HANGZHOU, China -- The South Korean female epee fencers won the gold medal in the team event at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday, regaining the title after 21 years. Choi In-jeong, Kang Young-mi, Song Se-ra and Lee Hye-in won 36-34 against Hong Kong in the event's final at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China. It is the second Asiad champions title of the day in fencing for South Korea, following gold from the men's team foil. Also, it is the country'

More Sports Sept. 27, 2023

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea won the gold medal in the men's team foil fencing competition at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday, bagging the fourth title in the competition. The team of Heo Jun, Ha Tae-gyu, Lee Kwang-hyun and Im Cheol-woo beat host China 45-38 in the event's final at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China. South Korea won the team event for the second consecutive tournament after the 2018 Indonesia Asiad. The medal is South Korea's fo

More Sports Sept. 27, 2023

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korean swimming hero Hwang Sun-woo sprinted to gold in the men's 200-meter freestyle at the Asian Games in China on Wednesday. Hwang broke his own national record with a time of 1:44.40 to win his second gold medal at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena. He helped South Korea to gold in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay Monday. Hwang's time was also the new Asian Games record. Hwang's teammate, Lee Ho-joon, grabbed bronze at 1:45.56.

More Sports Sept. 27, 2023

Heavy traffic began to build up on major roads and highways across South Korea on Wednesday as people headed to their hometowns to celebrate the extended Chuseok holiday. Chuseok, which falls on Friday this year, is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving during which people get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors' graves. The extended Chuseok break this year gives people six days off until next Tuesday, as an extra one-day temporary holiday and National Fou

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2023

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea's Park Woo-hyeok captured the country's fifth Asian Games gold medal in taekwondo Wednesday. In the final of the men's -80kg competition at Lin'an Sports Culture & Exhibition Centre in Hangzhou, China, Park beat Saleh Elsharabaty of Jordan 2-0. The medal is Kim's first Asian Games title and South Korea's fifth gold medal in the Korean martial art at Hangzhou following two from the poomsae competition and three from the kyorugi co

More Sports Sept. 27, 2023

North Korea has decided to expel Travis King, a US soldier who has been detained after "illegally intruding" into the country by running across the inter-Korean border in July, state media said Wednesday. Pvt. King made an unauthorized crossing of the Military Demarcation Line into the North during a tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas on July 18. "The relevant organ of the DPRK decided to expel Travis King, a soldier of the U.S. Arm

Foreign Affairs Sept. 27, 2023

South Korean stocks finished slightly higher Wednesday following recent sharp losses amid concerns about the Federal Reserve's further interest rate hikes and the US economic outlook. The local currency fell against the US dollar to hit a fresh yearly low. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 2.1 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 2,465.07, ending a four-day losing streak. Trading volume was a bit slim at 354.97 million shares worth 6.26 trillion won ($4.64 billion), with

Market Sept. 27, 2023

Defense Minister nominee Shin Won-sik vowed Wednesday to "firmly punish" North Korea in the event of military provocations and warned the regime will come to an end should it conduct a nuclear attack. Shin, a ruling People Power Party lawmaker who retired as a three-star Army general and is known for his expertise in defense policy and military operations, made the remarks during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. "I will build a powerful defense posture that overw

Defense Sept. 27, 2023

Prosecutors raided the home of former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a cash-for-votes scandal surrounding the party's 2021 leadership election. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent investigators to Song's home in Yongsan Ward in Seoul and the home of a former senior official of the party's policy committee, only known by his family name Kim, to seize evidence. The scandal centers on allegations that Song's c

Politics Sept. 27, 2023

South Korea's business sentiment remained unchanged for October amid sluggish exports of the country's key products, a central bank poll showed Wednesday. Local companies' business sentiment index amounted to 73 for the coming month, unchanged from the previous month, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea. The index measures corporate prospects for business conditions the following month. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists. The central bank said busine

Economy Sept. 27, 2023

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday, tracking an overnight drop on Wall Street, on lingering concerns about further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and the US economic outlook. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 3.01 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,459.96 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US shares ended markedly lower as data pointed to weaker-than-expected consumer confidence, stoking fears over a slowdown in the world's largest economy. Inve

Market Sept. 27, 2023

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday his country is "urgently" required to bolster its self-defense capabilities, claiming the Korean Peninsula faces the "immediate danger of nuclear war breakout." Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Ambassador Kim Song attributed the "current dangerous situation" to South Korea and the United States, lambasting a series of steps that the allies have taken to bolster deterrence against evolvin

North Korea Sept. 27, 2023

South Korea's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday called the apparent strengthening of cooperation between Russia and North Korea "most concerning," while stressing Seoul and Washington will "not sit idly by." Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong made the remarks amid concerns that a recent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might have led to an arms deal feared to help enhance Pyongyang's military capabilities and support

Defense Sept. 27, 2023

South Korea will look to pull off a "three-peat" in fencing and taekwondo at the 19th Asian Games in China on Thursday. In fencing, the men's sabre team of Kim Jung-hwan, Gu Bon-gil, Kim Jun-ho and Oh Sang-uk will be going for the country's third straight gold. The quartet won the 2018 gold medal together, while Kim Jung-hwan and Gu were also on the 2014 gold medal squad. Oh defeated Gu for the individual gold in Hangzhou on Monday night. A team gold would give Gu six career

More Sports Sept. 27, 2023

HANGZHOU -- South Korean fencer Yoon Ji-su captured the gold medal in the women's individual sabre at the 19th Asian Games on Tuesday, bringing the country's second individual title from the piste. Yoon beat Shao Yaqi of China 15-10 in the final of women's individual sabre fencing at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China. She became the second gold medalist in fencing from the South Korean delegation for this year's Asiad, following Oh Sang-uk, who won the

More Sports Sept. 26, 2023