The state audit agency on Thursday announced the final results of its inspection into the 2020 death of a South Korean fisheries official at the hands of North Korea, concluding that the then Moon Jae-in government did little to save him and covered up and distorted facts related to the case. The Board of Audit and Inspection reached a conclusion after its yearlong inspection into the preceding Moon government's handling of the killing of the fisheries official, Lee Dae-jun, by the North�

Politics Dec. 7, 2023

The South Korean government will push to pay for part of urea imports when companies need to buy the chemical from nations other than China as part of efforts to prevent a supply shortage and ensure a longer-term stable supply, the industry minister has said. Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu made the remarks during a meeting with reporters Wednesday, as China's recent suspension of customs procedures for urea shipments to South Korea has raised concerns about a supply crisis. "We have enough

Economy Dec. 7, 2023

The leaders of the Group of Seven countries "strongly" condemned North Korea's recent spy satellite launch and its arms transfers to Russia on Wednesday, stressing the moves directly contravene UN Security Council resolutions. The leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan issued a statement on a range of global issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group, after they met virtually. &quo

Foreign Affairs Dec. 7, 2023

A US congresswoman renewed calls Wednesday for support to designate Nov. 22 as "Kimchi Day," named after a Korean traditional side dish, stressing that kimchi has now become a "culinary icon" reflective of South Korea's rising cultural influence. Rep. Young Kim, a Korean American lawmaker, made the call during a House session as she has submitted a resolution on the fermented dish with backing from more than a dozen other lawmakers. "I rise in support of Kimchi Day.

Foreign Affairs Dec. 7, 2023

Five-time South Korean tour winner Lee So-mi will be an LPGA Tour rookie in 2024. Lee finished tied for second at the six-round LPGA Q-Series, the annual qualifying tournament for the top women's competition, at 26-under 404 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday (local time). Those finishing inside the top 45 and ties earned their LPGA cards for 2024, with the players inside the top 20 and ties able to enter most of the tournaments. The rest, fr

Golf Dec. 7, 2023

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Thursday as tech shares took a cue from overnight losses in US heavyweights, like Nvidia and Microsoft. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 8.91 points, or 0.36 percent, to 2,486.47 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, all three major US indexes lost ground despite jobs data that reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve may start cutting its rates early next year. AI chip leader Nvidia sank 2.3 percent, while Microsof

Market Dec. 7, 2023

National security advisors of South Korea, the United States and Japan are expected to discuss a "robust" agenda of regional security issues and trilateral cooperation at their talks in Seoul this week, a White House official said Wednesday. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, made the remarks as South Korea's National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, are set to m

Foreign Affairs Dec. 7, 2023

South Korea has requested the United Arab Emirates correct the faulty posting of North Korea's national flag as that of South Korea on the website of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. On the COP28's official website, an image of the North Korean flag had been put up above the Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea, in a list of 38 countries that participated in the mutual recognition of certification sc

Foreign Affairs Dec. 6, 2023

BTS' V and Blackpink's Jennie, who were rumored to have been dating, recently broke up, music industry sources said Wednesday. The two K-pop stars have been caught up in rumors that they are in a romantic relationship after an online post claimed they spent time together on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju last year. In May, a video posted online also showed what appeared to be V and Jennie seemingly on a date in Paris. Their respective agencies, BigHit Music and YG En

K-pop Dec. 6, 2023

South Korean stocks closed nearly flat Wednesday as major shares ended in mixed territory. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. Swinging between gains and losses, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 1.1 points, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,495.38. Trade volume was slim at 384.3 million shares worth 7.51 trillion won ($5.71 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 499 to 371. Institutions scooped up a net 240.5 billion won worth of shares, while individual a

Market Dec. 6, 2023

US defense giant Boeing is seeking to win more orders from South Korea for its Chinook heavy-lift helicopters amid Seoul's efforts to reinforce readiness against North Korean threats. The company touted the CH-47ER variant for South Korea's plans to acquire new special operations choppers during a tour of its production facility in Mesa, Arizona to a group of reporters from the defense ministry's press corps last Thursday. In April, South Korea's defense authorities endorsed

Defense Dec. 6, 2023

Twitch, a popular U.S.-based live game streaming platform, said Wednesday it plans to shut down its South Korean service in February next year due to high network usage fees in the country. In an announcement posted on its corporate blog, Twitch Interactive Inc. CEO Dan Clancy said the company "made the difficult decision to shut down the Twitch business in Korea on February 27, 2024." Clancy said the cost to operate Twitch in South Korea was "prohibitively expensive" and sai

Economy Dec. 6, 2023

Erick Fedde, the reigning most valuable player award winner in South Korean baseball, has signed with the Chicago White Sox, US media reports claimed. ESPN and other outlets reported Tuesday that Fedde has agreed to a two-year deal worth $15 million with the White Sox. Fedde, 30, won the Korea Baseball Organization regular season MVP award for the NC Dinos this season, after winning the Triple Crown as the league leader with 20 wins, a 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts. The American right-hander becam

Baseball Dec. 6, 2023

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the home of the head of online news outlet Newstapa in connection with its reporting of an alleged fake interview given in 2021 to discredit then opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent prosecutors and investigators to the residence of Newstapa's chief, Kim Yong-jin, in the morning to seize materials related to the coverage of the interview on the eve of last year's presidential election. The ca

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2023

Eileen Gu, a two-time Olympic freestyle skiing champion for China, has been named a global ambassador for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics opening in South Korea next month. The organizers of the Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon Province, on the east coast of the country, announced Wednesday that Gu, 20, will serve as a mentor for young athletes and also use her considerable social media presence to drive up interest in the Jan. 19-Feb. 1 competition. Gu, 20, won gold medals in the women's bi

More Sports Dec. 6, 2023