A pair of paintings disgracing the wife of leading conservative presidential hopeful Yoon Seok-youl have been whitewashed from the walls of a bookstore in central Seoul after they drew criticism of misogyny. Two paintings on the outer walls of the used bookstore in the district of Jongno were covered over in white paint Monday afternoon a few days after grabbing headlines for their disparaging depiction of Kim Keon-hee, wife of the former prosecutor general currently leading most presidential o

Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea, has handled more than 50 million tons of cargo since its opening 20 years ago, its operator said Tuesday. The cumulative amount of cargo handled at the airport, west of Seoul, exceeded the 50 million ton mark last Tuesday as a Korean Air plane transported 70 tons of cargo to Atlanta, according to the Incheon International Airport Corp. and the land ministry. The airport's cumulative cargo handling topped 10 million tons in 2006, 2

At Olympic Games, there is a huge difference in third place and fourth place, as a medal is tangible evidence of success in the sporting world. The tiniest margins of time or distance are powerful enough to decide an athlete's fate. A total of 10 South Korean athletes or teams have just missed the medal podium at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics as of Tuesday, while the country has a total of 19 medals -- six golds, four silvers and nine bronzes. Woo Sang-hyeok cleared 2.35 meters in the men's high

A civilian worker for the military was indicted on suspicion of using insider information for real estate speculation, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The indictment came after 22 military-related people were investigated for real estate speculation suspicions after a massive speculation scandal involving the state housing developer, Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), sparked public fury. The 21 others were cleared of charges, the ministry said. The indicted civilian worker was accused of

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday it has become an "inevitable duty" during the remainder of his tenure to protect people's lives with a focus on curbing the COVID-19 spread and improving their livelihoods. Another key task is preparing for South Korea's future in connection with the fourth industrial revolution and climate change, he said at the start of a weekly Cabinet meeting. "I feel a great sense of responsibility," he said. Moon was presenting major policy goals fo

South Korean boy band SHINee topped a key music chart in Japan with its latest Japanese-language EP "Superstar," the group's agency said Tuesday. The five-track album, released on July 28, ranked No. 1 on Oricon's weekly album chart after reaching number one on the daily album chart, according to SM Entertainment. It marks the group's fourth No. 1 on the weekly chart after "I'm Your Boy," "D×D×D" and "SHINee: The Best from Now On" released be

K-Bank, South Korea's first internet-only bank, said Tuesday it turned a profit for the first time since its inception in the second quarter of the year on robust growth in customers and deposits. Net profit stood at 3.9 billion won (US$3.4 million) in the April-June period, a sharp turnaround from a net loss of 12.3 billion won three months earlier, K-Bank said in a regulatory filing. It represents the online lender's first quarterly profit since its launch in April 2017. In the first half o

Twenty-nine service members of the Cheonghae unit, which reported a massive COVID-19 outbreak while on missions in Africa, tested negative and will exit quarantine Tuesday, the defense ministry said. Last month, a total of 272 sailors of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit tested positive for the new coronavirus while serving missions in waters off Africa, and all of the unit members returned home weeks ahead of schedule. Upon arrival, the 29 people who initially tested negative were sent to a Navy

The Cabinet on Tuesday passed a revised presidential decree to allow more national holidays subject to the government's alternative statutory holiday program. According to the Ministry of Personnel Management, the Cabinet endorsed the decree that newly adds four national holidays -- March 1 Independence Movement Day, Aug. 15 National Liberation Day, National Foundation Day (Oct. 3) and Hangeul Day (Oct. 9) -- to a list of legal holidays subject to the government's alternative holiday program.

TOKYO -- After finishing out of medal in the Tokyo Olympic men's golf tournament on Sunday, South Korean golfer Kim Si-woo spoke for many golf fans from the country when he said he hoped to see a podium sweep from the women's event. South Korea will have four of the world's top-10 female golfers in the field of 60 at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, north of Tokyo, starting Wednesday, The quartet includes Park In-bee, the 2016 gold medalist and an LPGA Hall of Famer. She comes in ranked N

The number of South Korean companies affiliated with large business groups under tight supervision rose by 41 in the May-July period, data showed Tuesday, as conglomerates expanded their business scopes to search for new growth engines. The total number of affiliates on the Korea Fair Trade Commission's (KFTC) list reached 2,653 as of end-July, compared with 2,612 three months earlier, according to the data compiled by the antitrust regulator. Major business groups newly launched or acquired 1

Kolon Industries Inc., South Korea's top textile and chemical materials maker, said Tuesday its second-quarter earnings more than quadrupled from a year earlier on brisk demand for its products. Net income stood at 77.7 billion won ($67.5 million) in the April-June period, up 358 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Sales rose 25.7 percent on-year to 1.18 trillion won, with operating income surging some 182 percent to 103.6 billion won. It marks the first time

TOKYO -- Get your popcorn ready, or whatever the snack of your choice may be when watching exciting sporting events. It will be South Korea versus Japan in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympic baseball tournament Wednesday. The first pitch is at 7 p.m. at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. No matter how the game plays out, it will add a new chapter to one of the most intense rivalries in international sports. Baseball is beloved in both countries. While Japan would like nothing more

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, led by gains in major tech firms. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) added 5.53 points, or 0.17 percent, to trade at 3,228.57 in the first 25 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a solid start as tech heavyweights jumped on speculations of high global demand. In Seoul, market kingpin Samsung Electronics rose 1.64 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 3.02 percent. Giant pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics lost 0.33 p

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 1,200s for the second day in a row Tuesday due to fewer tests amid the fourth wave of the outbreak across the country. The country added 1,202 COVID-19 cases, including 1,152 local infections, raising the total caseload to 201,203, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally marked a decline from 1,442 cases Sunday and 1,219 cases Monday. Daily cases normally fall over the weekend and rise later i