The sale of luxury sport-utility vehicles is on the rise in South Korea as an increasing number of local customers choose recreational vehicles over sedans, industry data showed Sunday. The global SUV market has grown rapidly in recent years, with the ratio of SUVs accounting for 25 percent of total vehicle sales in 2016, up from 17 percent in 2012, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Exporters Association.In South Korea, the SUV ratio also jumped to 41 percent last year fr

South Korea's vice foreign minister on Sunday left for the United States to meet with senior US officials over North Korea's nuclear issue and the Seoul-Washington alliance, government officials said.Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam will meet with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and other ranking officials on Monday, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. Lim will be in Washington till Tuesday.The vice foreign ministers of the allies are expected to discuss their coordinated stances

South Korea has started a feasibility review for the building of a nuclear-powered submarine amid North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, government sources said Sunday.The Navy has commissioned a private institute to find ways to resolve international restrictions in building a nuclear submarine with the results to come out as early as the end of this year, sources said.The government and the military are likely to finalize whether to construct a nuclear-powered sub based on the stu

Lotte Hotel Yangon, to be operated on commission by Lotte Hotel & Resorts, will open later this week as the company's eighth overseas chain, officials said Sunday.South Korean retail giant Lotte will manage the new hotel for 20 years in contract with Daewoo Amara, in what will be the first five-star accommodation facility it operates on commission outside of the country.  The resorts firm has a similar arrangement for Lotte City Hotel Tashkent in Uzbekistan, which is a business hotel class.  Ima

The financial regulator will conduct inspections this week of five leading securities firms that want to start investment banking business, focusing on how well they can manage their electronic system for issuing promissory notes, officials said Sunday.The Financial Supervisory Service will look into the business plan, personnel structure and IT management of Mirae Asset Daewoo, NH Investment & Securities Co., KB Securities Co., Samsung Securities Co. and Korea Investment & Securities Co

CHEONGJU -- A South Korea's regional airport heavily dependent on Chinese tourists is facing tough times after being hit hard by Seoul's diplomatic row with Beijing over the deployment of an anti-missile system, industry sources said Sunday. The Cheongju International Airport, which used to have nine out of 10 international passengers coming from its China routes, has not seen flights to major Chinese cities since March when Beijing banned the sale of group travel packages to South Korea in reta

South Korea is pinning hopes that North Korea's participation in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics will facilitate sports exchanges and pave the way for easing of tensions between the two neighbors.With less than six months to go before the start of the Winter Games, the government of President Moon Jae-in is seeking North's participation in the premier winter sports event so that it can help restore two-way communication disconnected during nine-year rule of his two conservative predecessors.South

South Korea's central bank is likely to hold its key rates steady this month as soft economic growth and subdued inflation will allow it to sit on the sidelines, a leading provider of economic analysis said Sunday.The Bank of Korea is set to hold its rate-review session Thursday to decide whether to keep or adjust the all-time low rate of 1.25 percent."Further interest rate cuts are firmly off the cards despite below-potential growth," Moody's Analytics said in an economic preview, not

PAJU -- South Korean midfielder Yeom Ki-hun said Friday he is ready to provide assists to strikers in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.Yeom is one of the 26 players called up by head coach Shin Tae-yong for South Korea's last two matches in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. South Korea will host Iran next Thursday and take on Uzbekistan five days later in Tashkent."The national team training is exciting," Yeom said to reporters at the National Football Center in Paju

South Korean striker Kim Shin-wook said the national football team is evolving with the new head coach, emphasizing that they will display a different style of football in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.Kim is one of the 26 players called up by head coach Shin Tae-yong for South Korea's last two matches in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. South Korea will host Iran next Thursday and take on Uzbekistan five days later in Tashkent.Kim, who returned to the national t

South Korean shares may fall to around the 2,360 level next week as the customs office is widely expected to release weakening export data, with all eyes on the outcome of the Jackson Hole meeting, market watchers said Saturday.On Friday, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index edged up 2.67 points, or 0.11 percent, at 2,378.51. It was up 0.9 percent from a week earlier.This week, the KOSPI index traded in a tight range as investors remained cautious awaiting cues from the US Federal Res

The employment rate of South Korean women in their 30s hit a record high in the first half of this year, data showed Saturday, as the government has taken a series of measures to bring stay-at-home moms back to work.Statistics Korea said the employment rate of women in their 30s stood at 59.2 percent, the highest half-year figure since 1999 when the statistics office began compiling relevant data. The employment rate of women in their 30s has been on the rise in recent years as women delay marri

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called Saturday for patience in dealing with North Korea as Pyongyang fired at least three projectiles into the sea off its east coast in the latest provocative move."Evaluations of (policies regarding) South-North relations don't come out quickly, hence this one must be prepared with a long-term perspective," Moon said during a luncheon meeting with more than 110 lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the party spoke

26일 오전 10시께 서울 도봉구 방학동의 한 다세대주택 지하 1층 김모(53)씨 집에서 가스 폭발로 추정되는 화재가 발생했다. (사진=연합뉴스)이 사고로 김씨가 오른쪽 팔에 2도 화상을 입어 병원에서 치료를 받았다. 같은 건물에 사는 주민 4명도 대피하는 소동이 벌어졌다.화재는 800만원의 재산피해를 낸 뒤 20여분 만에 진화됐다.소방당국은 모기살충제를 뿌린 뒤 선풍기를 틀었다가 폭발과 함께 불이 났다는 김씨 진술 등을 토대로 정확한 화재원인을 조사하고 있다.소방 관계자는 "가연성가스가 있는 살충제 스프레이를 뿌린 뒤 선풍기 전원 버튼을 눌렀다 선풍기 내 스파크로 인해 폭발이 난 것으로 보고 있다"고 말했다. (연합뉴스)

South Korea's No. 2 diplomat is set to leave for Washington this weekend for talks with senior US officials to discuss North Korea and other bilateral issues, an official said Saturday.Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam is set to meet with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and other senior officials on Monday, according to the South Korean foreign ministry official.The meeting came amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's launches of two intercontinental ballistic missil