JEONJU -- South Korea's opponents at the FIFA U-20 World Cup vowed Friday to reach the knockout stage and impress fans with exciting performances.The U-20 World Cup will be staged in six South Korean cities from Saturday to June 11. Host South Korea has been placed in Group A with Guinea, Argentina and England. In the 24-team competition, the top two from each group and the four best third-place teams will advance to the round of 16.South Korea and Guinea will have their opening match at Jeonju

INCHEON -- South Korea's western port city of Incheon, the nation's biggest gateway for tourism, logistics and trade exchanges with China, is seeing restored vitality.Expectations are rising that the two countries' relations, extremely frozen over the deployment of a US missile defense system to South Korea, will improve after liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in's inauguration early this month.  Chinese President Xi Jin-ping said during his meeting with Moon's special envoy Lee Hae-chan i

JEONJU -- FIFA's top refereeing official emphasized Friday that the video review system at the upcoming youth tournament in South Korea will only be used in "clear mistakes."The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which runs from Saturday to June 11 in six South Korean cities, is the first youth tournament by the world football governing body to rely on the video assistant referee system. FIFA previously used the VAR system at the Club World Cup in Japan last November. FIFA's Head of Refereeing Massimo Bu

JEONJU -- South Korean football coach Shin Tae-yong said Friday his side will play every match like the final at the FIFA U-20 World Cup to deliver a surprising performance at home.The U-20 World Cup will be staged in six South Korean cities from Saturday to June 11. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A, with Guinea, Argentina and England at the 24-team tournament. The top two from each group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the round of 16.South Korea will face Guinea in the

Carmakers are betting on sport-utility vehicles in the South Korean market amid strong consumer demand, industry insiders said Friday. In the next two to three years, local and foreign carmakers have plans to introduce a series of premium SUVs to reflect the popularity of recreational vehicles, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.  Genesis' GV80 concept car unveiled at New York Motor Show last month (Yonhap)"

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it became a member of the board of directors for the 5G Automotive Association, in line with its move to tap deeper into the next-generation automobile industry.5GAA, which has carmakers and mobile carriers as members, focuses on developing and commercializing self-driving automobiles powered by fifth-generation network technology.An official from Samsung Electronics said it also plans to speed up cooperation with Harman International Industries, a US automoti

South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. said Friday it has released Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Wide 2 smartphone.The 5.5-inch smartphone comes with a detachable 3,300mAh battery, along with a 13-megapixel rear camera. The price tag on the device is 297,000 won ($263.48), which is slightly lower than that of its predecessor.(Yonhap)Local users will be able to purchase the device at the 100,000-won level considering discounts provided by the mobile carrier.The Galaxy Wide, released i

South Korean stocks closed nearly flat on Friday as investors remained cautious amid no fresh leads following a recent rally led by robust corporate earnings, analysts said. The local currency edged down against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.66 points, or 0.07 percent to close at 2,288.48. Trading volume was moderate at 415.2 million shares worth 5.78 trillion won ($5.12 billion) with gainers outnumbering decliners 598 to 230. "As the first-qua

Samyang Optics Co., which is set to be listed on the country's secondary bourse next month, said Friday it seeks to double its sales by 2020.The South Korean producer of lens said it plans to bolster its manual-focus products and also seek to expand its presence in the auto-focus sector. The company said its sales for 2020 are expected to reach 130 billion won ($115 million). (Yonhap)Established in 1972, the company has carved out a name for itself in the optical business. It produces lens for d

The government's dividend income from its stakes in public companies rose sharply this year on improved earnings of state-funded companies, the finance ministry said Friday.Public companies' dividend payments to the government totaled 1.56 trillion won ($1.38 billion) in 2017, up 27.4 percent from 1.2 trillion won a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. The ministry said that the spike comes as the average dividend payout ratio, or the percentage of earnings paid to sh

President Moon Jae-in on Friday reaffirmed his campaign pledge to complete a constitutional revision by June next year, an opposition leader said, amid continuing calls to address the current concentration of power in a single state leader, a situation long blamed for corruption and political polarization.The new president made the remarks during a luncheon meeting with the floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party, main opposition Liberty Korea Party, People's Party, Bareun Party and Justice

The US Navy confirmed Friday that two of its aircraft carriers are operating in the Western Pacific region amid unrelenting tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the North's provocation.The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and its Carrier Air Wing Five, featuring fighter jets and early warning aircraft, began its spring patrol earlier this week, according to the Pacific Fleet.They are currently focused on "flight deck and carrier qualifications," as the flattop, which has its homeport in Japan, resume

A hygiene grading system became available Friday, the food ministry said, offering benefits to those that earn high scores.Restaurants can apply to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to voluntarily get appraised for their sanitation conditions. For those that pass the inspection, the ministry will award hygiene grade certificates of three different levels -- good, very good and excellent. Establishments that receive the certificates will get a plaque showing the grade and become eligible for f

AhnLab Inc., South Korea's largest computer anti-virus service provider, said Friday that its latest smartphone security application has surpassed the 4 million mark in cumulative downloads.AhnLab said in a statement that the "V3 Mobile Security" app, which is designed for Android-based smartphones, reached the download milestone on Tuesday.The free-of-charge security app also placed fifth in the popularity rankings of overall applications available on Google Play, the company added. Launched in