WASHINGTON -- A strong alliance between South Korea and the United States is key to deterring threats posed by China and North Korea, a US defense official said Wednesday. Leonor Tomero, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy, said North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities that are designed to strike the US mainland. "North Korea continues its unlawful production of nuclear weapons and ball

WASHINGTON -- The United States will continue to tackle the North Korean nuclear issue while at the same time pressing for improved human rights conditions, including freedom of religion, in the reclusive state, a senior US official said Wednesday. Daniel Nadel, a senior official from the US Department of State office of international religious freedom, also argued that a push for improved human rights conditions in the North would ensure "better outcomes" by addressing fundamental pr

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, taking a cue from heavy losses on Wall Street that stemmed from quick inflation concerns. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 37.33 points, or 1.18 percent, to 3,124.33 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 2.67 percent as the US consumer prices expanded in April by the most since 2009, increasing investor worries that the US Federal Reserve's tapering may come sooner than e

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday explained the outcome of the recently concluded North Korea policy review to his Russian counterpart, the State Department said, amid a continued silence from North Korea to a US offer to do the same for the country. "The secretary provided the minister an overview of US policy toward the DPRK, and the two committed to continued discussion on issues of mutual concern," the department said of a call between Blinken and Rus

WASHINGTON -- Two lawmakers from South Korea's main opposition People Power Party arrived in the United States on Wednesday for talks on possible US assistance to help relieve South Korea's COVID-19 vaccine shortage. Rep. Park Jin stressed the need to quickly secure vaccines for his country, calling his trip a bipartisan effort. "There is a need to strengthen the South Korea-US alliance and enhance their relations in various areas including vaccine cooperation," he said. "We wil

Park Sam-koo, former chairman of Kumho Asiana Group, was arrested Thursday on charges of masterminding unfair financial transactions among group affiliates that allegedly resulted in huge gains for him and his family. The Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution's request for a warrant to put Park under pre-trial detention after questioning him in the morning and examining all relevant documents presented by prosecutors for hours. The 76-year-old Park resigned as chairman of Kumho

WASHINGTON -- North Korea continues to strictly limit the basic rights of its people, including religious freedom, with up to 200,000 people believed to be held in prison camps because of their beliefs, the US State Department said Wednesday. In its annual report on religious freedom, the State Department also noted the North Korean government continues to actively take part in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom. "Since 2001, the DPRK has been designated as a 'Country of P

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. said Wednesday its first-quarter sales hit a new high, but operating losses widened sharply due to increased costs and investment. Sales stood at $4.21 billion in the January-March period, up 74 percent from a year earlier, Coupang said in a regulatory filing. The figure was the largest top line for the first quarter, the New York-listed company said. Yet Coupang registered an operating loss of $295 million for the last quarter, up a whopping 180 per

Cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines will be a key agenda item during the upcoming summit between the leaders of South Korea and the United States, a senior Seoul official said Wednesday. "One of the main agenda items is vaccine partnership between the two countries," Lee Ho-seung, President Moon Jae-in 's chief of staff for policy, said during a radio interview. Moon and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to hold an in-person summit at the White House on May 21, focused on North Kor

   Samsung Electronics and LG Group decided Wednesday to offer paid leave to workers who receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot following health authorities' recommendation. Samsung's decision came one day after its labor union requested paid time off for COVID-19 vaccinations. Employees who take a day off to get vaccinated will be paid for that day. If an employee shows signs of side effects after the shot, the company will then grant paid leave for two more days. The union had demande

South Korea's leading shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries said Wednesday that it has completed a research and development plant related to liquefied natural gas. The plant set up at its shipyard on Geoje Island, 398 kilometers south of Seoul, will develop and test key technologies needed to transport, store and supply LNG, Samsung Heavy Industries said. The R&D plant will help the shipbuilder widen the technological gap with other rivals in manufacturing LNG carriers and LNG-propelled sh

Two foreign nationals arrested for posting threatening flyers at the French Embassy in Seoul last November were released on Wednesday after receiving suspended sentences from a court. The Seoul Western District Court sentenced the two men -- one from Russia and the other from Kyrgyzstan -- to imprisonments of six months each, suspended for one year, on charges of posting threats against the diplomatic mission. The two, both known to be 26-year-old Muslim believers, were arrested for posting fo

South Korea and Israel on Wednesday signed a free trade agreement (FTA) centered on broadening economic ties, a move that could help Asia's No. 4 economy speed up exports of cars and auto parts. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee officially signed the pact with her Israeli counterpart Amir Peretz during a ceremony in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The two sides struck the deal in 2019, three years after they launched negotiations. "The FTA with Israel will not

South Korean stocks fell over 1 percent for the second straight session Wednesday as foreign investors dumped local shares amid growing worries over inflation. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 47.77 points, or 1.49 percent, to close at 3,161.66 points. Trading volume was high at about 1.4 billion shares worth some 22.2 trillion won ($19.83 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 705 to 178. Foreigners offloaded a net

The education ministry is looking at fully resuming in-person classes in the fall, an official said Wednesday, as online classes have been blamed for widening learning gaps between children. Currently, schools follow the government's COVID-19 guidelines in determining how many students are allowed to learn in-person while the rest study remotely. The proportions range from up to two-thirds capacity to online only, depending on the social distancing level in place. The official, who spoke on th