South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell back to slightly below 1,900 on Friday, while authorities are striving to curb the virus surge and raise the vaccination rate ahead of a major holiday when many people travel. The country added 1,892 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,857 local infections, raising the total caseload to 269,362, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was down from over 2,000 cases over the past two days. Daily cases hav

K-pop girl group LOONA will make its official debut in Japan with its first Japanese language songs next week, its management agency said Thursday. 　 　The 12-member group will pre-release four songs Wednesday, including double main tracks of its upcoming Japanese album -- “Hula Hoop” and “Starseed: Kakusei” -- according to Blockberry Creative. The group‘s first Japanese album will hit shelves on Oct. 20. 　 　K-pop producer Ryan Jhun co-composed “Hula Hoop,&rdq

South Korea's key stock index tumbled more than 1.5 percent Thursday amid virus concerns and uncertainties from the expiration of options and futures. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 48.29 points, or 1.53 percent, to close at 3,114.7 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 910 million shares worth some 17.3 trillion won ($14.8 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 655 to 214. Foreigners sold a net 318 billio

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for the second day Thursday as health authorities warned that new infections may further rise ahead of a major national holiday when millions travel. The country added 2,049 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,018 local infections, raising the total caseload to 267,470, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload is similar to 2,048 cases reported a day earlier, when the tally bounced back to

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday amid concerns about the spreading virus cases. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 11.54 points, or 0.36 percent, to trade at 3,151.45 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. South Korea reported 2,049 new coronavirus cases Thursday despite the highest level of virus curbs in most part of the country. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged down 0.13 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix fell 0.94 percent. Internet p

South Korea's top security officials stressed the United States has no hostile intent toward North Korea, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, as Seoul steps up diplomacy to resume dialogue with Pyongyang. The officials discussed efforts to reengage with the North during a standing committee session of the National Security Council led by National Security Office Director Suh Hoon, amid worrisome signs of the reclusive regime restarting a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor.

South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Wednesday to boost exchanges and cooperation in security and defense fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. The meeting between Vice Minister Park Jae-min and his counterparts from 10 Southeast Asian nations took place via video links on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue which kicked off in the day for a three-day run. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, T

South Korean stocks extended losses to the second straight session Wednesday as investors offloaded tech shares amid concerns about regulations against online platform giants. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 24.43 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 3,162.99 points. Trading volume was high at about 839.72 million shares worth some 16.89 trillion won ($14.5 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 560 to 307. Foreigners sold a net 283 billion won worth of local

Thousands of self-employed people in South Korea are set to hold drive-through protests in several cities across the country Wednesday night to call for eased COVID-19 restrictions and more compensation, the organizer said. Around 2,000 to 3,000 people are expected to stage the rallies in nine regions, including Seoul, Ulsan, and provinces of North Jeolla, South Gyeongsang and Gangwon, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., according to an emergency committee of the self-employed. "We do not intend to

Daily card spending in South Korea rose 8.4 percent in the first half from a year earlier, supported by increased online purchases amid the pandemic, central bank data showed Wednesday. Holders of credit and debit cards spent an average 2.7 trillion won ($2.3 billion) per day in the January-June period, compared with 2.5 trillion won the previous year, according to the data by the Bank of Korea (BOK). Credit card spending rose 10.2 percent on-year to a daily average of 2.1 trillion won, led by

South Korean banks' household loans grew at a slower pace in August from the previous month due largely to slowed growth in overdrafts for stock investments, central bank data showed Wednesday. Outstanding bank loans to local households came to 1,046.3 trillion won ($898 billion) as of end-August, up 6.2 trillion won from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The August reading slowed from a 9.7 trillion won on-month increase in July, the data showed. The BOK

Preference for traveling to less crowded or outdoor destinations has grown this year in South Korea amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a report showed Wednesday. The Korea Culture & Tourism Institute (KCT) compared two surveys -- one conducted on 2,061 people from April to May last year and the other conducted on 3,136 from May to June this year -- to study any change in domestic travel trend that could be attributed to COVID-19. The report showed more people have chosen to travel to l

The foreign ministry said Wednesday it will establish a "smart work system" to allow overseas-based diplomats to work remotely from home and elsewhere without returning to their offices as part of efforts to improve the working environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The current work system requires diplomats to access the ministry's network only from their missions connected via secure lines. That has caused difficulties as the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted direct contact or on-si

South Korea's central bank is expected to raise its interest rate in November to cope with concerns over a financial imbalance, a report said Wednesday. "The Bank of Korea is likely to raise its benchmark rate to 1 percent from 0.75 percent at its Nov. 25 policy meeting in consideration of worries about a financial imbalance related to an economic recovery, rising inflation and the hot housing market," Woori Finance Research Institute said in the report on the local financial market.

An annual international security forum hosted by the defense ministry kicked off in Seoul on Wednesday for discussions on situations on the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region. The vice-ministerial 2021 Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), set to run until Friday, will bring together senior officials from countries including the United States, Japan, China and Russia, as well as experts on issues including the pandemic, according to the ministry. Under the theme of "Borderless Security