South Korea's growing economic dependence on China has made it increasingly vulnerable to risks, including Beijing's retaliation for Seoul's decision to deploy a US anti-missile system and an economic downturn in the Chinese economy. The dilemma over how to manage both economic and political relations with China is deepening 25 years after Seoul and Beijing established diplomatic relations. According to data by the Korea International Trade Association, South Korea's exports to China, excluding

South Korea on Friday condemned a recent terror attack that killed more than 10 people in Spain, expressing its support for global efforts to root out terrorism. On Thursday (local time), a van rammed through a square in central Barcelona crowded with tourists, killing at least 13 people and injuring some 100 others. Two suspects have been arrested so far, with the IS claiming responsibility for it. (AP-Yonhap)"We cannot but express our shock and anger against the barbarian terror attack that ha

A Seoul appellate court on Friday reduced the sentence for a businessman convicted of paying huge bribes to a lawyer and judge to solicit weak punishment for his crime. The Seoul High Court sentenced Jung Woon-ho, former head of local cosmetics chain, Nature Republic, to 3 1/2 years in jail. A lower court gave him a five-year prison term in January. Jung has been indicted on charges of bribery and embezzlement that culminated in a far-reaching corruption scandal in the legal circle. A former jud

South Korea's military said Friday that Seoul and Washington will stage joint military drills starting next week at a similar level to those last year, despite North Korea's warning of a "catastrophe" over the exercises.The allies' Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises will kick off Monday and run until Aug. 31. North Korea has long denounced the drills as war rehearsal for a northern invasion. It is a computerized command post exercise without field maneuvers."This year's military drills will be sim

Australia-based media Ausdroid reported Friday it has obtained marketing material for Samsung Electronics Co.'s presumed Galaxy Note 8, slated to be showcased next week.Ausdroid said it obtained a sales brochure for the South Korean tech giant's upcoming phablet, originally slated to be revealed in New York on Wednesday, which included information on detailed specifications.According to the report, the Galaxy Note 8 comes with a 6.3-inch QHD display and is equipped with IP68 standards for water

Organic light-emitting diode TVs from LG Electronics, Panasonic and Sony were rated the best in the sector in a review by British specialists, industry officials said Friday.In the annual shootout held last weekend by retailer/reviewer Crampton & Moore and HDTVTest, invited specialists put OLED TVs over LCD sets in nearly all categories for picture quality, officials said. Results last year were the opposite. (Yonhap)Panasonic's flagship 65-inch EZ1002 OLED was voted the best TV of 2017 and best

China's top envoy in South Korea on Friday called for the two neighbors to get back to the basics in diplomacy in order to resolve the current row that is overshadowing the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties next week.South Korea and China have been at odds over the deployment of a US missile shield called THAAD being installed in South Korea, which Beijing claims could harm its strategic interest. "Looking ahead, sticking to the basics, holding hands and going forward, I am sure that China-Sou

Jeong Kyeong-doo, the nominee for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said Friday that if appointed, he would strive to build a strong military "feared by enemies and trusted by citizens."During his parliamentary confirmation hearing, the Air Force general stressed the need to establish a robust readiness posture, pointing to the "graver-than-ever" security landscape marked by North Korea's continued provocations."(If appointed), I will fulfill my given tasks of building a military tha

South Korean shares traded lower late Friday morning but pared part of their earlier losses on the back of net purchases by retail investors. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 8.91 points, or 0.38 percent, to 2,352.76 as of 11:20 a.m.Large caps traded mixed with market kingpin Samsung Electronics falling 0.94 percent, and global chipmaker SK hynix up 0.45 percent.Hyundai Motor rose 0.35 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors traded 0.43 percent higher. POSCO, the No. 1

The government offered an apology again on Friday for the ballooning concerns over food safety stemming from eggs contaminated with illegal insecticides or chemicals, while promising to beef up a nationwide system to prevent similar cases from recurring."I sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience and concerns," Agriculture Minister Kim Yung-rok said in a press conference held in Sejong, an administrative city some 130 kilometers south of Seoul.He said eggs from farms that passed the latest

North Korea said Friday that South Korean President Moon Jae-in miserably failed in improving inter-Korean ties during his first 100 days in office.The Rodong Sinmun, the main mouthpiece of North Korea, harshly critiqued Moon's performance, calling it "miserable and disappointing," and claiming that the South Korean president holds a hostile stance toward Pyongyang. "In particular, he failed in inter-Korean relations," the paper said. "He spoke of dialogue and an implementation of inter-Korean a

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating remained unchanged from a week earlier this week, a poll showed Friday, despite a series of events that may have negatively affected the popularity of the new president and his administration.In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea, 78 percent of 1,006 respondents said they approved of the president's management of state affairs.The reading marked the second highest in the country's history for a president after the first 100 days in office, according to Gal

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his commitment to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula on Friday during a speech to a memorial for the late leader Kim Dae-jung who held the first inter-Korean summit in 2000."I will work to ensure peace and economic prosperity on the Korean Peninsula with the type of security that will make peace rather than just preserving peace," the president said at a ceremony marking the 8th anniversary of his death."I will also do my utmost to realize many other task

One of South Korean baseball's smallest players is in hot pursuit of one of the most hallowed and elusive marks in the game: a .400 batting average.Kim Sun-bin of the Kia Tigers, all of 165 centimeters, is leading the Korea Baseball Organization with a .392 mark through Thursday's games.After closing out the first half batting .380, Kim, the league's second shortest player, hasn't cooled off in the dog days of summer. He is batting at a .450 clip since the All-Star break. For the month of August

South Korea's three major shipyards -- Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Samsung Heavy Industries Co. and Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. -- maintained their top global ranking in terms of order backlog, industry data showed Friday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker Clarkson Research, Daewoo Shipbuilding's Geoje shipyard stood at 82 ships representing 5.96 million compensated gross tons, as of end-July, followed by Hyundai Heavy's Ulsan shipyard with 69 vessels, or 3.33