South Korea's new Air Force chief on Wednesday called for firm readiness to defend against any attacks by North Korea amid heightened tension sparked by its nuclear and missile threats. Gen. Lee Wang-keun, the Air Force chief of staff, made the remark during his visit to the Air Force Operation Command at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul. He took office last Friday. "We need to maintain the firm a...

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Wednesday adopted its demand for the redeployment of US tactical nuclear arms as an official party line amid North Korea's unceasing saber-rattling. During a general meeting of its lawmakers, the conservative party made the decision to pursue a redispatching of the US arsenal, which was withdrawn as the two Koreas signed a joint declaration for a nuclea...

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon reacted negatively Wednesday to calls for South Korea to possess nuclear weapons, saying the move would undermine Seoul's calls for North Korea to denuclearize, trigger a nuclear arms race and put the country under international sanctions. Calls for nuclear armament have gained traction as Pyongyang stepped up its nuclear and missile programs, with two nuclear tests la...

President Moon Jae-in's first 100 days in office got mixed scorecards Wednesday as opposition parties denounced his appointment mishaps, policy disputes and cross-border tensions, while the ruling party touted his push for reform and peace. A day before the 100th day since Moon's inauguration, the conservative parties accused the president of unilaterally pushing for the liberal agenda dear to h...

A batch of 446 international students on scholarships invited by the government are set to graduate from 57 universities in South Korea this month, the Education Ministry said Wednesday. The students hailing from 107 countries are split up into 32 students in undergraduate courses and 414 in graduate courses. Asian students topped the list with 199, followed by European students with 93, Africa...

Nongshim Co., the country's top instant noodle maker, said Wednesday its best-selling instant noodles are now sold at every Walmart store in the United States, as it attempts to expand its presence in the global market. Nongshim said its Shin Ramyun is now being sold at 4,692 Walmart stores throughout the North American country, becoming the first South Korean product available at every store of...

President Moon Jae-in offered an emotional apology Wednesday for the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry that took place long before he came into office, also pledging to get to the bottom of the incident that he said was partly caused by a government failure. Moon's apology on behalf of the government came at a meeting with some 200 victims of the 2014 sinking and their families at the presidenti...

South Korean stocks closed higher Wednesday, led by retail investors buying into the market, as tension between the United States and North Korea shows signs of easing. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 14.04 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 2,348.26. Trade volume was moderate at 265 million shares worth 6.08 trillion won ($5.32 bi...

South Koreans are expected to jack up their spending on sports and tours in the third quarter of this year, a survey showed Wednesday, as the country's key consumer sentiment index reached a six-year high last month. According to the survey conducted by the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, the expected consumer sentiment index in the culture, sports and tourism sector for the July-September pe...

Prosecutors cleared a Catholic priest of pro-North Korea charges Wednesday, nearly four years after he made remarks some accused of sympathizing with the communist nation's deadly shelling in 2010 of a South Korean island. Park Chang-shin, a senior priest at the diocese in the southwestern city of Jeonju, made the controversial remarks at an event in November 2013, saying it is natural for the N...

Kakao Bank, South Korea's second Internet-only bank, has emerged as the leading provider of household loans this month, far outpacing its sole competitor and traditional lenders, data showed Wednesday. According to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service, Kakao Bank saw its household lending increase by 540 billion won ($473 million) in the first 11 days of this month, the largest amount...

South Korean police comedy-action film "Midnight Runners" will be shown in 12 regions overseas, its local distributor said Wednesday. Beginning in Indonesia on Aug. 23, the movie will open in North America on Aug. 25, Australia on Aug. 31 and later in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Britain, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam, Lotte Entertainment said. Directed by Jason Kim...

Private-label products distributed by large retailers have experienced sharp growth over recent years in the South Korean market on rising consumer demand for cheaper price tags, a report said Wednesday. The market of such "store brand" products reached 9.3 trillion won in 2013, up from 3.6 trillion won tallied in 2008, according to the report by the state-run Korea Development Institute. Indus...

South Korea's finance minister and central bank governor pledged Wednesday to take measures to stabilize financial markets, if necessary, amid lingering tensions between North Korea and the United States. "The government and the Bank of Korea plan to make aggressive efforts to stabilize financial markets by closely monitoring domestic and foreign financial markets," BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said in ...

WONJU -- There is no rest for the weary, as PGA Tour golfer Bae Sang-moon vowed on Wednesday to get to work right away after his discharge from the South Korean Army. Bae completed his 21-month, mandatory military service here in Wonju, some 130 kilometers east of Seoul, and said he'll hit the range later in the day. Bae, 31, is scheduled to make his return to competitive golf at Shinhan Dongha...