The number of people filing petitions to the White House has reached above the 100,000 mark against the decision by South Korea and the United States to set up a new missile defense system in South Korea to counter North Korea's missile threats, a section of the U.S. administration's website said Wednesday.As of the afternoon of the same day, a petition against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system drew a total of 103,335 signatures on We the People, a petitioning sys

Convenience stores and fast food chains have rapidly grown in South Korea in line with a rising number of people who dine or drink alone, while pubs have been on a steady decline, data showed Thursday. Among 1.46 million who owned small retail businesses, 32,096 operated convenience stores as of May, up 11.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the National Tax Service.Industry officials attribute a continuous rise in single-person households to their fast expansion, ci

South Korea's exports expanded more than 16 percent in the first 10 days of the month from a year earlier on the back of increased business days and rising demand for chips and auto parts, customs data showed Thursday.Outbound shipments totaled US$9.7 billion from Aug. 1-10, up 16.4 percent from the same period last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.Exports of semiconductors jumped 18.8 percent on-year and those of automobile components soared 41.3 percent over the cited period.The on

Nearly 4 out of every 10 single female workers here do not plan to have a baby when they get married, partly due to fears of losing their jobs, a survey showed Thursday, offering an explanation for the country's low birthrate.In a survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries, 38.3 percent of unmarried female workers in their 20s and 30s said they had no plans to give birth when they got married.Stock image(123rf)The survey was conducted on 500 married and single females who are curren

South Korea's exports of information and communication technology products fell 6.6 percent in July from a year earlier due largely to decreased shipments of flat displays and mobile phones, government data showed Thursday.ICT exports reached $13.02 billion last month, down from $13.93 billion a year ago, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.It marked the 10th consecutive on-year decline since October last year.Exports of ICT goods accounted for 31.7 perce

Over 3,100 local firms benefited from the government's offshore marketing support program and achieved their first export this year, the trade ministry here said Thursday.Cases of successful overseas inroads were reported at a government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn to examine its support measures announced throughout the year to promote the export sector.The ministry also reported at the meeting that the number of smart factories intended to revamp the manufacturing sector ha

Six incumbent and former executives of the South Korean unit of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis have been indicted on charges of providing illegal kickbacks to doctors, industry sources said Thursday. Earlier this week, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office charged the six, including the former CEO surnamed Moon, for allegedly providing money or other kickbacks known in the industry as rebates to doctors in exchange for prescribing its products.A total of 23 people, including six pu

North Korea on Thursday railed against the U.S. deployment of three B-2 Spirit nuclear-capable bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, saying "a pre-emptive nuclear attack is not a monopoly of the United States."On Tuesday, the U.S. Strategic Command announced Washington has temporarily deployed the bombers to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam from Whiteman Air Force Base in the U.S. state of Missouri."What should not be overlooked is that the massive forward-deployment of nuclear war hardware is u

State prosecutors on Thursday summoned the local chief of German carmaker Volkswagen to question the executive over irregularities committed by the automaker in South Korea. Johannes Thammer appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges of getting involved in fabrication of reports on noise level, fuel efficiency and emissions results to obtain approval from the local authorities. "Fist of all, I want to say that I am sorry for the situation and we will do everything,

South Koreans take free Wi-Fi access available in public places for granted, but it was the most impressive experience for foreigners visiting Asia's tech powerhouse, a survey showed Thursday. According to the poll conducted by Cosmo Jin Travel R&D Institute on 706 foreign travelers between June and July, 55 percent were most surprised by being able to use the free Internet connection in such places as airports, subway lines, restaurants and ancient palaces during their stay here.Over 130 respon

The chief of Lotte Chemical Corp., the chemicals maker of retail giant Lotte, was summoned by prosecutors Thursday to face questioning over a string of irregularities, including alleged tax corruption.Huh Soo-young appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office over allegations of lobbying the local tax authorities and engaging in the company's unlawful suit against the government."I will fully cooperate with the prosecution," he told reporters before entering the prosecutors' of

South Korea's central bank held its policy rate in place for August on Thursday, extending its wait-and-see mode for a second straight month after sending the key rate to a record low level to bolster growth here.In a widely expected move, the monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea voted to keep the key rate at 1.25 percent in August.In June, the central bank made a surprise rate cut, citing a need to support the economy.The country's exports have fallen every single month since the start of

South Korean shares opened lower Thursday, retreating from fresh yearly highs a day earlier, as the market came under pressure over a renewed slump in global oil prices. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 5.42 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,039.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading.The Bank of Korea is set to hold a rate-setting meeting, with many analysts expected the central bank to keep its key interest rate unchanged. Most large caps were in negative territory with market ki