The leaders of the major parties put forward different economic formulas during their talks with a business lobby chief on Wednesday, with one stressing corporate responsibility and the other deregulation.Choo Mi-ae and Hong Joon-pyo, the chiefs of the ruling Democratic Party and main opposition Liberty Korea Party, separately met with Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Park Yong-maan, who visited to urge support for a set of economic revitalization bills.Noting a series of economi

South Korea will expand free range livestock husbandry in raising chickens as a way to improve food safety following the recent pesticide egg scandal that rocked the nation, the agriculture ministry said Wednesday.At the policy briefing held before President Moon Jae-in in Sejong, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it will introduce mandatory "pasture-raised" poultry farms from 2018 to improve the hygiene and safety of birds being raised.It will give financial incentives to

President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of variety in public education Wednesday, while calling for government efforts to reduce financial burdens on students and their parents."What I especially want to stress to the education ministry is that there must never be standardized education that undermines variety," he said while meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for a policy briefing."The fourth industrial revolution requires

PAJU -- South Korea football coach Shin Tae-yong said Wednesday his side will prevail against Iran in the upcoming World Cup qualifier since their opponents will not have much information on the new national team after a coaching change. South Korea, ranked No. 49 in the world, will face No. 24 Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul 9 p.m. Thursday. Both teams are in Group A in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Shin, who took over the helm last month after Uli Stiel

South Korean stocks finished higher on Wednesday, recovering from a market rout caused by North Korea's latest missile launch a day earlier. The Korean won rose against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 7.55 points, or 0.32 percent, to close at 2,372.29.Trade volume was light at 302 million shares worth 4.51 trillion won ($4.01 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 441 to 346.The local stock market opened higher as market sentiment was boosted by overnight g

The South Korean government will reduce the debt ratio of public corporations to 152 percent by 2021 as part of its efforts to improve the balance sheets of state-funded agencies, the finance ministry said Wednesday.Under a long-term financial management plan, 38 public firms, including the Korea Electric Power Corp. and the Korea Land & Housing Corp., are required to maintain their debt-to-total asset ratio at an average of 152 percent from 178 percent in 2016 in the next five years, accord

GUNSAN -- Hundreds of Korean female leaders in various fields at home and abroad gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss women's empowerment and changing roles in an age marked by disruptive technological transformation. The 17th annual Korean Women's International Network, organized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, opened at the Gunsan Convention Center in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. More than 600 women leaders from 32 countries who are cre

Global rating agency Moody's Investors Service said Wednesday that it has revised up South Korea's growth forecast for this year on the back of strong investment growth.Moody's adjusted South Korea's gross domestic product growth to 2.8 percent for 2017, up from its previous estimate of 2.5 percent."Overall growth is supported by strong investment growth," Moody's said in a global macroeconomic outlook. It said South Korea's export momentum is showing signs of a slowdown, but it remain

South Korea's health insurance outlays rose to 33.9 trillion won ($30.1 billion) during the first half of this year, a report showed Wednesday, partly on the back of more senior citizens requiring medical attention.According to the report by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service and the National Health Insurance Corp., the total amount to cover medical examinations, hospitalizations and drug purchases rose 9.2 percent on-year from January through June.The report showed that the mone

POHANG -- Four men were killed and two others went missing after a fishing boat capsized off Cape Homi in Pohang on South Korea's southeastern coast Wednesday, the Coast Guard said.Around 12:50 p.m., the Coast Guard received a report from a merchant ship that the 27-ton boat carrying nine crew members was found capsized in high waves about 40 kilometers east of the cape.The Coast Guard rescued the ship's captain and two others who are in stable condition, it said. It also transferred another fou

Air traffic on South Korea-China routes nearly halved in July from a year ago in the wake of Beijing's retaliation against Seoul's deployment of an advanced US missile shield, government data showed Wednesday.The number of passengers on Chinese routes operated by domestic carriers came to 1.12 million last month, down 45.2 percent from the 2.04 million posted during the same month last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.In mid-March, China banned

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party said Wednesday that it is unacceptable for North Korea to threaten neighboring nations with missile launches as she urged the communist nation to accept South Korea's dialogue offer."North Korea fired a ballistic missile again early yesterday morning," Rep. Choo Mi-ae said during a party meeting. "Whether it's a ballistic missile or a multiple rocket launcher, such an act that threatens neighboring nations is unpardonable."Choo said some people even prema

A new international cruise terminal will be completed at the eastern port of Sokcho this week to accommodate a growing number of travelers coming to Korea through the coastal city, the oceans ministry said Wednesday.The port will be fully completed on Thursday with the commemorative ceremony scheduled for Sept. 21, timed with the port call of Italian cruise ship Costa neoRomantica, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. A cruise ship carrying Japanese passengers is docked at Sokcho P