Defense Minister Suh Wook expressed appreciation to a visiting former US Forces Korea (USFK) commander for his contributions to the bilateral alliance during a meeting earlier this week, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Suh and Vincent Brooks, who led the USFK from 2016-18, met Monday, as the latter was in Seoul to attend a set of alliance-related events ahead of the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), the annual defense ministerial talks between the two countries slated for Thursday. Suh e

North Korea has seen an increase in heat waves and tropical nights and a decline in cold spells over the past three decades as global warming has driven up temperatures, South Korea's state weather agency said Tuesday. The average annual temperature in North Korea rose by 0.4 degree Celsius to 8.9 C for the 1991-2020 period in comparison with the 1981-2010 period, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The agency used temperature and precipitation data collected from 27 ob

After successfully showcasing eight craft art exhibitions, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art held its official opening ceremony Monday, unveiling special places located inside the museum, including a craft shop that offers a variety of craft works produced by artisans whose works are part of the museum’s collection. Located in Jongno, central Seoul, the country’s first national museum dedicated to Korean craft art opened to the public on July 16 with eight craft exhibitions, quickly be

　South Korea has the highest ratio of household debt to gross domestic product among major economies in the world, a report showed, indicating it could crimp consumption and weigh on the economy down the road. 　The country’s household debt stood at 104.2 percent of its GDP as of end-June this year, the highest among 37 economies, according to the report by the Institute of International Finance. 　Hong Kong came next with 92 percent, followed by Britain with 89.4 percent, the United Stat

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 4,000 for the third straight day Tuesday, but the number of critically ill patients hit a fresh high amid concerns over the global spread of the new virus variant. The country reported 3,032 new COVID-19 cases, including 3,003 local infections, raising the total caseload to 447,230, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country reported the highest daily cases of 4,115 to date on Nov. 24. South Korea added 44 m

North Korea has criticized a new trilateral security partnership among Australia, Britain and the United States as an American "tool for war" that poses "serious threats" to world peace. In a commentary posted on the North's foreign ministry website Monday, the Korea-Asia Association said the international community should be wary of the initiative, called AUKUS, that "brings dark clouds of a nuclear war to the world." "(The concerns) come from the fact that

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as investors attempted to buy oversold stocks amid the potential impact of the omicron coronavirus variant. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 28 points, or 0.96 percent, to 2,937.32 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The new variant has not been detected in South Korea, which has been battling a recent surge of coronavirus cases. Global stock markets rebounded Monday, partly recouping their losses made last Friday amid inv

The US Department of Defense has concluded its review of the global defense posture, calling for cooperation with allies and partner countries to deter North Korean threats and potential Chinese aggression. Following months of analysis, the Pentagon released the results of the 2021 Global Posture Review (GPR) on Monday (US time) at a time when Washington has been striving to reinforce cooperation with friendly nations against an increasingly assertive China and a nuclear-ambitious North Korea.

Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung will retire as the Catholic archbishop of Seoul and apostolic administrator of Pyongyang on Tuesday, after nine years of service in the post. The Archdiocese of Seoul said it will hold a Mass to mark Yeom's retirement at Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul at 10 a.m. with about 600 priests and faithfuls attending. Appointed as the archbishop of Seoul in May 2012, Yeom has since served in the post for about nine years. He will be replaced by Archbishop Peter Chu

South Korea's industrial output fell by the most in 18 months in October as production in the manufacturing sector lost steam amid global supply chain bottlenecks, data showed Tuesday. Industrial output declined 1.9 percent in October from the previous month, a turnaround from a 1.1 percent on-month gain in September, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the largest on-month fall since April 2020, when industrial output fell 2 percent. From a year earlier, industrial

The nonperforming loan rate of banks in South Korea fell to a record low in September due to the expanded provision of credit and debt rollovers for small businesses and merchants, the financial watchdog said Tuesday. The rate of bank loans more than three months overdue in interest or principle payment had stood at 0.51 percent as of end-September, down 0.03 percentage point from three months earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Compared with a year earlier, the rate

Designer Seo Seung-yeon’s wedding dresses become inspiration for K-pop stage outfits