With delays in the expansion project of the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the relocation of the bulk of troops from central Seoul and other northern regions due to conclude in 2016 will take another year, the commander of the 8th U.S. Army said Thursday. Under the plan, initially slated to take place in 2008 but delayed until 2012, Camp Humphreys will be home to some 42,000 U.S. forces and their families as they shift in stages, said Lt. Gen. Bernard Champoux, who is also

South Korea’s big three telecom carriers ― SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus ― are expected to see an unprecedented drop in their combined revenue this year amid rapid market saturation. According to market analyst FnGuide, their combined revenue is set to fall to 49.6 trillion won ($42 billion) this year, about 4 percent down from last year’s 51.5 trillion won.  KT would see the largest drop to 21.8 trillion won from 23.4 trillion won, while SK Telecom expects a fall to 17.1 trillion won from 17.8 tr

Celebrity defector urges South Korea to treat North Koreans as fellow citizens, not outcasts

The defection of Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo from the New Politics Alliance for Democracy signaled an irrevocable division of the main opposition camp, with only four months remaining to the general elections.The breakaway of the former cochairman is expected to encourage a number of nonmainstream members to follow suit as early as this week. The new clique is likely to create a new political party, or possibly join hands with already-defected Rep. Chun Jung-bae.“I have reached the conclusion that change

Samsung Electronics said Friday it will hold a global strategy conference with its top executives from regional branches overseas and business unit heads in Korea next week under the theme of “businesses in a low-growth era.” The company’s vice chairman Lee Jae-yong and three chief executives ― Kwon Oh-hyun, Yoon Boo-keun and Shin Jong-kyun ― will join the conference, which is regularly held twice a year.Attention is being paid to whether the top Samsung executives in the conference would discus

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday acquitted LG Electronics’ home appliance and air solutions CEO Jo Seong-jin and his two aides on charges of wrecking washers of rival company Samsung Electronics, citing a lack of evidence.Samsung filed lawsuits earlier this year against Jo and a top executive for damaging its washing machines at the SATURN Berlin Europa-Center and SATURN Berlin Steglitz in Germany during the IFA trade show in September last year. Another public relations executive was

Lotte Duty FreeIf you’ve viewed airports as just places to board and disembark airplanes, you may want to do more from now. International airports are transforming into great places to shop and dine. Visiting the duty-free sections has become one of the most-anticipated parts of traveling to Korea. About 45 million visitors spent about 2.1 trillion won ($1.78 billion) at the Incheon International Airport last year, the highest amount in the world.From the world’s first Louis Vuitton store to glo

Jordan Reinhart, 26, and her fiance from Canada arrived at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport on Tuesday morning, exhausted and ready to head back home after spending their winter vacation in Bali. With a nine-hour layover ahead, the couple had originally planned to step out of the airport to explore Seoul for the day, but decided against the idea because of issues concerning their credit cards.Though initially worried about how they would spend those long hours, staying inside the airp

GAESEONG, North Korea -- The two Koreas held a rare high-level meeting Friday in the North Korean border town of Gaeseong, seeking to mend fences worn by a flare-up in military tensions last summer and a perennial standoff over sanctions, stalled tours and other issues. The South’s delegation, led by Vice Unification Minister Hwang Boo-gi, left for the city that houses a joint factory park early in the morning to join his counterpart Jon Jong-su, a vice director of the North’s Committee for Peac

International passengers wait for their flight at the departure terminal at Ihcheon Airport. Incheon AirportKim Young-chul, 37, an engineer for a shipbuilding company, often visits Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s main gateway, with his family. But he comes here not only for travel, but for family activities as well. “For my two daughters, the airport is a fun and dynamic place packed with people from around the world. When we visit the airport, we often spend a few hours there, whil

Long queues of people, unpleasant hours of waiting for check-in and later sprinting to the gate to clear immigration in time for the flight ― these are common bugbears of using a busy airport.Though bustling with some 134,000 travelers a day, check-in delays are rare on a regular day at South Korea’s award-winning Incheon International Airport, which prides itself on offering users the fastest and most convenient services in the world.The arrivals hall at Incheon International Airport (Incheon I

Competition among Asian air hubs is heating up as countries in the region are scurrying to build new airports, add runways and expand passenger terminals to become the continent’s top gateway to the world.With surging air travel and burgeoning budget carriers, major airports in South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, India and Thailand are increasing capacity to meet demand.“Asian countries are showing a significant growth in air travel, higher than the global average, amid their continued economi