South Korea will work toward advancing its relationship with Japan frayed by common history issues, a key presidential official said Wednesday, amid news that Japan canceled agreed-upon talks between the leaders of the two nations during the recent Group of Seven (G-7) summit. According to a Seoul foreign ministry official, Japan canceled a tentative agreement to hold a "pull-aside" meeting between their leaders on the sidelines of the recent G-7 summit held in Cornwall, Britain, taki

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun has visited an autonomous vehicle joint venture in the United States and tested a vehicle under development as the South Korean automaking giant explores new business opportunities in future mobility solutions, the automaker said Wednesday. Chung tested a self-driving Ioniq 5 electric vehicle during his visit to Motional's Boston headquarters and discussed ways to expand the partnership with its senior executives, Hyundai Motor said. The chairman made

Disney's live action film "Cruella" has become the fifth movie to attract over 1 million viewers in South Korea this year, box office data showed Wednesday. The crime comedy flick, released on May 26, drew more than 24,000 people Tuesday, bringing its combined total to over 1.01 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. The movie topped the daily box office for five consecutive days from Friday. Among the movies released here in 2021, "Cruella" is the

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 500 on Wednesday as health authorities ramp up the country's vaccination drive with a quarter of the population receiving one jab. The country reported 545 more virus cases, including 522 local infections, raising the total caseload to 149,191, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is sharply up from 399 on Monday and 374 cases on Tuesday. The country added one more death, raising the death t

Under the leadership of young new leader Lee Jun-seok, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) will set out this week to pick its new team of spokespeople through a rare debate tournament, party officials said Wednesday. The party will conduct a three-week-long public audition to recruit two chief and two other deputy spokespersons, starting with an official notification of the audition Friday, according to the officials. It is part of a series of sensational campaign promises Lee made r

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Wednesday it has partnered with US ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. to supply its electric vehicles in Europe. The strategic partnership is aimed at promoting the adoption of EVs and the expansion of the EV charging infrastructure in major European cities, Kia said in a statement. Kia will provide the Niro and other electrified models to Uber drivers at discounted prices in 20 European countries, the statement said. The partner

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has stressed the importance of a human rights-based approach to new digital technologies, citing privacy concerns and other side effects, during an international human rights meeting, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Choi made the remarks during Tuesday's virtual panel discussion that South Korea, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Morocco, Singapore and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) co-organized ahead of the 47th regular

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday after closing at a record-high level for two consecutive days through the previous session on the back of gains from technology and automobile shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) increased 8.52 points, or 0.26 percent, to 3,267.15 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wednesday, the index reached an intraday-record of 3,269.42. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved down 0.27 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un opened a key Workers' Party meeting to discuss ways to deal with the "current international situation," food shortages, anti-pandemic efforts and other economic issues, state media said Wednesday. The multiday plenary meeting of the party's Central Committee was convened for "taking measures to solve the pending issues urgent for improving the economic work and the people's living and for the discussion of and decision on issues for powerfully and

South Korean and Japanese businesspeople urged their governments Wednesday to issue special entry permits for fully vaccinated entrepreneurs in an effort to promote bilateral economic cooperation. The call was made at a meeting between Japanese Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi and South Korean and Japanese businessmen, which was hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries, the lobby for South Korea's family-controlled conglomerates. Citing bilateral travel restrictions as the biggest hurdle, busine

MADRID -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in received a "golden key" from Spain on Tuesday, as he expressed hope that it would bring big luck to the Korean Peninsula. He also said that he would open the door of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic with the key. The president was given the gift by the mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Mart?nez-Almeida, during a visit to City Hall in accordance with a longtime tradition for a foreign state guest in Spain. The mayor said the key means that the do

Sales of South Korean large firms' Chinese units have tumbled nearly 28 percent over the past four years due to a bilateral row over the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system here and other reasons, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. According to CEO Score, 320 Chinese production units of 113 large corporations posted 103.98 trillion won ($93 billion) in combined sales in 2020, down 27.5 percent from four years earlier. The plunge resulted from the spat between Seoul and Beijing

WASHINGTON -- Strict and continued enforcement of sanctions on North Korea while also seeking to engage with the reclusive state diplomatically are important to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the nominee for US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs said Tuesday. Daniel Kritenbrink also said he would try to find ways to further strengthen sanctions on the North if confirmed. "As I noted at the outset, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to

With a goal in each half, South Korea beat Ghana 2-1 on Tuesday in a crucial men‘s football prep match for the Tokyo Olympics. SC Freiburg midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong opened the scoring for the hosts in the 41st minute at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, with second-half substitute Lee Dong-jun netting the go-ahead goal in the 65th. South Korea won the first game over Ghana 3-1 last Saturday. This was the last match before head coach Kim Hak-bum finalizes his 18-man rost

A former South Korean top prosecutor plans to officially announce his presidential bid later this month, his spokesman said Tuesday. Yoon Seok-youl, who has been a front-runner in opinion polls, will publicly “show the result” of his contemplation later in June or early July, Yoon‘s spokesman Lee Dong-hoon told Yonhap News Agency. Lee said Yoon will decide whether to join the main opposition People Power Party after meeting various officials. In the latest poll conducted by