The number of Japanese visitors to South Korea may decrease in the wake of North Korea's latest nuclear test, industry sources said Wednesday.Japanese tourists to Seoul have tended to slip whenever tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalate due to Pyongyang's atomic tests or other geopolitical risks. The isolated North carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, drawing strong condemnation from the international community.According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number

LG Electronics Inc. on Wednesday said it kicked off full-fledged marketing in South Korea for its new flagship, the LG V30, ahead of its release slated for later this month.The South Korean tech giant said it displayed the LG V30 at 3,000 retail shops throughout the country, along with 13 exclusive pop-up shops at five major cities, including Seoul, Busan and Daegu.Showcased last month, the LG V30 features the V series' first organic light-emitting diode display and top-notch camera. (Yonhap)The

Hancom Inc., a South Korean software developer, said Wednesday that Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Note 8 smartphones to be sold in the United States will adopt its document-editing program.The company said the app, named Hancom Office S, will be installed on Samsung's latest phablet. The program allows users to edit not only PDF files but also those made in MS Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint. (Yonhap)The company also provided the Hancom Office S application for the Galaxy S8 smartphones rel

The chief of South Korea's corporate watchdog pledged Wednesday to carry out sweeping reforms of the local distribution and retail industry to root out unfair business practices and strengthen consumer protection.Fair Trade Commission Chairman Kim Sang-jo made the comment at a meeting in Seoul with business leaders representing the Korea Chainstore Association, the Korea Online Shopping Association and the Korea TV Home Shopping Association.Last month, the FTC unveiled a plan to impose punitive

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived here Wednesday on a two-day visit for a regional economic forum that will also include a series of summit meetings with Russian and Japanese leaders.Moon's itinerary will begin with a bilateral summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, according to the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.It will be followed by an expanded summit and luncheon involving some 15 other top government officials from each side.Moon

DAEJEON -- Asia-Pacific mayors, scholars and business leaders will get together in the South Korean city of Daejeon next week to discuss solutions for urban innovation and sustainable development. The 2017 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors' Forum will be held at the Daejeon Convention Center in the city, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, for a four-day run beginning Sunday. More than 1,500 participants, including some 100 mayors, will attend the meeting co-hosted by Daejeon and Australia's Bris

TASHKENT -- Although he failed to score, South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan on Tuesday solidified his reputation as one of the hottest attacking prospects and helped his country to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.Hwang, who plays with Austrian side FC Red Bull Salzburg, played full time as the lone striker in South Korea's 4-2-3-1 system in the national team's showdown against Uzbekistan at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent. This was their last match in the final Asian qualifying round for the

WASHINGTON -- A group of bipartisan US lawmakers on Tuesday voiced opposition to President Donald Trump's plans to weigh a possible withdrawal from the US free trade agreement with South Korea.In a statement, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), ranking member Richard Neal (D-MA), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-OR) highlighted the importance of the bilateral deal in the wake of North Korea's latest nuclear test. Py

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as North Korea's sixth nuke test continued to weigh down on investor sentiment.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 4.19 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,322.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Steelmakers got off to a weak start, with No. 1 player POSCO falling 1.61 percent and second-largest Hyundai Steel losing 1.05 percent. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor decreased 0.72 percent, and its sister Kia Motors moved down 1.32 percent. Auto

South Korea's nuclear safety agency said Wednesday it has detected no traces of radioactive materials, including xenon gas, following North Korea's latest nuclear test. Defying international warnings, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test Sunday, claiming it was a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto a long-range missile. In a statement, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it has not found any traces of radionuclides, such as xenon, in its tests of soil, wat

WASHINGTON -- The United States is focused on denuclearizing North Korea through aggressive diplomatic and economic measures that do not currently include dialogue, the White House said Tuesday.North Korea carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, claiming it was a successful detonation of an H-bomb that can be mounted on a long-range missile.Pyongyang has warned of more "gift packages" for the US as Washington moves to slap further sanctions on the regime through the UN Se

South Korea's credit finance firms saw their combined net profit fall 7.3 percent on-year for the first half of this year, hit by a rise in loan-loss provisions, data showed Wednesday. The combined net income of 78 credit finance companies was 890.1 billion won ($786.9 million) for the January-June period, compared with 959.7 billion won a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service. The companies include capital financing firms and leasing companies, but e

WASHINGTON -- South Korea cannot accept war as an option to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat, a senior Seoul diplomat said Tuesday in the wake of Pyongyang's sixth and most powerful atomic test.Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reminded a forum here that Washington has repeatedly put "all options" on the table over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.But war cannot be an option, he said."I understand the need to stress that all options are on the table," Cho told th

Families of South Korean conglomerates' heads are on the fast track as they usually get promoted to the executive level in about four years after entering the company, a corporate tracker said Wednesday.Announcing a survey on 185 members of families controlling the 77 leading business groups, CEO Score said it took an average of 4.2 years for them to get promoted to executive-level positions after admission. In contrast, it took an average of 21.7 years for ordinary employees to rise to an execu

Defense policymakers and security experts from around the world gathered in Seoul on Wednesday for an annual forum, hosted by South Korea's defense ministry, amid growing concerns about North Korea's brinkmanship.The sixth Seoul Defense Dialogue brings together more than 500 participants from 38 countries, including dozens of vice ministerial officials.With the theme "Visions for Security Cooperation in an Age of Uncertainty," this year's SDD comes days after the North pressed ahead with a nucle