The state human rights watchdog has rejected a petition accusing the government of a human rights violation over its decision to revoke the license of an anti-North Korea group of defectors for sending propaganda leaflets across the border, sources said Sunday. The petition was filed with the National Human Rights Commission in June last year after the unification ministry decided to revoke the license of Fighters for a Free North Korea and to file a criminal complaint against its head, Park Sa

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the mausoleum of his late grandfather and father in his first reported public activity this year, Pyongyang's state media said Sunday. Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of state founder and his grandfather Kim Il-sung and his father, Kim Jong-il, are enshrined, on the occasion of the start of the new year, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The visit to the mausoleum came after he unveiled this ye

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 on Sunday as the country has implemented tighter antivirus measures to stem the spike in virus infections and the fast spread of the omicron variant. The country added 3,833 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,683 local infections, raising the total caseload to 639,083, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily figure marked a decline from 4,875 reported Friday and 4,416 on Saturday. The fall was largel

With only about a month left until the start of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, South Korea still doesn't know if one of its best medal hopes will compete in China. That bit of uncertainty is unwelcoming for a country that may fall well short of the glory it enjoyed as the host of the previous Winter Olympics four years ago. The athlete in question is Shim Suk-hee, a two-time gold medalist in short track speed skating. On Dec. 21, Shim was suspended for two months by the Korea Skating Uni

With the new year having dawned, the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games are on the horizon, as problems ranging from a global pandemic to diplomatic boycotts to lack of star power threaten to plague preparations for China's next global showcase. The 24th Winter Olympics will open on Feb. 4 and wrap up on Feb. 20. It will be the last of three consecutive Olympic Games to take place in East Asia. South Korea started the unprecedented streak with the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Japan follo

South Korean chipmaker SK hynix Inc. said Sunday it has moved up a notch to receive an A in the MSCI ESG Ratings assessment. MSCI, or Morgan Stanley Capital International, is an American rating agency that measures, among other things, a company's resilience to long-term, financially relevant environmental, social and corporate governance issues (ESG) risks. Since October 2020, SK hynix had been labeled BBB on a scale of AAA-CCC in the MSCI ESG Ratings assessment. The latest upgrade put SK hy

South Korea's exports rose 25.8 percent in 2021 from the previous year to reach an all-time high on the back of solid demand for chips and petroleum products amid a global economic recovery, the industry ministry said Saturday. Outbound shipments stood at US$644.54 billion last year, compared with $512.5 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It marked the highest annual figure since the country began compiling trade related data in 1

  South Korean stocks are expected to gather ground next week as an optimistic mood from solid US consumer spending during the end-of-the-year holiday season and other factors will likely whet investor appetite for risky assets.  The Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2,977.65 on Thursday, the last trading day for this year, down 0.68 percent from last Friday.  The stocks moved in a tight range amid a lack of fresh leads as investors took to the sidelines on the final

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 5,000 for the second day in a row Saturday as the nation maintained tough social distancing restrictions to rein in the fast spread of COVID-19.  The country added 4,416 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,310 local infections, raising the total caseload to 635,253, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.   The daily figure marks a slight decline from 4,875 tallied a day earlier. South Korea reported 62 m

North Korean officials noted the "growing instability" of the military situation on the peninsula and emphasized the importance of boosting the country's defense capabilities, as they had a major Workers' Party plenary earlier this week, according to Pyongyang's state media Saturday. The North, however, stopped short of providing the outside world with fresh clues to its key policies related to inter-Korean ties and denuclearization talks with the United States.  During the fiv

President Moon Jae-in said Saturday he expects the upcoming presidential election to bring hope for the future, with people expected to vote in a tight race in March between two main candidates.  "An election to pick a new president lies ahead," Moon said in a New Year's message posted on social media, adding he "expects an election that assures hope for the future together with people."  The presidential election will be held on March 9, and recent polls showed

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook reiterated calls Friday for military personnel to maintain political neutrality as rival parties are revving up preparations for the March 9 presidential election. Suh made the calls in his New Year's message that highlighted the Moon Jae-in administration's resolve to strengthen "across-the-board" national defense while trying to reduce cross-border tensions. "As the presidential election and local elections are slated for March and June,

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that North Korea's denuclearization should be the "end goal" of South Korea's efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, in a message for Seoul's next administration set to be launched in May. Ban made the remarks in a New Year's message, as the incumbent Seoul government's efforts for cross-border rapprochement have remained stalled with little headway in the endeavors to denuclearize the North. "While tenaciously pushing to d

Main opposition presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol stressed Friday that his investigation of former President Park Geun-hye was carried out in the line of duty as a senior prosecutor amid speculation her release from prison could hurt his election chances. Park became a free woman at midnight under a presidential pardon after serving nearly five years in prison. Her release puts Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) in an awkward position as he headed the investigation of Park's corruption scand

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Friday the government will ramp up its effort to support small merchants next year in a bid to help them tide over the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hong said the government will also prioritize strengthening social safety nets in 2022 in a bid to narrow deepening income gaps caused by the pandemic. "The government will focus on providing multilayered support to small merchants to help them overcome economic difficulties and make a leap forwa