South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump agreed to remove the limit on the payload of South Korean missiles under the allies' missile guideline in a move to enhance South Korea's own defense capabilities against North Korean provocations, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.The agreement was reached in a telephone conversation between the two leaders held late Monday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump (Yonhap-EPA)"Presiden

South Korea's Navy said Tuesday it has conducted massive live-fire drills in the East Sea in a show of its resolve to retaliate against North Korea's provocations.Among assets mobilized were the 2,500-ton Gangwon frigate, a 1,000-ton patrol ship, 400-ton guided-missile vessels and 130-ton high-speed boats, according to the Navy."The training this time is aimed at improving our military's immediate response posture against the enemy's naval provocation," Capt. Choi Young-chan, commander of the 13

A North Korean delegation left for Russia Monday, the North's state media reported, for a regional economic forum that will also involve a South Korean government delegation headed by President Moon Jae-in.The North Korean delegation, led by Kim Yong-jae, minister of external economic relations, left for Vladivostok for the Third Oriental Economic Forum, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported.(Yonhap)The forum, better known as the Eastern Economic Forum, will be held Wednesday and Thurs

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Monday ramped up its claim of a government attempt to control the media, drawing fire from the ruling party that urged a united front amid North Korea's escalating nuclear threats.Dozens of LKP lawmakers visited the prosecution and Korea Communications Commission to protest a court's recent issuance of a writ to detain MBC CEO Kim Jang-kyom over alleged unfair labor practices, arguing it is a scheme to hold sway over public broadcasters.The conservative

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to hold talks with his Russian counterpart and Germany chancellor later Monday in telephone conversations widely expected to focus on ways to rein in North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile provocations, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said. (Yonhap)Moon will first hold a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at 9:30 p.m. (Seoul time).His call with Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin at 11:30 p.m., according to Cheo

BEIJING -- The top diplomats of South Korea and China discussed North Korea's sixth nuclear test and their countries' response to it during a phone conversation on Monday, the foreign ministry here said.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi consulted mainly on "the circumstantial assessment of the sixth nuclear test and the direction of their future response," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.But the two sides agreed not to disclose the details of their phone co

A local official on Jeju Island said Monday that a US naval ship carried out an underwater survey off the South Korean military base there last month, raising suspicions that it may be part of preparation for the deployment of US strategic assets. "The US Navy vessel Henson was spotted conducting an extensive survey of the sea off the base late into the night from Aug. 17-29," the official at the community center of Gangjeong Village, home to the base, said. The oceanographic survey ship went fa

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., a major shipyard here, said Monday that it has secured a 470 billion won ($420 million) order to build five very large crude carriers.Under the deal with Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., South Korea's top shipping firm, Daewoo Shipbuilding, said it will deliver the vessels by September 2019.Last week, Hyundai Merchant said it plans to spend 470 billion won to buy five new VLCCs and 182 billion won to acquire two container vessels. Seoul-based headquarter

North Korea may fire an intercontinental ballistic missile on a standard trajectory toward the North Pacific around its key anniversary following its sixth nuclear test, South Korea's spy agency said Monday.The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed session that Pyongyang may lob the missile around the anniversary of the regime's foundation slated for Saturday or the establishment of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Oct. 10.North Korea fired ballistic missiles, including t

North Korea's nuclear program will top the agenda of the upcoming summit between South Korea and Russia this week, a Seoul presidential official said Monday. President Moon Jae-in and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to hold talks Wednesday, shortly after Moon's arrival in Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum to be held the following day."Because of North Korea's nuclear test, we expect a large part of the Korea-Russia summit to focus on the conditions created by the No

President Moon Jae-in urged the main opposition party to end its ongoing boycott of the parliament Monday, calling for bipartisan efforts to overcome what he called a grave threat created by North Korea's nuclear test."The security condition is very serious right now, and I believe we urgently need bipartisan measures to deal with such security conditions. Also, the establishment of a consultation body between the government and ruling and opposition parties is urgent for communication and joint

Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Note 8 is expected to come with a price tag of 1.09 million won ($962) here, industry sources said Monday, hovering above that of the device's predecessor.According to the sources, the 64 GB Galaxy Note 8 is expected to come with a factory price of 1.09 million won here, while that of the 256-GB edition is expected to be priced at 1.25 million won. The ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 with a 64GB capacity came with a tag of 989,800 won.Samsung Electronics said it has not

South Korea's defense ministry announced Monday that the US Forces Korea will soon install four more THAAD missile defense launchers at its new southern base.The announcement came as the environment ministry accepted the results of an environmental impact survey of the THAAD system partially operational at the former golf course in Seongju, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul. Two THAAD rocket launchers are in operation there, with four others waiting for deployment. A US military chopper deliver

South Korean stocks sank by more than 1 percent Monday as the escalating geopolitical tension following Pyongyang's nuclear test soured investor sentiment, analysts said. The Korean won sharply fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 28.04 points, or 1.19 percent, to 2,329.65. Trade volume was low at 244 million shares worth 4.32 trillion won ($3.81 billion), with losers far outnumbering gainers at 715 to 124.On Sunday, North Korea claimed it had succes

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Monday that South Korea should offer sincere explanations to China about its decision to host the US THAAD missile defense system that Beijing sees as a threat to its national security.Lee issued the instruction during a meeting with senior aides, saying China has pent-up disappointment with Seoul as the previous administration of former President Park Geun-hye decided to host THAAD, just 10 days after it said it wouldn't do so. Beijing sees the decision as a viol