A major children's hospital in Seoul said Thursday it has decided to suspend most of its weekend operations starting this month due to a shortage of pediatricians, reflecting the country's dire population crisis. Sowha Hospital announced a temporary suspension of its weekend and holiday operations, except for Saturday mornings, citing "a shortage of medical staff" and the need for "facility main...

The top US envoy to South Korea on Thursday stressed the importance of diplomacy in resolving heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, highlighted by Pyongyang's failed yet defiant launch of a space rocket this week. "As we prosper, we'll also consider and confront the destabilizing actions of reckless states like North Korea. We still believe that diplomacy is the only viable way to achieve...

South Korea will participate in a multilateral air drill in Alaska led by the US Pacific Air Forces this month, officials said Thursday. The country will send 180 officers, along with six KF-16 jets, two C-130 carriers, and a KC-330 tanker transport aircraft to the Red Flag-Alaska exercise, according to the Air Force. The drill, aimed at improving the troops' interoperability, will take place a...

South Korean stocks fell for a second straight session Thursday, as a consecutive fall in exports weighed down major tech and auto stocks, while the passage of a US debt ceiling deal by the House gave relief to investors. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 7.95 points, or 0.31 percent, to 2,569.17. Trading volume was moderate at...

South Korea succeeded in a test of a key homegrown missile interceptor under development earlier this week, the third such success out of four tests so far, as it is cranking up efforts to deter evolving North Korean threats. On Tuesday, the state-run Agency for Defense Development revealed to the press corps the whole process of the interception test on the Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile at ...

WASHINGTON -- North Korea must be held accountable for its failed attempt to launch a military spy satellite, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council said Wednesday. John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, added the launch posed a threat to peace in the entire region despite its failure. "The major concern is that with each and every one of these launches, whether ...

The International Maritime Organization adopted a resolution strongly condemning North Korea's missile tests for the first time earlier this week, in a clear message to the reclusive country against its escalating provocations. The resolution, adopted at the 107th session of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee in London on Wednesday, denounced the launches as a serious threat to the safety of in...

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's failed launch of a spy satellite has violated United Nations Security Council resolutions and the country will face corresponding consequences, South Korea's ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. Amb. Cho Hyun-dong also insisted that the North's provocative actions will only lead to further isolation. "North Korea has said it will conduct a second launch, b...

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. said Thursday it has won a 1.24 trillion won ($937 million) order to build five very large container carriers for a Taiwanese shipper. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., one of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's three affiliates, will construct the 15,500 twenty-foot equivalent unit ships in its shipyard in the southeastern port of Ulsan...

South Korean stocks opened marginally lower Thursday before soon turning to positive terrain, as investors kept a close eye on the planned vote by US Congress on lifting the federal debt ceiling. After starting lower at the opening bell, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 1.56 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,578.68 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US stocks closed lower Wedn...

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed that Pyongyang will "correctly" place a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit soon, state media reported Thursday, a day after the North's attempt to launch a spy satellite failed. Kim Yo-jong made the remarks as she slammed the United States for its denouncement of the North's botched launch the previous day of what it c...

South Korea's exports fell for an eighth consecutive month in May due mainly to weak demand for semiconductors amid an economic slowdown, the industry ministry said Thursday. Outbound shipments fell 15.2 percent on-year to $52.24 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy. The decline came as exports of semiconductors, the country's key exp...

Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Wednesday it will suspend the operation of one of its eight domestic plants during the second half of this year in preparation for electric vehicle production. Kia, a smaller affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., will begin the construction Thursday to change the No. 1 Gwangmyeong plant, just south of Seoul, into an EV plant by the end of December...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is estimated to be experiencing significant sleep disorders and to weigh around 140 kilograms, lawmakers quoted South Korea's state intelligence agency as saying Wednesday. Director Kim Kyou-hyun of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) delivered the report during a briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to key ruling and opposition memb...

J-Hope of globally popular K-pop boy group BTS will work as an assistant instructor at an Army boot camp during the remainder of his mandatory military service, sources in the music industry said Wednesday. The sources revealed the member has recently been chosen for the position at the recruit training center of the 36th Infantry Division in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul. In South Ko...