North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may try to rekindle his "bromance" with former President Donald Trump if he returns to the White House, a former US official said Monday, predicting Kim could propose a deal to limit his regime's nuclear program in return for American troops' pullout from South Korea. H.R. McMaster, who served as national security advisor for Trump from 2017-2018, made the remarks amid speculation that the GOP presidential nominee, if reelected, could seek dire

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- The defense chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold talks in Tokyo next week to discuss issues such as strengthening their trilateral security cooperation in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the South's defense ministry said Monday. The gathering scheduled for Sunday comes amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's repeated launches of trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea in a tit-for-tat r

A parliamentary committee unilaterally passed a pro-labor bill Monday that aims to limit companies from making claims for damages against legitimate labor union disputes. Lawmakers affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party and other progressive parties passed the revision to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, nicknamed the yellow envelop bill, during a plenary session of the parliamentary environment and labor committee. In protest, the ruling People Power Party left

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with his Albanian counterpart, Igli Hasani, on Monday and discussed ways of enhancing cooperation on security, new technologies and the overall economy, Seoul's foreign ministry said. During the meeting in Seoul, Cho expressed hope for stronger relations with Albania on a wide range of issues, such as cyber security, artificial intelligence and other advanced technology sectors, as South Korea is working to boost cooperation with major European

The nominee to head the Financial Services Commission said Monday that the authorities would manage rising household loans amid concerns that such fast-rising loans could hurt economic recovery and the financial system. "We are in a situation to remain guarded (against the pace of household loans)," Kim Byoung-hwan, a former vice finance minister who was nominated as the FSC chief, said during a parliamentary confirmation hearing. "Authorities will thoroughly manage such loans.&qu

Seoul shares fell more than 1 percent Monday, hit by declines in semiconductor stocks. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) tumbled 31.95 points, or 1.14 percent, to close at 2,763.51. Trade volume was slightly moderate at 456.1 million shares worth 10.3 trillion won ($7.42 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 673 to 211. Institutions and foreign investors dumped local shares worth a combined 105.3 billion won, while retail

North Korea said Monday the United States and South Korea have never stopped their joint military drills against the North since the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, claiming that they are crossing a red line of a new nuclear war. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, raised public awareness against the US ahead of the 71st anniversary of the signing of the armistice on July 27, celebrated as Victory Day in North Korea. "The enemies' madness of

Seoul shares started lower Monday as most blue chips across the board retreated, led by battery and energy-related stock losses. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dipped 5.57 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,789.89 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Leading battery firm LG Energy Solution dropped 2.75 percent following news that it has recently suspended construction of its joint US plant with General Motors amid stagnation in growth of the electric vehicle market. Smaller rival Samsu

Hospitals were set to begin hiring about 7,700 trainee doctors on Monday, although medical professors have warned of boycotting their training programs in protest of the government's push for accepting the resignations of striking trainees. Monthslong standoffs with trainee doctors over the medical school admission quota hikes have shown no end in sight, as trainee doctors have been unresponsive to the government's appeasement steps, including a plan to abandon all punitive steps again

Kim Beom-su, the founder of Kakao Corp., was to attend a court hearing Monday on an arrest warrant requested for him over alleged stock price manipulation related to the firm's takeover of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment last year. The Seoul Southern District Court was scheduled to hold a hearing for Kim around 2 p.m., two weeks after prosecutors questioned the tech tycoon about his alleged involvement in the manipulation of SM shares. The court is expected to decide whether to issue an a

South Korea's exports rose 18.8 percent on-year in the first 20 days of July, data showed Monday, on the back of the robust performance of chips and cars. Outbound shipments reached $37.17 billion in the July 1-20 period, compared with $31.2 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports grew 14.2 percent on-year to $37.2 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $50 million. By sector, outbound shipments of semiconductors jump

US President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race Sunday as his poor debate performance last month exacerbated concerns about his old age and touched off unrelenting calls to end his reelection campaign. Biden, 81, made the announcement, bowing to mounting pressure from Democratic lawmakers, donors and voters. He officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party's nominee to take on former President Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 general election. It is u

The presidential office held an emergency meeting Sunday to assess the damage caused by recent downpours and decided to establish an inter-agency headquarters to prevent further damage from additional heavy rain or typhoon forecast next week. The government also plans to promptly carry out emergency repairs to damaged facilities by providing special grants and operating emergency recovery teams, according to Jeong Hye-jeon, the presidential spokesperson, during a press briefing. Last week, Presi

FONTAINEBLEAU, France -- South Korea announced Sunday high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok and swimmer Kim Seo-yeong will be its flag bearers at the opening ceremony for the Paris Summer Olympics. Lee Kee-heung, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, made the announcement during an open house event at the South Korean training camp at the National Sports Center for Defense (CNSD) in Fontainebleau, about 60 kilometers south of the French capital. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Frid

South Korea's main delegation for the Paris Olympics has landed in the French capital for the upcoming competition, with sights set on exceeding its modest medal projection A team of 30 athletes and 18 officials from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday night after more than 14 hours of travel from South Korea. Gu Bon-gil, two-time Olympic champion in the men's sabre fencing, carried the national flag, Taegeukgi, to lead the de