South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday ordered the military to strengthen its readiness posture for an "immediate" response to any North Korean provocation.His remarks came amid growing concerns that the communist regime could conduct its sixth nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile launch to mark the 85th anniversary of its army's creation next Tuesday. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (right) speaks during a meeting with Cabi

Defense April 20, 2017

Online shopping malls are partnering with premium children's brands as sales in the segment are growing faster than for cheaper labels, industry watchers said Thursday.First-quarter sales of brand name children's clothing and accessories increased 43 percent on-year at online mall 11st Street, compared with a 34.7 percent rise for the overall market.(Yonhap)Seven of the top 10 sellers were products priced at over 100,000 won ($87.73), according to officials. The No. 1 seller was a swaddle blanke

Industry April 20, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has joined forces with US retail and entertainment giant Amazon.com Inc. for High Dynamic Range technology to deliver quality video content through its televisions. Under the agreement, the South Korean tech giant plans to provide quality video content through its TVs with Amazon Prime Video, which has clients in some 200 countries.(Yonhap)The HDR technology allows screens to deliver vivid displays by optimizing brightness depending on colors, boasting im

Technology April 20, 2017

South Korea's foreign minister will attend a United Nations Security Council meeting scheduled for next week to discuss North Korea's nuclear threats and efforts to make the North go nuclear-free, a ministry source said Thursday.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will join the UNSC meeting to be held in New York on April 28 that will focus on North Korea's nuclear stalemate and its denuclearization, the source told Yonhap News Agency. South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)The meeting wi

Foreign Affairs April 20, 2017

Prices of eggs are on the rise again recently as imports of chickens were halted from the United States and Spain due to outbreaks of bird flu there, industry sources said Thursday.Prices of chickens and eggs surged to the highest level in recent months in three decades as more than 33 million chickens were culled following the nationwide outbreak of avian influenza late last year.(Yonhap)The prices had fallen briefly with the import of chickens and eggs from the US and Spain, but began moving u

Industry April 20, 2017

South Korea, the United States and Japan united on Wednesday in urging China to stop economic retaliation on Seoul in connection with the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system here.Senior defense officials from the three countries made the call at the Defense Trilateral Talks in Tokyo, which focused on their joint response to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.In a joint press statement, they pointed the finger apparently at Beijing for its thinly veiled economic sanctions

Foreign Affairs April 20, 2017

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it will host an exhibition at a palace in Seoul to promote the country's cultural heritage through high-end organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV sets.Under a joint project with the Cultural Heritage Administration, the consumer electronics giant will host the exhibition at Gyeongbok Palace, the main seat of the rulers of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). It will install 15 OLED TVs and display photos of inaccessible areas of the palace. (Yonhap)The TVs will also

Technology April 20, 2017

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it plans to release the G6 smartphone in 24 European countries starting next week, in line with steps to expand its global sales.Starting next week, South Korea's No. 2 tech giant will start sales of its flagship device in major European countries, including Britain, Germany, France and Italy.  (Yonhap)LG Electronics kicked off sales of the G6 in the North American market earlier this month.The company said it also plans to release the device in major Asian, Lat

Technology April 20, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has finalized the development of second generation 10-nanometer FinFET process technology, claiming the development will help the firm secure more foundry business partners.While the South Korean chipmaker developed the industry's first-generation 10-nanometer FinFET technology, the company said the latest development has improved performance and power efficiency by 10 percent and 15 percent, respectively.(Yonhap)Samsung already adopted the first-generati

Technology April 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- A ranking US senator said the US should launch a preemptive strike on North Korea if that's what it takes to stop Pyongyang from building a missile capable of hitting America, even though such military action would mean war.Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made the argument during an interview with NBC News, saying that war would be bad for South Korea, Japan and other countries in the region, but won't reach the US, while an intercontinental ballistic missile could do. (Yonhap)"It would

North Korea April 20, 2017

Chinese online shoppers' direct purchases from South Korea have not waned despite Beijing's economic retaliations against Seoul, the latest statistics showed Thursday.According to the Beijing office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, South Korean products accounted for 13.6 percent of direct overseas purchases through China's Tmall, the largest platform for such shopping. South Korean products ranked third after Japan's (19.3 percent) and the United States' (18.3 percent).(Yonhap)Ch

Industry April 20, 2017

Losses incurred by South Korean retail chain Lotte Mart from business suspensions in China are being compounded by salary payments to local employees, industry sources said Thursday.Lotte Mart, a highly successful affiliate of Lotte Group, had to temporarily close 74 of its 99 shops in China in February after local authorities suspended them for violating fire safety regulations. Another 13 have shut down voluntarily.(Yonhap)Officials at Lotte Mart's China business say they have fixed the cited

Industry April 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Satellite imagery shows little activity at North Korea's nuclear test site, though one of its tunnels is ready for the communist nation's sixth nuclear test at any time, the monitoring website 38 North said Wednesday.Commercial satellite imagery on April 16 of the Punggye-ri test site showed what may be three volleyball games underway at different locations throughout the facility, but little activity was shown at the North Portal, where test preparations had been under way. (38 No

North Korea April 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- The White House praised China on Wednesday for making efforts to rein in North Korea after Beijing's Foreign Ministry warned the North not to make provocative remarks."I think it's encouraging to see China continue to move forward and join us in this effort to control North Korea," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said at a regular briefing. "I think that the relationship that the president started building with President Xi down in Mar-a-Lago is clearly showing some positiv

Foreign Affairs April 20, 2017

The number of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S8 smartphones registered to mobile carriers in South Korea slowed, industry sources said Thursday, apparently due to a shortage in supply following record-breaking preorders.The distribution of Galaxy S8 smartphones began earlier in the week ahead of the official release slated for Friday.On Tuesday, the first day of its preliminary release, Samsung said around 260,000 units of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones were registered with the count

Technology April 20, 2017