South Korea's top nuclear envoy departed for Japan on Sunday for bilateral and trilateral talks with his US and Japanese counterparts on North Korean issues. "I expect that the upcoming talks will be a productive step to accelerate the Korean Peninsula peace process," Noh Kyu-duk told reporters before his departure at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul. During his three-day trip, Noh will meet with his US and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Fun

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's biggest chemical firm, said Sunday it will produce biodegradable plastics after joining hands with a smaller local chemical company in a move to expand its presence in the eco-friendly product market. Under the partnership with TK Chemical Corp., LG Chem will develop and produce poly butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT). PBAT are synthetic polymers based on fossil resources and can naturally degrade within six months after buried in soil. The two companies said th

  Genesis, the independent luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Co., sold more than 100,000 sport utility vehicles (SUV) globally in just 1 1/2 years since its SUV market debut, thanks to brisk sales at home and in North America, data showed Sunday. Genesis' SUV sales totaled 107,700 units from the launch of its first SUV, GV80, in January 2020 until the end of July this year, according to Hyundai Motor's investor relation data. Genesis rolled out its second and smaller SUV flagship GV70 in Janua

South Korea said Sunday it plans to officially deliver its intention to New Zealand to join a global pact on the digital sector that covers a wider array of issues beyond conventional free trade agreements. South Korea completed its domestic procedures to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) in August, and now plans to on Monday propose the official launch of negotiations with DEPA members, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Earlier this month, Trade Minist

South Korean listed companies' half-year dividends surged to a record high this year as their businesses posted strong performance, market data showed Sunday. A total of 62 local listed firms paid out 4.39 trillion won ($3.75 billion) in interim dividends in June, up 66.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from market tracker FnGuide. It marks the first time that listed companies' half-year dividends surpassed the 4 trillion-won mark. Half-year dividends from South Korean firms r

A hacker group believed to be linked to North Korea has attempted to steal data from South Korean experts working as members of an advisory panel for the defense ministry, a cybersecurity firm said Sunday. Emails were sent to some members of the advisory panel earlier this month from hackers who disguised themselves as a North Korea-related department of the defense ministry, notifying them of an upcoming seminar on the occasion of the anniversary of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, accor

  South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan has scored in his Premier League debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers, wasting little time to make a strong first impression. The 25-year-old forward netted Wolves' second goal of their 2-0 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road in Watford, England, on Saturday (local time). This was Wolves' first victory of the season in their fourth match and also their first two goals of the campaign. Hwang is the 14th South Korean to play in the Premier League and seve

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern South Korea early Sunday, but no damage was reported. The quake hit some 4 kilometers southeast of Changnyeong County, about 260 km southeast of Seoul, at 2:04 a.m. from a depth of 13 kilometers, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The epicenter was located at a latitude of 35.53 degrees north and a longitude of 128.53 degrees east. The maximum seismic intensity scale was 2, which means that the tremor can be felt only by a small nu

Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin got roughed up by the lowly Baltimore Orioles, narrowly avoiding his ninth loss of the season when his offense bailed him out in late innings. The South Korean left-hander pitched a season-low 2 1/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday (local time) in the first game of a doubleheader. The Blue Jays trailed 7-3 when Ryu got the hook, but rallied for an 11-10 victory over the worst team

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases dropped under 1,800 on Sunday as health authorities try to stem virus infections ahead of a major holiday amid persistent infections in the greater Seoul area. The country added 1,755 COVID-19 cases, including 1,725 local infections, raising the total caseload to 272,982, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was down from over 1,800 cases over the past two days. However, it was the second-largest figure fo

  The number of social enterprises certified by the government has reached over 3,000, with a majority of the firms committed to providing jobs to underprivileged people, according to officials Sunday. The labor ministry's expert committee on social enterprise development on Wednesday certified 97 businesses as new government-approved social enterprises, bringing the total number of social companies in the country up to 3,064. The 3,000-mark milestone was reached in 14 years since the gov

The government has drafted a new mid-term plan to expand the education of 53 foreign languages that are less commonly taught but deemed increasingly important to the nation's engagement with the world, officials said Sunday. Education, justice, gender and other ministers Wednesday discussed the education ministry's proposal for the second five-year basic plan for the education of the critical foreign languages, which will be implemented in 2022. The 53 languages designated by a presidential de

President Moon Jae-in vowed Saturday that South Korea will continue to contribute to the fight against terrorism as he marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "My deepest sympathies go out to President Joe Biden and the American people. Twenty years have passed, but the shock of that day still remains as deep wounds in the hearts of so many," he said in a Facebook message. Moon noted that violence cannot win over peace and inclusiveness and that the tragedy of the

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Saturday filed a complaint with the prosecution over what it called an illegal raid against one of its lawmakers in a snowballing political meddling scandal. The complaint accuses Kim Jin-wook, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), and five investigators of abuse of power and an illegal raid on the office of PPP Rep. Kim Woong on Friday. Rep. Jun Joo-hyae, a PPP spokeswoman, delivered the complaint to the

Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin will make his next start on regular rest after all. The Blue Jays, currently in Baltimore for a four-game series against the Orioles, announced Friday (local time) that the South Korean left-hander will start the first game of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday. The first pitch is set for 4:35 p.m. Saturday in Baltimore, or 5:35 a.m. Sunday in Seoul. Ryu's previous start came on Monday at Yankee Stadium, where he pitch