The government will "prudently" determine whether to lower social distancing levels this week against the backdrop of the still unstable COVID-19 situation, as well as the approach of the traditional Lunar New Year holiday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday. The prime minister's remarks were made during an interagency meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul. The government is set to announce new social distancing levels ahead of the extended

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday highlighted the need to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Biden made the remarks in a call with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, according to the White House. "They discussed regional security issues, including China and North Korea," a White House readout of the call said. "They together affirmed the necessity of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the early resolution of the abductions issue," it a

Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday said it expects downbeat first-quarter results on the weak US dollar and uncertainties over the novel coronavirus pandemic after announcing solid fourth-quarter performance. The South Korean tech giant said its fourth-quarter net profit increased 26.4 percent on-year due to firm demand for chips and displays amid the pandemic. The world's leading memory chip and smartphone manufacturer said its net income stood at 6.6 trillion won ($6 billion) in the October