South Korea is looking into the whereabouts of a North Korean defector couple amid speculation that they may have voluntarily returned to North Korea via China, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday. A local cable TV channel reported Sunday that the 30-something defector couple could not be reached after they left for China in mid-October. "As they fell out of touch after leaving for China, ...

Trade ministers of 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region will gather in South Korea this week to discuss the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the trade ministry said Monday. RCEP is in essence a massive regional free-trade agreement between the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the six countries with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements, includi...

The United States is focused on diplomatic and economic pressure to denuclearize North Korea, the acting US ambassador to South Korea said Monday, reaffirming the US commitment to its security alliance with Seoul. "Together we and the Republic of Korea are facing the most acute threat which is North Korea, and the threats posed by North Korea's unlawful ballistic missile and nuclear programs are...

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae released a detailed schedule history of President Moon Jae-in Monday, promising to do so each week as part of efforts to enhance the transparency of the top elected office. The released schedule includes the president's official and unofficial meetings with government and presidential offices. "The move is to include the schedules that have been held behind...

South Korean golfer Ji Eun-hee, the latest LPGA champion, made a huge jump in the latest world rankings Monday. Ji soared 30 spots to reach No. 42 in the rankings on the strength of her victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taipei on Sunday. It was her first LPGA win in eight years. There were no changes at the top, with South Koreans Ryu So-yeon and Park Sung-hyun staying ...

ATHENS -- South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Monday he expects successful lighting of the Olympic flame for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games despite rain forecast. The Olympic flame lighting ceremony for PyeongChang Games will take place at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, on Tuesday. Following the tradition, the Olympic flame will be lit by the sun's rays using a parabolic mirr...

Sweden has said North Korea is not responding to demands for the repayment of debts it has owed for more than 40 years, Voice of America reported Monday. Citing the 2016 annual report compiled by the Swedish Export Credit Agency, VOA's Korean Service said North Korea's debts to Sweden currently amount to SEK 2.7 billion (around $330 million) and account for 45 percent of the entire debt owed by ...

South Korea's manufacturing firms have improved their ability to repay short-term debt with the cash inflow from their operations in recent years, data showed Monday, despite Asia's fourth largest economy struggling with sluggish growth. The cash flow coverage ratio for 674 manufacturers listed on the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose to 124 percent last year, up from 107 percent ...

A majority of South Koreans support phasing out nuclear energy, a survey showed Monday, as President Moon Jae-in reiterated his commitment to shifting out of nuclear power into safer renewable energy. The Realmeter survey, conducted on 501 adults Friday, found that 60.5 percent back a nuclear phase-out policy while only 29.5 percent are against it. Ten percent said they are unsure about what's b...

K-pop group Twice has led Japan's main music chart for the fifth day, with combined sales of its latest single album in the country poised to soon break the 200,000 mark, its agency said Monday. "One More Time," released in Japan last Wednesday, held on to the pole position on Oricon's Daily Single Chart as of Monday morning, according to JYP Entertainment. Combined sales stand at 191,157 copies...

The crime action film "The Outlaws" defeated newcomer "Geostorm" to remain atop the weekend box office for the second straight week. The Korean film sold 787,242 tickets, bringing its total haul to 4.97 million, according to the Korean Film Council, a state agency for promoting Korean films. Directed by Kang Yoon-sung and starring Ma Dong-seok and Yoon Kye-sang, "The Outlaws" has maintained its...

President Moon Jae-in will address the nation on the current state of the country next week, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. "The presidential office and the National Assembly agreed today to arrange the president's state of the nation address on Nov. 1," Cheong Wa Dae said. The address will be delivered at the National Assembly next Wednesday, marking President Moon's second...

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped slightly last week from a week earlier, a poll showed Monday, apparently due to a dispute over the extended detention of the ousted former leader. In a survey conducted by Realmeter Monday through Friday, 67.8 percent of the respondents said they approved of the way the president managed state affairs, down 0.7 percentage point from a week earlier....

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as foreigners scooped up technology stocks. The won fell against the dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 2.25 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,491.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. gained 0.71 percent, and SK hynix, a major chipmaker, advanced 2.0 percent. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor...

The top two clubs from the regular season will clash for the 2017 South Korean baseball championship starting this week. The Kia Tigers and the Doosan Bears will duke it out in the best-of-seven Korean Series, the championship final in the Korea Baseball Organization. It opens Wednesday at the Tigers' home, Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul. The Tigers have t...