With FC Seoul having gone through a topsy-turvy 2021 season that included a coaching change, new bench boss An Ik-soo decided to give some of his veterans extra rest before the starting of offseason training camp. Conspicuous by their absences at FC Seoul's camp in Namhae, some 500 kilometers south of the capital city, are some of the club's most recognizable names: midfielders Ki Sung-yueng and Go Yohan, and forward Ji Dong-won. "They endured so much more than I did last year, and I want

South Korean stocks opened nearly flat Thursday as investors digest high-flying inflation data in the United States, a factor that could hasten the Federal Reserve's tapering. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged up 1.08 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,973.56 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a muted start as the US consumer price index showed a 7 percent increase in December, the highest on-year jump in almost four decades. Overnight, the t

South Korea's global phenomenon "Squid Game" has earned four nominations, including the top prize of best ensemble, from the US Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. SAG on Wednesday (US time) unveiled its final list of nominations for its 28th edition of the awards ceremony slated for Feb. 27. "Squid Game," a Korean-language Netflix original, is up for outstanding performances by an ensemble cast in a drama series, by a male actor in a leading role, by a female actor in a supp

Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Co., said Thursday it targets a 10 percent on-year increase in sales this year spurred by new models. Genesis aims to sell 220,000 units globally this year, up from 200,000 sold last year, Hyundai Motor President and Chief Executive Chang Jae-hoon told reporters on the sidelines of the G90 sedan's launching event.  "Helped by improved product lineup and increased SUV models, Genesis already made it to the top 10 luxury brands, beating (Hon

South Korea and the United States are considering postponing their combined springtime military exercise, usually held in March, to April due to the March 9 presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple sources said Thursday. The allies have been discussing the possible delay in consideration of the virus' unabated spread and the need to ensure South Korean troops can exercise their voting rights in the election unhindered by the round-the-clock command post training, the sources sa

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Thursday the government plans to spend 6.3 trillion won ($5.3 billion) to support corporate facility investment in vaccine development by 2024. The move is aimed at nurturing the vaccine industry as a key sector at a similar level to the semiconductor industry as South Korea seeks to foster new industries to secure engines of growth, according to the finance minister. Hong said the government will continue to support the development of homegrown COVID-19 vacci

The United States said Wednesday that it is designating six North Korean individuals related to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs. The Department of Treasury said it is designating five North Korean individuals -- one based in Russia and four in China -- for illegally procuring materials for the North's WMD and ballistic missile programs. The Department of State also designated an additional North Korean individual based in Russia for a similar reas

South Korea's import prices fell for the second straight month in December from a month earlier as the costs of importing oil and other raw materials declined, central bank data showed Thursday. The import price index dropped 1.9 percent last month from November, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. This marked the second on-month decline following a 1 percent contraction in November. The December decline is attributed to lower costs of purchasing energy-related products

BMW, Mercedes-Benz and two other companies will voluntarily recall more than 4,200 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Thursday. This is the latest in a series of recalls by carmakers operating in South Korea due to problems with vehicle components. The four companies, including Audi-Volkswagen Korea and Porsche Korea, are recalling a combined 4,247 units of 12 different models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The problems i

Kelly Ernby was no doubt a good person, a friend to her friends, a companion to her husband, a crime-fighting prosecutor. She presumably had all the decent qualities we usually celebrate after a person dies, when we generally say only the kindest things we can think of. But she was also a vocal critic of vaccine mandates whose posts on social media risked lives, denied science and confused Americans. She was an activist with a mini-megaphone -- an Orange County deputy district attorney, a local

South Korean defense authorities suffered a serious loss of face at the beginning of the year when a young man crossed the high fences on the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone to escape to North Korea a little more than a year after he made a similar adventure in a reverse direction. The incident tarnished the finale of President Moon Jae-in’s five-year epic of inter-Korean reconciliation. The Defense Ministry identified him as a Mr. X who had “defected” to the South from th