LG Electronics Inc. introduced two 15-second ads for its flagship V30 smartphone slated to be showcased later this month, which apparently targeted Samsung Electronics Co.'s upcoming Note smartphone, industry watchers said Tuesday.One of the clips showed a page being torn apart from a blue-colored notebook with a phrase, "There's a reason to break up with you." The other video showed a pen being broken into two pieces in the shape of a "V."The ads came as Samsung's presumed Galaxy Note 8 is slat

South Korea's consumer confidence has hit a 22-year high for the second half of the year on expectations for the country's newly inaugurated government, a survey showed Tuesday.South Korea's overall consumer confidence for the July-December period stands at an average 78 on a full scale of 100, up 46.7 points from the first half, according to the Mastercard Index of Consumer Confidence.The latest Mastercard index is based on a survey of 9,153 people (407 South Koreans) in 18 markets in the Asia-

South Korea's Army conducted a massive counterterrorism training in a southern city Tuesday as part of the country's annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military drills with the United States.The Army said more than 350 elite troops and 15 choppers, including KUH-1, CH-47 and UH-60, were mobilized in the practice hosted by the 2nd Operational Command based in Daegu. A rapid response team enters the site of a simulated terror attack at the World Cup stadium in Daegu, a southern city in South Kore

North Korea's propaganda website has unveiled a video of the country's threat to stage missile strikes near the US territory of Guam, saying that time is not on Washington's side.Uriminzokkiri uploaded a video suggestive of its launch of intermediate-range Hwasong-12 ballistic missiles toward Guam on its YouTube account Saturday in an apparent bid to show that it can take actions against the United States if determined.In the nearly 4 minute video, Kim Rak-gyom, the commander of North Korea's St

President Moon Jae-in was set to begin discussing key policy objectives with government offices Tuesday in a series of sessions which will focus on active debate rather than simple briefings, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.The meetings will start later Tuesday, involving officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission, and will continue until next Thursday, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.The policy briefings are the first of their kind sin

Kakao Taxi is the most popular cab-hailing app in South Korea, dominating 98 percent of the market, while the food delivery app sector is fiercely contested by two rivals, according to a survey on Tuesday.Market analysis company Open Survey polled 1,500 smartphone users between 20 through 40 to find out which online-to-offline apps they use the most for specific needs.Kakao Taxi, run by Kakao Corp. that also operates the popular messenger service Kakao Talk, commanded 98 percent of responses for

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 12.22 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,367.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading.On Monday (local time), the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.13 percent to 21,703.75. Institutions bought 15.19 billion won ($14 million) worth of stocks, after dumping a combined 464.7 billion won stocks in the past four sessions.   Most large-cap stocks advanced across t

Little over one-third of South Korean conglomerates are planning to hire college graduates in the second half with the rest undecided or having no plans, a survey showed Tuesday.The findings by Job Korea, a portal for employers and jobseekers, showed that 155, or 37.4 percent, of the 414 firms that responded to the poll expressed plans to recruit new people in the coming months. The same survey, however, showed 125 (30.2 percent) have no plans to hire workers, with 134 (32.4 percent) undecided i

South Korean football prospect Paik Seung-ho has joined newly promoted La Liga outfit Girona FC.The club announced Monday (local time) that Paik signed a three-year deal, although he will spend this season with Girona's B side, Peralada, in the third-tier Segunda Division B."I'm very happy to start my new career at Girona FC," Paik wrote on his Instagram. "I want to give back to fans for their support with hard work."The move ends Paik's stint with FC Barcelona, where he has spent the last seven

CHICO, California -- Retired South Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri is hosting a US junior tournament for the first time this week in California, and it's an event she'd like to see grow both in size and prestige."This is just the beginning, and I'll take it slowly from here," Pak said in an interview Monday at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico, the site of the inaugural Se Ri Pak Junior Championship.This is Pak's first tournament with the American Junior Golf Association, but the World Golf Hall of

Hot-shot amateur Choi Hye-jin has achieved a new career high in the women's world golf rankings, just days before turning professional.Choi moved up three spots to No. 22 in the latest rankings released Tuesday. Choi, who turns 18 on Wednesday, won the Bogner MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA Tour on Sunday, becoming the first amateur in 18 years to win twice in South Korea in one season. In this photo provided by the Korea LPGA Tour, Choi Hye-jin celebrates her victory at the Bogner MBN Ladies

Three top US military commanders plan to issue a strong warning message to North Korea in a rare joint press availability here later Tuesday, officials said.Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris, Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten and Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves are scheduled to hold a press conference at a local US Forces Korea base.It's quite unusual for the US commanding generals serving abroad to gather in South Korea and release public statements together.

WASHINGTON -- A Democratic lawmaker urged the Pentagon Monday to boost its missile defense system before North Korea develops the capability to strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons.In a contribution to The Hill, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) underscored the urgency of tackling North Korea's missile and nuclear threats with action, not words."President Trump's lack of a comprehensive strategy and reckless war of words with North Korea has sent the world into a panic," he wrote. "But all the provoca

WASHINGTON -- Guam, a US territory in the western Pacific, continues to be safe despite North Korea's threats to launch ballistic missiles towards it, the island's No. 2 official said Monday.Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio met with media in Tokyo to reassure people there that Guam remains unaffected by the communist nation's bellicose rhetoric, according to an official news release."I know many of you have questions about the threat from North Korea," Tenorio was quoted as saying. "Let me reassure you that

The number of heavy debtors in South Korea has surged nearly 48 percent over the past three and a half years, a report said Tuesday, amid low interest rates and eased government property rules.As of the end of June, 1.18 million people in the country had a debt service ratio of 100 percent or higher, up 47.5 percent from the end of 2014, according to the report from the office of National Assembly Speaker Chung Sey-kyun. The number had been on a steady rise since 2013, reaching 800,000 at the en