The chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday called for speeding up South Korea's envisioned takeover of wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the United States in reflection of the recent crisis in Afghanistan. "We need OPCON transfer to further strengthen our will and capability of self-defense against the backdrop of the Afghanistan crisis," Rep. Song Young-gil said in his Facebook post. Song wrote the post as a direct rebuttal to a claim recently ma

The remains of Hong Beom-do, one of the most revered Korean independence fighters, were laid to rest at South Korea's national cemetery Wednesday, three days after being returned from Kazakhstan. An official ceremony for the reburial of his remains was held at Daejeon National Cemetery in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, following a public mourning period. President Moon Jae-in attended the ceremony, along with first lady Kim Jung-sook and other dignitaries, including Defense Minister S

South Korea's exports of automobiles edged down 2.9 percent in July from a year earlier as the global supply shortages of automotive chips hindered production, data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments of automobiles reached 181,046 units in July, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In terms of value, exports advanced 12.3 percent to $4.1 billion. The ministry attributed the decrease to a low base effect, as overseas shipments of cars gathered ground in July 2020 after the

North Korea has reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) that the country has conducted coronavirus tests on around 36,000 people so far but found no confirmed cases, the UN agency said Wednesday. According to the WHO's weekly report on COVID-19, 693 North Koreans underwent virus tests from July 30 to Aug. 5, bringing the total number of tested citizens to 35,947, but none were found to have been infected. Of the newly tested citizens, 112 people with symptoms turned out to be those wit

  South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose back to the 1,800s for the first time in three days on Wednesday, following the extended weekend, and health authorities remain vigilant against a further rise down the road. The country added 1,805 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,767 local infections, raising the total caseload to 228,657, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections rebounded after falling to 1,556 on Monday and 1,373 on Tuesday d

The toughest Level 4 social distancing rules went into effect on the southern resort island of Jeju on Wednesday, as authorities struggle to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19 among tourists and residents. The Jeju provincial government said the Level 4 scheme, up one notch from the previous Level 3, will be enforced throughout the island until Aug. 29, imposing strict restraints on people's gatherings and activities. Under the new rules, private gatherings of up to two people are allowed af

North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday warned officials against corruption and urged them to rally for public support amid deepening economic woes. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, made the appeal calling on officials to wage a struggle to root out "poisonous weeds" in society, including bureaucracy and corruption. "Winning the hearts of the people is equal to winning the world, and losing the hearts of the people is equal to losing the pa

The global semiconductor market is expected to expand 25.1 percent this year on the back of robust growth from the memory sector, a report from an industry tracker showed Wednesday, amid concerns of a slowdown in demand. World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), a nonprofit organization of chipmakers, said the global semiconductor market is expected to grow to $551 billion in 2021, up from its previous forecast of $527.2 billion. It also revised up the market growth for the year to 25.1 p

Park In-bee likes to be challenged on the golf course. The LPGA Hall of Famer has enough confidence in her game to thrive under difficult conditions where lesser golfers may falter. That approach will certainly come in handy this week in Scotland, where the LPGA Tour holds its fifth and final major tournament of 2021 on a historic links course. Carnoustie Golf Links will host the AIG Women's Open starting Thursday. It has held eight Open Championships on the men's side, and this will be the se

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Wednesday, tracking a stock plunge on Wall Street that stemmed from reports on Taliban's earlier-than-expected control of the Afghanistan capital. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.18 points, or 0.07 percent, to 3,140.91 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a choppy start as investors digest the impact of Taliban's seizure of Kabul and the frenzy at the airport. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial

On a historic course in Scotland this week, South Korean LPGA golfers will try to avoid making a wrong kind of history. Long a dominant force in women's golf, South Korea is in danger of being shut out at LPGA major championships for the first time in 11 years. The AIG Women's Open, the fifth and final major of 2021, will tee off at Carnoustie Golf Links in its namesake Scottish town Thursday. The four previous majors were won by four players from four countries. For South Korea, Lee Jeong-eu

Sales by major companies in South Korea rose nearly 10 percent in the first half of the year in spite of the coronavirus pandemic with their total operating profit more than doubling, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. Combined sales of 225 out of the country's top 500 firms came to 1,127.4 trillion won ($960 billion) in the January-June period, up 10.4 percent from a year earlier, according to CEO Score. Their operating profit stood at 105.1 trillion won in the six-month period, more than do

A South Korean baseball player has been cleared of doping allegations upon further review by the national anti-doping body, the player's club has announced. The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said late Tuesday that the Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) informed the league office of its final decision on the player, whose identity was being withheld, at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The KBO in turn delivered the news to the Bears, a team official added. In June, the KADA detected a banne

Fourteen people affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK), including five American service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus in the past four days, the US military said Tuesday. The COVID-19 cases were reported from Osan Air Base and USArmy Garrison (USAG) Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, USAG Daegu in the southeastern city of the same name, and Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 km north of the capital, according to USFK. “All 14 individuals are curre

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) said Tuesday that it swung to a net loss in the first half from a year ago due to increased costs and allowances. Its net loss came to 1.25 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in the January-June period compared with a net profit of 294 billion won a year ago. Sales fell 45 percent to 2.17 trillion won, with operating loss reaching 1.22 trillion won, shifting from an operating profit of 352 billion won over the cited period. DSME cited a sharp f