The proportion of females in executive positions at the top 100 companies in South Korea reached the 6 percent mark for the first time ever this year, data showed Thursday. According to data of top 100 companies in terms of sales compiled by global headhunter UnicoSearch Inc., 439, or 6 percent, of the total of 7,345 executives were females as of the first half of this year. The executives included executive directors, members of the owner families and unregistered directors, but not outside dir

Social Affairs Nov. 23, 2023

South Korea has been elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for a four-year term through 2027, officials here said Thursday, marking the country's fourth such election as a member of the committee. Seoul regained the membership at the 24th session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage that opened at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Wednesday for a two-day run, according to the Cultural Heritag

Foreign Affairs Nov. 23, 2023

North Korea said Thursday it will immediately restore all military measures halted under a 2018 inter-Korean military accord after South Korea suspended part of the tension reduction deal following the North's launch of a military spy satellite. The North's defense ministry said it will "never be bound" by the military agreement any more, effectively scrapping the deal that calls for a series of tension reduction measures along the heavily armed border, and warned that the South must &

North Korea Nov. 23, 2023

LONDON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that updating the South Korea-Britain free trade agreement will enable the two countries' businesses to lead the global market. Yoon made the remark during a business forum attended by CEOs and business representatives from both countries during his ongoing state visit to London, as the two sides signed a joint declaration announcing the launch of negotiations to revise the FTA, which went into effect in 2021. "Over the course of the neg

Foreign Affairs Nov. 22, 2023

Jurgen Kinsmann, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, said Wednesday he hopes China will release detained South Korean football player Son Jun-ho before Christmas, saying it was his "only one wish" for the holiday. Son, a national team veteran, was detained by Chinese authorities in May and was placed under formal arrest in June. Few details are known about the circumstances of Son's detention, with Chinese officials only saying he is facing bribery

Soccer Nov. 22, 2023

North Korea's military spy satellite appears to have entered into orbit, but more time would be needed to determine if it is operating properly, Seoul's military said Wednesday. The North launched the Malligyong-1 satellite from the country's west coast late Tuesday in its third attempt this year, claiming it has successfully entered into orbit. "After a comprehensive analysis of its flight track data and other signs, the satellite is assessed to have entered into orbit,&qu

North Korea Nov. 22, 2023

Seoul shares closed little changed Wednesday, as the Federal Reserve still warned against high inflation and US AI chip leader Nvidia released lower-than-expected earnings results. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was up 1.28 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 2,511.70. Trade volume was moderate at 433.37 million shares worth 7.66 trillion won ($5.9 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 428 to 421. Institutions and individuals sold

Market Nov. 22, 2023

South Korea, the United States and Japan shared information about North Korea's launch of what it claimed to be a military spy satellite, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. "We immediately detected, tracked and monitored the launch, and shared related information among South Korea, the United States and Japan, and we are comprehensively analyzing detailed specifications," the JCS said in a message to reporters. North Korea said it successfully launched a spac

Defense Nov. 22, 2023

With the South Korean international Hwang Ui-jo under police investigation for alleged illegal filming of a sexual act, national football team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is standing by the player. Hours before South Korea played China in a World Cup qualifying match in Shenzhen on Tuesday night, Seoul police said they had seized Hwang's mobile phone as part of their probe into accusations that he had filmed his ex-girlfriend during sex without her consent. In a statement released by her at

Social Affairs Nov. 22, 2023

Seoul shares opened lower Wednesday as the Federal Reserve still warned against high inflation and US AI chip leader Nvidia released lower-than-expected earnings results. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 13.92 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,496.50 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2 percent to 35,088.29, and the tech-heavy NASDAQ shed 0.6 percent to 14,199.98. There have been expectations that the Fed is at the end of its hik

Market Nov. 22, 2023

North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully placed a spy satellite into orbit and will launch several more satellites "in a short span of time" to secure its reconnaissance capabilities against South Korea. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said that the North launched a reconnaissance satellite called the Malligyong-1 on a new type of Chollima-1 rocket from a launch site in Tongchang-ri on the west coast at 10:42 p.m. Tuesday. The purported success followed two earlier botch

North Korea Nov. 22, 2023

LONDON -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee received a ceremonial welcome from King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they began their state visit to Britain on Tuesday. The ceremony began with Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, arriving at Yoon and Kim's hotel in London to travel with them to Horse Guards Parade, where the official welcome took place amid a 41-gun salute and an inspection of the Guard of Honor. The King and Queen greeted the presid

Foreign Affairs Nov. 22, 2023

South Korea and Britain agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the nuclear energy sector, including the construction of new power plants, the industry ministry said Tuesday. The two countries signed nine memoranda of understanding centered on building a cooperative relationship spanning the entire lifecycle of nuclear power plants, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu met his British counterpart, Claire Coutinho, and agreed to hold technical

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday it is preparing to form a cooperative body with Asian countries next year to help crack down on growing drug-related crimes in the region. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said discussions are still ongoing with five countries, including Thailand, with the aim of launching the body next February. The names of the countries have not been released yet. "Drug-related crimes in South Korea have been on the rise and international drug rings in th

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

LONDON -- South Korea's presidential office suggested Tuesday that a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement could be suspended in the event North Korea goes ahead with its planned space rocket launch. The remark by a senior presidential official came after North Korea reportedly notified Japan of its plan to launch a space rocket between Wednesday and Dec. 1, in what would likely be its third attempt to put a military spy satellite into orbit. "If you read carefully t

North Korea Nov. 21, 2023