The United States could take military action against North Korea if the communist nation attacks a military base in the US or allies, or launches an intercontinental ballistic missile, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned Monday.Haley also warned the North not to "give us a reason" to fight with the country.(Yonhap)"We're not going to do anything unless he gives us a reason to do something. So our goal is not to start a fight," Haley said on NBC's "Today" in response to a question if the U

South Korean football coaches and players in China are in the hot seat as they've been struggling to make a positive impact with their respective clubs early into the season.After six matches, South Korean coaches Park Tae-ha and Choi Yong-soo are under fire as their clubs remain in the relegation zone of the Chinese Super League. Park's Yanbian Funde and Choi's Jiangsu Suning are the two worst teams in the 16-team league with winless records. Both teams have two draws and four losses.In this fi

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Monday reaffirmed the government's support for local firms seeking to advance into overseas infrastructure markets, stressing their role in creating jobs and revitalizing the economy.During a meeting with business leaders, Hwang reiterated that the government would strive harder to cater to the specific needs of each firm by providing business-related information and financial support, and enhancing cooperation with foreign governments. "

South Korean stocks finished higher on Monday, as investors' concerns over a French presidential election race abated to some degree, analysts said. The Korean won rose against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 8.7 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 2,173.74. Trade volume was moderate at 367 million shares worth 4.2 trillion won ($3.72 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 509 to 287.The local stock market opened a tad higher on news that centrist Emmanuel

South Koreans are suffering from intensified economic difficulties in recent months due mainly to rising consumer prices and the higher jobless rate, government data showed Monday.The country's so-called misery index, measured by the unemployment rate plus the consumer inflation rate, was 6.4 in the first three months of the year, with the former standing at 4.3 and the latter at 2.1, according to the data by Statistics Korea. It rose sharply from the previous quarter's 4.7, and 3.4 for the July

The number of US import restrictions so far this year has already surpassed half of last year's total, a local trade body said Monday, including one against South Korean products.According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), the US has launched an investigation into 24 separate cases on suspicions of anti-dumping and countervailing duties in the January-April period. This is already more than half of the 53 actions taken for the whole of 2016.South Korean carbon and alloy steel

Auction, a leading online marketplace in South Korea, said Monday that sales of girls' toys have risen sharply the past week, outperforming those for boys' items, on surging demand ahead of the Children's Day holiday. Children's Day, which falls on May 5, is a public holiday in South Korea. Toy sales tend to surge around this time every year as parents and relatives rush to buy a present for their children in their families.   (Yonhap)The sales of dolls, including rag dolls and animation charact

Amorepacific Corp., South Korea's top cosmetics maker, said Monday its first-quarter net profit shrank 15 percent from a year earlier, due largely to an extended slump in the domestic market amid a rapid drop in Chinese tourists. AmorePacific Corp., South Korea's top cosmetics maker, said Monday its first-quarter net profit shrank 15 percent from a year earlier, due largely to a protracted slump in the domestic market amid a rapid drop in Chinese tourists. Its net income came to 223.5 billion wo

South Korean outfit Suwon Samsung Bluewings will aim to clinch a knockout berth at the top Asian club football competition this week, while three other South Korean teams will try to remain in the hunt for the last 16 qualification.Suwon will host Kawasaki Frontale on Tuesday for their Group G contest at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.(Yonhap)Suwon sit atop the group standings on eight points with two wins and two draws, and a draw against Kawasaki will be enough for them to s

South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Monday that it had local units of foreign cars and dealerships revise their unfair policies on refund and maintenance services to their customers.The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said it has looked into provisions and clauses of 13 businesses and discovered unfair terms that restrict the cancellation of contracts, refunds and the use of maintenance service coupons. (Yonhap)Five companies including Mercedes-Benz Korea, Jaguar Land Rover Korea Co., and Nissan K

The average annual income of South Korea's farming and fishing households gained slightly in 2016 from a year earlier, a government report showed Monday.The income of farming households reached an average of 37.2 million won ($32,940) last year, nearly unchanged from the previous year, according to the report by Statistics Korea. The average income of households engaged in fishing or fish farming climbed 7.2 percent on-year to 47.1 million won.On average, each farming household spent 31.05 milli

South Korean stocks traded higher late Monday morning, led by gains in tech and banking stocks.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 4 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,169.04 as of 11:15 a.m.Most large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.Top market cap Samsung Electronics rose 0.54 percent, and SK hynix, a major chipmaker, climbed 0.96 percent.Shinhan Financial, the country's most profitable banking group, gained 1.68 percent.Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker, remained unchan

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., a major shipyard here, said Monday that it has won its patent suit in Japan which is related to its core technology in building its fuel-efficient LNG carrier.The shipyard said that a filing by a Japanese firm with the Japanese Patent Office to nullify the South Korean shipyard's patent for the so-called Partial Re-liquefaction System was dismissed.(Yonhap)Daewoo Shipbuilding registered the patent for the PRS technology in Japan in June 2016.The same

Sales of the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus are expected to beat that of the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8, a report showed Monday, reflecting the market's demand for smartphones with wider displays.Samsung Electronics Co. kicked off official sales of the new flagship smartphone series in South Korea and the United States last week. (Yonhap)According to the report released by Yuanta Securities Korea Co., the annual sales of the Galaxy S8 smartphones are expected to reach 50.4 million units, with the Galaxy S8 Plu

Creditors of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., a troubled shipbuilder here, still remain undecided over afor the shipyard's latest deal, further complicating troubles for one of the country's major shipyards, industry sources said Monday.On April 4, Daewoo Shipbuilding clinched a $250 million deal to build three very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Under the deal with Maran Tankers Management, a unit of Greece's largest shipper Angelicoussis Shipping Group, Daewoo Shipbuilding will del