Houses and roads were flooded Sunday as strong winds and heavy rain pounded the country, disrupting flights and passenger ships, and causing landslides and power outages in some areas, fire and provincial authorities said. Due to heavy rain that began Saturday, 18 domestic flights were canceled, and 13 domestic and international flights had been delayed at Jeju International Airport on the southern resort island of Jeju as of 10 a.m. Passenger ships connecting Incheon, west of Seoul, and nearby

North Korea vowed Sunday to take action to protect its sovereignty as it condemned South Korea, the United States and Japan for their recent joint military exercises. The move came amid a growing North Korea-Russia alignment after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty that calls for providing military assistance to each other without delay if either side comes under an armed attack. "We will prote

Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, appears to have entered a phase of extinction due to low birthrates and superaging population, becoming the nation's first metropolitan city to do so, said a research paper published on Friday. The paper from the Korea Employment Information Service estimated Busan's ratio of the population aged 65 or older at 23 percent as of March this year, making it the only metropolitan city to become a superaging society. The southeastern port city&#

South Korea on Saturday commemorated the 22nd anniversary of its victorious naval skirmish against North Korea, paying tribute to Navy sailors killed in action and vowing to honor their sacrifices with a firmer defense posture. The ceremony marking the anniversary of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong took place at the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul. Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Yong-mo and Vice Veterans Minister Lee Hee-wa

A senior South Korean football executive in charge of the men's national team coaching search has offered to resign, officials said Saturday, as the country's bid to hire a new bench boss took an unexpected turn. According to officials at the Korea Football Association, Chung Hae-soung, head of the National Teams Committee at the KFA, expressed his intent to step down during his visit to the KFA headquarters in Seoul on Friday. Chung cited his declining health as a reason, but the KFA

South Korea, the United States and Japan are scheduled to conclude their first trilateral multidomian military exercise Saturday afternoon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, as the three countries looked to strengthen their deterrence against North Korean threats. Titled "Freedom Edge," the three-day exercise began Thursday in international waters south of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju. Defense chiefs of the three nations had agreed to launch these drills earlier in June,

The UN Security Council held an open meeting Friday to discuss arms cooperation between North Korea and Russia, where Western nations condemned the two countries' transactions while Russia called them "completely false." South Korean Ambassador to the UN Hwang Joon-kook, this month's rotating UNSC president, presided over the meeting that at one point descended into an exchange of sharp criticism between the representatives of the United States, Russia and China. The meetin

South Korea's exports of pharmaceutical and bio technologies surged from a year earlier in the first half of the year, data showed Saturday. In the first six months of the year, the country exported 4.5 trillion won ($3.26 billion) worth of pharmaceutical and bio technologies, up 55 percent from 2.9 trillion won for the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association. The number of export deals dropped to seven from 12 over

The financial regulator has lowered maximum rates for loans extended by secondary lenders, such as savings banks, to people with mid- and low-level credit scores, market sources said Saturday. According to the sources, the Financial Services Commission has cut the maximum rate on loans from mutual finances to 10.22 percent in the second half of the year from the 10.5 percent applied in the first six months. The maximum rate for midrange interest rate loans from savings banks has also been reduce

Tickets for summer exhibition matches in Seoul involving the Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have all sold out, organizers announced Saturday. South Korean streaming service Coupang Play said tickets for two matches in the "2024 Coupang Play Series" were all snapped up after going on sale at 8 p.m. Friday on its website. Tickets were only available to paying members of Coupang WOW services. Tottenham, captained by South Korean star Son Heung-min, will first face Team K League, ma

North Korea has convened a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, attended by its leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported Saturday, amid expectations that it would discuss follow-up measures to implement a new partnership treaty with Russia. North Korea held the 10th enlarged plenary meeting of the WPK's 8th Central Committee on Friday to review state policy performances in the first half, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The meeting is also to "discus

A final court hearing for former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on an alleged election law violation will take place in September, with a verdict expected around the following month, officials said Friday. The final hearing session regarding Lee's alleged election law violation will be held on Sept. 6 following the interrogation of Lee in August and other processes, according to the Seoul Central District Court. Lee is accused of making false statements during the presidential campaign in

South Korea will lift a travel advisory for Japan, except for the Fukushima regions, and lowered the travel warning level placed on Iran, the foreign ministry said Friday. The Level 1 travel alert out of its four-scale system has been applied to Japan, which calls for exercising normal precautions, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent decline in the number of travelers there. Beginning Monday, the Seoul government will lift the advisory given a growing number of travelers

Seoul shares ended higher Friday as investors waited for clues about the direction of the US rate decision with key data due later in the day. The local currency rose sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 8.02 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,792.08. Trade volume was moderate at 601.1 million shares worth 10.8 trillion won ($7.8 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 578 to 294. Foreigners and institutions purchased local shares worth 29.2 billion

President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to meet with US National Intelligence Director Avril Haines on Friday, sources said, amid growing concerns over a recent military pact between North Korea and Russia. During the meeting at Yoon's office, the two sides are likely to exchange their views on the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss joint efforts to counter the growing Pyongyang-Moscow military tie