A squadron of four South Korean F-15K fighter jets staged a live-bombing drill against North Korea's leadership on Tuesday in response to its latest ballistic missile launch, the Air Force announced.The aircraft dropped eight MK-84 bombs, each weighing about a ton, at a simulated target at the Pilseung Range in the eastern province of Gangwon.They hit the target accurately, it said, adding the practice was aimed at sharpening the capability of completely destroying "the enemy's leadership" in ca

South Korea's armed forces on Tuesday denounced North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch, warning that it will face "resolute" retaliation if it remains bellicose.The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that it was the North's 13th ballistic missile fired this year. Furthermore, the latest one flew over Japan.It's a "blatant violation" of the UN Security Council resolution against Pyongyang and a grave provocation that threatens the peace and stability of the world, Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon,

Top South Korean and US military officers agreed to take swift actions in response to North Korea's missile test Tuesday during their emergency phone talks, the South's military said.The chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the two countries discussed military and strategic responses immediately after the North fired a ballistic missile that flew over Japan before falling into the North Pacific Ocean. Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo of South Korea said it is a grave threat to the Korean Peninsula and

The South Korean government will hold an annual consultation with Moody's this week on the country's credit valuation, the finance ministry said Tuesday.Led by Steffen Dyck, senior credit officer at Moody's, the delegation will be in South Korea for three days through Thursday for meetings with officials from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Bank of Korea and the state-run Korea Development Institute. They will look into South Korea's macroeconomic policies of the new Moon Jae-in govern

South Korea's major banks saw mortgage applications surge early last week ahead of the implementation of tougher screening rules, market sources said Tuesday.The five leading lenders -- KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Woori, KEB Hana and Nonghyup -- notched up mortgage applications of more than 3,200 last Monday and Tuesday, respectively. The average number stayed in the 2,000 range in the first 20 days of this month.The amount of applied mortgages came to 419 billion won ($373 million) and 366 billion won

South Korean stocks opened lower on Tuesday, as investors remained worried over North Korea's latest missile provocation that could further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 11.94 points, or 0.5 percent, to 2,358.36 in the first 15 minutes of trading. North Korea lobbed a ballistic missile over Japan earlier in the day in a move that can sharply escalate tensions in Northeast Asia.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics was 1.08 percent dow

WASHINGTON -- The United States has reassured South Korea that it will consult with the ally in advance should it use military options against North Korea, a senior South Korean government official said Monday.The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, noted, however, that the US does not appear close to carrying out a pre-emptive strike on Pyongyang."The US has clearly promised us that should such a situation arise, it will thoroughly and closely

South Korea's government budget for the transportation sector will fall 3.8 percent next year as the government plans to spend less on construction projects and more on welfare policies, the transport ministry said Tuesday. The government has set aside 39.8 trillion won ($36 billion) for 2018, down from 41.31 trillion won this year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. (Yonhap)The decline was to help the Moon Jae-in government achieve its main goals of generati

South Korea strongly condemned North Korea's latest missile test Tuesday, vowing a stern response to further provocations based on its defense alliance with the United States.The Seoul government also stepped up its diplomatic efforts to strengthen cooperation with the US and other countries to rein in the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats.The North fired what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile from the vicinity of Sunan in Pyongyang at around 5:57 a.m. that flew o

With a new boss at the helm, South Korea will face Iran in a crucial match this week that may determine their World Cup fate. The men's national football team, now led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, will host Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul at 9 p.m. Thursday for their ninth match in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Both teams are in Group A, where they are also paired with Uzbekistan, Syria, Qatar and China. In Asia, the top two teams from Group A and B will

PAJU -- Having returned to action after an arm fracture two months ago, South Korean football attacker Son Heung-min on Monday declared himself fit for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.The Tottenham Hotspur star joined the national team at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul, where players from the domestic and Asian leagues opened camp last Monday. They will take on Iran on Thursday and Uzbekistan next Tuesday in South Korea's final two World Cup qualifying matches.These are e

South Korea's government will inject some 19.6 trillion won ($17.8 billion) in research and development next year, with the majority of the budget earmarked for the science and technology sectors critical for fostering new growth engines, the ICT ministry said Tuesday. The Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning said next year's science and technology budget, which is subject to parliamentary endorsement later this year, has been set to gain 1.9 percent on-year from 2017.Of the total, 6.5

The International Conference of Women Scientists and Engineers will open in Seoul this week with some 550 participants discussing the theme "shaping the future," organizers said Tuesday. (Yonhap)The BIEN 2017 conference will be held for three days starting Thursday. The name of the meeting takes its initials from bio, IT, environment/energy/earth and nano technologies, which are the areas dealt with by female scientists at the event, in addition to space and convergence technologies. The confere

WASHINGTON -- The United States recognizes the need to "swiftly and smoothly" increase South Korea's ballistic missile capability in the face of North Korea's growing threats, Seoul's No. 2 diplomat said Monday.Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam made the remark after holding talks with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan on the bilateral relationship and North Korea's nuclear program.The two sides especially held "in-depth" talks about Seoul's request to revise a bilateral missile guideli

South Korean tennis player Chung Hyeon has reached the second round at the US Open.Chung, ranked 47th, defeated 58th-ranked Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, 6-3 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Monday (local time).After dropping the opening set, Chung took the second set in a tiebreak and finished off Zeballos by winning the next two sets. In this EPA photo, Chung Hyeon of South Korea returns a shot against Horacio Zeballos during their first round