A South Korean media bill under criticism for potentially undermining press freedom, if passed, could give a "negative message" to the world about the country's stance on freedom of media, a UN expert said Friday. Irene Khan, a UN special rapporteur on promoting the right to freedom of expression, made the remark during a virtual press briefing, weeks after she sent a letter to the Seoul government calling for a revision of the bill. The legislation, titled Press Arbitration Act

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases on Saturday exceeded 3,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic as people returned home from the Chuseok holiday. The country reported an all-time high number of daily cases for the second consecutive day by adding 3,273, including 3,245 local infections, raising the total caseload to 298,402, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Saturday's daily caseload jumped 839 from the previous day's record high of 2,43

South Korean stocks slumped for a second straight session Friday after the country's daily COVID-19 cases hit a record high, erasing gains from easing fears over China Evergrande Group's debt crisis. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 2.34 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 3,125.24 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 738 million shares worth some 12.3 trillion won ($10.4 billion), with gainers outnumbering lo

The prosecution on Friday indicted a 56-year-old man on charges of killing two women while he was under a location monitoring program for sexual offenses. The suspect named Kang Yoon-seong turned himself in to the police in southern Seoul on Aug. 29 and confessed to murdering two acquaintances for money issues. According to investigators, he killed one woman while wearing an electronic ankle bracelet and slew the other while on the run after cutting off the device. The Seoul Dongbu District P

Ten cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea have filed applications to register with the nation's anti-money laundering body to continue their businesses under tougher regulations, according to the body Friday. By Friday midnight, both foreign and local cryptocurrency exchanges targeting Korean investors are required to register with the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KFIU) and have real-name bank accounts. If they have no real-name bank accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges will be banned fr

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Friday that President Moon Jae-in's proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War is an "admirable idea" and Pyongyang is willing to discuss improving inter-Korean relations if Seoul ceases to be hostile toward it. Kim Yo-jong stressed, however, that the right conditions should be created first before an end-of-war declaration is adopted, such as the removal of what she called "inveterate hostile policy and unequal double st

South Korea reported a surplus in the trade of intellectual property rights in the first half of this year, as exports of copyrights increased, central bank data showed Friday. The nation's surplus in the intellectual property account came to $850 million in the first half, compared with a deficit of $1.11 billion in the second half of last year, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). It marked the first six-month surplus since the second half of 2019, when the nation rep

The number of convicted child sexual abusers has been growing steadily over the past few years in South Korea amid lenient penalties against such crimes, a judicial report showed Friday. According to the Supreme Court report submitted to Rep. Lee Tahney of the ruling Democratic Party, a total of 1,675 people have been found guilty of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses by district courts from 2016 to June this year. By year, 111 were convicted in 2016

South Korea's financial market continues to be stable, but concerns remain over a build-up of financial imbalances due to surging home prices, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Friday. In a regular report on financial stability, the BOK also called for vigilance against a rise in the debt of households and companies amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The nation's financial stability index shot up to 22.3 in April last year, breaching the lower boundary for a crisis warning, but it has since come down to

The top diplomats of South Korea and Saudi Arabia have agreed to boost cooperation to create synergy between the countries' key industrial policy initiatives aimed at securing future growth drivers. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, shared the understanding during bilateral talks held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday (local time). They, in particular, agreed to work on ways that would link Korea's Green Ne

WASHINGTON -- The United States is open to engaging with North Korea in confidence building initiatives that may include humanitarian assistance, a senior US diplomat said Thursday. Mark Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of state for Japan and South Korea, also reiterated the US will go "anywhere" to talk with North Korea. "We've made it very clear to Pyongyang. We will go anywhere. We will talk to the North Koreans anywhere. There are no strings attached. But unfortunately, t

Daily coronavirus cases in Seoul topped 900 for the first time in the wake of the Chuseok holiday, health authorities said Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 907 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed during the 24 hours before midnight. Of them, 903 were local infections and four were imported cases. The number is far higher than the city's previous record high of 808 cases, which was set on Sept. 14. The total caseload reached 94,728 in the capital, with a popul

Six Army soldiers and three Marines have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,723, the defense ministry said Friday. The three Marines in Gimpo, west of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after an infection was reported at their base, according to the ministry. Among the Army soldiers, five -- one from the eastern county of Inje, two from the western city of Incheon and one each from Paju, north of Seoul,

South Korea plans to allow delivery workers and designated drivers to receive benefits from the employment insurance system starting next year as the government seeks to expand the labor safety net, a senior government official said Friday. It is part of the government's plan to expand the employment insurance scheme to all working people as the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the job market. The government plans to enable some platform workers, including delivery workers and designated

South Korea said Friday it will refrain from injecting public funds into overseas coal projects starting in October, in line with the global initiatives to gradually phase out traditional energy sources and go carbon neutral by 2050. Under the new guideline to be implemented next month, all public organizations will no longer disburse funds to overseas coal power plants, while private businesses in which the government has a stake will also be induced to follow the measure, according to the Min