South Korea's exports of fisheries products fell more than 10 percent on-year during the first seven months of 2023, data showed Sunday. Outbound shipments of marine products came to $1.75 billion in the January-July period, down 11.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT). Global sales of major fisheries goods suffered a decline, with exports of tuna skidding 21.1 percent to $322 million and those of pollack sinking 82.8 p

Economy Aug. 27, 2023

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays has won his third straight start while also helping snap the club's three-game losing streak. Ryu held the Cleveland Guardians to three runs -- two earned -- on four hits in five innings, as the Blue Jays prevailed 8-3 at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday. Two of those hits were solo home runs. Ryu, who struck out five and didn't walk any, improved to 3-1 for the year, while his ERA went up slightly from 1.89 to 2.25. The South Korean left-hande

Baseball Aug. 27, 2023

SEONGNAM -- Four men were found dead Saturday at a bed and breakfast facility in Bundang, south of Seoul, sending police to investigate the cause of the deaths. Police received a report from the operator of the lodging service around noon that "four men were left dead in the same room." The four in their 30s and 40s reportedly arrived at the lodging establishment the previous evening. Police said no signs of foul play have been found in connection with the deaths so far, adding an inve

Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2023

BEIJING -- Another flight operated by Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, arrived in Beijing on Saturday, marking the resumption of regular passenger flights connecting the two countries after they were halted for more than three years due to the pandemic. China recently announced its approval of Koryo Air's schedule between the two countries' capitals, offering three flights per week, in a sign the border has reopened after international flights from and to the North were

North Korea Aug. 26, 2023

Police on Saturday released 16 university students who were arrested for attempting to enter the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul in protest of Japan's discharge of radioactive water into the ocean. On Thursday, the students attempted to enter the Japanese Embassy, while chanting slogans against the discharge of the radioactive water. The police detained them at four police stations on charges of trespassing and violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act. Police said they will decide w

Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2023

BTS member Jungkook's debut solo single, "Seven," became the third most-streamed song of the summer on the global streaming platform Spotify, his agency said Saturday. "Seven" was ranked only behind "Ella Baila Sola" by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma at No. 1 and Bad Bunny's "Where She Goes" on Spotify's "most-streamed songs of the summer" list, BigHit Music said. Jungkook achieved the feat in only about 40 days following the releas

K-pop Aug. 26, 2023

WASHINGTON -- The United States' envoy to the United Nations called on the UN Security Council to condemn North Korea's recent failed satellite launch on Friday, while insisting that China and Russia's refusal to hold North Korea accountable for its actions is encouraging the recalcitrant country to continue making provocations. The US envoy. Thomas Linda-Greenfield, said China and Russia's refusal to condemn North Korean provocations is "troubling." "I urge ev

North Korea Aug. 26, 2023

Kim Suk-won, former chairman of the now-defunct Ssangyong Group, has died of old age, his aides said Saturday. He was 78. Kim took over the midsized business group, which started as a cement-making company in 1975. The business group went on to aggressively expand into the construction, financial and automaking sectors. In 1986, Ssangyong Group took over a local automaker that focused on producing SUVs. But Kim's empire crashed in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and he was

Industry Aug. 26, 2023

HWASEONG -- One worker died Friday in a fire at waste oil recycling facility in Hwaseong, a satellite city of Seoul. The blaze broke out at the company, named TopEco, in the city, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, at 11:12 a.m. The 55-year-old employee of the company's subcontractor was found dead at the scene at 2:35 p.m. The fire reportedly started with an explosion at a storage tank at the company, which produces renewable fuel oil from waste oil. Eleven people were reportedly working near

Social Affairs Aug. 25, 2023

VLADIVOSTOK -- A flight operated by Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, arrived in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok on Friday, a Russian news agency reported, marking the resumption of a commercial flight connecting the two countries after more than three years of COVID-19 restrictions. The flight, which departed from Pyongyang, arrived at Vladivostok International Airport at 11:14 a.m., Russian news agency RIA Novosti said. According to sources, the plane did not carr

North Korea Aug. 25, 2023

Seoul shares ended lower Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as investors await the US Federal Reserve chief's speech for any clues of its rate policy. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 18.54 points, or 0.73 percent, to close at 2,519.14. Trading volume was moderate at 569.76 million shares worth 8.19 trillion won ($6.2 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 488 to 367. Institutions and foreigners sold a combined 369 b

Market Aug. 25, 2023

Japan's release of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has been carried out stably and as planned, with no abnormalities detected so far, a South Korean official said Friday. Tokyo initiated the discharge of contaminated water a day earlier, a process expected to span more than three decades, despite lingering health and environmental concerns from neighboring countries. "So far, the discharge is proceeding stably as originally planned, and it is understo

Politics Aug. 25, 2023

The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party on Friday denounced Japan's release of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant as an act of crime against humanity, even labeling President Yoon Suk Yeol as an accomplice. Rep. Lee Jae-myung made the remarks as Tokyo initiated the discharge of contaminated water a day earlier, a process expected to span more than three decades, despite lingering health and environmental concerns from neighboring countries. "J

Politics Aug. 25, 2023

Various cultural events will be held throughout this year to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and India, including K-pop concerts, a seminar on Korean culture and exhibitions, the culture ministry said Friday. Since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973, they have developed friendly relations in the cultural field through various milestones, such as signing a cultural agreement in 1974, opening the first Korean Cultural Center in Southeast Asi

Culture Aug. 25, 2023

In the past, fencers used to look down on their South Korean foe Song Se-ra, not only figuratively but literally as well. Song is listed at 164 centimeters, tiny by fencing standards. Song, world No. 5 in women's epee, gives 21 cm to the top-ranked Marie-Florence Candassamy of France. Song is the shortest one among the top-10 female epee fencers in the world today. However, at the 2022 World Fencing Championships in Cairo, no one stood taller than Song. She won gold medals in both the indiv

More Sports Aug. 25, 2023