An additional 23 members of the virus-hit Cheonghae naval unit tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, raising the confirmed infection cases among the 301-member unit to 270. According to virus tests conducted on all the members upon their return home from Africa the previous day, 270, or 89.7 percent, of them have tested positive for COVID-19, while 31 tested negative, the ministry said. The unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa first report

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday urged a major umbrella labor group to cancel its protests scheduled for later this week as authorities struggle to contain the country's fast-spreading fourth COVID-19 wave. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) plans to stage two large rallies in Wonju, 140 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Friday and a week later, with over 1,000 members reportedly planning to gather at the event slated for Friday. The rallies were reportedly arranged to sup

Unionized workers at GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., entered a partial strike Wednesday for higher wages amid the extended COVID-19 pandemic. GM Korea workers put down their tools in three plants -- two in Bupyeong, just west of Seoul, and one in Changwon, 400 kilometers south of the capital city, a company spokesman said over the phone. GM Korea and its union have had 13 rounds of negotiations over wages since May, but they failed to bridge their differences. The

South Korea's electricity consumption is likely to hit a season high Wednesday, as the country remains gripped by a sweltering heat dome, the power market operator said. The Korea Power Exchange said the country's maximum power consumption will likely reach 91.4 gigawatts (GW) between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., the highest number this summer. The previous record was set last Thursday, when the maximum power demand in Asia's fourth-largest economy stood at 88.6 GW. South Korea's maximum power use post

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hit a fresh high of over 1,700 on Wednesday as cluster infections continued to spread across the nation amid a fast rise of highly contagious delta variant cases. The country added 1,784 COVID-19 cases, including 1,726 local infections, raising the total caseload to 182,265, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure was the highest ever since the country confirmed the first case in January 2020. The daily

South Korea's exports rose 32.8 percent on-year in the first 20 days of July on the back of robust demand for chips, autos and petroleum products, customs data showed Wednesday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $32.6 billion in the July 1-20 period, compared with $24.5 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports increased 46.1 percent on-year to $36.5 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $3.9 billion during the cited period, the data showe

South Korea's top economic policymaker on Wednesday reiterated his warning that high-flying housing prices could undergo corrections as prices of homes in the greater Seoul area have excessively risen. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government will put policy priority on expanding the supply of residential properties in a bid to curb speculative demand for homes. "A rise in housing prices in the greater Seoul area has been led by expectations for easing rules on the redevelopment o

Sales of major high-growth unlisted companies in South Korea have risen more than four times over the past three years with online distributors and bio firms posting explosive growth, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. The combined top line of the country's top 100 unlisted companies came to 20.4 trillion won ($17.8 billion) last year, up a whopping 323 percent from three years earlier, according to CEO Score. The companies, chosen from more than 11,500 businesses nationwide, don't belong to

TOKYO -- When the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics takes place Friday night, South Korea will only have a modest-size delegation representing the country. Citing COVID-19 infection concerns, South Korea will have six officials and around 50 athletes marching in at Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital, an official from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Wednesday. South Korea is sending 232 athletes and 122 officials to the competition. Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koun

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday as bargain hunters sought to buy oversold stocks after the benchmark index took a breather for the past three sessions. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 10.67 points, or 0.33 percent, to 3,243.37 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks came to a strong start after the KOSPI retreated nearly 2 percent in the past three sessions amid rising concerns over the fourth wave of the pandemic in the country. Hopes of e

TOKYO -- Tokyo remains under a state of emergency due to a rising number of novel coronavirus cases. At this rate, the Olympic Games the Japanese capital is hosting this summer may be under a similar state before the competition even starts. The list of Olympic officials quitting in disgrace grew Monday, when Keigo Oyamada, the composer for the opening ceremony, resigned over the bullying of disabled children in the past. The departure came only four days before the opening festivities. Oyamad

South Korea's producer prices gained 0.4 percent on-month in June due to a modest rise in prices of industrial goods, extending their monthly gains for the eighth straight month, central bank data showed Wednesday. The producer price index, a barometer of future consumer inflation, stood at 109.06 in June, compared with 108.65 a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The May index advanced 6.4 percent from the previous year, the BOK data showed. The prices of agricultural goo

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman renewed calls Wednesday for North Korea to return to dialogue, stressing Washington's willingness to take "some patience" and holding out prospects of a "brighter future" for Pyongyang. Sherman made the remarks following trilateral talks with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Choi Jong-kun and Takeo Mori, respectively, in Tokyo after North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon rejected US' overtures for d

BMW, Porsche, Kia Corp. and Nissan Motor Corp. will voluntarily recall nearly 49,000 vehicles to fix faulty components, the transport ministry said Wednesday. This is the latest in a series of recalls by carmakers in South Korea and vehicle importers due to problems with vehicle components. The companies are recalling a combined 48,939 units in 15 kinds of models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The problems include a faulty fuel hose in BMW's MINI Coo

　 　South Korea and Japan agreed Tuesday to continue efforts to resolve pending issues rooted largely in wartime history, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, despite the flare-up of tension over a Japanese diplomat‘s disparaging remarks on President Moon Jae-in’s approach to Tokyo. 　 　First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun shared the understanding with his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Mori, during their bilateral talks in Tokyo on Tuesday, the ministry said. 　 　“The two vice m