North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum for his late grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung to mark the anniversary of his death, state media reported Thursday, dismissing rumors about his health. Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where Kim Il-sung's body lies in state, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, a day after rumors surfaced in South Korea that Kim fell unconscious after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage and his uncle Kim Pyong-il had forced him

Samsung Electronics Co. accounted for nearly half of the global smartphone memory market in the first quarter of the year, a report showed Thursday, as it tries to boost its presence in 5G devices. The South Korean tech giant, the world's top memory chip producer, dominated the market with a 49 percent share in the January-March period, according to a report from industry tracker Strategy Analytics. Samsung was followed by its South Korean compatriot SK hynix Inc. with a 23 percent share and U

WASHINGTON -- Growing US competition with China may lead to a second Cold War, a US military intelligence officer said Wednesday. Rear Adm. Mike Studeman, director for intelligence at the US Indo-Pacific Command, also argued other US adversaries such as North Korea consider every day a war with the US for the upper hand. "You can avoid the word 'Cold War' and that's fine, but the degree of action that we need to take is of the magnitude of what we applied in the previous century," St

Over 600 hacking attempts against South Korea's unification ministry were detected last year, government data showed Wednesday. According to the data released by the ministry, 633 cyber attacks against the ministry were detected last year, including 46 hacking attempts through the website. The number of cyber attacks against the ministry, which stood at 336 in 2017, jumped to 630 in 2018 and to 767 in 2019 and slightly fell to 633 last year. Web hacking attempts against the ministry increa

  The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is pushing for a bill aimed at dramatically increasing the media's burden of responsibility for false or fake news, sources said Wednesday. According to the political sources, a subcommittee of the parliamentary Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on Tuesday tabled a bill to revise the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, Etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports, at the initiative of the ruling party. The subcommittee meeting, however, ended shortly,

More than 50 newly enlisted soldiers at an Army boot camp have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, amid fears of a fourth wave of infections across the country. After one conscript at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, 35 others who had contact with him were also found to be infected as of 10 a.m., according to the ministry. The ministry announced 16 more cases were confirmed as 6

The head of South Korea's largest labor umbrella group was summoned by police on Wednesday for questioning over alleged illegalities during rallies that took place in Seoul between May and June amid COVID-19-related warnings by health authorities. According to officials at Seoul's Yeongdeungpo Police Station, Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), was grilled as a suspect for about four hours, beginning at 10 a.m., in connection with alleged violations of t

The United States wants to work with like-minded countries, including South Korea, based on the shared values of democracy and freedom that are being challenged by an assertive China, a US congressman said Wednesday. Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) made the remark during a media event in Seoul, noting that standing by those values could be a path for South Korea to take, rather than the frame of having to "choose" either the US or China amid their intensifying rivalry. "We never expect thi

Seventeen American service members and two family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday, amid a massive spike in virus infections across South Korea. Nine service members and a dependent are from Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, while five soldiers and a family member are from K-17 Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul. They all tested positive after direct contact with infected people, according to USFK. In addition,

An upcoming professional football match has been postponed after a player tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Korea Professional Football League announced Wednesday the K League 1 contest between Jeju United and FC Seoul, scheduled for July 20, will be played at a later date. The league has not yet determined when the match will be made up. One Jeju player tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. While the rest of the team all tested negative, many players were listed as close conta

More and more South Korean film producers and investors have been participating in multinational film projects in recent years, backed by the country's reputation as a rising powerhouse in the global cinema scene. The upcoming horror film "The Medium" is a collaboration of South Korea and Thailand, drawing attention for the teamwork of horror masters of the two countries -- Na Hong-jin of "The Wailing" (2016) and Banjong Pisanthanakun of "Shutter" (2004). Na, who

The volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung and teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo will carry the South Korean flag at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced the two athletes as the country's flag-bearers Wednesday. The opening ceremony for the 32nd Summer Olympics will take place in the Japanese capital on July 23. Kim, 33, is one of the most popular athletes in South Korea. Long considered one of the world's top female volleyb

South Korean stocks closed lower Wednesday after hitting an all-time high the previous session amid growing concerns over a surge in new COVID-19 cases. The Korean won sharply fell against the US dollar on risk-averse sentiment. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 19.87 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 3,285.34 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.1 billion shares worth some 14.3 trillion won ($12.7 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 663 to 202. F

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it plans to switch all of its company cars to environment friendly vehicles by 2030, joining South Korea's efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases largely responsible for global warming. The South Korean tech giant vowed to replace around 800 corporate fleet cars, including executive sedans and logistics vehicles, with eco-friendly ones by 2030 after signing a green mobility agreement with the country's environment ministry. Samsung's partner com

The government is pushing to grant the long-term residency F-2 visa to high-skilled foreigners as a way to tackle the shrinking population and retain talented workers, the justice ministry said Wednesday. The Ministry of Justice announced the plan during a briefing on the result of a government meeting on the economy. The ministry came up with the idea, together with 12 other ministries, in order to retain foreign professionals with specialties in an array of industrial sectors, which, the min