Hyundai Motor Co. has named Lee Kyung-soo the new chief executive of its American unit, a post that had been vacant for nine months, according to the company's website on Saturday.    Lee, 61, joined Hyundai in 1982 and most recently served as chief executive of Hyundai Translead, a US affiliate of Hyundai Motor that produces dry and refrigerated van trailers and container chassis, Hyundai Motor's US unit said in a statement posted on its website.     Lee Kyung-soo, newly appointed CEO of Hyunda

The ruling Democratic Party called Saturday for bipartisan cooperation in coping with North Korean provocations, as the opposition bloc intensified its offensive against the government's "dovish" policy towards the communist state.The call came shortly after Pyongyang's state media confirmed that it fired off a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile Friday while reaffirming that the North will not back down in the face of international sanctions and pressure.  The North's latest provoca

Stocks of South Korean electric vehicle battery manufacturers have been on a sharp rise for the past few weeks because of hopes that their business may turn around faster than expected on the back of favorable state policies and rising demand for eco-friendly vehicles, industry sources said Saturday.Stocks in top player LG Chem Ltd. have surged more than 40 percent since June, topping 400,000 won ($353) on expectations of rapid growth in the market for medium and large-sized batteries. It closed

South Korea's Kim Woo-jin set a world record in the men's 90-meter recurve archery at a local competition on Friday.Kim, 25, scored 343 points out of a possible 360 in the preliminary round of the 49th National All-Star Archery Tournament at Jinho International Archery Center in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, beating the previous record set by his compatriot Oh Jin-hyek in 2009 by one point. The South Korean event is sanctioned by World Archery, the sport's international governing body, and

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary James Mattis refused to address calls for redeploying US nuclear weapons to South Korea, saying the allies maintain “open discussions” about North Korea‘s growing nuclear threat.South Korea’s conservative parties have doubled down on their push to bring US tactical nuclear weapons back into the country since North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3.“We have a nuclear deterrent and its location is immaterial,” Mattis told reporte

President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will halt operations at aged coal power plants on a regular basis during spring while trying to move up their permanent shutdown in an effort to reduce fine dust pollution.Speaking at a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of a 2007 oil spill in the Yellow Sea, Moon also said that suspension of operations at eight old coal power plants during the month of June reduced the level of particulate matter by 15.4 percent in South Chuncheong Province. President Moo

BEIJING -- China strongly denounced North Korea's latest test of a ballistic missile on Friday, calling it a violation of UN Security Council resolutions."China objects to the North's move to launch missiles by using ballistic technology in violation of UNSC resolutions," China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing.She added that China will "fully" and "strictly" carry out those actions as it remains opposed to the North's missile provocations.She made the

The ruling party on Friday called for a parliamentary probe into alleged attempts by the former conservative governments to control local broadcasters in a tit-for-tat move against its rival's accusations targeting the incumbent government.All of the 121 Democratic Party lawmakers signed a motion requesting the investigation into 37 cases involving the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations that led the country for some nine years since 2008. Among the cases are purported political move

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan vowed Friday to take strong response to North Korea's new ballistic missile test, the foreign ministry said.Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held emergency telephone talks respectively with his American and Japanese counterparts, Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi, to discuss countermeasures to North Korea's missile launch earlier in the day, acco

South Korean stocks closed higher Friday, paring earlier losses fueled by geopolitical concerns, as institutional and individual buyers scooped up large-cap shares, analysts said. The Korean won rose against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 8.41 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 2,386.07. Trade volume was slim at 290 million shares worth 6.1 trillion won ($5.2 billion), with gainers slightly outnumbering losers 406 to 403.The Seoul index hand opened lower af

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon met with the governor of the US state of Wisconsin on Friday and discussed trade and economic cooperation, including the free trade pact between the two countries, Lee's office said.Gov. Scott Walker has been on a four-day visit to South Korea since Wednesday, leading an economic mission of about 20 people that includes government officials and business leaders in the state. It is his first visit to Korea. During the meeting, Lee noted the steady development of co

The chief of staff to President Moon Jae-in apologized Friday after Moon's pick for Cabinet minister gave up his nomination in the wake of criticism over his religious and historical views.The withdrawal of Park Seong-jin, an engineering professor, as nominee for minister in charge of SMEs and startups came after the National Assembly adopted a confirmation hearing report that found him unfit for the job.The report, which came just days after parliament's unprecedented rejection of a Constitutio

South Korea's tourism industry has been hit hard by a diplomatic row with China over the deployment of a US missile shield here that has sent the number of Chinese visitors tumbling, a report said Friday.In mid-March, China banned the sale of group tours to Seoul in retaliation against the installation of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in southeastern South Korea. Seoul and Washington insist it is purely designed to counter North Korea's missile threats, but Beijing argues the sys

The technical director of South Korean football on Friday reaffirmed his stance that the men's national team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be led by current boss Shin Tae-yong, rejecting speculation that former head coach Guus Hiddink might return to his old job. Kim Ho-gon, who leads the Korea Football Association's technical committee, said in a statement that his trust in Shin remains the same and emphasized that the 46-year-old South Korean will coach the national team at the World Cup in

South Korea's top economic policymaker said Friday that the local financial market seems to remain calm despite the latest North Korean missile firing, but the government will take immediate action, if necessary."The market condition looks steady," Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said. "It does not seem likely that there will be sudden fluctuation in the market. But if we experience it, actions will be taken swiftly and resolutely."The North fired a ballistic missile over Japa