South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has captured the Diamond League Final title, becoming the first athlete from the country to win the prestigious athletics event. Woo matched his own national record height of 2.35 meters to capture the men's high jump gold medal at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday. Woo also took home $30,000 in prize money. It is the same venue where Woo soared to the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2022. For the field events, only the

More Sports Sept. 17, 2023

Korean actors and K-pop stars have gained unprecedented popularity across the world in recent years for their outstanding talent and performances on screen and stage. At the same time, Korean pop culture fans have also been inspired by such celebrities' appearances, especially their makeup styles, which put the focus on a smooth and bright complexion to appear young and healthy. Those who want to look like the stars search online for Korean beauty products and become eager to mimic their sk

Industry Sept. 17, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on strengthening bilateral military cooperation and exchange, state media reported Sunday. Kim held the talks in Vladivostok on Saturday as he is on a tour of Russia's Far East after holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. They "exchanged their constructive opinions on the practical issues arising in further strengthe

North Korea Sept. 17, 2023

A statue of Korea's first Catholic priest, St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846), was officially unveiled at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican during a Mass on Saturday, the anniversary of his martyrdom. The 3.8 meter-high marble statue was erected at a niche of St. Peter's Basilica, making it the first Asian saint's statue to be installed at the universal headquarters of the Catholic Church. Created by Korean sculptor Han Jin-sub, the statue wears a traditional Korean hat, ca

Social Affairs Sept. 17, 2023

The main opposition Democratic Party said Saturday it has decided to introduce a motion calling for the dismissal of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and take action to open an independent counsel to probe the case of a young Marine's death. "We call for the resignation of the Cabinet and will immediately file a dismissal motion for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo," the DP's floor leader Park Kwang-on read from a resolution during a media briefing after an emergency meeting of party l

Politics Sept. 16, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested South Korea's cooperation in nuclear power, resource development and the defense industry as part of reconstruction efforts of the war-ravaged country, Seoul officials said Saturday. A delegation of government officials and business representatives who visited Kyiv this week to discuss South Korea's potential involvement in reconstruction projects, estimated to be worth around 1,200 trillion won (US$902 billion), returned home Saturd

Economy Sept. 16, 2023

A group of North Korean athletes has reportedly arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou to participate in the upcoming Asian Games. North Korea has registered 191 athletes to attend the Hangzhou Asian Games set to run from next Saturday to Oct. 8, according to the organizer's website. Some 60 North Korean athletes and coaches arrived at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport on Friday evening, Chinese media reported. They first arrived in Dandong, northeastern China, on Friday by b

North Korea Sept. 16, 2023

An ongoing strike by unionized rail workers entered its third day Saturday, forcing passenger trains to operate at just less than 80 percent capacity nationwide. The Korean Railway Workers' Union began its first strike in four years Thursday, demanding improved working conditions and an expansion of the KTX bullet train service to Suseo Station in southern Seoul, which is exclusively used by another high-speed railway service called SRT. The ministry said the national train operation rate w

Social Affairs Sept. 16, 2023

The state audit agency said Saturday it will launch a comprehensive inspection next week into the country's hosting of the World Scout Jamboree last month after the event faced much criticism for poor preparations. The 12-day event, which kicked off Aug. 1, underwent significant challenges, including a heat wave and a powerful typhoon, which forced the relocation of around 40,000 participants from a campsite in Saemangeum, a reclaimed wetland on the southwestern coast, to various parts of t

Social Affairs Sept. 16, 2023

The International Atomic Energy Agency has been in discussions with China over establishing a joint information mechanism over the water discharge from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, similar to the agency's arrangement with South Korea, according to the agency's chief. In light of the water discharge that began late last month, South Korea and the IAEA have established the IAEA-ROK Fukushima Information Mechanism, allowing the agency to share the latest informatio

Foreign Affairs Sept. 16, 2023

The United States will press for further action over North Korea's provocations and other breaches of international law, a senior US official said Friday, after a recent summit between Pyongyang and Moscow deepened concerns about a potential arms deal between them. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks, assessing that North Korea's talks with Russia over its potential supply of weapons for use in the war in Ukraine have continued to "advance." North Korean

North Korea Sept. 16, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and inspected Russia's nuclear-capable bombers, missiles and a warship Saturday after he arrived in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok, Russian media reported. Kim has been touring Russia's Far East after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at the Vostochny space center amid growing concerns over possible military cooperation between the two countries. Russia'

North Korea Sept. 16, 2023

SK hynix Vice Chairman Park Jung-ho said Friday his company stopped doing business with Huawei Technologies Co., following US chip sanctions against China in 2020 and has not supplied semiconductors to the Chinese smartphone maker. Last week, the chipmaker said it opened an internal investigation into how its memory chips ended up in a new smartphone made by Huawei, after Bloomberg News reported that the South Korean chipmaker's DRAM -- LPDDR5 -- and NAND Flash memory are used in the Chin

Industry Sept. 15, 2023

South Korea's economic slowdown appears to be gradually easing on signs of a recovery in exports, the finance ministry said Friday, although volatility in global raw material prices is a threat. "The economic slowdown has seen some relief due to the improving trend in exports, including semiconductors, along with the recovery in consumer sentiment and employment," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a report. The country's exports fell for the 11th consecutive month i

Economy Sept. 15, 2023

South Korea's military has identified the remains of another soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, nearly two decades after their discovery at a former battle site, the defense ministry said Friday. The ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification recovered the remains of Pfc. Park Dong-geun in Pohang, 262 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in 2005. KIA stands for killed in action. The agency identified the remains as his through a DNA analysis using a sample from a family

Defense Sept. 15, 2023