Seoul's foreign ministry has reiterated that South Korea and the United States are maintaining close consultation, dismissing concerns that Seoul is sidelined from international discussions to resolve North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.  (Yonhap)It also emphasized the US supports Seoul's leading role in paving the foundation of peace on the Korean Peninsula. "Both South Korea and the United States clearly share their common stance about our leading role (to be secured) in paving the way f

A heavy drop in the number of Chinese visitors to South Korea nearly doubled the gap between inbound and outbound travelers, the Korea Tourism Organization said Thursday.The January-June tally this year showed that some 6.75 million foreigners came to South Korea, down 16.7 percent from the same period last year, according to KTO. The number of outbound South Koreans totaled over 12.62 million during the same months. The last time that the gap neared twofold was in 2007. (Yonhap)The imbalance ap

South Korea may announce unilateral sanctions on North Korea after the United Nations Security Council imposes fresh punitive measures over the North's latest long-range missile tests, a government official said Thursday.The South Korean government is reviewing what unilateral sanctions it can impose on the North after Pyongyang launched two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles in July. (Yonhap)"Relevant ministries are reviewing them. Last time, the government unveiled unilateral punitiv

The Moon Jae-in administration will never cease efforts to help stabilize the housing market, a senior official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday, noting the new government has five years to go.The remarks came one day after the government announced a set of measures to curb a recent spike in home prices that it apparently believes may have been partly caused by speculation.(Yonhap)Kim Su-hyun, the top presidential secretary for social affairs, said he was not sure how wel

Just seven years ago, Cho Soo-kyung, a public relations agency worker, hardly had time for herself as her job demanded nearly every moment of her waking hours. A sense of devotion and achievement were her rewards, or at least that's what her company wanted her to believe."Then, I was happy when my clients were happy. There often were many unfair or unreasonable demands that I would have said no to had it not been for my company or my colleagues who had a stake in what I did," the 39-year-old rec

Samsung Electronics Co. beat its archrival US Apple Inc. in smartphone shipments in the North American market for the second quarter, industry data showed Thursday, returning as the No. 1 player.According to the data compiled by industry tracker Strategy Analytics, the South Korean giant took up 33.3 percent of the North American smartphone market over the cited period by shipping 14 million units.Apple, on the other hand, sold 10.1 million units, which translates into a 24 percent market share

LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it plans to adopt what it calls organic light-emitting diode Full Vision display for its new flagship smartphone set to be showcased later this month.The latest display marks an update from the 18:9 ratio Full Vision display that was adopted by the G6 smartphone, which boasted a nearly bezel-less design. This photo released by LG Electronics Inc. on Aug. 3, 2017, shows the bottom part of the presumed LG V30 smartphone. (Yonhap)The South Korean consumer tech gian

Audi, Daimler Trucks and SsangYong Motor Co. will recall over 18,000 vehicles in South Korea for faulty parts, the transport ministry said Thursday.  (Yonhap)This is the latest in a series of recall orders issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to both domestic and foreign carmakers. The carmakers plan to recall nine different models totaling 18,193 units. The models include the Audi Q5 35 TDI Quattro SUV, Daimler Trucks' Actros and SsangYong Motor's Korando Turismo multi-p

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has no plans to meet his North Korean counterpart at a regional gathering in the Philippines later this week, a US official said Wednesday.Tillerson is scheduled to participate in a series of meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila starting Saturday.North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho is also expected to be at the ASEAN Regional Forum, one of few international gatherings the communist country regularly attends

 JECHEON  -- The city of Jecheon, central South Korea, will play host to an international exhibition focused on the Korean medicine and biotech industry in September in a bid to develop the Korean herbal medicine-based biotech industry into a future growth engine, organizers said Thursday. This image, released by the organizing committee of the 2017 World Korean Medicine-Bio Industry Expo on Aug. 3, 2017, shows a structure of the Sept. 22-Oct. 10 fair that the Jecheon municipality will play host

South Korea's current account surplus narrowed in June from a year earlier due to a hike in imports and an increased deficit in the travel balance, central bank data showed Thursday.The country's current account surplus reached $7.01 billion in June, compared with a surplus of $12.09 billion a year earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. (Yonhap)The figure represents a surplus for 64 months in a row. The current account is the biggest measure of cross-border trade.The

LOS ANGELES -- Hyundai's Tucson SUV and Kia's Forte compact car were the bright spots in terms of US sales for the two South Korean automakers last month, in an otherwise disappointing period, industry data showed Wednesday. (Yonhap)The US headquarters of Hyundai Motor reported July sales of 54,063 cars, 27.9 percent less than the same month last year. The firm's sister company Kia Motors sold 56,403 vehicles in the same period, down 5.9 percent.Hyundai's compact crossover SUV Tucson, however, m

Subsidiaries of South Korean retail giant Lotte Group saw their earnings tumble in the second quarter, data showed Thursday, stung by China's retaliation over Seoul's decision to deploy an advanced US missile defense system.In early March, Lotte agreed with the Seoul government to swap its golf course in the southeastern county of Seongju for a land lot near Seoul in order to allow the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery, which China suspects could be used to spy on its m

WASHINGTON -- US nationals will be barred from traveling to North Korea starting Sept. 1 unless they have a special reason, the State Department confirmed Wednesday.In a notice in the Federal Register, the department said all US passports will be declared invalid for travel to, in, or through the North in the absence of special validation."The Department of State has determined that the serious risk to United States nationals of arrest and long-term detention represents imminent danger to the ph

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed new sanctions on North Korea, Russia and Iran into law, insisting that the legislation remains "seriously flawed."Trump signed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act despite his earlier opposition to it in the face of overwhelming support for the bill in both the House of Representatives and Senate.  (Yonhap)"Despite its problems, I am signing this bill for the sake of national unity," the president said in a statement