South Korea and the United Nations Command member states were set to hold their first meeting of defense chiefs and representatives Tuesday to evaluate the multinational command's contributions and explore their future roles, the defense ministry said. The UNC was established in July 1950 under a UN mandate to support South Korea against North Korea's aggression and has been overseeing the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean defense minister Shin Won-sik and his US counter

Defense Nov. 14, 2023

The 2023 season in South Korean baseball ended Monday night the way it hadn't for nearly three decades: with the LG Twins as the champions. The Twins defeated the KT Wiz 6-2 in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, claiming the best-of-seven series 4-1 for their first championship since 1994. The drought-busting victory capped a memorable season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which saw the attendance figure surpass the 8 million mark for the first time in fi

Baseball Nov. 14, 2023

The wait is over. The LG Twins are the champions of South Korean baseball for the first time in 29 years. The Twins defeated the KT Wiz 6-2 in Game 5 of the Korean Series on Monday, winning their fourth straight game after dropping the opener of this best-of-seven competition. This is the Twins' first title since 1994 and it ends one of the longest title droughts in the history of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), dating to 1982. The Seoul-based Twins got to celebrate their long-awaite

Baseball Nov. 13, 2023

The ruling People Power Party launched an online filibuster Monday to protest the passage of four controversial bills through the opposition-controlled National Assembly. On Thursday, the Assembly passed revisions to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act and three other bills on broadcasting laws, as PPP lawmakers boycotted the votes in protest. The PPP had planned to use a filibuster to block the passage, but later decided not to proceed in order to not give the DP a chance to pass

Politics Nov. 13, 2023

South Korea's defense chief on Monday hailed the sacrifice made by UN Command UNC troops during the 1950-53 Korean War ahead of the inaugural defense ministerial meeting with the member states of the multinational command tasked with overseeing the conflict's armistice. Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark at a reception for representatives of the member states in southern Seoul, as South Korea seeks to deepen ties with the command's 17 member states through the ministeri

Defense Nov. 13, 2023

Prosecutors indicted the chief investment officer of South Korean platform giant Kakao Corp. on Monday over alleged stock manipulation in a high-profile battle to take over K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment Co. Bae Jae-hyun will stand trial on charges of inflating the price of SM Entertainment shares in violation of the Capital Market Act, with the intent to undermine a tender offer from rival bidder Hybe during the heated takeover battle in February, the Seoul Southern Prosecutors Office said.

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2023

South Korea's point man on North Korea met with the Canadian ambassador to South Korea on Monday and called for the country's support in helping resolve dire human rights conditions in the North, the unification ministry said. Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the request in a meeting with Canadian Ambassador Tamara Mawhinney as he explained South Korea's efforts to address the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China, as well as North Korea's denuclearizati

North Korea Nov. 13, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Piotr Hofmanski, chief of the International Criminal Court, on Monday to discuss ways for South Korea to cooperate with the ICC in promoting the international criminal justice system, Yoon's office said. During the meeting, Yoon stressed that South Korea "strongly supports the rules-based international order of freedom, human rights and the rule of law," and that it will continue to cooperate with the ICC to realize international criminal justice a

Politics Nov. 13, 2023

South Korean stocks finished lower Monday amid concerns of a potential US government shutdown following a cut in Moody's rating outlook for the United States. The local currency fell against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 5.90 points, or 0.24 percent, to close at 2,403.76. Trading volume was slim at 299.3 million shares worth 5.8 trillion won ($4.37 billion). Losers outnumbered gainers 592 to 283. Institutions net purchased 35.5

Market Nov. 13, 2023

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States held annual security talks Monday as the two countries seek to update joint military strategies on North Korea in case the regime attempts to use nuclear weapons. Updating the "tailored deterrence strategy" and improving the credibility of the US "extended deterrence" commitment was one of the key topics as Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held the 55th Security Consultative Meeting in

Defense Nov. 13, 2023

Samsung Electronics Co. accounted for more than 80 percent of South Korean smartphone sales in the third quarter amid contracted demand for high-end gadgets, industry data showed Monday. Some 3.4 million smartphones were sold in the country during the July-September period, down 10 percent from a year ago, according to the data by market research firm Counterpoint Research. Samsung's smartphones dominated the market, capturing 84 percent of total sales, thanks to the popularity of its new f

Industry Nov. 13, 2023

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as the country reported continued improvement in exports, led by the semiconductor industry. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 8.59 points, or 0.36 percent, to 2,418.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The customs office said the country's exports increased 3.2 percent on-year to $18.2 billion in the first 10 days of the month, with outbound shipments of semiconductors gaining 1.3 percent, marking the first increase since Augus

Market Nov. 13, 2023

South Korea's exports rose 3.2 percent on-year in the first 10 days of November on the back of rising demand for semiconductors and vehicles, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $18.24 billion in the Nov. 1-10 period, compared with $17.67 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports also grew 3.2 percent on-year to $2.15 billion during the cited period, it added. Imports added 1.2 percent on-year to $19.98 billion during th

Economy Nov. 13, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell for the first time in three weeks to 34.7 percent, a poll showed Monday. The survey, conducted by the polling agency Realmeter, showed the positive assessment of Yoon's performance went down by 2.1 percentage points from the previous week, while 62.2 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance, up 2 percentage points. Yoon's approval rating had previously risen for two weeks in a row from 32.5 percent to 35.7 percent and 36.

Politics Nov. 13, 2023

North Korea on Monday renewed its calls for dissolving the US-led United Nations Command, claiming that a plan by South Korea and UNC member states to hold the inaugural defense ministerial meeting this week is a "dangerous" scheme to spark a "new war of aggression" against the North. South Korea and 17 member states of the UNC will hold their first meeting of defense chiefs and representatives Tuesday in Seoul to explore the role of the UNC in deterring war on the Korean Pen

North Korea Nov. 13, 2023