WASHINGTON -- North Korea must be met with stronger action if it is to be stopped from triggering a catastrophe on the Korean Peninsula, US experts said Tuesday. The firing of an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan earlier in the day was a rare hostile act that increased the chances of a military confrontation in the volatile region. The United States and South Korea must take decis...

North Korea on Wednesday confirmed the firing of an intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan a day earlier, with its leader calling for more missile tests targeting locations in the Pacific. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched the launch of the Hwasong-12 missile in a drill aimed at countering ongoing military drills between Seoul and Washington, according to the Korean Cent...

Unionized workers of South Korea's public broadcaster MBC on Tuesday voted to go on strike early next month demanding the resignation of its president and CEO over his alleged political meddling in news production, the union said. The union said it took a vote of its members from Thursday to Tuesday to decide whether or not to stage a strike and 93.2 percent of the 1,682 members who took part in...

Iran's national football team head coach Carlos Queiroz said Tuesday his side is not afraid of playing the World Cup qualifier this week at a stadium packed with South Korean fans. Iran and South Korea will go head-to-head at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday. Both teams are in Group A in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Korea Football Association earlier said...

The top diplomat of Laos expressed concerns over North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Tuesday and committed his country's support for South Korea's efforts to peacefully resolve the security issues involving North Korea, the foreign ministry here said. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called for Laos' proactive support and cooperation in dealing with the North Korean issue as sh...

Hyundai Motor Co.'s union said Tuesday its new leadership will resume wage talks with the company in November, as no headway has been made after 28 rounds of "fruitless" negotiations. "We have decided to suspend wage talks with the company as its revised offerings were not satisfactory at all. Once a new union leader is elected next month a leadership structure should be in place by October, and...

South Korean business leaders met members of a US congressional delegation Tuesday to discuss ways to expand ties in trade and investment, a local economic agency said. The Korea International Trade Association arranged the meeting between visiting US congressmen and some 90 executives from local conglomerates and American companies operating in South Korea so as to allow the participants to exc...

North Korea appears to have flown its latest missile over Japan to maximize the effect of its saber-rattling, Seoul's spy agency said Tuesday, warning its provocations may continue until it completes its intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missile programs. During a parliamentary briefing, the National Intelligence Service also said that Pyongyang apparently designed the launch to ...

A state committee chaired by President Moon Jae-in and aimed at seeking ways to capitalize on changes brought on by the fourth industrial revolution will be launched by mid-September, South Korea's chief ICT policymaker said Tuesday. The so-called "Fourth Industrial Revolution committee," comprised of some 30 senior government policymakers and businesspeople, is part of the Moon administration's...

The top envoys on North Korea's nuclear program from South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on Tuesday to jointly take punitive action on the North over its ballistic missile launch earlier in the day in their emergency phone conversations, the foreign ministry here said. Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Aff...

Special prosecutors said Tuesday they appealed a district court ruling on Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong who was sentenced to five years in prison late last week for bribing former President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend. Special Counsel led by Park Young-soo, in charge of the high-profile corruption case involving the de facto head of South Korea's richest conglomerate, ...

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's top chemical firm, said Tuesday that it has decided to invest 436 billion won ($387 million) in its Polish affiliate in a bid to expand its electricity vehicle battery business. In a regulatory filing, LG Chem said it would invest in LG Chem Wroclaw Energy sp. z o.o by June 2020. The Polish company, set up in 2016, is wholly owned by LG Chem. LG Chem said the invest...

South Korea's top economic policymaker met with the acting US ambassador to Seoul on Tuesday and emphasized "friendly" consultations on issues concerning possible amendments to the bilateral free trade agreement, the finance ministry said. In a meeting with Marc Knapper, who is acting as the ambassador after Mark Lippert stepped down earlier in the year, Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said the S...

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday demanded an official apology from an opposition lawmaker who accused President Moon Jae-in of violating laws and the Constitution that he claimed may warrant impeachment. In a commentary, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun said the accusations were "not only false but seriously undermined President Moon Jae-in's reputation while denying his aut...

South Korea's football governing body said Tuesday more than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the national team's World Cup qualifier against Iran later this week. The Korea Football Association said some 54,000 tickets were sold as of 3 p.m. Tuesday for South Korea's showdown against Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Thursday. This is the second-fastest pace for a national team match...