The number of nonwage workers, such as the self-employed, in South Korea inched down 0.4 percent in 2021 from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Thursday. There were 6.61 million unsalaried workers as of August, down 292,000 from the same period in 2018, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number accounts for 23.9 percent of the country's employed people, down 0.6 percentage point over the cited period. It contrasts with a 1.9 percent on-y

SEJONG -- The number of South Koreans outside the labor force edged down 0.6 percent from a year earlier amid signs of an economic recovery, data showed Thursday. The number of non-economically active people, or those who have no willingness to work, came to 16.76 million as of end-August, down 106,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. People outside the labor force accounted for 37.2 percent of all South Koreans aged 15 and older, down 0.4 percentage point from

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. said Thursday it is considering selling a stake in its construction subsidiary Doosan Engineering & Construction Co. to improve its financial health. A local media company reported that Doosan Heavy, the country's largest power equipment maker, is looking at the option of unloading its stake in Doosan Engineering. In a regulatory filing, Doosan Heavy confirmed the report but said, "Nothing has been decided yet." Doosan Heavy has b

The Seoul city government will launch a tumbler rental program this week in collaboration with a group of nearby coffee shops as part of a joint experimental project to drive out disposable cups from cafes, officials said Thursday. Under the "multiuse cup experimental project," set to kick off Saturday, about 20 coffee shops around Seoul City Hall in central Seoul will lend reusable tumblers to customers taking out coffee or other beverages, the city government said. Those tumblers

The vice president of Netflix Inc. said Thursday the global streaming giant is well aware of controversies surrounding costs from increased network traffic due to a surge of viewers in South Korea. The US-based streamer has been under criticism by local internet service providers (ISPs) and regulators for refusing to pay for the use of the network. President Moon Jae-in earlier also said global platforms and content providers should meet their responsibilities. "We fully agree with what P

The top US military commander in South Korea hinted Thursday that the two allies could adjust their plan for a conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). Speaking at a webinar, Gen. Paul LaCamera, the chief of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, touched on the envisioned OPCON transition, saying, "Most plans never survive first contact." Seoul and Washington have been working on the bilaterally agreed-upon transfer -- a process that has been delayed due

The top diplomats of South Korea and Hungary held talks in Hungary to discuss ways to boost cooperation in various areas, with their relationship elevated to a strategic partnership, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong met with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, in Budapest on Wednesday (local time), accompanying President Moon Jae-in on his state visit to the European nation. In their summit, Moon and Hungarian President Janos Ader dec

South Korea shipped 290,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam on Thursday, in addition to its earlier donation of 1.1 million doses last month, Seoul's foreign ministry said. An airplane carrying the vaccine departed from Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, earlier in the day and will arrive in Vietnam on the same day, the ministry said. It is on top of 1.1 million bottles of the AstraZeneca vaccine sent to Vietnam last month to help protect Korean nationals living

North Korea called Thursday for thorough preventive measures against COVID-19 for the winter season. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's Workers' Party, highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant against the pandemic, saying the virus can be transmitted even through falling snow. "In the winter season, it is important to be aware as ever to make thorough anti-virus measures," it said. The newspaper described virus control and prevention steps during the winter as an &qu

South Korea's military reported nine additional COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,059, the defense ministry said. Among the new cases were three Army officers stationed in Damyang, 344 kilometers south of Seoul, who were tested positive following an infection of one of their acquaintances. An Army officer based in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul, was also infected after a virus case was reported at the base. Another Army official based in

A Seoul court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the owner of an asset management firm at the center of an urban development corruption scandal over allegations his firm received business favors in exchange for bribes. Kim Man-bae, owner of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, is facing charges of breach of trust and bribery in connection with a 2015 project to develop the Daejang-dong district in Seongnam, south of Seoul, into apartment complexes. Prosecutors have been looking into suspicio

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,400 for the second consecutive day Thursday as the country relaxed its virus restrictions nationwide in line with its "living with COVID-19" scheme. The country reported 2,482 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 373,120, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. New cases slipped a bit from the previous day's 2,667, which marked the fourth largest ever and the first time since Sept. 30 that daily infe