South Korea's exports extended their double-digit growth to eight straight months in August on record shipments of semiconductors, government data showed Friday.Outbound shipments came to $47.1 billion in the month, up from $40.1 billion tallied a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Korea Customs Service.The country's exports have been on a steady rise since November led by an upturn in oil prices and recovering global trade. August mar

One of the advantages of competing on home soil is having the support of partisan fans in the stands. The biggest of athletes thrive in the most pressure-packed moments, and they are able to feed off the energy of the spectators, rather than wilt under the burden of expectations.South Korean men's football captain Kim Young-gwon, on the other hand, had difficulty playing before a massive crowd Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the World Cup qualifier against Iran. And he had some practical

Having squandered a chance to qualify for the World Cup at home, South Korea now face a near must-win situation on the road next week.South Korea could have clinched their ninth consecutive World Cup berth with a win over Iran on Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. But they settled for a scoreless draw against the 10-man opponents, and their fate will be determined next Tuesday against Uzbekistan in Tashkent. It'll be the final qualifying match for both nations.In the ongoing final Asian qualif

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Friday, taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 5.97 points, or 0.25 percent, to 2,369.16 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics was up 0.60 percent, while SK hynix, a major chipmaker, fell 0.15 percent.Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker, opened flat, while AmorePacific, the country's top cosmetics maker, advanced 0.69 percent.The local currency was trading at 1

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un focused on weapons development during his public activity in July and August without any inspection of economy-related facilities, an analysis on news reports showed Friday.Among his 13 public activities in the cited period, 12 involved Kim inspecting military-related areas, according to Yonhap News Agency's analysis on North Korea's state media reports. Ten of such cases were related to missile development.Tensions between the North and the United States heighten

Refurbished editions of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, named the Galaxy Note FE, were sold out in the Korean market two months after its debut, industry sources said Friday.According to the sources, around 400,000 units of the Galaxy Note FE were sold in the country after the Korean tech giant announced the relaunch of the phablet in July. The Galaxy Note FE utilizes parts from the Galaxy Note 7, whose production was suspended last year on battery safety issues.The price tag for the Galaxy Note FE

A red-colored football fever heated up the country's largest football-only stadium Thursday as more than 60,000 South Korean fans decked out in red national team jerseys packed the venue to see their team's crucial World Cup qualifier against Iran. The Korea Football Association said 63,124 fans were in attendance in South Korea's showdown against Iran in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup that started at 9 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium. This was the ninth largest cro

South Korea blew a chance to qualify for the FIFA World Cup after getting held to an undermanned Iran at home on Thursday.South Korea failed to get past 10-man Iran in their World Cup qualifier at Seoul World Cup Stadium, and their hopes of securing their ninth consecutive trip to football's showpiece event remain up in the air with one match remaining in the final Asian qualifying round.South Korea are still in second place in Group A, thanks to Uzbekistan's 1-0 loss to China also on Thursday.S

South Korea's PyeongChang is "ready to welcome the world" next February when it hosts the Winter Olympic Games, an International Olympic Committee official said Thursday.Gunilla Lindberg, head of the IOC's Coordination Commission on PyeongChang, on Thursday concluded her team's ninth and final visit to PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, before the Winter Games. At her wrap-up press conference, Lindberg said she was "very pleased with the progress" by PyeongChang."This visit has give

An average wedding in South Korea costs nearly 46 million won ($40,000), excluding the price of buying or renting a home, a survey showed Thursday, with more people opting for smaller ceremonies.Of the 45.9 million won total, the proportion spent on essential items like home furnishings accounted for 32 percent or 14.6 million won, followed by spending on presents and the wedding ceremony, according to the survey by the Korea Consumer Agency.  The survey was conducted on 2,000 respondents w

PYEONGCHANG -- The organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Thursday briefed approximately 100 Olympic-related foreign officials on South Korea's measures to combat terrorism.Invited by the committee, the foreign officials from 35 International Olympic Committee member countries, IOC official sponsors and US broadcaster NBC, the rightsholder for broadcasting the Olympics in the United States, took part in the briefing session at an observatory at Alpensia Ski Resort in th

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's once-powerful aunt is receiving medical treatment in seclusion on the outskirts of Pyongyang, multiple sources said Thursday, amid a flurry of rumors over her health and safety.The National Intelligence Service told the parliament's intelligence committee Tuesday that Kim Kyong-hui, the 71-year-old sister of the current leader's late father Kim Jong-il, has stayed low-key away from politics, the sources said, declining to be named.Since December 2013 when her hu

Internet-only bank K-Bank said Thursday it posted a net loss of 40.5 billion won ($35.9 million) in the first-half of this year, hit by a jump in spending as it launched operations in April. K-Bank said it attracted deposits worth 643 billion won and made loans worth 600.3 trillion won as of the end of June. K-Bank, which is led by KT Corp., the nation's biggest fixed-line Internet operator, spent about 90 billion won in setting up infrastructure for its Internet banking system, the lender

South Korea's unification minister on Thursday asked for Russia's cooperation in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue during his meeting with Moscow's top envoy to Seoul, government officials said.Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and Amb. Alexander Timonin discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and ways to bolster bilateral ties, according to Seoul's unification ministry."The minister appealed for Russia's continued cooperation over issues of bringing peace to the peninsula and improv