South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 12.22 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,367.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Monday (local time), the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.13 percent to 21,703.75. Institutions bought 15.19 billion won ($14 million) worth of stocks, after dumping a combined...

Little over one-third of South Korean conglomerates are planning to hire college graduates in the second half with the rest undecided or having no plans, a survey showed Tuesday. The findings by Job Korea, a portal for employers and jobseekers, showed that 155, or 37.4 percent, of the 414 firms that responded to the poll expressed plans to recruit new people in the coming months. The same survey...

South Korean football prospect Paik Seung-ho has joined newly promoted La Liga outfit Girona FC. The club announced Monday (local time) that Paik signed a three-year deal, although he will spend this season with Girona's B side, Peralada, in the third-tier Segunda Division B. "I'm very happy to start my new career at Girona FC," Paik wrote on his Instagram. "I want to give back to fans for thei...

CHICO, California -- Retired South Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri is hosting a US junior tournament for the first time this week in California, and it's an event she'd like to see grow both in size and prestige. "This is just the beginning, and I'll take it slowly from here," Pak said in an interview Monday at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico, the site of the inaugural Se Ri Pak Junior Championsh...

Hot-shot amateur Choi Hye-jin has achieved a new career high in the women's world golf rankings, just days before turning professional. Choi moved up three spots to No. 22 in the latest rankings released Tuesday. Choi, who turns 18 on Wednesday, won the Bogner MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA Tour on Sunday, becoming the first amateur in 18 years to win twice in South Korea in one season. In t...

Three top US military commanders plan to issue a strong warning message to North Korea in a rare joint press availability here later Tuesday, officials said. Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris, Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten and Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves are scheduled to hold a press conference at a local US Forces Korea base. It's quite unusual for th...

WASHINGTON -- A Democratic lawmaker urged the Pentagon Monday to boost its missile defense system before North Korea develops the capability to strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons. In a contribution to The Hill, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) underscored the urgency of tackling North Korea's missile and nuclear threats with action, not words. "President Trump's lack of a comprehensive strategy an...

WASHINGTON -- Guam, a US territory in the western Pacific, continues to be safe despite North Korea's threats to launch ballistic missiles towards it, the island's No. 2 official said Monday. Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio met with media in Tokyo to reassure people there that Guam remains unaffected by the communist nation's bellicose rhetoric, according to an official news release. "I know many of you h...

The number of heavy debtors in South Korea has surged nearly 48 percent over the past three and a half years, a report said Tuesday, amid low interest rates and eased government property rules. As of the end of June, 1.18 million people in the country had a debt service ratio of 100 percent or higher, up 47.5 percent from the end of 2014, according to the report from the office of National Assem...

The financial health of life insurers in South Korea showed a marked polarization in the first half of the year as foreign players fared far better than local rivals thanks to stepped-up preparations for a new accounting rule, data showed Tuesday. Four foreign-controlled insurance companies made the list of the top five players with the best financial soundness in the January-June period, with s...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a military unit near the tense inter-Korean border earlier this month when he was absent from public appearances for 15 days, government sources said Tuesday. In early August, Kim made an inspection not covered by the state media at the front-line unit, some 1 kilometer away from South Korea's general outpost in the central section of the border, the sourc...

The Seoul Central District Court prepared to hold a drawing Tuesday for tickets to the upcoming sentencing hearing for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is accused of bribery in a massive corruption scandal involving ousted former President Park Geun-hye. The courtroom where Friday's hearing is set to take place has about 150 seats. Some of the seats will be reserved for those ...

Beer was atop the list of South Korea's alcohol imports in the first seven months of this year, outpacing wine and hard liquor for the first time amid a change in the country's drinking culture, data showed Tuesday. Imports of beer in the January-July period came to $143.9 million, up 50.5 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea International Trade Assoc...

North Korea's military threatened Tuesday that it is ready to stage "ruthless" retaliation against South Korea and the United States over their ongoing joint military exercises. North Korea's military stationed at the truce village of Panmunjom said that the US has ignored its warning to make the right choice, warranting Pyongyang's merciless punishment, according to the Korean Central News Agen...

South Korean President Moon Jae-in again urged the United States Monday to refrain from taking any action against North Korea that could start an armed conflict on the peninsula, saying even the slightest conflict here may cost the lives of many South Koreans and US troops. "President Moon said he understands why the United States has traditionally said all options were on the table to push Nort...