Loans extended by insurance companies in South Korea decreased sharply in the third quarter from a year earlier amid high interest rates and tightened lending rules, data showed Friday. Insurers' outstanding loans reached 266.9 trillion won ($191.4 billion) as of the end of September, down 6.4 trillion won from a year earlier, according to data from the Financial Supervisory Service. The figure also marks a 0.5 trillion-won decline from three months earlier. The on-year decrease was attri

US President-elect Donald Trump may seek to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "at some point," though the dynamics of their meeting will differ due to Pyongyang's progress in its weapons programs and Russia's backing for the regime, a former Pentagon official said Thursday. Randall Schriver, who served as the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs during Trump's first term, made the remarks amid expectations that Trump could try to

South Korea's An Narin has seized the opening-round lead at the final LPGA tournament of the year in Florida, putting herself in position for her maiden title. An fired a bogey-free round of eight-under 64 at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, on Thursday. After making four birdies on the front nine and four more on the back nine, An holds a one-stroke lead over Angel Yin of the United States. The tournament is only open to the top 60 players in the R

South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo said Friday the government will establish cooperative channels with Mexico in an effort to minimize uncertainties for businesses stemming from expected policy changes by the Donald Trump administration. Cheong made the remarks during a Seoul meeting with companies operating in Mexico, including Kia Corp., Hyundai Mobis Co., and LG Innotek Co., to assess the impact of Trump's return on businesses and the broader economy, according to the Ministry o

South Korean steelmakers on Friday called for establishing a joint consultative body with the government to devise strategies for expected policy changes by the Donald Trump administration, the industry ministry said. Officials from major steelmakers, including Posco and Hyundai Steel, made the call during a meeting with Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun in Seoul, where they discussed potential impacts of new policy measures by the upcoming US government and their responses, according to the Mini

V, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, will release a seasonal duet with Korean ballad singer Park Hyo-shin next week, the group's agency announced Friday. The digital single, "Winter Ahead (with Park Hyo Shin)," will drop at 2 p.m. next Friday, BigHit Music said on the K-pop fan platform Weverse and BTS' official social media accounts. The track is a jazz-pop collaboration inspired by V's wish for his fans to experience a "warm and happy winter," the agency add

The top air force commanders of South Korea, the United States, and Japan have held talks to discuss ways to strengthen their cooperation, such as expanding joint air drills, officials said, the latest in their trilateral security cooperation amid North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. In the video-conferencing talks held Thursday, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su and his US and Japanese counterparts, Gen. David W. Allvin and Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, respectively, vowed to con

North Korea on Friday denounced a resolution recently adopted by a United Nations committee regarding the country's human rights violations as a "politically motivated provocation." A spokesman from North Korea's foreign ministry made the statement in a press release carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency. On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly's Third Committee adopted a resolution calling the human rights situation in North Korea "grave

필자는 토익 첫 시험을 96년 11월에 보았고 940점을 받았다. 고대 영문과 신입생 특별 장학생이 이 정도면 별로 좋은 점수가 아니다. 오늘 단어 정리를 제공한 노서진 양은 올해 생에 처음 보는 시험에서 토익 만점을 받았다. 노서진 양은 토익 시험 보기 한 달 전 기준 매일 한 세트씩 풀어나갔다고 귀뜸해줬다. 충분한 연습과 기본적인 훈련이 없이는 토익 만점이 쉽게 나오지 않는다는 것을 보여준다. 실제 시험에 나온 토익 고급 단어들을 함께 공부해 보자! 1. Probationary period: 수습기간 (ex) The employees have to complete a probationary period. (직원들은 수습 기간을 완료해야 한다.) 2. Trade school 직업학교 (ex) He learned the skills needed to be a mechanic in trade school. (그는 직업 학교에서 정비사가 되기 위해 필요한 기술을 배웠습니다.)

President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Department of Justice on Thursday, hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for the post amid a controversy over his sexual misconduct allegations. Trump issued a statement on the designation of Bondi, who served as a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, after Gaetz withdrew, saying his confirmation process was "unfairly" becoming a "distraction" to Trump's transi

A senior US diplomat said Thursday tariffs are "not the only issue" that will "make or break" trade, as concerns have lingered over President-elect Donald Trump's election-year proposal for sweeping tariffs on US imports that could affect trade with South Korea and other partners. Matt Murray, the US senior official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation at the State Department, made the remarks as he addressed a question about whether the APEC platform can serve as an

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general Thursday amid a controversy over sexual misconduct allegations that clouded the prospects for his confirmation. Gaetz announced the decision to withdraw from consideration for the top Justice Department post, dealing a setback to Trump's ongoing efforts to round out his Cabinet to push for his America First policy agenda. "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confi