North Korea will lead the United Nations' Conference on Disarmament in a rotational one-month presidency later this year, the world body has said. North Korea is among six countries -- along with China, Colombia, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ecuador -- that will assume this year's chairmanship for four weeks each in alphabetical order. This first session began Monday under China's presidency, with North Korea's turn set for May 30 to June 24. The North's presidency is expect

Retail sales in South Korea rose 11.3 percent on-year in 2021 on the back of strong appetite for consumption and growing online transactions amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the industry ministry said Thursday. The combined sales of local offline retailers climbed 7.5 percent on-year from the previous year, and those of online stores grew 15.7 percent, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Department stores showed stellar performance, with their sal

The mega free trade pact of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will take effect for South Korea next month, the industry ministry said Thursday. In November 2020, South Korea inked the trade deal with 14 other countries -- 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- and the National Assembly ratified the pact in December last year. It will come into force on Feb. 1, 60 days after the government submitte

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's biggest auto parts maker, said Thursday it has invested $4 million in US radar startup Zendar to develop autonomous driving technologies. Through the stake investment, Hyundai Mobis aims to develop imaging radar optimized for Level 4 autonomous driving technology, the company said in a statement. Imaging radar extends existing radar's ability beyond detecting bulky objects to recognizing a vehicle's environment more precisely by processing data from radars on t

Hyundai Motor will develop a marine mobility platform powered by seawater by 2023 to replace small and mid-sized diesel ships polluting the sea. The project has been directly reported to Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Euisun. According to industry sources Thursday, the automaker is developing a 15-20 meter-long yacht powered by the firm’s hydrogen fuel cells. The trimaran yacht has three hulls, each of which is installed with equipment to break seawater into hydrogen. Then, hydrogen fuel

Memorializing Korea’s disappearing mom-and-pop shops gives artist courage to carry on and grow old

The Supreme Court finalized a four-year prison term Thursday for the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk for college admission fraud involving their daughter and other charges, bringing an end to one of South Korea's most divisive scandals in recent years. Chung Kyung-sim, a former professor of Dongyang University, was indicted in 2019 on 15 counts of charges, including forging a presidential citation from her university and getting a false internship certificate to use for her daughter's a

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) proposed Thursday that the two leading presidential candidates hold a one-on-one debate on top of an expanded televised debate. Rep. Sung Il-jong, the party's lead negotiator for arranging TV debates, made the proposal in a press conference at the PPP headquarters, a day after a court stopped the country's three major broadcasters from hosting a one-on-one debate between its candidate Yoon Suk-yeol and ruling Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-m

Taxi sharing, banned in South Korea for the past four decades, will be revived in a new way in Seoul this week thanks to the development of IT technology, the city government said Thursday. The Seoul government said cab ride-sharing services can be offered legally in the capital starting Friday, when a revision of the taxi industry development law approved last July takes effect. The new law allows only voluntary taxi sharing arranged through online transportation platforms, the government sai

24-hour unstaffed instant noodle stores and vending machines excite solo diners

The Seoul government is keeping tabs on North Korea following reports it was hit by a suspected cyber attack the previous day, an official said Thursday. On Wednesday, Reuters said the North's internet appears to have suffered a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, citing cybersecurity researchers. Major North Korean websites, such as its foreign ministry and the Rodong Sinmun sites, appeared to be experiencing partial failure in connections but were operating normally as of Thursday m

South Korea's military on Thursday reported 104 additional COVID-19 cases, including 101 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 4,284. Of the new military cases, 79 are from the Army, 15 from the Air Force, two from the Marine Corps, two from units under the direct control of the ministry, and two from the Combined Forces Command. There were also cases from the Navy, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Defense Me

After record year with chips, Samsung to navigate uncertainties in 2022