Iran's national football team head coach Carlos Queiroz said Tuesday his side is not afraid of playing the World Cup qualifier this week at a stadium packed with South Korean fans.Iran and South Korea will go head-to-head at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday. Both teams are in Group A in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.The Korea Football Association earlier said it expects some 60,000 fans at the 66,704-seat stadium, and they will boost the energy for South Korean

The top diplomat of Laos expressed concerns over North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Tuesday and committed his country's support for South Korea's efforts to peacefully resolve the security issues involving North Korea, the foreign ministry here said.South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called for Laos' proactive support and cooperation in dealing with the North Korean issue as she met with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Fo

Hyundai Motor Co.'s union said Tuesday its new leadership will resume wage talks with the company in November, as no headway has been made after 28 rounds of "fruitless" negotiations. "We have decided to suspend wage talks with the company as its revised offerings were not satisfactory at all. Once a new union leader is elected next month a leadership structure should be in place by October, and these people can then handle the wage deal in November," a union spokesman said over the phone.The co

South Korean business leaders met members of a US congressional delegation Tuesday to discuss ways to expand ties in trade and investment, a local economic agency said.The Korea International Trade Association arranged the meeting between visiting US congressmen and some 90 executives from local conglomerates and American companies operating in South Korea so as to allow the participants to exchange views on pending economic issues between Seoul and Washington.The US side was led by Ed Royce (R-

North Korea appears to have flown its latest missile over Japan to maximize the effect of its saber-rattling, Seoul's spy agency said Tuesday, warning its provocations may continue until it completes its intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missile programs.During a parliamentary briefing, the National Intelligence Service also said that Pyongyang apparently designed the launch to hint that its earlier threat of strikes around the US territory of Guam could become a reality.The NIS

A state committee chaired by President Moon Jae-in and aimed at seeking ways to capitalize on changes brought on by the fourth industrial revolution will be launched by mid-September, South Korea's chief ICT policymaker said Tuesday.The so-called "Fourth Industrial Revolution committee," comprised of some 30 senior government policymakers and businesspeople, is part of the Moon administration's pledge to upgrade the country's overall competitiveness. The committee aims to form a collab

The top envoys on North Korea's nuclear program from South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on Tuesday to jointly take punitive action on the North over its ballistic missile launch earlier in the day in their emergency phone conversations, the foreign ministry here said.Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held respective telephone talks with his American and Japanese counterparts, Joseph Yun and Kenji

Special prosecutors said Tuesday they appealed a district court ruling on Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong who was sentenced to five years in prison late last week for bribing former President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend. Special Counsel led by Park Young-soo, in charge of the high-profile corruption case involving the de facto head of South Korea's richest conglomerate, said it will contest part of the verdict that found Lee innocent of some of the bribery charges. The p

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's top chemical firm, said Tuesday that it has decided to invest 436 billion won ($387 million) in its Polish affiliate in a bid to expand its electricity vehicle battery business.In a regulatory filing, LG Chem said it would invest in LG Chem Wroclaw Energy sp. z o.o by June 2020.The Polish company, set up in 2016, is wholly owned by LG Chem. (Yonhap)LG Chem said the investment is aimed at expanding the unit's output capacity.LG Chem entered the EV battery business in 2

South Korea's top economic policymaker met with the acting US ambassador to Seoul on Tuesday and emphasized "friendly" consultations on issues concerning possible amendments to the bilateral free trade agreement, the finance ministry said.In a meeting with Marc Knapper, who is acting as the ambassador after Mark Lippert stepped down earlier in the year, Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said the South Korean government is hoping to maintain good relations as the two partners engage in fur

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday demanded an official apology from an opposition lawmaker who accused President Moon Jae-in of violating laws and the Constitution that he claimed may warrant impeachment.In a commentary, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun said the accusations were "not only false but seriously undermined President Moon Jae-in's reputation while denying his authority as the head of state.""To this, Cheong Wa Dae expresses deep regret," he added.The released stat

South Korea's football governing body said Tuesday more than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the national team's World Cup qualifier against Iran later this week.The Korea Football Association said some 54,000 tickets were sold as of 3 p.m. Tuesday for South Korea's showdown against Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Thursday. This is the second-fastest pace for a national team match since October 2013, when 58,000 tickets were sold two days before South Korea's clash against Brazil i

The number of public servants disciplined for drunk driving nearly doubled to 1,175 last year from a year earlier, according to government data obtained by a ruling party lawmaker.The Ministry of Personnel Management data showed that a total of 3,544 public servants received disciplinary punishment for drunk driving for the past five years, according to Rep. Lee Jae-jung of the Democratic Party.In particular, the number rose sharply to 1,175 from 624 in 2015.By ministry, the education ministry h

South Korea's food and beverage giant SPC Group said Tuesday it will sharply increase the number of stores of its bakery chain Paris Baguette in the United States as part of its global expansion drive."We will increase the number of Paris Baguette stores in operation in the US to 300 by 2020 and create up to 10,000 new jobs," SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in said during a meeting with Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee.  The undated file photo provided by

South Korea's financial regulator Tuesday set up an independent panel with the aim of drawing up plans for financial regulatory reform.Asia's fourth-largest economy has sought to strengthen its financial industry by easing regulations, but the government has been reluctant to give up its grip in the sector. The 13-member panel, headed by Yoon Suk-heun, a business professor at Seoul National University, will map out the plans for regulatory reform by the end of October, the Financial Service