President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will not adopt a gender or regional quota for his presidential transition committee or his Cabinet when he begins his presidency. A key official on Yoon’s team has said that his personnel will be based on their talent and ability, Yonhap reported Sunday. “To serve the public, you need to look at their talent, not their story,” the official was quoted as saying by the news agency. The move is a departure from a gender quota during the Moon Jae-i

(Bloomberg) -- When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, companies rushed behind the Iron Curtain to plant their flag in Russian soil. Icons of capitalism, from Apple Inc. to McDonald’s Corp. to Adidas AG, went on to build profitable businesses in the ensuing years as consumers clamored for a slice of Western lifestyle. In just a few short days, those longstanding ties have unraveled. After Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, a mass corporate exodus set in, starting wi

South Korea's trade minister and some lawmakers will visit the United States this week to mark the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the two nations' free trade agreement, the trade ministry said Sunday. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and a parliamentary delegation led by Rep. Lee Hack-young, chief of the parliamentary committee on trade and industry, will visit the US between Monday and Friday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. They plan to attend an event to celebrat

The foreign ministry renewed its COVID-19 special advisory against all overseas travel for another month Sunday in what is expected to be the last extension of the advisory that was first issued two years ago. In the advisory effective until April 13, the ministry warned against travelling to all countries and regions due to the global spread of the omicron variant while asking those overseas to take measures to prevent exposure to the virus. The advisory was first issued in March 2020 and has b

A North Korean propaganda machine slammed South Korea on Sunday for denouncing what Pyongyang claims were recent satellite launch tests as efforts to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile, arguing it is a double standard to take issue with space projects that all countries are entitled to undertake. South Korea and the United States have recently announced their assessment that Pyongyang's purported satellite tests on Feb. 27 and March 5 were part of efforts to develop a new ICBM syst

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stayed above 350,000 for the second straight day Sunday as the country is grappling with the fast spread of the omicron variant. The country reported 350,190 new COVID-19 infections, including 350,157 local cases, raising the total caseload to 6,556,453, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally fell from an all-time high of 383,664 on Saturday due largely to less testing on the weekend. The omicron variant is spreading a

ULJIN -- The main fire of massive wildfires in the eastern coastal areas has been put out after more than 213 hours since the blaze started more than eight days ago, the Korea Forest Service said Sunday. Choi Byeong-am, head of the Korea Forest Service (KFS), said although the main fire has been extinguished, firefighters are still working to put out the remaining fires. The blaze started in the east coastal town of Uljin on March 4, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and became the coun

　 North Korea appears to have begun to dismantle some of the South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort, a report has said. 　Citing satellite images taken from March 5-9 by Planet Labs, the Voice of America said Friday (U.S. time) that the roof of the Haegumgang Hotel had become darker in the photos. The images also showed that heavy machinery was located in front of the floating hotel. 　The previous day, the South Korean government said it had detected similar moves at the

The US will continue to call out “bad behavior” from North Korea, a Pentagon spokesperson said Friday, amid speculation that the recalcitrant state may be preparing for a nuclear or an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test. 　“We made these revelations public, we announced some of the additional ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and enhanced readiness we were taking because we believe it’s important to call out the behavior that we‘

South Korea‘s daily coronavirus cases hit another record high of over 380,000 on Saturday amid the omicron surge, with the death toll surpassing 10,000. 　The country reported 383,665 new COVID-19 infections, including 　383,590 local cases, raising the total caseload to 6,206,277, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). 　It marks the largest-ever daily count, surpassing the previous daily high of 342,446 cases tallied Wednesday. 　 Total cases also reached

The US imposed sanctions on five Russian entities, including two Russian nationals, for aiding North Korea‘s ballistic missile programs Friday. 　“The DPRK continues to launch ballistic missiles in blatant violation of international law, posing a grave threat to global security,” Brian Nelson, under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, was quoted as saying, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of

North Korean state media on Friday reported on conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s win as South Korea’s new president, marking the regime’s first coverage of the election result.  In a brief report, the North’s Korean Central News Agency said, “Yoon Suk-yeol, a candidate of the conservative opposition ‘People Power Party,’ won by a narrow margin in the 20th ‘presidential election’ held in South Korea on March 9.” The Rodong Sin

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday vowed to strengthen ties with the United States during his term, highlighting the need to expand cooperation between the two countries based on their alliance. In a meeting with Christopher Del Corso, charge d’affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Seoul, Yoon said South Korea and the US will have to adjust its relationship to reflect that the countries are “sworn by blood” to help each other. He emphasized that the US is South Korea&

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s strategy of practically alienating the female population in pursuit of male voters nearly cost him the election, and local women’s groups are urging him to be aware of this before carrying out his “anti-feminist” pledges. On the coattails of Wednesday’s presidential election, the Korea Women’s Associations United released a statement criticizing Yoon’s campaign, in which he escaped with Korea’s smallest-ever margin

South Korea and the US on Friday confirmed that North Korea’s two recent missile launches were to test for a new intercontinental ballistic missile system, as Washington plans to announce fresh sanctions against the regime for its weapons program.  The authorities concluded that the regime’s ballistic missile tests on Feb. 27 and March 5 -- which Pyongyang claimed were for a reconnaissance satellite -- “involved a new intercontinental ballistic missile system” that