Retail sales in South Korea rose 9.3 percent on-year in the first half of this year amid eased COVID-19 curbs and the growth in people's outdoor activities, the industry ministry said Thursday. The combined sales of 25 major offline and online retailers reached 82 trillion won ($65.2 billion) in the January-June period, up from 75 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by th...

The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized suspended prison terms handed down to two former presidential officials for destroying the minutes of the 2007 inter-Korean summit to cover up then President Roh Moo-hyun's alleged offer to surrender the de facto western sea border. Upholding a lower court's ruling, the top court sentenced Baek Jong-chun and Cho Myoung-gyon -- national security aides for t...

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft maker, has signed a basic $3 billion deal with Poland to export 48 FA-50 light attack fighters, its officials said Thursday. The largest FA-50 export deal was part of the "framework contracts" that the Polish government inked the previous day to procure 980 K2 battle tanks and 648 K9 howitzers on top of the FA-50s. In addition to the...

S-Oil Corp. said Thursday its second-quarter net profit more than doubled from a year earlier on the back of widened refining margins helped by higher oil prices. Net profit came to 1.01 trillion won ($775.2 million) in the April-June period, up 146.9 percent from 410.7 billion won a year earlier, the Seoul-based subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Aramco said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit ...

K-pop diva IU, the star of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's first Korean-language film "Broker," will return as a singer this fall. She will hold "The Golden Hour" concerts on Sept. 17 and 18 at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, her agency, EDAM Entertainment said Thursday. It marks her first concerts in three years since the "Love, Poem" shows held in four South Korean cities ...