President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a news conference on Thursday at 10 a.m., as the South Korean leader approaches the halfway point of his five-year term on Nov. 10, watchful of challenges at home and abroad. Yoon's news conference comes at a turbulent time due both to heightened external uncertainties -- as the US begins counting ballots from Wednesday here that will determine its next president as well as control of the US Congress -- as well as scandals here involving him and his wife. T

A surge in cases of scrub typhus at the end of October has prompted the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to advise caution to avoid contact with mites. There were 312 cases of scrub typhus between Oct. 24 and 30, a fivefold increase from 57 two weeks earlier according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The disease is caused by bacteria carried by the larvae of chiggers, also known as harvest mites, which suck fluids from animals including humans. The bacteria can caus

Seoul says it wants to recruit more caregivers from SE Asian countries other than Philippines

South Korean stocks ended lower for the second day Tuesday as investors treaded water ahead of the US presidential election. The local currency sharply lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 12.09 points, or 0.47 percent, to close at 2,576.88. Trade volume was slim at 306.1 million shares worth 7.6 trillion won ($5.5 billion), with winners outpacing losers 514 to 356. Individual investors purchased a net 388.9 billion won worth of local stocks, wh

Harris, Trump embody fundamentally different approaches to Korean Peninsula affairs

Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Tuesday it has signed a design and planning contract with Bulgaria's state energy agency for the new construction of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in the region, in partnership with US-based builder Westinghouse. The signing took place at the Council of Ministers building in Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, attended by key officials including Hyundai E&C President Yoon Young-joon, Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Energy Minister Vladimir

A draft of new sentencing guidelines unveiled on Monday calls for tougher penalties for severe and repeated cases of animal cruelty, a move widely seen as a push to end a long era of leniency in the judicial treatment of such offenses. The guidelines, drafted at a meeting of the Supreme Court’s sentencing commission on Friday, are the top court’s first formal framework for animal abuse crimes, a court spokesperson told local media. The move comes as public concern over animal cruelty

Young Poong, a Korean zinc smelter, has come under fire for environmental violations and an array of industrial accidents occurred at its Seokpo refinery. According to the company, its Seokpo refinery in North Gyeongsang Province was ordered by the Supreme Court to shut down for two months for violating a water conservation law. It is the world's sixth-largest zinc producer, which makes up around 2.4 percent of global production in 2023, according to global energy data provider Wood Mackenz

MANAMA, Bahrain -- South Korea’s cooperation with the Gulf region, including Bahrain, is set to strengthen as the free trade agreement involving the two countries will take effect soon, according to a top Bahraini governmental official. "Last year, we had a trip with a big delegation to Korea. We met with many of the leading companies there,” Bahrain’s Minister of Industry & Commerce Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro told The Korea Herald during an interview held in Manama, Bahr

Gateway Gulf forum explores vast opportunities for foreign investors

South Korean steelmaker Posco Group announced Tuesday that its joint venture, Posco Zhongtai Air Solution, has started construction of a high-purity rare gas plant in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. The joint venture was launched in August between Posco Holdings and China's Zhongtai Cryogenic Technology, which own 75.1 percent and 24.9 percent of the entity, respectively. Zhongtai, which specializes in gas-related facilities, is a Chinese cryogenic equipment company listed on the Shenzhen