LONDON -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee received a ceremonial welcome from King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they began their state visit to Britain on Tuesday. The ceremony began with Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, arriving at Yoon and Kim's hotel in London to travel with them to Horse Guards Parade, where the official welcome took place amid a 41-gun salute and an inspection of the Guard of Honor. The King and Queen greeted the presid

Foreign Affairs Nov. 22, 2023

South Korea and Britain agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the nuclear energy sector, including the construction of new power plants, the industry ministry said Tuesday. The two countries signed nine memoranda of understanding centered on building a cooperative relationship spanning the entire lifecycle of nuclear power plants, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu met his British counterpart, Claire Coutinho, and agreed to hold technical

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday it is preparing to form a cooperative body with Asian countries next year to help crack down on growing drug-related crimes in the region. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said discussions are still ongoing with five countries, including Thailand, with the aim of launching the body next February. The names of the countries have not been released yet. "Drug-related crimes in South Korea have been on the rise and international drug rings in th

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

LONDON -- South Korea's presidential office suggested Tuesday that a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement could be suspended in the event North Korea goes ahead with its planned space rocket launch. The remark by a senior presidential official came after North Korea reportedly notified Japan of its plan to launch a space rocket between Wednesday and Dec. 1, in what would likely be its third attempt to put a military spy satellite into orbit. "If you read carefully t

North Korea Nov. 21, 2023

DAEJEON -- Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a 30-year prison term for the leader of a controversial religious group charged with sexual assault. Jeong Myeong-seok, who leads the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) group, is accused of raping and sexually assaulting two female followers of foreign nationality on multiple occasions from February 2018 to September 2021, as well as sexually molesting a South Korean female follower. In the final hearing at the Daejeon District Court, prosecutors also demanded he

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

G-Dragon of K-pop group Big Bang tested negative in a detailed narcotics analysis on his nail sample conducted by the National Forensic Service, police officers said Tuesday. The National Forensic Service recently notified the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency of the negative drug test result on the singer's fingernails and toenails, according to the police. G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, was booked on Oct. 25 over allegations of illegal drug use and later banned from leaving t

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

Seoul shares closed higher Tuesday on tech gains, with investors awaiting earnings results from AI chip leader Nvidia and other US tech firms this week. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was up 19.22 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 2,510.42. Trade volume was moderate at 340.42 million shares worth 7.6 trillion won ($5.9 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 598 to 271. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.6 perc

Market Nov. 21, 2023

Labor and management of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1-8, are set to hold last-minute negotiations over manpower reduction on Tuesday, one day before a general strike threatened by its unionized workers. The final talks are to begin at the company headquarters in eastern Seoul at 4 p.m., according to union and company officials. The biggest of Seoul Metro's three labor unions, which is affiliated with the militant umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has threatened to

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier arrived at a naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday, South Korea's Navy said, hours after North Korea notified Japan of a plan to launch a space rocket in the coming days. The nuclear-powered vessel of Carrier Strike Group 1 entered the naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in a show of US military might amid heightened tensions over North Korea's plan to launch the rocket between Wednesday and Dec. 1. It would mar

Defense Nov. 21, 2023

South Korea's exports of kimchi advanced 10 percent on-year through October this year, data showed Tuesday, with the amount widely anticipated to hit a record level for all of 2023. Outbound shipments of kimchi came to $130 million over the January-October period, rising from $118.6 million tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish typically made from fermented cabbage, salt and hot peppers, and is consumed

Economy Nov. 21, 2023

South Korea's oceans ministry said Tuesday it has issued a navigation warning for ships, responding to North Korea's upcoming space rocket launch set to take place in less than two weeks. The notification, issued at 2:30 a.m., came after the reclusive regime informed Japan that the planned launch is expected to take place between Wednesday and Dec. 1. The North has been gearing up for its third attempt to launch a spy satellite into orbit. North Korea mentioned three maritime zones tha

North Korea Nov. 21, 2023

South Korean golfer Amy Yang has reached a year-high 15th in the world rankings on the strength of her victory in the LPGA Tour season finale on the weekend. Yang jumped 21 spots to No. 15 in the latest rankings released Tuesday. The 34-year-old won the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, on Sunday for her fifth career title and first since February 2019. It was also Yang's first win in America; she had previously won once in South Korea and three times in Thailand. Yang, whose

Golf Nov. 21, 2023

The US Department of State reiterated its concerns Monday over military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, as Pyongyang is gearing up for a space rocket launch to put a military spy satellite into orbit. Pyongyang has notified Japan's Coast Guard of a plan to conduct the launch between Nov. 22 and Dec. 1, Japanese media reported, despite Seoul's warning against what would be its third such launch attempt this year. "I will say that our concerns about North Korea's ba

Foreign Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

South Korea's exports rose 2.2 percent on-year in the first 20 days of this month on growing demand for semiconductors and vehicles, data showed Tuesday. Outbound shipments reached $33.79 billion in the Nov. 1-20 period, compared with $33.07 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports also went up 2.2 percent on-year to $2.18 billion during the cited period, it added. Exports grew for the first time in 13 months in October. They adva

Economy Nov. 21, 2023

South Korea maintains a steady supply of liquefied natural gas and is actively preparing for potential contingencies amid Middle East geopolitical uncertainties, the industry ministry said Tuesday. "There have been concerns over the supply of gas following the Israel-Hamas incident amid the lingering war between Russia and Ukraine, but the supply currently remains stable," Director-General for Resource Policy Ryu Peob-min said during a meeting with industry officials. "However, in

Economy Nov. 21, 2023