At No. 26, Im Sung-jae is the top South Korean in the men's world golf rankings. And the two-time PGA Tour winner wants to move even higher in the new year. "I will try to take it step by step and stay inside the top 20," Im said Wednesday in an online interview with South Korean media. He is in Hawaii to prepare for the Sentry Tournament of Champions, which starts Thursday, as the first event of 2022. Im reached a career-high 16th in the rankings in February last year but dropped to

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday called for North Korea to make efforts for dialogue in a more earnest manner, after Pyongyang launched a suspected ballistic missile into the sea in this year's first show of force. "This morning, North Korea test-fired an unidentified short-range projectile," Moon told a groundbreaking ceremony for a railway at an inter-Korean border town. "Because of this, there are concerns that tensions could rise and a stalemate of inter-Korean relations c

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday reiterated his willingness to build an integrated railway network for the peace on the Korean Peninsula during a visit to a groundbreaking ceremony for railroad construction in the Jejin railway project. On the same day, the North fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea. “It could symbolically show our trust and willingness to connect the Donghae Line and Gyeongui Line, which the two Koreas agreed to pursue as a top priority in the Panmunjom De

The chief of South Korean dental implant maker Osstem Implant Co. on Wednesday apologized for its own employee allegedly embezzling a large amount of corporate funds. The employee in charge of managing corporate funds, only identified by his surname Lee, has allegedly embezzled 188 billion won ($157.7 million). Osstem Implant on Friday sued the employee in question on charges of embezzlement. The amount is estimated to be equivalent to 92 percent of Osstem Implant's equity capital of 205 bill

South Korea's exports of farm and fishery products surged more than 15 percent on-year to touch a new record high in 2021, government data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments of agricultural, livestock and fisheries goods came to $11.36 billion last year, up 15.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the agriculture and fisheries ministries. It marks the first time in history that South Korea's exports of those products have exceeded the $10 billion level. Exports of agricultural and liv

Free gifts at hotels likely to disappear this year under regulations on disposable packaging

Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, the world's biggest shipbuilder by sales, said Wednesday it has signed a pact with a US data analytics firm for the big data platform business. At the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, the South Korean shipbuilder signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Palantir Technologies Inc. to establish a big data platform and a joint venture, the company said in a statement. "The partnership will substantially improve the competitiveness of the gro

South Korean rapper Dok2 has appealed a court ruling ordering him to pay an unpaid jewelry bill to a jeweler in Los Angeles, court officials said Wednesday. Last month, the 31-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Lee Joon-kyung, was ordered by the Seoul Southern District Court to give 41.2 million won ($34,740) and interest on his unpaid jewelry bill to the LA jeweler. The jeweler sued Dok2 in September 2020, claiming the rapper had not paid that amount of money when he purchased seven piece

Las Vegas -- Samsung Display unveiled an asymmetrical foldable display for flip smartphones at a private media showcase held at Encore in Las Vegas. During the tour, Samsung officials showcased a prototype flip smartphone where the upper half is shorter than the lower half. When folded, the bottom part of the display is exposed, where basic information such as time and weather showed up. “By exposing the bottom screen, flip smartphones no longer need a secondary screen on the exterior

LAS VEGAS -- Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled a portable beam projector, “the Freestyle,” to overcome the physical constraints of TVs and bring screen experience everywhere. According to the South Korean tech giant, the Freestyle weighs just 830 grams and offers a minimal design that fits in one hand, a perfect option for travelers and campers. “The Freestyle can rotate freely in 180 degrees and support screen size up to 100 inches. It can project a screen anywhere f

The Doosan Bears announced Wednesday they have signed former major league pitcher Robert Stock, pairing the hard-throwing right-hander with the reigning MVP Ariel Miranda in the rotation. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said Stock has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $700,000. He will earn $400,000 in guaranteed salary and $100,000 in signing bonus. He can make an additional $200,000 in incentives. Stock, 32, was a second-round choice by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2009 majo

A drunk 30-something man has swum to safety after his car sank in the Han River near southeastern Seoul, police said Wednesday. The man's car fell into the river near the southeastern district of Jamsil at around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The driver swam out of the sinking vehicle without sustaining major injuries, according to the police. In a following police probe, the man was found to have driven toward the river under the influence of alcohol. The police said he has been booked on charges of drivi

Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea plunged 24 percent in December from a year earlier as chip shortages continued to disrupt vehicle production, an industry association said Wednesday. The number of newly registered foreign vehicles fell to 23,904 units last month from 31,419 units a year ago, the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement. "Chip supply issues continued to weigh on vehicle sales last month despite a variety of new models,

South Korea's housing market has been stabilizing with home prices not just in Seoul but also many other local areas on a downward trend on higher taxes and stricter lending rules, the finance minister said Wednesday. The recent downward trend comes after the government adopted dozens of measures to curb skyrocketing home prices in recent years as more people rushed to take out bank loans to buy homes in anticipation of further price hikes. "The pace of stabilization in the recent home tr