President Moon Jae-in on Friday pleaded with the opposition-led parliament for its approval of his nominee for the new foreign minister, claiming the nominee and her credentials have long been approved and praised by the international community.The president's appeal for Kang Kyung-hwa came two days after the former UN official underwent her parliamentary confirmation hearing. (Yonhap)"However, the discussions at the National Assembly over its publication of a report on the outcome of the confir

Politics June 9, 2017

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped slightly from a week earlier though it still remained at a record high level, a survey showed Friday.In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea, 82 percent of 1,011 adults polled offered a positive evaluation of Moon's management of state affairs. (Yonhap)The tally marked a 2 percentage-point drop from a week earlier.Ten percent out of all respondents said the president was "not doing a good job," up 3 percentage points from the previous week, according

Politics June 9, 2017

What a difference a year can make -- and not in such a positive way for SK Wyverns first baseman Choi Seung-jun.Choi came out of nowhere to win the Player of the Month in the Korea Baseball Organization in June 2016, after belting 11 home runs in 26 games. That included a three-homer game on June 28 against the KT Wiz, and Choi also led the league with a .783 slugging percentage that month. In this file photo taken on July 7, 2016, Choi Seung-jun of the SK Wyverns (R) celebrates a home run again

Baseball June 9, 2017

South Korea on Friday repatriated two of the four North Korean fishermen recently rescued in waters off its east coast as the remainder expressed hope for defection to the South, government officials said.South Korea handed them over on a vessel across the de facto maritime border in the East Sea, according to the Ministry of Unification. (Yonhap)North Korea has yet to show any reaction to the other two North Koreans who were allowed to stay in South Korea as they voiced a willingness for defect

North Korea June 9, 2017

President Moon Jae-in was set to meet with top leaders of the ruling Democratic Party on Friday, officials said, for discussions on ways to overcome the apparent impasse in the opposition-led parliament over his picks for new ministers.The meeting, to be held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, comes as opposition support is needed not only for the appointment of the president's new ministers and other top officials but also for the government's request for a 11.2 trillion-won ($10 billion

Politics June 9, 2017

South Korea's Navy received a new minelayer from a local shipbuilder Friday, as it's trying to beef up its mine warfare capabilities against North Korea.Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the 3,000-ton vessel, named Nampo, was delivered to the Navy in a ceremony held in the firm's shipyard in the southeastern city of Ulsan, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. South Korean Navy's new minelayer Nampo in a photo provided by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DA

Defense June 9, 2017

Former President Park Geun-hye's sister has been indicted on charges of fraud, the prosecution said Friday.Park Geun-ryoung, a younger sibling of the ousted former president, is accused of receiving 100 million won ($89,000) in checks from the head of a social welfare organization in 2014 after promising to secure a supply contract for its products with a public corporation.According to prosecutors, Park had no connections to the relevant person at the public corporation and was not in a positio

Social Affairs June 9, 2017

The South Korean government Friday unveiled a road map to develop robot technologies and utilize them in various industrial sectors, the industry ministry said.The plan was a follow-up of the government-led project to upgrade the country's robotics sector set up in November last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Yonhap)The ministry and state-run research centers, including the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence

Technology June 9, 2017

The combined net profit of 162 investment advisory firms in South Korea plunged 85 percent on year in the 2016 fiscal year, hit by a sharp decline in commission fees and new contracts, data showed Friday. Competition was intensifying among investment advisory firms while new contracts declined during the April 2016-March 2017 period, forcing them to cut commission fees, the Financial Supervisory Service said in a statement.  The investment advisory firms reported a combined net profit of 96

Market June 9, 2017

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday on the back of strong gains in technology firms and steelmakers.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index  advanced 8.65 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2,372.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares kicked off bullish, with Samsung Electronics rising 1.51 percent and SK hynix jumping 1.06 percent. LG Electronics moved up 2.07 percent.Steelmakers also opened higher, with No. 1 Posco increasing 2.04 percent and Hyundai Steel climbing 1.02 p

Market June 9, 2017

Cafe 468, located in a quiet residential area in Euijeongbu, just north of Seoul, has the perks a trendy coffee shop should have -- Instagrammable decor, tasty options using quality beans, pastries and bread, all at affordable prices -- which keep the establishment competitive in South Korea's saturated coffee market.However, this small trendy independent shop needed an extra-something strategy to survive in the coffee shop hierarchy that is dominated by large coffee chains, most noticeably US c

Industry June 9, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has observed the test-firing of a new surface-to-ship cruise missile capable of precisely hitting its enemy's warships, Pyongyang's state media said Friday.The country conducted the first test of the missile, which was unveiled at a military parade in April to mark the 105th birthday of late state founder Kim Il-sung, according to the Korean Central News Agency. (Yonhap)"This new-type cruise rocket is a powerful attack means capable of striking any enemy group of

North Korea June 9, 2017

South Korea's decision to suspend the deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system was a topic when US President Donald Trump held an Oval Office meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, the State Department spokesperson said.At the start of the regular briefing, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that Tillerson met with Mattis for a working breakfast at her department Thursday morning, and the two secretaries later joined Trump at the W

Defense June 9, 2017

The United States should consider concluding a peace treaty with North Korea without preconditions in order to encourage the communist nation to give up its nuclear programs, a former US diplomat and an expert suggested Thursday.James Dobbins, a former assistant secretary of state, and Jeffrey Hornung, a political scientist at the RAND Corp., made the case in a joint op-ed piece in the New York Times, saying it's important to assure the North's leader that he won't end up like Saddam Hussein of

North Korea June 9, 2017

The chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee called for a "quick and thorough review" of any environmental impacts of the US THAAD missile defense system in South Korea so as to complete its deployment to counter North Korean threats.Rep. Ed Royce issued the statement after South Korea suspended the process to fully deploy the system pending an environmental assessment. The decision put on hold the work to install an additional four THAAD launchers that would add to the already install

North Korea June 9, 2017