South Korean superband BTS said it hopes to play an active role in helping youths around the world amid global challenges like economic hardships, inequality and the ongoing pandemic. The seven-piece group, which has rewritten history by ruling Billboard charts and becoming the first Korean pop group to receive a Grammy nomination, was recently named for the public diplomacy role. With the appointment, the group is set to attend major international meetings, including the 76th session of the U

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Sunday it will suspend one of its eight domestic plants on Monday as dozens of workers at the factory were infected with COVID-19 in recent days. The No. 1 Sohari plant's suspension may be extended depending on the result of coronavirus tests on its workers, a company spokesman said. The Sohari plant in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, has an annual output capacity of 320,000 units and mainly produces the Stinger sports car, the K9 flags

TOKYO -- Former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon briefly met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo on the occasion of the Tokyo Olympics, diplomatic sources said Sunday. The encounter took place in the Olympic stadium late Friday following the opening ceremony of the games, the sources familiar with the matter said. In the talks, Ban reportedly congratulated the emperor for the opening of the Olympics and Emperor Naruhito expressed appreciation in return, according to the sourc

CHIBA -- The third time didn't prove to be the charm for Lee Dae-hoon, the South Korean taekwondo icon who was chasing his first gold in his third Olympic appearance Sunday. That dream ended after the first match, as the top-seeded Lee lost to Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan 21-19 in the round of 16 at the men's 68kg event at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, east of Tokyo. Rashitov scored his two "golden points" in the extra period, after the two finished three rounds of regulation kno

CHIBA -- South Korean taekwondo star Lee Dae-hoo suffered a shocking loss in his first match at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, missing out on his third and likely final crack at an Olympic gold. Lee lost to Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan 21-19 in the round of 16 at the men's 68kg event at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, east of Tokyo. The two practitioners were tied at 19-19 after three rounds, setting up the sudden-death extra period. Rashitov got his two "golden points" with a kick

Two key players on the left side of the South Korean infield have sustained minor injuries in a recent pre-Olympic tuneup game. Shortstop Oh Ji-hwan received five stitches to his neck after a collision with a base runner during the national baseball team's exhibition game against the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Saturday in Seoul. A KBO official said Oh is fully participating in team practices. Oh was trying to tag out Chae Eun-seong as he slid into the second base bag,

  Samsung Electronics Co.'s Canada operations said Sunday it will donate $1,000 for every medal won by Canadian athletes at the Tokyo Summer Games in a promotional event. Samsung Canada plans to deliver up to $25,000 for as many as 25 medal wins to stand by Team Canada athletes during the summer sports games under way amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement.  The funding effort, which will support the Canadian sport system through the Canadian Olympic Foundation

The interest income of South Korea's five major financial groups likely jumped 11 percent in the first half from a year earlier on extended loan growth amid low market rates, industry sources said Sunday. KB, Hana, Shinhan, Woori and NH Nonghyup are expected to report a combined 20.38 trillion won ($17.7 billion) worth of interest income from January to June, up from 18.43 trillion won in the same period of last year, it said. KB, Hana, Woori and NH Nonghyup posted interest income of 5.41 tr

Jeju Province Gov. Won Hee-ryong announced Sunday that he will run for presidency in the election slated for March next year. In a video speech, Won, a former three-term opposition lawmaker, vowed to upend "everything" the Moon Jae-in government has done. "I declare my bid for the 20th presidential election to make the Republic of Korea a country of a different class and different dimension," he said in the virtual press conference. "I would like to propose a vision o

The head of US-based vehicle importer HAAH Automotive Holdings Inc. has said the company is set to submit its letter of intent this week to acquire SsangYong Motor Co., industry sources said Sunday. HAAH Automotive Holdings founder Duke Hale said HAAH is the optimal company to acquire financially troubled SsangYong and will submit an LOI by Friday, a person familiar with the matter said over the phone. SsangYong's Indian parent Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. had been in talks with HAAH to sell i

A pair of South Korean artistic gymnasts have found themselves in surprise contention thanks to strong performances in the qualifying rounds at the Tokyo Olympics. And coach Shin Hyung-ook is so heartened by what he saw from Shin Jea-hwan in the men's vault and Ryu Sung-hyun in the men's floor exercise on Saturday that he believes they can both capture gold medals. Shin Jea-hwan won the men's vault qualifying with 14.866 points from his two attempts. Ryu ranked third among eight finalists in t

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 1,500 Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but infections outside the capital area continued to pile up, triggering toughened restrictions. The country added 1,487 COVID-19 cases, including 1,422 local infections, raising the total caseload to 188,848, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections fell from 1,629 on Saturday, 1,630 on Friday and a record high of 1,842 on Thursday, when 270 infec

Rumors that former President Park Geun-hye and Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong may receive presidential pardons or paroles are increasingly making the rounds in political circles as of late amid growing calls for amnesty for the two figures jailed over corruption-related charges. Such speculations are being circulated widely with the Aug. 15 Liberation Day, an anniversary on which South Korea's presidents have often used their right to special pardon as part of efforts for promoting national un

South Korea is planning to float up to $1.5 billion worth of overseas bonds during the second half of the year to capitalize on favorable funding conditions, financial sources said Sunday. According to the sources, the finance ministry has recently completed the process to pick a lead manager for the planned debt sale. The ministry's move came as ratings on Asia's fourth-largest economy remain high in the face of the pandemic. Last year, major global rating agencies, such as Fitch, did not lo

CHIBA -- Over the past two decades, South Korean-born taekwondo coach Choi Young-seok has transformed Thailand from a fledgling presence to an emerging force at international events. The culmination came Saturday with the country's first Olympic taekwondo gold medal, as Panipak Wongpattanakit won the women's 49kg title at the Tokyo Summer Games. Thailand had previously collected two silvers and three bronzes. And Choi, who has been coaching Thailand since 2002, is undergoing the naturalization