About 97 percent of service members aged 30 and older have received the second doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, the defense ministry said Friday. As of Thursday, 113,164 troops, or 96.8 percent of troops of the age group who had their first shots, have received the second doses, according to the ministry. The military provided AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for their first shots in April and May but the second doses were given with Pfizer's after health authorities decided earlier this m

Samsung Electronics Co. retained the top spot in the global smartphone market in the second quarter of the year, a report showed Friday, although its market share declined from the previous quarter due to fewer shipments. The South Korean giant had a market share of 18 percent in the April-June period, after shipping 58 million Galaxy smartphones, up 7 percent from a year ago, according to a report from market researcher Counterpoint Research. But compared with the first quarter, its market s

A group of progressive lawmakers have condemned misogynistic attacks being leveled at a female South Korean archer now competing at the Tokyo Olympics. An San, the double gold medalist who will vie for her third gold in women's individual archery on Friday, has recently become a target of misogynistic attacks for her short haircut. Some male internet users flooded An's social media account with hate speech, taking issue with her past use of online slang terms, deemed misandrist by anti-femin

President Moon Jae-in expressed his gratitude Friday to those who have endeavored to protect South Korea's tidal flats inscribed as UNESCO's world natural heritage. Earlier this week, the UNESCO added tidal flats, called "getbol" in Korean, in four areas located on the western coast of the country, to the list. The getbol have become a "great life" to be protected by not just South Koreans but also mankind, the president wrote on his social media accounts. "But this p

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused "hostile forces" of intensifying "frantic and persistent war drills for aggression" as he presided over the first-ever workshop of military commanders and political officers this week, state media reported Friday. The remark came as South Korea and the United States are mulling over whether and how to conduct their annual military exercise expected for mid-August amid concern that it could negatively affect a conciliatory mood created

YOKOHAMA -- After serving up a game-tying solo home run to Israel in the top of the ninth inning to blow a 5-4 lead for South Korea on Thursday, closer Oh Seung-hwan wore an incredulous smile on his face that said, "Oh no, not again." Welcome to Yokohama Stadium, home of the baseball tournament for the Tokyo Olympics. It's a smallish park, stretching 94 meters down the lines and 118 meters to dead center. And the wind was blowing out on this night, and South Korea and Israel had thre

South Korea's exports of autos jumped 71.9 percent on-year in the second quarter on the back of robust demand for sedans and eco-friendly vehicles, data showed Friday. The country's outbound shipments of cars came to $10.7 billion in the April-June period, compared with $6.25 billion the previous year, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. Autos accounted for some 7 percent of South Korea's exports. Imports of autos rose 38.3 percent on-year to $4.1 billion in the cited

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged efforts to "defend, consolidate and develop" relations with North Korea, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday, after the North's Kim Jong-un said he will push to elevate the two countries' ties to a "new strategic point." Xi made the remarks in a reply to Kim's earlier letter to mark the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China, touting the "message of fervent congratulations at an early hour" as a sign

South Korean archer Kim Woo-jin will take aim at his second gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, when the medal round in the individual event will take place. Kim Woo-jin won the team gold medal on Monday, alongside Kim Je-deok and Oh Jin-hyek. The latter two were gone after the round of 32 in the individual event, leaving Kim Woo-jin, who has reached the round of 16, to try to extend South Korea's winning streak in the event to three Olympics. Oh won the individual gold in 2012 and K

Samsung Electronics Co. stayed on as the world's second-largest tablet computer vendor in the second quarter of the year, a report showed Friday, as it strives to catch up with industry leader Apple Inc. The South Korean giant logged a market share of 18 percent in the April-June period, after shipping 8.2 million Galaxy Tab tablets, up 19 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. "The Android tablet market is undergoing big changes as vendors retool th

YOKOHAMA -- Few players, if any, on the South Korean national baseball team had as much to prove as shortstop Oh Ji-hwan at the Tokyo Olympics. And it only took him one game on Thursday to demonstrate his value as an outstanding fielder with pop. Despite his credentials as among the best defenders in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Oh's selection to the team in June was met with major criticism -- from those who still remembered the controversy that Oh's presence on the 2018 Asian Games

South Korean manufacturers' business sentiment dropped for August amid a recent spike in COVID-19 infections, central bank data showed Friday. The business sentiment index (BSI) for local manufacturers came to 92 for August, down from 99 for July, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index measures manufacturers' outlook on business conditions in the following month. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists. The nation's daily new infections have exceeded 1

WASHINGTON -- South Korea is one of the important partners of the United States in addressing the root causes of people from Central American nations fleeing their countries, US Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday. While the United States seeks to mitigate massive migration from Central America to the United States, Harris noted the US "cannot do this work alone." "Our strategy is far-reaching — and focuses on our partnerships with other governments, international i

South Korea's industrial output and retail sales increased in June from the previous month in the latest sign that Asia's fourth-largest economy is on a solid recovery track, data showed Friday. But the fourth wave of the pandemic is posing a threat to the country's economic recovery as the toughest-ever virus curbs may dampen improving domestic demand. Industrial output rose 1.6 percent in June from the previous month, after stayed flat in May, according to the data compiled by Statistics Kor

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases increased to more than 1,700 Friday as health authorities strive to contain the virus spread amid summer vacation season.  The country added 1,710 COVID-19 cases, including 1,662 local infections, raising the total caseload to 196,806, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The latest tally is up from 1,674 cases reported Thursday but is lower than a record 1,896 cases Wednesday.  The country added four more COVID-19