Three soldiers and a civilian worker for the Army tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said, the latest in a series of confirmed cases across the country amid a new wave of the pandemic. Two soldiers -- one in the central city of Nonsan and the other in the border city of Paju -- tested positive while being in isolation after recently joining the military, according to the ministry. The remaining soldier in Siheung, south of Seoul, and a civilian worker in the eastern

Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday unveiled a new multifunctional cooking appliance to target consumers who enjoy meal kits and home meal replacement (HMR) products amid the stay-at-home trend. The BESPOKE Qooker was launched in South Korea with a price tag of 590,000 won ($510). An overseas launch of the product has not yet been confirmed, according to Samsung. "Qooker" comes from the word "cooker," with the letter Q representing "quality" and "quick,"

Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said Wednesday it is too late for two former presidents jailed for corruption to receive presidential pardons on the occasion of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day. He made the remark as two elderly former presidents, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, were admitted to hospitals last week in moves some observers said may be intended to arouse public opinion favorable to special amnesties for them. Minister Park dismissed such speculation, saying they were hospitalized for

South Korea's industry ministry said Wednesday it has given the go-ahead to a set of regulated projects, including allowing businesses to test self-driving robots equipped with cameras on sidewalks, in line with its efforts to lift excessive barriers and foster new growth engines. Previously, self-driving robots were banned from running alongside pedestrians because they were considered automobiles under local rules. Currently, self-driving robots cannot be equipped with cameras on privacy con

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday the recent scorching summer heat has had a limited impact on the supply of livestock products, although local farms may suffer more damage down the road if the heat wave continues. As of Monday, a total of 219,000 chickens died due to the sweltering summer heat in July, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Around 5,000 pigs were also reported dead. The ministry, however, said the figures are far below those reporte

South and North Korean military authorities held a daily phone call via a military hotline on Wednesday, the defense ministry said, a day after the North restored all severed communication lines with the South. "The South and the North held their daily liaison phone call at 9 a.m. Wednesday, via the western communication line," the defense ministry said, referring to one of the two military hotlines set up across the border. The other channel, known as the eastern line, is not fully

TOKYO -- South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo set a new Asian record in the 100m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, adding to a fast-growing list of accomplishments in his burgeoning career. Hwang finished third in his semifinals heat, and fourth overall among 16 swimmers, with a time of 47.56 seconds at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. He will compete in the final at 11:37 a.m. Thursday. The previous Asian record was 47.65 seconds, held by Ning Zetao of China since October 2014. Hwang is the

TOKYO -- After the conclusion of the last professional volleyball season in South Korea, Kim Hee-jin underwent left knee surgery in May to remove bone chips. She was about to go on an extensive rehab that would get her ready for the next season. But then the national team came calling. Head coach Stefano Lavarini specifically wanted the opposite spiker on the squad for the Tokyo Olympics in July. Lavarini in particular praised Kim's thorough understanding of the team's strategy and her ability

CHIBA -- Increasing parity in taekwondo is ultimately a good thing for the traditional Korean martial art. The more countries practice taekwondo and produce Olympic medalists, the better it is for the sport's long-term future, especially when it comes to its relevance among other Olympic events. Taekwondo, after all, has gone through numerous rule changes in recent years, trying to make it more watchable and entertaining. But in the short term, the spread of wealth doesn't help South Korea's Ol

South and North Korea are standing at the starting line again for the ultimate goal of denuclearization, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. It was talking about the meaning of the reopening of inter-Korean communication lines, the result of President Moon Jae-in's exchange of several personal letters with the North's leader Kim Jong-un over the past few months. The previous day, the two Koreas restored their military and government-level liaison hotlines that were severed in June last year. They a

South and North Korea held their daily liaison phone call on Wednesday, the unification ministry said, a day after Pyongyang restored inter-Korean communication lines after a 13-month suspension. Four hotlines were restored Tuesday after the North cut them off in June last year in protest of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets coming in from the South. At the time, the North also blew up a joint liaison office in anger as well. On Wednesday, the two sides held phone calls via liaison and milita

US pharmaceutical company Moderna will resume provisions of COVID-19 vaccines to South Korea next week, the prime minister said Wednesday, following a delay due to an issue linked to the company's vaccine production. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the company's vaccine supply resumption plan at an interagency COVID-19 response meeting, explaining that health officials discussed the matter with Moderna officials late Tuesday through a video conference. The government said Tuesday that Mo

TOKYO -- The defending champion South Korea will open its quest for a second straight baseball gold medal, 13 years apart, against Israel on Thursday. The national baseball team, beleaguered in light of players' misconduct scandal, will also try to win over fans who have turned their backs on the sport. South Korea's first preliminary game against Israel starts at 7 p.m. at Yokohama Baseball Stadium in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. Two players, second baseman Park Min-woo and pitcher Han Hyun-hee

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country's armed forces are fully ready to deal with any outside threats as he addressed a conference of war veterans but unlike last year, made no mention of "nuclear deterrence," according to state media Wednesday. The annual conference, held Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, coincided with the surprise announcement that the North restored cross-border hotlines with South Korea that it had cut

More than half of employees at South Korean technology giant Naver Corp. reported having experienced bullying at work, the labor ministry said, calling for an improvement of its work culture. The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Tuesday announced the results of its special supervision of Naver following the suicide of one of its employees in May from apparent bullying at work. In a survey of Naver employees conducted from June 9 to July 23, 52.7 percent of respondents said they had experien