Sixteen people affiliated with US Forces Korea have recently tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Wednesday, amid the fourth wave of the pandemic across the country. The latest cases -- confirmed between July 15-19 -- raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 1,101. Of the newly added cases, Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, and Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul each reported s

South Korean stocks retreated for a fourth consecutive session Wednesday, as the resurgence of the new coronavirus weakened investor sentiment for risk. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slumped 16.79 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at 3,215.91 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 973 million shares worth some 14.7 trillion won ($12.7 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 283 to 562. Foreigners sold a net 511 bil

Two national museums simultaneously kicked off exhibitions highlighting works from late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's massive art collection Wednesday, allowing the public to take a peek at Korean masterpieces of various eras and formats. "A Great Cultural Legacy: Masterpieces from the Bequest of the Late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee" and "Lee Kun-hee Collection: Masterpieces of Korean Art," taking place respectively at the National Museum of Korea (NMK) and the Seoul galle

The defending baseball gold medalist South Korea scheduled two additional tuneup games Wednesday in its preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that South Korea will play the minor league military club Sangmu at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and then the KBO club LG Twins at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The team previously had only one scheduled game in the leadup to Tokyo, the 2 p.m. Sunday tilt against another KBO club, Kiwoom Heroes. All three games will be played

Two Army officers and an enlisted soldier have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, the latest in a series of COVID-19 infections among the military population. The officers, stationed in the northern city of Yangju and the eastern port city of Samcheok, respectively, were confirmed to have been infected after their family members tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. The soldier in Seoul contracted the virus while on vacation, it added.

The number of layer chickens raised in South Korea fell 12.1 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter, affected by the impact of the outbreak of bird flu, data showed Wednesday. The number of layer chickens reached 65.9 million as of end-June, compared with 74.9 million the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It rose 6.1 percent from the first quarter when the number of layer chickens came to 62.1 million, the lowest in more than three years. The on-year decli

Investment deals by South Korea's private equity funds hit a new high in 2020, but their investments were still focused on local firms, data showed Wednesday. Local private equity funds invested 18.1 trillion won ($15.6 billion) in 565 companies last year, up from 16 trillion won in 2019, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). They invested 12.6 trillion won in 488 South Korean companies and 5.5 trillion won in foreign companies, the data showed. At the end of la

The issuance of derivatives-linked securities (DLS) in South Korea sank more than 10 percent in the first half of the year amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The country's DLS sales came to 9.46 trillion won ($8.23 billion) in the January-June period, down 10.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository (KSD). The amount was also down 10.9 percent from six months earlier. DLS tracks the performance of interest rates, currency val

President Moon Jae-in appointed South Korean boy band BTS as his special envoy for public diplomacy Wednesday. In their capacity of "special presidential envoy for future generations and culture," the members of the group plan to attend major international meetings, including the 75th session of the U.N. General Assembly slated for September, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said. They will send a message of consolation and hope for the youth around the world and also join v

President Moon Jae-in has reprimanded his Cheong Wa Dae aides over reports of errors in the online reservation system for COVID-19 vaccine shots, his office said Wednesday. Moon called for "strong" measures to address the problems, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. With regard to the issue, the president pointed out that it is not commensurate with South Korea's stature as an information and technology powerhouse, she said. The government opened a vaccination b

TOKYO -- South Korea is going into the Tokyo Olympics ranked world No. 1 in the men's sabre fencing. The ace of the squad, Oh Sang-uk, is at the top of the individual rankings, too. The country has earned the favorite status in both the team and individual events here. And to hear coach Kim Hyoung-ryul tell it on Wednesday, all the prescouting work is complete. "We came here all prepared," Kim said. "For the final few days before the competition, it will come down to repeating w

Almost all parts of the nation, excluding some inland mountain and east coastal areas, were put under a heat wave warning or an advisory Wednesday, as a full-scale sweltering heat began to scorch the peninsula. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that daytime highs are to range from 28 C to 36 C nationwide in the day and the maximum daily temperature may further rise to 38 C later this week. A heat wave warning has been in place in Seoul for two days and the mercury is forecast

The top court upheld the opinion rigging conviction of South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo, a close aide to President Moon Jae-in, on Wednesday, a decision that will strip Kim of his governorship and potentially deal a political blow to the president. The Supreme Court maintained the verdict by the appeals court in November that Kim colluded with a team of online bloggers, including Kim Dong-won, widely known by his alias Druking, to illegally generate favorable opinions about the pre

North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday warned officials against working irresponsibly and urged them to make a "big leap" to achieve the country's economic goals. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party, made the appeal, urging officials to wage a battle "beyond the limits of their ability and potential." "The party and people have very high expectations for our officials as they break through unprecedented challenges," the paper said. "

The majority of South Koreans support President Moon Jae-in's decision not to visit Japan for the opening of the Tokyo Olympics and summit talks, a poll showed Tuesday. In the R&Search survey of 1,095 people aged 18 and older, 65.5 percent of the respondents were in favor of Moon's decision, while 26.7 percent were against it. Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday that the president decided not to visit Tokyo as the two neighboring countries failed to achieve sufficient progress in consultations